Logo design is an art form with a lot of thought, method and purpose behind it. And to be effective, your logo design should be able to answer “Yes!” to these five questions:

• Am I good looking in black and white?  Even though we live in a technical age, it should ideally be just as strong in simple black on white (or black on a color for a t-shirt or hat) as it is in full color. Using color to brand with is fine, but your logo should have other elements that make it memorable without relying totally on color.

• Am I easy to read? You will use your logo in a variety of ways, medias, and in a number of different sizes. It should be easy to read at a glance on a billboard or on a small smart phone screen, and anything in between. Keeping the design clean and simple goes a long way in keeping it flexible, memorable and relevant through changing uses and evolving needs. You can always use other extensive graphics you like in specific marketing campaigns.

• Do I reach my target market? A professionally designed logo will take your business and target market into account – are you targeting 55+ seniors, teenage boys or pregnant women? Or maybe your business needs to reach all three! The right elements can help your business find the ideal target in a sea of consumers.

• Am I unique? Does your logo stand out from the crowd of competition? Looking too similar to “everyone else” is a beginner mistake in design. You need to study the market to know what appeals to your target audience but you also need to study the competition to know how your brand is different and how that should be shown in your logo.

• Do you like me? After all, this is for your business. You need to love the logo design. Designers should never force an idea on you, and you should speak up about what you like and what you don’t. This logo will represent you for a long time and you’ll see it daily. In fact, wisdom has it that about the time you stop wanting to see it, you’ve achieved brand recognition!

Logo designs are more than tossing a font onto a page with some clip art. It takes professional experience, time and talent to create something that can impart your brand, capture your business, and set you apart from the crowd.

Feel free to check out the logos I’ve done or to contact me for your next logo project.