What Makes a Good Logo? - Part 4: Versatility & Usage
Now you may have got to the point where you think you’ve got your logo in the bag but there are few final points to consider before hanging up the felt pens.
Does the logo work in a range of mediums? e.g. on a pen, in engraved glass, embroidered etc
Also, avoid reliance on 'effects' e.g. textures, gradients, drop shadows, and does it work in black on white and vice versa?
How does the logo work in different mediums and on different backgrounds? If your logo is reliant on complex gradients, drop shadows, effect embossing or textures, the chances are it won’t translate well into other media, or even work well in a single colour format such as the Yellow Pages. You can incorporate effects into your design, but the logo must still be recognisable and effective, even if you were to take all the nice colours and effects.
Is it future proof?
Another aspect to consider during the logo design process is whether the logo will be modified in the future. Can the colour be adapted to allow for change in fashion, or more importantly can you introduce a sub brand or new product range by simply modifying the colour palette or tweaking the typeface or imagery, and therefore maintaining cross brand consistency?
Let's take the I Do Mortgages logo as an example. It works fine as a logo in two colours, but if they wanted to add a sub brand or launch a separate division, is the logo capable of supporting it?
Well, yes, here we see some of the other stuff the company does, and if they wanted to make a real differentiation they could make a simple colour change, and hey presto they've got a different division. But how does the logo work in monochrome, or on black?
Quite well I hope. By ensuring that his logo works well in this format means he could easily have it engraved on an office window, or printed on a promotional pen or t-shirt.
Part 3: Colours & Fonts
Part 5: Tech Stuff