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Support Your Decision - Revisited

Around a month ago, I wrote about how you need to support your decisions, especially when they have to do with your brand.

Similarly to how Gap reacted to everyone's reaction when they tried to change their logo, HP has now stepped back and won't be changing their logo. To be fair, they never made an official announcement about the change. With everything moving so fast though, just an indication from the brand agency they we working with was enough to set everything on fire.

This supports what I talked about a month ago. When you want to make an important change to your brand, take your time and when you decide what the change will be support it. Your brand is not just your logo, it's a sum of all the parts and everyone that is involved with it brings it to life.

Filed under  //  Branding   Branding Thursdays   logo   rebranding  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis 
 

Sleep on it

A few days ago I was looking at this infographic, outlining the biggest logo re-designs of 2011. 2011 was a big year for re-design. A lot of brands changed their iconic logos and that created a ripple effect.

Suddenly everyone started reviewing what their logo looks like and considering if they should also change. Hey, if They are doing it, why are we sticking with our old, memorable logo? My advice on this would be to sleep on it. From the infographic there are a few logos that stand out as rush jobs. Changing meaning and values to something new just for the sake of it.

Take NBCUniversal for example. The old logo wasn't perfect (I generally support that brands should be created with separate identities and images, instead of merging the existing ones) but it reflected its history and values. The new logo doesn't say much and I would just call it ...different.

Some of the others have done a fantastic job revamping their old image and adapting it to the "new way of things", making them look fresh and up-to-date.

If you decide to go down the route of re-designing your image and logo, then don't take it lightly. You need to invest a lot of time, stick to what you stand for and make sure that you don't damage the image you have already built.

Filed under  //  2011   Branding Thursdays   logo   logo design   logos   rebranding  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis 
 

Best of #BrandingThursdays: Colour Psychology and Logo Design

On Wednesday 17th March 2010 we hosted a CUBELUNCH at THECUBE. We talked about the basics of logo design, colour psychology and what image your logo projects to your audience.

According to Elena, the creative designer of our team, you need to consider the following when choosing a logo:

- Decide on what image you want to project.

Your logo should be a reflection of your company's key characteristics. It's about who you are and what you do, so you need to use the right elements to reflect your ethos and values.

- Choose colours wisely.

Colour is an important element of branding. If your colours are chosen wisely they can add value to your image by using the audience's psychology and associations. Avoid clashing colours and always look for professional advice. Below is a list of the most common colours and what their psychology/associations are.

  • Blue: Sky, Security, Trust, Reliability, Coolness.
  • Green: Nature, Fresh, Calming, Cool, Growth, Wealth, Money, Stability.
  • Red: Excitement, Hungry, Strength, Passion, Energetic, Speed, Power, Success, Action.
  • Yellow: Sunshine, Cheerful, Happiness, Contrast, Grabs Attention.
  • Pink: Energy, Romantic, Feminine, Soft, Sweet, Nurture, Security.
  • Orange: Enthusiastic, Cheerful, Playful, Warm, Vibrant.
  • Black: Powerful, Expensive, Prestige, Luxury, Elegance, Style, Sophistication, Seductive, Mystery.
  • White: Simplicity, Purity, Innocence, Clean, Mild.

Of course these are guidelines only and there are always exceptions.

- Target your audience.

Thinking about your audience when choosing the design and colour is fundamental. Different groups react differently to colours. 

- Create harmony.

When choosing your colours and matching them to your design you need to always create harmony. Harmony is pleasing to the eye and is an indicator of good design. as such, it often goes unnoticed, as pointed out in the axiom, 'good design is never recognised, only bad design'.

- Keep it simple.

Your logo needs to be as simple as possible. This way you will be creating something that is memorable, timeless, scalable and will stand out. From a game that we did during the CUBELUNCH, we found out that less than 40% of the participants could remember a complicated logo, while 100% remember a simplistic logo. What you need to achieve is create an image that is so memorable that people can recognise and remember it with minimum exposure.

When creating your logo, always seek professional help and ask people about what they believe. Bringing someone from the outside that can see things with a different view and a beginner's mind will help you understand what image you are projecting to your audience and what emotions are associated with it.

The talk was followed by an active Q&A and logo clinic as well as a screening of the movie logorama. (link to movie http://www.logorama-themovie.com)

 

Filed under  //  Branding Thursdays   colour psychology   events   logo   logo design  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis 
 

Best of #SimplicityTuesdays: Simplicity in Branding: Your Logo

Continuing our series of posts on Simplicity in Branding, this week we will look at the design of your logo and how to use simplicity.

