5 Mistakes to Avoid When Creating a Custom Logo

Did you know 72 percent of marketers believe that branded content is more valuable than advertisements? Adding a custom logo to your digital and print content is one of the best things you can do for your company.

However, one of the main struggles for businesses is creating a logo that is effective and enticing to its customers. They know they need a custom logo but aren’t sure what’s the best way to start.

If this is you, don’t worry; we’ve already created a guide for you. Here’s how to make a great custom logo.

If you already have a logo but it’s not helping with brand recognition you might be making some of these mistakes. Here are 5 common custom logo mistakes you should avoid.

1. Looks Unprofessional

The first mistake that many people make when designing their logo is that make it look childish or unprofessional. This happens when you use too many fonts, colors, or objects.

In fact, most of the time unprofessional logos are the result of a lack a vision. Companies want their branding to be fun and unique and instead, they create a childish logo.

One way to avoid this is by keeping your designs simple and clean. Also, it’s important to ask for the advice and opinions of others. Find those that represent your target market the best, and ask them what they think of your logo design.

If they think it’s childish trash it. Even products that are for children maintain professionalism in their design. You can do it too!

2. Unreadable

Another problem with logos is that they are unreadable or unclear. The messaging in your branding should be easy to understand. It shouldn’t take a microscope or analyst to decipher it.

If your font is unreadable, it will be hard for that logo to provide value. In fact, if your customers aren’t able to read it they might not know where they have to go to purchase your products or services.

Learn about some of the worst fonts you can use in your design. Once again it’s important to make sure that every aspect of your logo is clearly understood.

Sometimes colors can make it hard to read as well. Be sure to have a logo design that works well in black and white, in case it ever gets put up against other colors.

3. Uses Clipart and Common Fonts

The third most common error when creating a custom logo is that it contains clipart and common fonts.

You may feel that that clip art provides the best representation of your brand, but it also is easy to mimic. If you are spending lots of time working on your brand recognition, don’t make it easy for your competition to take some of it away.

Common fonts and clipart do that. Avoid well-known fonts such Times New Roman, Papyrus, and Comic Sans.

While clipart can be detrimental to your logo, having icons is not. In fact, a common trend we are seeing with logos is that many companies are replacing their three-dimensional icons for two-dimensional ones.

If you want to stay with the trends, having a flat icon is a great way to go. However, avoid clipart.

4. Overly Complicated

Logos play a big role in promotional strategies. In fact, here’s how your logo may be affecting your promotions.

The more times people see your logo, the more likely they are to remember it. Unfortunately, most of the time people will only glance at your logo for a couple of seconds. This means that in those few fleeting seconds you need to help them understand your branding and your company.

The error many people make is designing a logo that is overly complicated. While it’s important to have consumers recognize your values, they’re not going to be able to read them all in your tagline.

The best strategy is to keep your logo simple and consistent with your branding. If you want your customers to learn more about your company, entice them with your logo and then send them to a website or pamphlet for more information.

A simple test you can do is to hold your logo across the room from someone. If they have trouble understanding it, it’s too complicated and intricate. Try simplifying it by having bigger shapes and less small lines and words.

5. Undistinguishable from Others

The last mistake that designers tend to make is that the logo is undistinguishable and common. This mistake often happens with those that use clipart. Find the thing that makes your business unique and translate that into your logo.

There are thousands and millions of logos in the world right now. It can seem hard to find something original and unique. However, it is possible.

Create your own personalized font. Incorporate a unique icon that applies only to your brand. Whatever you do be sure to be different. If you try to mimic someone else’s logo it will only hurt you in the long run.

Not only can you run into legal trouble but it will also have a negative effect on your bottom line. It will be harder to build up brand recognition and credibility, which are two very important perceptions your brand needs to succeed.

Create a New Custom Logo

It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting a company or have been running it for years, a bad logo needs to be fixed. Too often companies think that rebranding will hurt them and ruin their profits.

However, many of them don’t realize that not fixing their logo mistakes is what can really hurt them. In fact, even the most popular companies have changed their logo to reflect current trends.

Some examples of these include Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple and more. Don’t be afraid to change your logo and make it better.

In fact, we challenge you to do so. Then when your logo is better, we’ll help you promote it through custom work gloves.

Think you’re ready to get started promoting your logo? Contact us!