Certainly
there’s quite a bit of subjective opinion being
expressed when it comes to the logo for your brand.
Branding is more than designing a logo, but the logo is
an important branding element, so it should be evaluated
with the same thoroughness as the brand name itself.
Don’t just rely on opinions: Someone doesn’t like a
certain color, another thinks the type isn’t distinctive
enough and you think the proportion is all wrong. Well,
everyone has a right to their opinion, but for brand
elements, professional criteria should reign.
There are six universal attributes of a great Logo
Design:
• Is it practical?
1. Can it be printed on scalable sizes without being
fuzzy? The answer is NO
2. Will it work in black and white format as well as in
color? The answer is NO
• Is it distinctive?
A logo design needs to be unique and effective,
simplicity is the key. A design idea doesn't need to be
unique to the world, just distinctive enough so you can
market your target audience. The evaluation is 20%
• Is it graphic?
You shouldn't have to explain to people what message you
are portraying in your logo design. An effective logo
design will communicate purely in graphic terms to the
right brain hemisphere, and doesn't depend on verbal
intellectual interpretation. This is equally true for
all logo designs, whether an iconic logotype, a word
mark or even a simple letter mark. The choice of fonts,
shape and color should effectively communicate the
essence of the company. The evaluation is 60%
• Is it appropriate?
Is the design relevant to your business? Is it
consistent with the personality and tone you wish to
convey about your business? The content has to be right!
An otherwise great logo will fail if the message
expressed is at odds with management intentions. The
evaluation is 40%

• Is it simple?
Simplicity of design makes a logo easier for customers
to remember and recognize. A great logo will contain
only one graphic idea, one gimmick, one dingbat. Thus if
there's a symbol, the accompanying name should be plain
and unadorned. If it is a word mark, one idea or device
should make it special -- like the stripes in IBM. The
more unique the name, the simpler the graphics can be.
Think clear contrast and simple shapes, with limited
colors and tones. The evaluation is 20%
• Does it convey ONE message?
Great designs try to express no more than one attribute
and support a single aspect of positioning. The
evaluation is 0%
• Is it too trendy?
Think of the future and avoid being too trendy. A good
logo will last your company 15 years and give your
customers a chance to burn the image of your logo into
their brains. The evaluation is 10%
• Does it arouse any unwanted associations?
What you intended as stepping stones might come across
to others as looking like animal droppings. If you get
this kind of honest feedback, pay attention. The
evaluation is 90%
• Are the colors appropriate?
Colors are powerful. Different colors have different
associates and can have predictable effects on your
audience. Understanding color associations is
imperative! The evaluation is 50%
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