What is a LOGO?

By Omar and Yann.

A Logo is a symbol with a combination of text and images that helps a user or customer identify brands and differentiate between companies. Logos has been part of our history for many decades, since the stone age, when the first man made a tool for the first time, he needs recognition. To recognize who made that particular tool and where.

Omar

To me, I get a passion for logos since I was a child. I remember my first iconic Logo was Coca-Cola. I remember seeing videos of Coca-Cola a lot on TV. in my country, we have private schools, and every school needs to be differentiated from others. Was with uniform and different colors of uniforms. Another way was the Logo of the School printed in the uniform. I Remember I can differentiate other schools’ logos because they have profound meaning for people.

When I was young, I remember I saw one specific logo was the Anarchy logo, you know the A in a circle with black and red color. Other symbols and logos are well known worldwide, as Nike, Adidas, Rebook, Texaco, Marlboro, Shell, Disney, Warner Brothers, Nestle, Harley Davison. So I was trying to understand why people use logos. So one of my teachers said to me, the logo is a stamp we use to recognize different brands.

Now 15 years later, I do logos for businesses and start-ups. I remember the first logo I created was for a party club concept for myself. The name was Latino Republik. I started to like the idea of designing logos, but to be honest, I didn’t have any idea about what I was doing. A good friend of mine is a graphic designer, he saw my job and commented and encouraged me to do more logos.

Well, as I told you, I didn’t know what I was doing for my first logos. Like people said, I was just flowing the flow. I believe it is because I have visual creativity, and I like to do manuals with my hands, but I also understand logo represents more than just a pretty symbol. A logo can represent you, a logo can define you, a logo can talk about you, a logo can fulfill a need desired you have.

How can a logo be so powerful?

I believe it is because images are a super powerful communicator, and we are visual animals. Something very deep in the human psyche makes us associate ourselves with the logo or symbol and the archetypes of those. According to the definition of Logos is the reason or the rational principle expressed in words and things, argument, or justification; personified as the source of order in the universe. Logos is the highest source of knowledge. Ancient cultures tried to aim at those values of the logos, and they didn’t know how to represent them, so they made symbols representing the whole source of what they believed.

We can see symbols worldwide and ancient symbols that represent a profound understanding of life. Nowadays, we still use some symbols.

The Eye of Horus ( Egypt )

The tree of life ( around the word )

Yin yang (China)

The Dragon eating his own tail (around the word)

The Hammer (Nordic)

The Lighting (Greek)

The Phoenix (Egypt and Greek)

The Snake (worldwide)

The Snake on the pole (Medicine, Judaism, Greek)

The Cross (worldwide)

The Wheel of life. 

Perhaps you know the meaning of some of the symbols, but believe me, exist hundreds of symbols and logos out there, some of them with very profound t meaning. We need to understand logo is not communication is an identification.

Something that comes to my mind is the evolution of the logos at the time. I saw how Coca-Cola changed many times their Logo, Apple, Pepsi, Disney, Google. Windows and many more, keep in mind that we can always get a better option of your logo, some beautiful and well-designed version.

The new trend of logos

it is not a secret logos are starting to become more and more simple. The age of the masterpiece art in the logo is over, is because of many factors. One of those is technology in an era of smartphones and tiny screams, an era of apps and the internet. Designers must to adapt to create a functional and straightforward logo. Designers need to create a logo that can be fit in the pin of a nail, is you stop for a moment right now and check your web browser, you will notice some of the pages are open they have the logo of the company there, for example, we can open youtube, and we can see the red rectangle shape and the play triangle symbol, Google on G with colors, Animal planet a blue elephant shape, National Geographic a simple yellow rectangle, Beats by Dre a circle with a b letter inside, the funny fact about these logo many people think is a circle with a b what actually represents a head with headphones from the side.

Many brands, companies, and businesses worldwide are facing these challenges. How to make my logo as simple as possible so we can use it in an app. If the company doesn’t want to change their logo, one solution for these is using the responsive logo.

In 2018, the number of internet users grew to over 4 billion.

Of that number, 48.2% of all the people interacting online use smartphones instead of desktop devices. This means that companies that don’t take mobile users into account are ignoring almost half of their consumer base.

