If you believe logo design is a straightforward task, you might not be familiar with the intricacies involved. Even for experienced designers, crafting a logo that is both visually appealing and functional presents a significant creative challenge. It’s a meticulous process that demands extensive research, skill, and careful planning.
We at Virtual Oplossing have a skilled team of designers that have created compelling logo designs for some leading brands. Our team soak in points from you and come up with brilliant ideas that capture the attention of the audience with ease.
Even the most talented designers can encounter hurdles along the way. Minor mistakes and overlooked details can easily derail the design process and affect the final outcome without anyone realizing it. That’s why it’s crucial to understand potential pitfalls right from the start.
In this article, we will explore the ten common logo design mistakes that designers commit in the process. By the end of the article, you will be able to improvise your skills and come up with visually appealing ideas that will take your brand image up a notch.
Top 10 logo fails
Let’s explore the top 10 ways that result in disastrous logo fails. We have also provided you with the fix that will help you rectify the issue before it becomes a major fail.
Lacking a Clear, Intuitive Process
If you simply tell your team to brainstorm, you might end up with a handful or hundreds of ideas. Asking them to pick just one without any guidelines or criteria often makes it nearly impossible to decide. The outcome? Endless cycles of unproductive back-and-forth.
To keep things on track and keep everyone from the project manager to the designer in good spirits, a clear, structured process is essential for creating a logo that truly fits.
How to Fix It:
Not sure where to begin? Use our step-by-step guide to create a logo with ease, and don’t forget to save these 100+ tools for building a solid brand identity.
Misusing Logo Terminology
In any creative project, smooth collaboration starts with everyone being on the same page and speaking the same language. Using the correct terminology helps avoid confusion.
How to Fix It:
Get familiar with logo-specific terms. While “logo” is often used as a blanket term, there are precise distinctions in design, such as logomarks, wordmarks, and combination marks. Knowing these can make all the difference.
Not Conducting Enough Research
Designing a logo is, at its core, about communication. The goal is to capture and convey the brand’s essence through imagery. To do this effectively, you need to fully understand what you’re aiming to communicate—or avoid communicating. The deeper your knowledge, the better your design will reflect the brand.
New designers (or brands eager to jump ahead) sometimes skip this research and head straight into brainstorming. This almost always leads to a weak logo that falls short in representing the brand accurately.
How to Fix It:
To gather the insights you need, start with a brand audit survey that outlines your brand’s goals and objectives. With this information, you can create a detailed creative brief to keep your team aligned. (And remember to specify the type of logo you’re aiming to create.)
Starting with Color in Your Logo Design
A strong logo should hold its ground even without color. While color plays a big role in brand identity, starting with it can make it harder to assess if your design is truly effective. Worse, a solid design might be prematurely dismissed if the color doesn’t sit well with everyone.
How to Fix It:
To ensure your logo is well-crafted, begin designing in black and white. This approach will help you narrow down your options and focus on the design itself. Once you’re confident in the structure, follow our guide to pick colors that align with your brand.
Using the Same Typography for Your Wordmark and Brand Content
When designing your wordmark, it’s important to keep the typography clean and straightforward. But simply using a standard typeface (like TNR, 14 pt) without any customization can fall flat. Your wordmark should be distinct, unique, and an essential part of your brand’s visual identity.
How to Fix It:
It’s okay to use a typeface as your starting point, and the font you choose for brand content should complement your wordmark. However, customize the wordmark to make it truly your own. For more tips on choosing typography for your brand, check out our guide.
Relying on Generic Imagery
This may seem obvious, but it’s worth saying: nothing makes a brand more forgettable than overused, generic images. Think of the usual suspects—hands shaking to show teamwork, or a lightbulb for ideas. These visuals are so common that they hardly say anything about your brand.
How to Fix It:
Logo design should capture something unique about your brand, not just a generic concept. Symbolism can be powerful, but it should resonate with your brand specifically. For example, we created a unique logo for ESPEN, a WHO program focused on eliminating five tropical diseases, featuring the African continent composed of five bars—one for each disease.
Unintentionally Inappropriate Imagery
Design is all about the details, and small elements can impact perception. Shapes or white space can reinforce your brand message when used well, but the wrong imagery can unintentionally send the wrong message. We’ve seen logos where unintended shapes or symbols emerged that weren’t quite… professional. Out of respect, we won’t name names!
How to Fix It:
After spending so much time on a design, it’s easy to overlook subtle issues. This is why getting fresh eyes on the design is crucial. The famous FedEx logo is a great example—between the E and X, a subtle arrow in the white space conveys speed and direction.
Designing an Inflexible Logo
Your logo should be versatile enough to appear across various mediums and sizes, from website favicons to large print. A logo that’s too complex might not look clear at smaller sizes, while an overly simple one might lack impact.
How to Fix It:
Test your logo in mockups for web and print to see how well it adapts across different applications. For more logo inspiration, you can simply contact our designer team at VO and we will get your logo design completed.
Also Read, How Investing In Professional Logo Designing Services Can Help Your Business
Falling into the Hivemind Trap
Your logo should stand out and reflect your brand’s individuality. Yet, it’s all too easy to get swept up in design trends or follow industry norms. In recent years, entire industries have begun to adopt similar styles, making logos look nearly interchangeable.
How to Fix It:
Keep in mind that a logo’s main job is to solve a communication challenge. Your designers should be able to explain how each design element aligns with and supports your brand’s unique goals.
Skipping Logo Guidelines
One of the most frequent missteps is spending time and effort on a strong logo design, only to undermine your brand by allowing inconsistent usage.
How to Fix It:
To maintain brand consistency, create a comprehensive set of brand guidelines. Be sure to include real-world examples to illustrate proper logo use and keep everything clear for future reference.
Conclusion
While your logo might be the most recognizable part of your visual identity, it’s just one of many ways to convey who you are and what you represent. This includes the brand strategy, marketing templates, and strong brand image too.
At Virtual Oplossing, you are in for a design treat. Our experienced team of designers will cover you all the way from design to delivery. Contact us today and scale up your business with a visually appealing logo.