In the digital age, it has become more important ever for businesses to quickly and clearly establish their message and brand.
An effective logo can serve this purpose perfectly, as it can communicate a businesses brand almost instantly.
The key factor is that it needs to be an effective logo, and not all logos are. In fact, there are many different mistakes that can be made in designing a logo.
It is important to understand these mistakes, in order to avoid choosing a bad logo design for your business.
Read on to learn what makes a good logo design, and what makes a bad one.
Examples of Bad Logo Design
A large aspect of marketing involves the logo for your small business. From digital marketing to marketing materials, it is valuable to have a powerful logo.
Logos can help consumers recognize your brand, as well as help them immediately understand what it represents.
1. Poor Font Choice
Choosing the right font is the single most important part of a good logo design. The font can make all the difference in the message you send to potential customers.
It is a good idea to consider how the font will look with the icon you choose or design.
The last thing that you want is for the font and icon to be competing for the viewer’s attention, so a balance between the two is key.
As well, try to think outside of the box with unusual but relatively simple font styles from different website options.
2. Relying on Trends Alone
The goal of any logo should be for it to be timeless. Of course, over the years, many brands have revamped and updated their logos to better reflect their brand.
But, you should try to maintain the same logo as long as possible. This helps with its recognition as you establish your business.
Moreover, avoid falling into too many trends when it comes to the design. A bad logo design can result from falling for what is “in” this year rather than creating a more unique one.
3. Use of Raster Images
Raster images are problematic with a logo design because they often interfere with the logo’s ability to be scaled up.
You never know how large you may need to make the image, and if you zoom in on a raster image it can become pixelated.
To avoid this, try to use vector images instead. These are easier to scale to any size without image quality problems.
4. Using a Monogram
Monograms of the business initials may provide an easy logo design, but not necessarily the best one.
This is because it is not unique or memorable for most consumers, leading to decreased credibility as you attempt to market your brand.
A creative and original design will have a larger impact on your potential consumers, and over time you can shorten the name once you have an established market.
5. Plagiarizing the Design
This is one of the worst logo mistakes designers or business owners can make. Plagiarism is wrong on an ethical level, but it is also bad for business.
It interferes with consumers’ ability to recognize your brand from others, and it allows your company to fade into the background.
Thinking of a more unique design may take time and professional help, but it is well worth it in terms of establishing your company and standing out from the crowd.
6. Using Stock Art
Stock art may be tempting to include in your logo, but it can infringe on various copyright laws that are in place.
You can also usually immediately tell when businesses use stock art in their logos because of the familiar styles.
Moreover, it is best to have a unique and original logo, and including a stock image violates both of these.
7. Overly Complex
An overly complex logo is a bad idea for many different reasons. Firstly, it can be harder for viewers to remember it.
Simple logos are generally easier to connect with a particular brand because it involves less information that viewers have to take in.
As well, a complicated or detailed logo can be more difficult to reproduce on a variety of mediums.
Less detailed logos can be easily reproduced at any size, and there are many potential examples on the market of simple logo designs.
8. Poor Use of Color
Another common mistake that can result in a bad logo design is the poor color choice or poor use of color.
Choosing arbitrary colors could lead to a design that does not truly resonate with your consumer base.
The colors you choose for a logo should not only take into account the branding at large, but also the psychology of colors.
9. Amatuar Designed
Perhaps the biggest error overall by business owners is the logo designer they choose.
Picking an experienced and well-versed designer will more times than not lead to a much better logo.
Moreover, they will be able to give you many different logo design options to choose from and provide you with the best possible experience.
This is because they have directly worked with clients of all types of preferences and ideas, from those desiring a small business logo to a colorful one.
Avoid Logo Mistakes for Your Small Business
All and all, logo design can make a huge impact on your target market. When designed properly, it will resonate with your consumer base and establish your brand with ease.
That said, many logo designers make mistakes that can wind up costing a business in the long-term.
Consider these bad logo design mistakes, and try to avoid as them as much as possible by picking an experienced designer.
For more ways to increase market your business more aesthetically, check out our post on how to use a seamless vintage wood texture for your future designs.
