Branding is an integral component of any business. There are multiple elements to building a successful brand, including designing an effective logo. After all, the design and execution of your logo represents the inner workings of your business.

Here, we’ll explore five simple steps to designing an effective logo.

Typeface

If you choose to include a typeface, it should reflect the personality of your brand. A luxurious restaurant might use a flamboyant typeface with curves, for example, whereas an animal products business may choose a rough-around-the-edges typeface.

There isn’t a hard-and-fast rulebook when it comes to logo design. You don’t have to use any words within your logo, but including the name of your business might help your customers remember your brand. And that’s the whole point!

Icon

Once you’ve established whether or not you’re including a lettering, you can consider incorporating an icon. There’s no doubt that icons are successful on logos, with Instagram using images in their design and achieving widespread recognition. So much so that there are 1.2 million monthly searches for the iconic and simplistic gradient square, making it the most searched-for logo around the world.

However, the most widespread logo design includes the use of both typeface and graphics. In fact, out of 250 of the largest companies worldwide, 152 included both images and typeface. So if you’re struggling to choose between text or image, it might be best for your business to try and combine both design techniques.

Balance, creativity and simplicity

It can be difficult to build a brand, but try not to lose sight of being creative while forming your logo. Creativity is more likely to capture your audience and gain more sales worldwide.

But creativity doesn’t necessarily mean complex. In fact, the evolution of the Apple logo demonstrates that simple icons can go a long way. The logo has changed from an intricate picture of a man sitting beneath an apple tree, an eye-catching rainbow apple graphic, and now the recognisable matte grey apple of today, all while staying true to the brand.

Simplicity, therefore, is just as important as creativity. You want to be able to duplicate this design on other forms of physical marketing, from personalised badges to promotional clothing. To achieve this, try representing your brand without being too literal about the product or service you provide. For example, the famous Penguin logo replicates the memorable name in the logo rather than literal books.

Colours

Once you’ve decided on the previous elements, the next step is to choose a suitable colour for your logo. The importance of this step cannot be understated, as research shows that colours hold meanings and can portray the values of your brand. In turn, this can influence the feelings and buying habits of your customers.

This theory is supported by colour psychology. Brands that use bold colours, such as red in the Red Bull logo, bring about feelings of passion and drive consumers to act. Black, on the other hand, is a bold colour that represents elegance and is often used by fashion brands, such as Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss.

Hidden elements

The final element of creating an effective logo is surprising your consumers. In a crowded retail market, it’s important to excite customers and leave them wanting more. To do this, you can include hidden elements within your logo, capturing their attention even after they’ve seen your logo a million and one times.

Multiple brands have done this successfully. Electronics company LG, for example, designed a logo to resemble a human face. This is instantly recognisable and creates a connection between the brand and the customer.

On the other hand, you might choose to include a more abstract addition. The Adidas logo, while instantaneously recognisable, contains images that resemble a mountain. Not only does this represents the sporting brand’s values of overcoming challenges, but it also interests consumers after they see what has been hiding in plain sight.

These are the five simple steps to creating an effective logo. Through all of these elements, it’s important to stay true to your own brand. While market research is important, your logo should speak of the values you hold. Then, you’ll be able to attract the ideal consumer market.