Software is a great thing, rather, software can be a great thing. While it's made some tasks much more efficient and cost effective, such as accounting, programming and graphic design, it's also put tasks into the hands of people that in all honesty, should not be handling them. Just because you have a copy of Quick Books, it doesn't mean you are an accountant, and likewise, just because you have a copy of Adobe Photoshop, it doesn't mean you are a graphic designer. Alas, some businesses are started with literally no budget (and some particularly hard headed people insist on trying to do everything themselves) and are going to design their own logo no matter what, so for those people, here are some guidelines to follow:
- Don't use photographic images in your logo. It will look amateurish and busy and will be ineffective. The purpose of a logo is to create instant and memorable recognition, enabling you to brand your company/product/service. Its not supposed to tell you everything about the company thats what your marketing materials (web site, brochures, signs, etc.) are for.
- Use a minimal number of colors. Your logo shouldn't resemble a kaleidoscope, remember, the key is instant and memorable recognition. The fewer colors, the better aim for 1-5 colors.
- Determine how your logo may be used before designing it. A drop shadow may look great when your logo is used on your letterhead, but it won't be able to be used on your embroidered shirts. If you start with the end in mind, you will run into fewer problems down the road.
- Avoid illegible or over-used fonts. That fancy script font may look great on your monitor, but how will it look on a billboard at 65 miles per hour? How will it look scaled down to fit your business card? As for over used fonts, every soccer mom in America has a web site plastered with Comic Sans so don't even consider it for your logo. The same goes for Arial, Times New Roman, and Papyrus to name a few.
- Design your logo in a vector format. This way, it can be scaled to any size with no loss of quality. IMPORTANT NOTE: Saving a raster file as an EPS does not make it a vector file! You must design it as a vector format from the start.
- As soon as your budget allows, hire a professional designer. It will make a difference in how people perceive your company.
From web site and graphic design to full color printing, and just about everything in between, Wildfire Marketing Group is the internet marketing company that can help your business succeed!
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