Logo design is an essential part of the design brief. It is important to make the design brief as specific and information rich as possible in order to best stimulate the designer to come up with a package that is good for you.

We recommend that following process:

1. Personas
2. Design Brief
3. Now choose one of the following options:
1. Buy a ready made logo - e.g. http://www.brandland.com.au/logos.html
2. Design you own logo on-line e.g. http://www.logomaker.com/
3. On logo developers - there are a number of choices here e.g. www.logoworks.com or www.elance.com
4. WebSuburb designers

Tips

• Your logo should be reflective of your business and the image you are trying to create. Asses the design in relation to the long term goals for your business. A 'cute' logo may be great for a sole trader but not that suitable for a multi national. The larger the business, the more expensive it will be to rebrand at a later stage.
• Be aware of the cultural significance and avoid designs that are reminiscent of religous or cultural symbols.
• Request a handful of solid clients or respected bsuiness associates to test you logo and give you their honest opinion.
• Feel proud of your logo!
• The golden rule of logo's is the simpler the better. Think about the logo's of large business. Often these are really simple. The flags of many countries are often distinctive in their simplicity e.g. Japan and Switzerland.
• Aim for two colours and avoid subtle tonal changes and metallic colours because these don't perform well in black and white, photo copiers, newspapers (for advertising) or in fax machines.
• Thin lines and hairlines don't replicate very well. Consider the overall shape. E.g. if you have a wide flat logo this may work well on your letterhead but not your product packaging.
• Check that your design has not already been registered by somone else at www. ipaustralia.com.au and make sure that the copyright is transferred to you in writing.

 

Evaluate you choice using the checklist below.

Use this simple checklist to evaluate the quality of your logo. Print the checklist and tick either the Yes or No column. If you have all or a majority of No answers then you will have a few good ideas on where to make changes and improvements.

Description	Yes	No
Consistency: Is you logo and slogan able to be used in all of your marketing material, on letterheads, business cards, invoices, product packaging etc?
Memorable: Do you think your logo will stick in minds of potential clients?
Meaningful: Does you logo complement the distinguishing characteristics of your business?
Unique: Does your logo help you to stand out from the crowd? E.g. if 'everyone' in you industry tends to include a particular symbol in their logo, try to use something different.
Professional: Do the quality of the graphics reflect an appropriate level of professionalism?
Timelessness: Will you logo still be approriate in a few years time when your business is say 10 times the size that is now? What is cute now may not be appropriate when you are a multi-national business.
Differentiation: in colours of your logo. Print the logo in black and white or greyscale to see what it looks like. This is the way that a colour blind person will perceive the logo. Print the logo in inverse colours to see what this looks like. E.g. this option is often used on T-shirts and screen printed items.
Unity: The logo needs to fit together, rather than appear to be a collection of elements.
Scalable: Try expanding the logo. What would it look like if it were blown up to bill board size or reduced to an icon size?