Good logo
A logo is not communication is identification.
Characteristics of a good logomark
Appropiate. This doenst mean expressive, it shouldnt try to say a lot. Just be apropiate in the feeling. Like a personality thing. The importance of the core idea and the feeling of it. Examples: Logo in sports: bold and dynamic, in fashion: elegant. Its a feeling. A logo should be appropriate for its intended audience. For example, if you aim to target children you might, for example, use a fun, bold typeface, whilst this same style wouldn’t be appropriate at all for a corporate law firm.
Memorable. If we see it once or twice we can easily doodle it on a piece of paper, thats a good test. A bad logo is generic and complicated. Memorability is achieved through simplicity, as people remember simple shapes faster.
Distinctive. In the industry, and ideally in your target customer top of mind brands.
Once its appropiate then you have to balance Distinctiveness and Simplicity. How special can we make it while still keeping it uncomplicated. How simple can we make it while not becoming generic.
Simplify
Logos that have stood the test of time, and that have been successful have been very simple – just look at identities such as Nike, Apple, IBM and Mcdonalds for proof of this. We’ve also seen that designs which were complex from the outset have been simplified over time to increase recognition. Take a look at the Starbucks logo evolution below for proof of this in action…
Paul Rand, one of the greatest identity designers of all time (an inspiring figure for me), made the following comment in his book Design Form and Chaos:
A design that is complex, fussy, or obscure harbors a self-destructive mechanism. No amount of literal illustration will do what most people imagine it will do. This will only make identification more difficult and the “message” more obscure.
Timeless
An effective logo should be timeless and stand the test of time. How will the design look in 5, 10 or even 50 years? Avoid using logo design trends as they date quickly. David Airey, author of Logo Design Love makes a good point in his comment below:
Leave trends to the fashion industry – Trends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key. Don’t follow the pack. Stand out.
Sometimes you need to break the grid
Grids, guides, and rules are helpful. They give structure. But if you follow them blindly, things might look off even if they're technically right.
Design is visual. If something looks misaligned, it is misaligned — even if the numbers say otherwise. That's where optical corrections come in.
You’re not breaking the rules for no reason. You’re adjusting by eye so the layout feels balanced, even if it isn’t perfectly symmetrical on paper.
That’s part of good design. It needs to look right, not just measure right.
make shapes look right to the human eye, even if they aren’t geometrically perfect.
Irradiation
Irradiation is a visual bias: light shapes look slightly bigger than dark ones, even when they’re the same size. Our eyes see light as if it bleeds outward.
In logos, this can throw off balance, especially with white shapes on dark backgrounds. Think of an all-white logo inside a dark circle. The edges may need to be trimmed slightly to avoid feeling over-inflated.
Thankfully there is a simple solution. When designing a white version of your logo designs you can simply apply a thin stroke, expand the shape and use the pathfinder tool in illustrator to remove it. How much ‘weight’ you remove will need to be done by eye, but the aim is to make the design look optically the same in white on black as it does when black on white.
Train your eye
Zoom out. Look at your logo at multiple scales. Does it still feel centered?
Flip horizontally. Seeing your logo in reverse often highlights an imbalance you didn’t notice.
Overlay it. Use a grid generator to compare your design with classic proportions—golden ratio, square, isometric—and see what feels more balanced.
Use feedback. Sometimes other designers or clients will sense an issue but can’t name it. Train yourself to identify what “feels off” and why.
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