Responsive logos are an element of “responsive web design.” The responsive web design concept suggests that customers should be able to expect the same experience from a brand regardless of whether they’re logging onto their website from a desktop or a smartphone. Just like a responsive website, a responsive logo can scale to suit the needs of any screen. Usually, the most complex and intricate design appears on larger desktop screens, while designers create smaller, simpler options for mobile users.

With responsive logo design, you ensure that you can maintain your brand identity, regardless of where customers interact with your company. Responsive logos give you a way to maintain visual consistency in any environment. As we all know, consistency is a critical component in developing brand familiarity and customer loyalty.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to creating the ultimate responsive logo, most designs are defined by the following features:

Dynamism

Minimalism and simplicity

Versatility

Responsive logo design is a crucial way of making sure that your brand maintains its visual assets across every channel. What’s more, there’s power in simplified logos. After all, the human brain naturally recalls and retains simple information more efficiently than complex forms.

The demand for simplicity in logo design is why companies have been experimenting with what we now know to be “responsive logos” for a number of years. Just look at Apple’s first attempt at creating a logo all the way back in 1976. Although the image was beautiful and creative, it was far too complicated to survive, particularly in today’s digital environment.

Wordmark Logo or logotypes

Logotypes encompass all logos that involve text or letters, whether the company’s name, initials (monograms) or sometimes a person’s signature. A logotype tends to promote name recognition and is associated with more traditional and formal approaches to branding.

The success of a logotype depends on how well the typographic style matches the brand’s identity. For example, black, bold letters suggest a solid and stable brand, but colorful, loopy cursive letters suggest a more fun and casual company.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking logotypes are “easier” than the other options. In fact, you could argue that they’re harder to design than logomarks: both require design choices like composition, sizing, and color, but logotypes also have to deal with typographic decisions on top of that.

We need to find the right typography for our brand, did you know? Can typography express feelings? If you are a fan of Marvell Comics, you see they use typography that evokes power, strongness, and fun. If you see James Bond typography in Royale Casino, it is elegant and neat.

Finding the right typography for your brand takes time, is not just a simple 30 min job, and say I like this typography cause looks good, or cause is funny, requires time and research to find the right one, for designers we try to find the balance between the right one and versatile.

As you see, creating a logo s not just a simple job, as many people think. However, I believe that nowadays platforms like Canvas, logo creator, Visme, are helping a lot to those who want o have something fast and are destroying the process of logo design with significantly quicker logos. So if you have a new business and you don’t want to pay for a logo designer to create your logo, go and use Canva, but if you know the importance is to have a good logo and good things never comes for free, you need to be ready to invest in your logo.

From previous experience, I remember one customer told me how much I charge for one logo. I said it depends from 500 to 10.000, what he answered “is just a Logo” why too expensive? Well, I put many hours into creating the logo. I studied many hours to have the knowledge I have right now. I use the programs that are not for free to create the logo for you. Maybe it is just a Logo for me is find out the correct elements, the right typography, the right colors and put my creativity in the process. So for me is not just a logo.

Your logo needs to evolve.

Animation logo

An animated logo is a step ahead of the static/image-only logo, where there are no effects whatsoever. An animated logo is about adding effects and animation to the logo, ranging from simple dynamic effects to a whole short video presentation. Many companies have similar logos, which give people no reason to take a second look at their logo. But, thanks to animated logos, you can strike the minds of your potential customers and existing customers.

An animated logo is much more effective in evoking the feelings of the people than a static logo. A unique logo will surprise the viewers, and it can later trigger the emotions of joy, excitement, and other positive emotions.

Audio Logo 

Corporate brands then realized that audio logos helped create true loyal fans of their brands. McDonald’s is an excellent example of a company that has worked with sonic branding for more than 20 years and today, everyone recognizes McDonald’s audio logo: “Da da da da dah, I’m loving it”.

Your audio brand helps set you apart from the competition and gives clients and customers a powerful memory cue to recall your company’s name and values when they’re searching their minds for someone who does what you do. By crafting a quality audio logo, you’re subconsciously showing your client base that you identify with them and care about their preferences.

