A good logo should be:

1. Appropriate
2. Simple (describable)
3. Memorable (unique)
4. Functional (scalable and effective without color)
5. Timeless

1. Appropriate

A good effective logo should represent the business it identities. Logo symbols do not have to directly relate to the products. The Apple logo below would convince customers that they are buying fruit which is not true since Apple sells computers.

“The atmosphere a logo generates can often be enough.”

The Toys R Us logo would not be appropriate for a company that specializes in banking. The colors and typography aims for children who want to have fun. You can compare it to The Childrens Place logo which is targeted to sell quality childrens clothing. The goal of the logo is to sell clothes to the children’s parents.

2. Simple

“It’s an apple with a bite taken out…yet it is in fact unique.”

The principle of a logo’s simplicity is the ability to describe it in words. The apple logo is a superb logo example because of its simplicity.

3. Memorable

“A logo’s simplicity and memorability go hand in hand.”

If you can describe a logo then you can remember it. This is why simplicity is imperative. Many people think that a logo should directly relate to the business it represents. The fact is that relating the logo to the business could make it more memorable but it really is not necessary for success. The key behind a logo is the experience. Many companies don’t realize that a logo is only as good as your product. It’s your job to design a logo that a customer will remember when they walk out of the door.

“Quality service will decide whether the logo will be used to relate the company to a positive or negative experience.  If the logo is simple and unique then it will be easy to remember that experience.”

4. Functional

“No amount of color will save a logo that is poorly designed.”

If a logo is not functional then it will severely handicap a brand. I always leave color until the very end of the design process. A logo that does not work well in black and white will not be useful in color. Keep in mind embroidering.

Making sure a logo is scalable is very important and cannot be stressed enough. A good logo should look good down to an inch or even smaller. A good logo should be able to function in any way that it is printed. Many companies will order pens, pads, apparel, and whatever else to get their logo into customers hands…not to mention the standard stationary design including business cards, letterheads, and envelopes.

5. Timeless

Will your logo stand up for 5, 10, 15, or even 20 years?

A timeless logo design may be the hardest to hard achieve out of all of the guidelines.  Companies will often make adjustments or even revamp a logo design over time. After reading an article by fellow design blogger Jacob Cass at JustCreativeDesign.com he brought to my attention just how timeless the Coca-Cola logo really is. There main competitor Pepsi has constantly revitalized their logo to fit the current time period while the Coca-Cola logo has went almost untouched.

The chart is a sample from an article at Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi

If you have any input or different thoughts about this subject please free to start discussion. Thanks!

Much of the information from this post can be attributed to the process of designers such as Jacob Cass, David Airey, and other designers who share information openly. Thanks.