In case branding and visual identity, the major role is played by a strong logo design. A bad logo design can ruin your business and drive your customers away. However, a well thought logo design can make you look like a brand.
You must be wondering what a bad logo actually means or looks like. Here are 5 bad logo design examples that you can look at and try to avoid these mistakes when you design your company logo.
Bad Logo Design Examples- What Not to Do?
Not Using Brand Name
A company logo that is composed of a visual and brand name is perceived to be more attractive and better than those which only feature one of these elements. You might be surprised to discover that even many of the world’s leading brands only use pictorial or wordmarks. Pepsi is one the greatest examples that uses an icon rather than a visual and brand name together.
These large corporations and brands have high market shares which allows them to risk not being liked by consumers. On the other hand, small businesses do not get the same privilege.
So, while designing your custom logo design, you must make sure that it is composed of both a visual and the company name.
Using Too Much Color
Next, the color usage also needs to be carefully chosen. First of all, the color of your logo design must be decided on the basis of feelings or emotions you wish to trigger in your target audience. It has been found that monochrome and black logos are preferred compared to colorful ones.
This can change as design trends change with time in the future. Also, it is important to remember different target audiences have different likings and prefer different aesthetics. Overall, using too much color in your logo can have a negative impact on your brand image.
It is a great idea to tone things down. If you want your brand to look professional then this is the better choice. However, if your target audience includes small kids and toddlers then going with a logo full of color is an obviously better choice. Kids are attracted to colorful things so your logo design will look appealing.
Ignoring Technical Details
Further, to create a top-class aesthetic impression, you need to think about the technicalities that support such a great design. When investing in designing an amazing brand identity, looking at bad logo practices will be of great help.
A logo maker that is unclear and blurry creates an unprofessional and non-satisfactory experience. The logo design by Medical Alert Buyers Guide has unclear and unsatisfying logo design. The background is just out of the place and the logo theme is not appropriate.
This will also send a message that your brand is unprofessional or sloppy. So, if you want to share the real you and create a positive impression then do not ignore technical details.
Following Outdated Techniques
Next, bad practice to follow in the logo designing process is by picking a solution that makes your company look outdated. For example, Audacity is an open-source software company. The logo design looks as if it is stuck in the early 2010s.
To keep up with 2022 design trends, you can follow a few ways like cleaning up colors, adding a wordmark or company name, using a monochrome or black color, using a simplistic design, etc.
Failing to Set Yourself Apart
One of the worst things that you can do while designing a logo for your brand is to create a generic logo design. It will blend you with your competitors rather than set your brand apart. For example, the logo of California Dental is similar to other generic dentist logos in the same industry.
The logo might be self-explanatory and shares the right message with the audience. However, this fails to set the brand apart from others. It positions the brand just as other dentists’ businesses in the competitive market. Such logo design fails to set the business apart and does not point out the unique value of the business.
What to Do to Make a Good Logo?
By now, you must have learned what are the things that you should not do while designing a logo for your brand. You can use professional logo creators to create free logo designs that are professional, memorable, recognizable, and timeless.
There are some things that you can follow while designing a good logo. Some of them are mentioned below-
A Unique Design
Your company logo should be one of a kind. So, never compromise on the uniqueness of your logo design. You do not need to get an overly complicated design or an abstract graphic to look different from others. It might make your brand look complex and hard to understand. You must ensure that your logo is easy to understand, simplistic, and communicated to the target audience. The more unique your logo is, the more memorable it will be, resulting in more word-of-mouth referrals.
Brand Personality
Moving further, the type of your logo design should also depend on the brand’s personality. The logo should be able to get an emotional reaction from your target audience than aligns with your branding.
For instance, you want to communicate that your brand is stable, trustworthy, and dependent. To show that, you can take the help of color psychology. Color psychology explains that the color blue when used in a logo symbolizes trust and calmness. If you want to show your company as edgy and bold then it is best to go with a mascot and be unique like Adbadger.
Your Competitors
Researching your competitors is one of the major tasks that need to be done in the logo designing process. Skipping this step can cost you a lot at the beginning and your whole business career. First of all, you need to know what your competitors are doing. You will also find out what kind of designs are already working in the industry.
More importantly, by researching your competitors, you will not end up committing to a logo that looks almost identical to your biggest rival.
Show Brand Mission and Values
Another important quality of a strong logo is that it showcases the brand’s mission and values. One of the best examples of this is Amazon. It is a simple wordmark and has an arrow that joins A to Z. This shares a hidden meaning that the brand has everything you might need. Also, the arrow looks like a smile that comes to your face when you receive your package.
Business’s Target Audience
Your logo design must look appealing to your target audience. Different consumer groups might have different interests and different aesthetic preferences, so it is not a bad idea to research what works with different audience bases. Focus on what types of target audiences your brand has and try to create a design that appeals to the majority of your potential customers.
For instance, if you are doing B2B marketing, then it would be great to select a design that will look appealing to the professional audience such as the company logo of Tresorit. Check these guides about digital marketing strategies for small businesses.
Conclusion
You can learn from other people’s mistakes and be aware of what should not be done while logo designing. A bad logo design can cause disaster to your business and can be the cause of low sales. So you must realize the importance of logo design. During web site design you must decide the shape and size of the logo. You can take professional help from logo design companies to make your task easier and create an amazing logo design.