An audio branding strategy sets your company up as both stable and dependable, but adaptable and forward-thinking. By using a unique audio identifier in your television, radio, and Internet advertising, you’re creating a comprehensive brand that works with your other branding efforts across all platforms. When used together with your in-store playlists or telephone hold system messages, audio branding makes you hard to forget and easy to trust.

Yann

Not being particularly fond of logos, it was during my four-year apprenticeship as an advertising director that I started to create logos with the help of tools such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop.
As an advertising designer, what we create on the computer has to be thought through in terms of the production. The logos that we create, draw, or imagine, will then be cut out of the sticker, printed on different media of different sizes, etc. A graphic designer, when imagining a logo, creates what is called an ideation design and then, once validated by the client, creates a graphic charter, containing the colours, sizes, etc. I was then trained to create simple, decipherable, durable logos. Theoretical courses in graphic design include 6 characteristics:
A good logo is unique. It specifically illustrates the activity, products or services of your company, and makes the link with your consumers or customers. It reflects your identity, distinguishes you and, above all, avoids confusion, especially with competitors’ logos.
A good logo speaks for itself. Its meaning is clear and understandable. Your logo carries a message, that of your company. It embodies your values and visually reflects your culture.
A good logo is simple. It is readable and accessible. It is quickly understood at a glance. It is not complex and does not try to say everything about your company and its activities. After all, the logo is only the first element of your visual identity.
A good logo is memorable. It is easy to remember, recognise and associate with your company, even if there is no typography associated with the logo. You should also know that in humans, colour perception is immediate. It comes before the recognition of shapes and the reading of text.
A good logo is flexible. It is functional and can be used on your various communication media: stationery, website, accessories, signage, etc. It remains legible and understandable in all circumstances, even when displayed in small print or in black and white.
A good logo is durable. It stands the test of time and lasts over time. A good logo does not respond to a fashion and is not changed at every turn. When it is well thought out, it only needs to be redesigned, refreshed, after several years of use.
A good logo also contains different elements, here are some examples.
Typography decoded
The choice of a font is not as simple as it seems. Indeed, the typography influences the impression that emerges from a logo. For example, capital letters suggest power, but also aggressiveness. Lower case letters are more peaceful but have less visual impact. The shape of the letters is also important because symbols can be inserted.
Decoding the shape
Logos are above all drawings and therefore shapes derived from geometric figures. The square evokes stability, rationality, and durability. The circle conveys harmony, movement and evolution. Finally, the triangle conveys dynamism, spirituality and finesse. There is nothing to stop you from using more than one or even creating your own shape! However, be careful not to overcomplicate your logo with too many or too abstract elements.
Decoding colour
The characteristics of a company in graphic terms are determined by the interpretation of colours. There is a constant symbolism in the Western world, even if it changes according to the culture. The messages conveyed by each color are ambivalent, with both positive and negative connotations. Here are some examples :
• – Red: strength, energy, passion / danger, aggressiveness, fire
• – Orange : radiance, abundance, joy / malice, danger
• – Yellow: light, cheerfulness, youth / cowardice, treachery
• – Green: nature, fertility, appeasement / decline, envy, disorder
• – Blue: spirituality, tranquillity, freshness / melancholy, doubt, coldness
• – Brown : power, realism / lust, mystery
• – Violet : strength, mysticism / vulgarity, impoverishment
• – Black: nobility, elegance, authority / mourning, despair, melancholy
• – Grey : neutrality, sobriety / fear, melancholy
• – White: purity, wisdom, truth / emptiness, silence

Currently, when I create a logo for a project or a company, I proceed in 3 steps.
First, I do an ideation with the client, that is to say that I listen to the tastes and ideas of my client. We all have things we like and others less. In a second step, I take the ideas received and create 5 different logos. Two of these correspond as closely as possible to the client’s idea and the others are my own creations. With these 5 proposals, my client has a good overview and can choose to mix elements of the 5 proposals. Finally, I take the comments into consideration to create the final version. This can sometimes take months, it is important that the client thinks about and observes the logo.
To conclude, I would say that a logo is the showcase of a brand, of a company but it can evolve according to the desires of the brand, of the company.