Building a brand is just a little less struggling than getting your relatives to stop asking ‘beta, shaadi kab karoge?’ It’s a complex process which is ever evolving. One minute mistake can cost you your audience.
Beyond your content and messaging, even poorly designed logo designs and iconography can damage your brand. To avoid this terrible fate, we have put together a list of 7 most common logo design mistakes that people tend to ignore, how you should avoid them and what you can do instead.
How Do Logo Design Mistakes Hurt Your Brand?
Your brand logo is your business’s first impression, and well if that is not visually appealing, building an audience will become that much harder. Logo
designing sometimes when overlooked during the branding process can be a recipe for failure because logos are an essential tool to boost brand recognition and build customer loyalty.
Think of it as your business id card, if the information is not printed properly or is a bit wonky, the security might not let you through. Therefore, mistakes in logo design directly affect brand image, customer trust, and market credibility, and in worse cases, they impact sales.
Top 7 Logo Mistakes That Do Damage To Your Brand
Before you go selecting or designing a logo for your brand, understand this-logo does have a psychological effect on your audience. The mistakes mentioned below aren’t just about the visual aspects of it but also the psychological. So, let’s get into it:
1. Not prioritizing brand image and logo strategy
‘I will scour the internet and see what I like and then design something similar.’ This is a bad strategy, one that might cost you money, time, and customers.
Understanding logo design psychology is essential to creating an impactful logo. Each color, text font, and design element impact the viewer’s mind. The combination of these elements sets the tone for your brand logo. For example, a tech company needs clean and professional visuals, while a goofy mascot is more suitable for a bakery or toy shop.
Your strategy should also include researching your ideal audience and seeing what they respond the best to as well as what your competitors are doing. So, take some time out and create a logo design strategy based on your brand’s image and the message you want to convey.
2. Choosing color without learning what colour theory is
Here is an interesting titbit on a color’s effect on human minds—fast-food chains deliberately use red and yellow because red triggers urgency and appetite while yellow grabs attention and creates feelings of happiness – making you hungrier, happier, and more likely to make quick purchasing decisions. (source).
So, don’t just play favorites with your brand colours and strategically see what emotions you are trying to evoke with your and choose accordingly. One way to go about it is to learn about color theory.
3. Selecting the wrong fonts
Do you know what makes a bad logo in an instant? When the font is unreadable!
Visual typography is a thing. If your customer can’t read your brand’s name, they can’t find you. It is also important to match your font to your overall brand tone, you can’t be running a coffee shop with gothic horror fonts.
Bear in mind, readability will always trump ‘looking cool’. Test your logo at different sizes – if grandma can’t read it on her phone, neither can your customers.
4. Ignoring design scalability
We know, you might be wondering – ‘Huh? Logo designs are scalable?’
Yes, they are! Your design will not just sit on your business card and website; it will be displayed on any platform to promote your brand, like billboards, social
media profiles & posts, newspapers, your service or delivery vehicle, and much more. Therefore, your design should fit on diverse platforms without compromising its readability and visual appeal.
Pro tip: Create different logo variants and print them out to examine their visual appeal in a practical setting, not just the computer screen.
5. Stuffing logo elements & ignoring white space
White space can make your design shine if used the right way. Avoid overcrowding your logo by adding elements, it becomes overwhelming for your audience and looks tacky.
The key to creating an elegant and impactful logo is to keep it simplistic and use the white space strategically.
Furthermore, adding unnecessary details to the logo design can make it unscalable. It becomes unreadable when minimized for a social media post or making a logo watermark. Therefore, use minimal elements and leverage the white space to create innovative designs.
6. Copying another brand
When we talk about researching your competitors, that doesn’t mean you copy what they are doing, it’s one of the worst logo design mistakes you can make. Not only does it make your brand unauthentic, but it also invites legal trouble due to IP laws.
Thorough market research can help the trouble of creating a dupe design. Reliable logo designers like Four Pillars Media Agency dedicate some time to doing market research to find inspiration and avoid creating similar logos.
7. Hoping on the logo trends
The worst mistake you can make for your brand logo is to hop on the trends; minimalist, funky, or whichever style seems to entice people isn’t always going to be the same.
Remember, the changing trends are free, but logo rebranding isn’t! So, choose a font that aligns with your vision and long-term brand image. Choose a color, font, and other elements based on how you want your brand to be pursued a few years later.
You can find many examples of bad logo design online. If you don’t want to be one of those, work with skilled branding experts, such as Four Pillars Media Agency, who can help you create a logo that aligns with your brand image, tone, and vision. You can check our portfolio or contact us for a consultation; we are eager to help you build your brand!
Conclusion
Logo is a critical part of branding strategy. However, many companies make logo design mistakes that cost them a considerable sum to rectify and rebrand.
We discussed 7 common logo design mistakes like unreliable logo strategy, color & font selection, scalability, and stuffing elements in the designs. Copying a popular brand or hoping for the latest trends are two of the worst logo design mistakes you should avoid! Four Pillars Media Agency is here to help you create a logo that represents your brand and aligns with its values.
FAQs
1. Raster logo vs vector logo, which is better?
Vector logos are preferred because they can be resized without affecting the quality of the logo. The Raster logos made from pixel size are also good, but they might lose their quality when resized for zoomed-in.
2. What are the common logo design mistakes to avoid?
Avoid complex text, design, and color themes in your logos. It can create confusion among your customers and is difficult to use on different platforms. Do not add more than necessary logo elements to your design. It complicates the design and becomes messy when resized. Never copy another brand or choose current trends in a logo for long-term branding.
3. How does a bad logo impact my brand?
Bad logo design makes your brand look unprofessional and unreliable, impacting brand recognition. Poor designs can make your customers lose their trust in you and reduce your sales. Additionally, rectifying the bad logo can cost you a significant amount.
4. What should I look for in a logo design company?
When choosing a logo design company, evaluate their portfolio and logo styles. Focus on their designing process and how much attention they pay to understanding your brand voice and values. Understand their logo design strategy and policies and ensure they are transparent and beneficial. At Four Pillar, we don’t just create logos; we create an identity for your brand to help you boost your brand image and recognition.
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