Every day we see thousands of logos: on cars, business cards, posters, brochures, packaging, on the internet, and on television — essentially everywhere, a logo is meant to provide clarity. The graphic mark, often combined with text, has the task of conveying at a glance which company, individual, organization, or association is responsible.
Logo design pays off
A memorable logo creates recognition; an intelligent logo conveys a message. Logos can also attract attention. The goal of logo design is to create a distinctive symbol for the product or service being offered — ideally one that even triggers a positive emotion.
With Nike, for example, we immediately think of the simple curved swoosh that illustrates movement and is therefore associated with sports. At Lufthansa, the crane symbol represents flight. And the bitten apple has certainly contributed to Apple’s brand identity. Some interpret it as a tribute to the Beatles’ record label, Apple Records; others see it as a play on the word “byte,” which sounds like “bite.” In English, the word also literally means “a bite.”
Creating a custom logo is anything but simple. Before the actual logo design begins, it’s essential to analyze and define the purpose the logo is meant to fulfill. If the goal is to introduce a new name, the word and the logo can work together as a unit.
Amazon, for example, emphasized the “A” and “Z” in its name from the very beginning through the yellow arrow beneath the wordmark — expressing the message: we carry everything from A to Z, even though the company initially focused solely on books.
Amazon Logo © www.amazon.de
Telekom © www.telekom.com
When the task is “design a logo,” I first discuss with the client what effect they expect the logo to have. A bank or insurance company will aim for seriousness, a start-up can present itself in a more playful way, and a nonprofit organization will likely visually communicate its mission. In most cases, the logo is intended to contribute to a unified brand identity — the key term here is corporate design.
For that to happen, the logo must be easily reproducible at different sizes and usable across all media, from business cards to websites. Colors may need to be precisely defined and should convey specific emotions — Telekom’s magenta is a perfect example of how powerful color can be.
