Designing Logos That Stand Out: Advice From The Infinite Agency’s Designers

We see logos every day, but what separates the good from the great? The expected from the original? What makes us stop to think and remember that brand in the future?

There’s a lot more that goes into crafting a memorable logo than you may imagine. That’s why we polled our expert designers here at The Infinite Agency—to create the ultimate guide for designing impactful brand logos.

The Anatomy Of A Great Logo

Logos are so much more than pictures or symbols. They help build bridges in the consumer’s mind, connecting a product or service to the brand name behind it.

Looking to build a strong connection? Stick to the following advice from our designers.

 

Do Your Homework

The best logos serve the brand they represent, and it’s impossible to serve a brand without first having a deep understanding of that brand. Do your due diligence and some category research.

One of our art directors remarked that “poorly designed logos do little to support any story.”

In order to design a logo that will support the brand’s story, you must understand the brand’s history, strengths, weaknesses, and audience. Designing with this level of knowledge and intention is the secret to crafting effective, highly customized logos.

 

Walk Before You Run

When designing a logo, it may be your first instinct to open Photoshop on the computer.

Don’t.

Instead, start your exploration process by sketching. One of our art director’s advice was to “start with pencil and paper and keep it simple.”

This allows you to quickly and easily put all your ideas down on paper, compare them side-by-side, and make quick adjustments on the fly. You should only open your computer once you’ve refined your best ideas.

 

Clarity & Simplicity

One role of a logo is to communicate information about the brand it represents. Every good logo should be distinct and recognizable, but great logos should also drop visual hints that clue people into the category of business that the brand is in.

In order to drop these hints, designers must distill the brand down into simple, clear visual cues that help communicate the bigger idea.

As one of our art directors said, “Thoughtful design helps bring an intro level of credibility from the start.” Logos are immensely stronger when they feature a clear, simple design.

There’s a delicate balance between feeling clever without feeling cluttered—being simple without being one-dimensional. A great designer can walk that line with confidence to produce designs that help explain who the company truly is.

 

Timeless Design

A recurring piece of advice from our designers was to avoid using trendy fonts and borrowing too much from current design trends. Trends come and go, but just like with style, some pillars remain timeless. Think about typefaces that won’t date you to a specific decade, complimentary color combinations, and simplistic designs.

A timeless design tells a big story while looking clean in appearance. Sometimes, less is more.

 

Scalability

When designing a logo, it’s important to look at the big picture. And the very small picture, too. In other words, a professional logo should be legible in both small and large sizes.

“Don’t make it too complex—it won’t scale correctly.”

Designing a logo isn’t just about looks; it’s also about practical logistics. Avoid using too many intricate lines that will blur together when scaled down. Again, less is more.

 

Color & Backgrounds

Logos can be used in many ways—merchandise, stationary, advertisements, websites, etc. Therefore, it is imperative that the design is as versatile as possible.

One of our art directors remarked that “well-thought-out logos have a high visual impact regardless of its application.”

An effective logo should look great in full color, in black & white, in a single color, on light and dark backgrounds, printed, and on digital devices.

Perhaps most importantly… “It has to work in black and white. Period.”

#1 Piece Of Advice When Designing A Brand’s Logo

We’ve summed up our designers’ biggest takeaways for crafting effective brand logos, but what is their top piece of advice? What is the one takeaway they want people to remember?

Glad you asked…

Jordan Roberts, Senior Art Director

“Research, research, research. Read, find, look, and explore before you ever pick up a pencil. Do as much free thinking, stream-of-consciousness writing as you would sketching.”

Megan White, Assoc. Creative Director

“Get to know the brand – their why, their how, and their future goals. Make sure you’re listening and thoughtfully designing, not just designing something cool or that you like.”

Danny McDonald, Senior Art Director

“Know the brand’s audience well. When you view things from their perspective, designing a logo for any brand becomes simple.”

Jonathan Silverberg, Art Director

“Try a bunch of different variations! Don’t be afraid to create a lot of versions and to try something that won’t work – it could spawn another idea that could work.”