When it comes to the product design and development process, giving your brand or product a logo is one of the most important choices you will make. What, exactly, is an effective logo? A logo should instantaneously identify your brand to consumers.

Important Considerations for Logo Design

Most consumers will immediately associate a large, golden “M” with McDonald’s—even if the company’s name isn’t anywhere in sight. Furthermore, an effective logo design should coalesce with your brand’s personality, and should also invoke the values and traits that your brand stands for. For example, consumers across the world associate Starbuck’s green mermaid logo with warmth and comfort, while they associate the Nike swoosh with power, speed, and strength. The bottom line? A good logo is unique, recognizable, and versatile, designed to withstand the test of time. Check out these three great tips for highly effective logo design.

Classic Logo Design Fundamentals apply

Your logo must withstand the test of time. Some of the world’s most iconic logos have been around for close to a century now (i.e. Coca-Cola, Chanel, Nike). The risk of choosing a trendy design is that it will quickly go out of style. You don’t want to have to change your logo every few years to ensure it is compatible with the latest aesthetic trends and design styles, which defeats the very purpose.

Unique Logo Designs Stand Out

You want your logo to reflect your brand, but don’t take this too literally. “The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an airplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer,” explains graphic designer and Logo Design Love founder David Airey. The goal is to do something unique and innovative, not just throw a generic industry logo down on the page. Remember, your logo is all about conveying your brand personality, so be sure to take this into consideration when designing a logo. Is your brand quirky? Elegant? Adventurous? Whatever it is you’re going for, leverage your brand’s unique attributes in logo design.

Your logo will likely be appearing on a range of different mediums, so versatility is key. You want your logo to look good wherever it happens to appear. You also want your logo to be able to sustain small tweaks and changes without totally losing its easily recognizable status—that’s the key to eventually reaching icon status.

Pivot International is a product design, development, and manufacturing firm with strengths in software development, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and industrial design. If you are interested in engineering a new product or updating an existing product, contact us at 1-877-206-5001 or request your free consultation today.