What Makes a Good Logo? - Part 2: Clarity & Functionality
Can you read it clearly and quickly?
Your logo may have some complex or stylised elements but should be easy to read if you're on a bus passing a shop front or billboard and recognisable from a distance.
Avoid any 'extras' e.g. LLP, LTD, PLC
Get rid of all those extras. There is absolutely no need except for your self-aggrandisement for including a LTD, LLP, or PLC in your logo. It takes up space, can be difficult to work into a logo and makes it more difficult to read. It's no coincidence that a McDonald's or Apple, despite their massive status, don't include them, so why should you?
Use taglines carefully
Taglines and web addresses can also fall into the extras category. Having a fantastic tagline is great, and can only serve to lift your brand even higher, but a logo should be able to work and be used without it. Not only that, when reduced right down, the clarity of a tagline can disappear leaving you with an illegible block of colour.
Is it unique?
Uniqueness is difficult to achieve, as two minds, working independently on different projects in different continents may have the same idea. However on a more relevant scale, a copycat logo will only serve to confuse customers, especially if it's similar to a close competitor, or cause a huge loss of face or trust if it's obviously the same as a global brand.
For this reason, although there are many others, you should think twice about using clip art when putting together a logo. You may find you open up Word and see a nice picture and think that's perfect for my business, but what's to say other people setting up in a similar industry haven't got Word as well, or even your clients? Do you really want your customers thinking you're cheap, unprofessional or unimaginative?
I'll just add that stock logo or template sites are slightly different, as they tend to be of a higher quality and you may have the ability to modify artwork or buy exclusive licenses, but remember if you can access it then so can someone else.
Part 1: Specification
Part 3: Colours & Fonts