1.audi 2.amazon 3.myspace 4.coca cola 5.blackberry 6.caterpillar 7.disney...5 Harmful Things a Logo Should NEVER Have – Caution! |
Categories: freelance logo designers, Logo design, logo design tips
Written By: Nora Reed
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The correct blend of elements is vital in crafting an effective logo design. Nowadays, the prime objective of a logo design is to stand out and magnetize its intended target audience. With the increasing number of logo design companies being formulated and the resultant amount of logo designs being made, it’s hard to make your company logo memorable for your clients. New theory for logo design these days is…simple attracts, complex detracts. This is because too many elements spoil the logo design. We have numerous examples in front of us that validate this point. One must realize that a logo does not necessarily state each and every aspect of the business. Most of us are aware of what elements make a successful logo design but seldom are cognizant of the things that should never be added in your logo. Today I would like to enlighten you with 5 things that surely must NOT be included in a logo design. |
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1. Legal Contractions: |
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| When companies are registered, they get a legal contraction attached to its name. For example Nike isn’t just Nike…its Nike Inc. But that doesn’t show in its logo does it? Legal abbreviations like Corp, LLC, Inc, Pvt, Gov and LLP are not necessary to display in the logo of the company. Hence these should be kept out of the logo in order to make it simple and short. | |
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2. Company Particulars: |
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| As I mentioned earlier, a logo design does not need to inform each and every company details like its addresses, phone numbers, and websites. For one, it populates your logo, making it cluttered and difficult for clients to comprehend. Secondly, what would happen if you relocate your business? You would require a logo redesign. Imagine, redesigning your logo just for the sake of updating your company address or phone number. Hence it is better to avoid these company particulars in the first place. | |
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3. Lengthy Taglines: |
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| No need to get confused here folks. I’m sure you must be wondering that there are numerous corporate brands that employ a tagline with their logo designs. For instance the McDonalds logo comes with the slogan “I’m Lovin it”, and the all famous Nike logo with the motto “Just do it”. But notice the length of these taglines. They are all simple and effective. Lengthy taglines are something that can ruin your logo design. | |
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4. Stock Images: |
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| Getting inspiration from somewhere is one thing, but outrightly copying from another design is something to be strictly avoided. There is a lot of difference between logo plagiarism, coincidence and inspiration. That is why it is always advised not to use stock images or photos in a logo design. This may end up in a legal lawsuit or probably a copyright violation. Designers must make sure that there designs are original and unique. | |
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5. Inappropriate Symbols: |
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| This is one of most unconscious and unintentional mistake that logo designers make. Sometimes, a symbol can be misinterpreted in a very notorious way. One has to be extremely careful of the symbols being employed in the logo design to see if it does not, in any way, allude to a profane or vulgar context. Religious sentiments must also be kept in mind before designing a logo. | |
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September 24th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
[...] By DJ on Sep 24, 2010 in Graphics Stuff 5 Harmful Things a Logo Should NEVER Have – Caution! | LogoBlog – Top Logo Design Company Re…. [...]
October 5th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Took me a second to fingure out the “junior dance class” logo… now i see it. Boobs. Hysterical. We see these issues all the time. Some business owners are so hard headed they insist on including some of these features. Hopefully they’ll read this article!
October 9th, 2010 at 4:31 am
Some customers are so stubborn that it is hard to convince them. Any how they want their registered abbreviations on the logo.
October 12th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Good advice although possibly more rules of thumbs than anything else. P.S. The inappropriate symbols, excellent!
October 19th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Really nice, really simple list!
I would love any of the last ones in my portfolio. Didn’t realize the dance place logo was two dancers until after sitting wondering what kind of dance place this was for a little while….
Yep, one point that is very serious with logos is what the client is after…. sometimes it’s VERY difficult to save the client from themselves/their own wishes….
November 12th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
The dancing logo is great ha ha
January 17th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
[...] 5 Harmful Things a Logo Should NEVER Have – Caution! (logoblog.org) [...]
August 7th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
A friend and I just did a logo for a ministry in our church called “Spirit Now.” It was great – a script “Spirit”, sans-serif N, W, a Budhist circle for the O, the T forming a cross, and the two of those forming a Bishop’s orb (cross on top of the world). Great symbolism.
The small group that forms the service loved it … and one timid woman approached me after and said, “I see SIN” … Boy did that get changed in a heartbeat!
Gotta show this stuff off to friends before launching, that’s for sure!
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:38 am
these are not fail logos, these are made for illusions
October 20th, 2011 at 9:50 am
I loved the collection of all your disastrous logos , here are some more http://idesign.winghamhb.com/bad_logos.html
February 27th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Amazing dis-Grace!