I know. It's tempting. You're opening a new business and you need a logo. You see an ad online for a $99 "ready-made" logo. Bingo! Plus you can even personalize it with your business name. Score!
Not so fast friends. Let's slow this train down a little and think this through.
"Ready-made" logos that you find in logo stores do absolutely nothing to help your business stand out from your competitors. Generic ready-made logos sold by mass-design stores are purchased by multiple other businesses. Imagine if another business in your town suddenly rolls out the exact same logo. What are you going to do then?
A logo is the single most recognizable piece of artwork that represents your business. Why would you want to run the risk of someone else having a similar logo, just to save money at the beginning?
A custom logo design for your business is an important part of creating a brand identity. The best logos are simple, memorable, timeless, versatile, and appropriate.
When you set aside design trends and fancy fonts, a logo at its core must...
1. BE SIMPLE
Simplicity makes a logo design easily recognizable, versatile, and memorable. Good logos feature something unexpected or unique, without being "overdrawn."
2. BE MEMORABLE
Following closely on the principle of simplicity is that of memorability. An effective logo design should be memorable and set you apart from the vast array of other logos in the marketplace, which is achieved by keeping it simple yet appropriate.
3. BE TIMELESS
Just like acid-wash jeans, trends come and go. An effective logo needs to be able to stand the test of time. Will it still be effective in 10, 20, or 50 years?
4. BE VERSATILE
An effective logo should be able to translate across all mediums and a variety of applications, from large exterior signage to a small business card. For this reason, logos should be designed in vector format, to ensure that they scale to any size.
5. BE APPROPRIATE
How you "position" the logo should be appropriate for its intended audience. For example, a child-like font and color scheme would be appropriate for a logo for a children's toy store, but not so much for a law firm. It can help to remember that your logo is often how you introduce your business to the world. So it must be a trustworthy and appropriate way to represent your business for you.
Unless you can find a "ready-made" logo that hits all five marks for effective logo design, don't do it. A logo is an important element of your company's brand. And having invested time, money, and resources into building your brand, you'll find it both difficult and risky to suddenly change the logo. Don't risk your brand to save a few dollars. Run as fast as you can from mass logo stores.
