Better Logo Design:
10-IKE's Ten Logo Design Tips

Research

• Find out about the company; its products, services, philosophy, location, unique features, etc.
• Write down a list of words that relate to the company or industry
• Combining seemingly unrelated words can spark a creative approach to the design

Brainstorm

• Can be done by yourself or with others.
• Come up with as many ideas as possible without judging them.
• The good ones can be weeded out later and modified and improved upon

Design in black and white

• Color can be distracting in the design process. You want to focus on the symbols at first.
• Also, if a logo works in black and white, chances are it will look good when color is applied, but going from color to black and white often doesn't work.

Make it unique

• A logo doesn't have to be a representation of what the company does
• There is no computer in the Apple logo; no hamburger in the McDonalds logo and no shoes in the Nike swoosh
• Stay away from logos that incorporate the shape of their state; this is probably the most overused technique on the planet
• Make sure your logo is different from your competitors

Keep it simple

• The logo needs to reproduce well at many different sizes, from large to very small
• A logo with lots of detail will lose that detail when the logo is used at a small size

Width to height ratio

• A logo that is long and narrow or tall and skinny is not visually pleasing and hard to position on many company materials
• An overall square or 3 x 2 ratio is a good one

Instant impact

• The logo doesn't need to tell the company story in symbols
• It does need to be memorable and instantly recognizable

Design for your customers

• Keep in mind what appeals to your customers, not what you personally like
• Don't use a style that is inappropriate for your induxtry; e.g. a cartoon style for a funeral home

Typography

• Use an easy to read font
• This is where many novices go wrong; they want a "distinctive" font and use one that is practically unreadable
• Pick boring over novel

Think long term

• In other words, don't go with something trendy that will look dated in a few years and have to be redesigned
• People should associate your logo with your business; they won't do it if the logo changes every couple of years