One of the first things you will work on for your image, after deciding on a name, is your logo. Your logo will be one of the first things that your audience sees and it needs to be done right. It will complement your name and show once again what your values and promise are. That's why it's such a difficult task and so easy to get it wrong.

It's very easy to fall for all the recent trends and "fashion" but if you think about all the powerful brands (e.g. Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft etc.) you will realise that their logos are simple. When working on your logo (we highly recommend that you hire a professional to help you with that) simplicity needs to be applied to the design in order to produce an image that is clear, memorable and timeless.

Here are some guidelines:

  • You shouldn't use more than one font
  • Don't use complicated fonts that are not easy to read
  • Use colour wisely, up to three colours is a good guide
  • Avoid gradients. It will be very difficult to adapt the logo in different formats
  • Use your illustrators wisely. Having a distinct icon is a plus but make sure it's simple and adaptable. And please don't use cliparts!

Of course these are not rules but guidelines. You can always break and bend them but be wise when doing it.

We've chosen three examples to show how simplicity in logo design can be good, bad and ugly.

 

The Good

Apple

The Apple logo communicates the simplicity of their products and the quality of their design.

 

The Bad

Myspace

When the new Myspace logo was revealed, blogs caught fire. People were saying that it was the worst decision and design a company has made. Our view is that this is a nice logo to be used in an ad or marketing campaign, but not as the main logo.

 

& The Ugly

Olympics_2012

The 2012 logo was not well received by people when it was launched in the summer of 2012. Though simple, the logo doesn't communicate any of the values of the olympic games.

Remember that when it comes to logo design, you need to keep it simple!

Filed under  //  Branding   Simplicity Tuesdays   logo   logo design   simplicity  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis 
 

Logo Nest 01 has been Published and We're In!

(download)
After a few months of anticipation, we now have Logo Nest 01 in our hands. We are thrilled that one of the logos that we have designed was picked.

Logo Nest 01 is the book from Logo Designers for Logo Designers and features the logo we have done for Hopscotch Children's Therapy Centre. For more details on the work we have done for Hopscotch, you can have a look at our portfolio and our blog.

We're now looking forward to version 02 and submitting our new work!

If you want to get a copy of the book, it can be purchased online here.

Filed under  //  Logo Nest   book   hopscotch   logo   logo design   published  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis 
 

Simplicity in Branding: Your Logo #SimplicityTuesdays

Continuing our series of posts on Simplicity in Branding, this week we will look at the design of your logo and how to use simplicity.

One of the first things you will work on for your image, after deciding on a name, is your logo. Your logo will be one of the first things that your audience sees and it needs to be done right. It will complement your name and show once again what your values and promise are. That's why it's such a difficult task and so easy to get it wrong.

It's very easy to fall for all the recent trends and "fashion" but if you think about all the powerful brands (e.g. Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft etc.) you will realise that their logos are simple. When working on your logo (we highly recommend that you hire a professional to help you with that) simplicity needs to be applied to the design in order to produce an image that is clear, memorable and timeless.

Here are some guidelines:

  • You shouldn't use more than one font
  • Don't use complicated fonts that are not easy to read
  • Use colour wisely, up to three colours is a good guide
  • Avoid gradients. It will be very difficult to adapt the logo in different formats
  • Use your illustrators wisely. Having a distinct icon is a plus but make sure it's simple and adaptable. And please don't use cliparts!

Of course these are not rules but guidelines. You can always break and bend them but be wise when doing it.

We've chosen three examples to show how simplicity in logo design can be good, bad and ugly.

 

The Good

 

Apple
The Apple logo communicates the simplicity of their products and the quality of their design.

 

 

The Bad

Myspace

When the new Myspace logo was revealed, blogs caught fire. People were saying that it was the worst decision and design a company has made. Our view is that this is a nice logo to be used in an ad or marketing campaign, but not as the main logo.

 

& The Ugly

Olympics_2012

The 2012 logo was not well received by people when it was launched in the summer of 2012. Though simple, the logo doesn't communicate any of the values of the olympic games.

Remember that when it comes to logo design, you need to keep it simple!

 

Filed under  //  Branding   Simplicity Tuesdays   logo   logo design   simplicity  
Posted by Harry Mylonadis