Because we can’t think deep thoughts all the time ….
Like a lot of associations, we have to deal with the logos of a lot of different companies. This is because we have events and things that have sponsors, and so we have to put sponsor logos in a lot of very different and creative places. Yet I’m amazed at how many logos I see that look very striking and memorable– when they’re huge.
When they’re small, they’re barely legible.
So the most important question to ask when designing a logo — for a company, association, event, product, whatever — is: How does it look when it’s really small?
When designing a logo for something that has more than one short word, go for logos that have a basically vertical alignment (I like to call them “stacked”). Horizontal logos look terrible and squished when they have to fit in a small space.
And avoid insisting that taglines or slogans be included as part of a logo, because they lose all legibility in 90% of applications. Before deciding on a logo, shrink it down to 40 pixels wide and see how it looks.
Finally, if you need a logo for something, hire a professional to design it. It’s cheaper than you think but not nearly as cheap looking as most in-house efforts.
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