What makes a successful logo?

Over the years we’ve designed a large number of logos, for nationwide organisations to SMEs to sole traders, in more industries than we can probably remember.

Whilst each of our client’s situations (whether they’re starting out or are established) are unique, a few key considerations ran through our approach to designing their logos.

We like to think that a successful logo…

Has something different about it. Uniqueness is always nearly impossible to hit upon in graphic design, but making sure a logo is different (certainly within the market that the organisation operates in) is key.

Which leads onto the logo standing out in the relevant market. A logo is often the first thing (aside usually from a bad customer experience) customers recall in terms of their association of a brand or organisation. So having a logo that stands out from the relevant competition helps no end in that recall.

Equally as important is designing a logo that accurately reflects the organisation itself. This is in terms of the purpose of the business (what does it actually do), the values that run at the heart of the organisation, and the associated personality of the business. An established B2B business in a professional services industry will usually have a different set of values and personality when compared to a B2C organisation offering personal services to twenty-somethings.

In addition a successful logo must be able to fulfil the role that the business and management requires. For example, if an organisation is looking to gain a reappraisal from its market or position the company for sale in 5 years time, then a logo must be robust enough to do the job. Equally, if a new company is expecting their journey to evolve over the coming years then the logo may need to be adaptable to suit unforeseen requirements dictated to it.

There are then clearly all the functional requirements that a logo must fulfil. From working online to in print, on signage to within social media. Understanding where a logo is going to be used, depending upon the business’ operations and where its customers hang out, is paramount. This can dictate the types of colours and / or fonts that are suitable, and the different formats of the logo that might be required to enable a logo to exist comfortably within a range of different environments.

These are of course only a handful of things that help make a logo successful. By understanding the client’s requirements, the organisation’s values and personality, and the market context, there’s a greater chance that the logo your graphic design agency provides is going to be successful.