The logo design_checklist_-_canny

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W canny-creative.com E hello@canny-creative.com T 0191 364 3030
If you’re in the process of having a logo designed, then this checklist is for you. Whether you’ve hired a
graphic design agency, a freelance designer or you’re designing your own logo, following the simple points in
this guide will help you end up with the best result.
If you would like to talk with Canny about creating a logo for your business or designing a whole visual
identity for your brand, don’t hestiate to give us a call on 0191 364 3030 or drop us an email at
hello@canny-creative.com.
Good luck with your logo design project, we hope you find The Logo Design Checklist helpful.
1 Keep It Simple
Think about the best logos in the world. McDonalds, Coca Cola, and Nike are the big 3 that always come to mind. What do they all have
in common? Simplicity. Everyone knows that McDonalds is a yellow M, Coca Cola is red swirly writing, and Nike is a tick.
An ever present saying amongst brand designers is “If you can’t draw it in 20 seconds, then it’s no good.” Remember that the goal is
recognition. The simpler the logo, the easier it will be to recognise.
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing
left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- Antoine de-Saint Exupery
2 Careful with Colour
Colour can make or break your logo. Colour theory is complex, but with sites like Adobe Kuler,
things are easier than ever before.
Here are some basic rules to keep in mind:
1) Use colours that are next to each other on the wheel. For example, if you want to create a
cool palette, use blue, turqoise, grey and purple hues.
2) Remember your logo must look good on both dark and light backgrounds.
3) Design in CMYK not RGB colour mode. Printing colours makes them look completely different,
setting up in the right colour space will help tenfold.
Remember to use colours that are appropriate to your business. Banks use blue to signify
trust. Think about what relevance the colour has to your market space.

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3 Tidy Typography
Pairing a font/typography with a logo mark is one of the most challenging tasks
a designer faces. It goes without saying that to maintain a professional look,
avoid typefaces such as Comic Sans, Times New Roman and Papyrus.
Try both serif fonts and sans-serif fonts as well as scripts. Like colours, certain
fonts suit certain industries. For example, wedding planners will perhaps
benefit from a script or serif font. If in doubt, make it clear and simple to read.
One font or font family is enough for a singular logo design, however, if you’re
incorporating a slogan or extending out the brand identity, don’t be afraid to
explore another font family or two.
4 Easy on the Effects
Take another look at the logos from the “keep it simple” point on the list. How many
effects do you see? Not a single one. The Nike logo is flat, the McDonalds logo is flat, and
the Coca Cola logo is flat. Single colours. No rainbow gradients and no drop shadows.
Remember simplicity is key. If you are going to use effects (and there is a time and
place for subtle effects) just be careful you don’t end up with a logo looking like
Microsoft WordArt.
5 Super Scalability / Flexibility
No matter how your logo design is looking at this point in the process, one thing you need to make sure of, is that it scales well. Your
logo should be designed in vector format, not raster format. This means you can enlarge it infinitely or scale it back as required.
Also take time to think about how your logo will be used. Often with social media
profiles, you get a square thumbnail to work in. Does your logo scale down well?
It’s not worth trying to cram a whole logo into a square dimension when it’s not
designed that way.
If you need to, take a section of your logo. Perhaps just the logomark itself. Or
maybe the wordmark instead of using the logomark? Either way, make sure it scales
both ways and can work in a number of different scenarios.
Print your logo design at a variety of sizes and make sure it looks great. Print large versions and paste them to your wall. Print tiny
versions and see if you can still make out what’s required.
Future proofing your logo is a great idea too. To do this, make sure you don’t use any “of the moment” typefaces or any super trendy
motifs and ideas. Make your logo timeless in it’s approach and you’ll have something that serves you well for years to come.
W canny-creative.com E hello@canny-creative.com T 0191 364 3030