10 Silly Mistakes Logo Designers Make

When participating in projects, logo designers sometimes end up making small but noticeable design mistakes. Now, whether you blame this on looming deadlines or technical issues, truth is that these design mistakes can cost you a project. So in order to help my designer friends overcome these issues I have compiled a list of ten of the most common silly mistakes that logo designers should avoid making at all costs.

1. Overlook the Design Brief – Don’t assume what the client wants. Read the design brief very carefully. Also keep the target audience in mind when creating a logo design.

2. Rushing to Create a Logo – Don’t rush. Take your time to go over the project brief and understand the client’s requirements. Rushing the project can lead you to misinterpret the information given which will reflect in your work.

3. Lack of Design Process – Research. Look up the client’s competitors and check their logos to get a better understanding of the target audience. Stick with the basics and follow a proper creative logo design process.

4. Using Clip Art and Stock Images – The logo you create should be unique and appealing. Do not use derivative concepts and copy other designer’s work. Avoid using clip art and stock vector graphics at all costs. They will make your logo design look cheap.

5. Overlapping and Overdoing Colors – Don’t overdo colors in a logo design unless the client requires you to use multiple colors. Also make sure you don’t overlap colors as they don’t give a very neat look. When using multiple colors separate them with a distinct line.

6. Using Too Many Fonts – Avoid using more than 2 types of fonts in a logo design. Every font has a personality and can easily relate to various industries. Choose the correct font for clients depending on their industry, and tweak it if necessary.

7. Keep it Simple Silly – Many logo designers like adding beveled and embossed effects without realizing that it can make the design look bad. Avoid using extra effects if they are not needed. Keep your design simple. Remember, less is more!

8. Not Using the Right Software – Use Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw to create a logo design and avoid using Photoshop. Logos created in Photoshop are raster images which get pixilated when their scale is increased or decreased.

9. Not Catering to Multiple Marketing –Create a logo design which can be used in different scales and formats. You never know when your client might want to print that logo on t-shirts, brochures or other marketing platforms. It should look good wherever it is used. Avoid Web 2.0 techniques as they may look good online, but don’t print well.

10. Ignoring Client’s Feedback – Pay attention to your client’s feedback and learn to take criticism positively. Don’t pass up on an opportunity to learn, make sure you read all the feedback your client gives on the logo design project, even if it is meant for another designer.

Logo designing is an art that is constantly evolving, therefore designers must remain updated with the dos and don’t in order to become more proficient at their craft if they want to win. Avoid making the above given common logo design mistakes and you will soon succeed as a logo designer.

Vectors Source: iStock