Long live your logo!

A logo is the face of your company. A benchmark, a feature. An image that stays with you if you do it right, but that you can also quickly make a mistake with. A good logo should therefore be timeless, but also recognisable, flexible and memorable. We'll give you a glimpse into Brandchef's logo kitchen. Because it's not as simple as it sometimes seems!

A logo consists of a certain style, any typography (s), one or more colors and any other elements. The goal is that, together, this forms a consistent whole that should last a lifetime, or perhaps several generations, whether or not in an adapted form. Long live the logo!

The style of your logo

A logo has a certain style, one not necessarily better than the other. Choosing a certain style has everything to do with the brand identity and what the brand wants to convey to the target group and the industry. Here are some of the style aspects that come into play when designing a logo:

1. Minimalism: A minimalist logo is simple and streamlined, with minimal text and graphics.
2. Typographic: playing with fonts. For example, the combination of serif and sans-serif letters provide an exciting contrast and combining different fonts (fonts) breaks the need for clean lines or uniformity.
3. Monograms: A monogram consists of two or more letters that together form a symbol or logo. Think of Volkswagen's. Monograms are often exciting and arouse curiosity.
4. Remaining space: logos that make use of the rest space are playful. For example, an icon can be incorporated into the residual space that makes the logo recognizable at once, or has the effect that you have to look twice.
5. Wink: humor in a logo works. It must match the brand, and a preliminary investigation is necessary, but if so, you can incorporate elements such as caricatures, animals or mascots into the logo. Or working with puns and visual jokes.

Your logo typography

Typography is a crucial aspect when designing a logo. As renowned graphic designer and type designer Gerard Unger said: 'A typeface will always be a kind of self-portrait of its design. ' Here are a few styles that we take into account when designing:

1. Sanserif letters: this is a typography with serif at the end of the letter legs. This type is classic and elegant.
2. Sans-serif letters: letters without serif, making them look minimalistic and sleek. This typography can convey a sense of simplicity, clarity, and universality.
3. Hand-drawn: hand-designed letters, as well as illustrations, provide character, personality and nostalgia.
4. Historic: Using a typeface from a specific year or period creates a sense of recognition and nostalgia.

5. Mix & match: using different fonts together makes a logo fresh and playful.
6. Capital letters: do you want to radiate power, or do you want a minimalist logo? Or both? Then a logo with only capital letters is a good option.
7. Small capital: on the other hand, the use of only small capital (lowercase letters). For a playful and accessible effect.

Logo color (s)

Enough has been written about the effect of colors on humans, like here, by Emerce. Because of this impact, the use of color must be carefully considered. We do this together with the customer. Because colors not only convey brand identity, but also emotions. They must therefore be in line with brand values, but also attractive to the target group. We take contrast and psychological effects into account and test the color (s) on different backgrounds. Ultimately, together with the customer, we choose colors that are well thought out, consistent and create a powerful visual identity.

Additional elements

For each design, we consider whether additional elements add anything. Something playful or familiar. Think of a minimalist (line) illustration that can reinforce the name of the brand in the logo. Sometimes we talk to the customer about a possible mascot. These represent the name and the brand, but we are reluctant to do this because it also creates noise. Third, we sometimes consider animations. These are very suitable for use throughout the company's branding, so you can tell the story behind the brand and logo.

(Un) recognisable logo?

There are logos that are incredibly strong, but don't necessarily show what the company does. Think Nike. No shoe can be found in the logo. The distinctive shape stands for speed, not the literal products that Nike offers. However, this is an exception, as research shows that descriptive logos (logos that contain visual design elements that communicate the type of product) influence consumers' brand perceptions more favourably than non-descriptive logos.

Researchers Jonathan Luffarelli (Montpellier Business School), Mudra Mukesh (Westminster Business School), and Ammara Mahmood (Lazaridis School of Business and Economics in Canada) analysed 597 companies to answer this question and published the results in Harvest Business Review. They also found that descriptive logos are likely to improve brand performance unless consumers associate your product with something unpleasant, such as a coffin manufacturer. In that case, a non-descriptive logo is probably better.

Ultimately, a logo is primarily intended for recognition. If you have a good marketing budget to launch your brand, a non-descriptive logo is an option, otherwise it's best to show what you offer. But the most important thing is that your logo is timeless so that it can be used as the building block of your visual identity for years to come (possibly slightly modified to keep up with the times).

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Are you looking for a partner to create your logo? Then contact us for an informal conversation about the possibilities at Brandchef.

hello@brandchef.amsterdam
+31 20 7521 751

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