Logo Design Series – Shapes and Symbols
So many of the world’s most iconic brands use symbols to supplement or as a replacement of their logo, omitting their brand name, and yet, their brand is instantly recognisable. If you think that could be you, or you want to incorporate a symbol into your logo, then read these tips:
Learn shape psychology
Kandinsky claimed that yellow complements triangular shapes, while blue complements circular shapes and red goes well with square shapes. Although not everyone is completely on board with this theory, it’s a great basic guideline to follow when deciding on your logo design. Use this knowledge wisely when deciding on your logo colouring.
Get basic
Who would look at the golden arches and not be able to tell you that it’s the McDonalds logo? Or the Nike tick? Sometimes, less is more. You can say everything you need to say in a symbol. Consider how you could make this work for your brand. Could you encompass everything that your brand represents in a logo symbol? If so, this is an amazing option. Particularly if you can combine this symbol with your tagline, like the “Just do it” and the Nike tick.
Use negative space
In FedEx’s logo, they use negative space to create an arrow. Brilliant. If there is an opportunity for you to subtlety use negative space, then why not employ this in your logo design? For their use of negative space, FedEx’s logo has been hailed one of the best logo designs of its time.
Use the golden ratio
In terms of design and structure, ensure that you’ve done your research about grids and ratios. You may want to employ the golden ratio of 1:1.618! Twitter has used this ratio in their infamous blue bird logo, and the result is a well balanced logo design.
Also, you can create the best design for your business using these professional logo design guidelines to keep you in the right frame of reference.