How a logo is constructed
Logos are a fundamental piece of branding for any business and are constructed with many different elements and constructed to form the finished logo, here we will be exploring how a logo is constructed, what logos are made up of, and how it can be used successfully in a logo for a business. To explore why logos are important for a business, check out our article on “Why is a logo so important?” that explains this topic in further detail. The logo design process can be very time consuming, taking several hours and dozens of different concepts and iterations in order to finalise a logo design.
Graphics
The graphics of a logo can be the most important aspect of forming the feel and vibe of the logo itself. Shapes, symbols and colours all make up this aspect, and can even be woven into a font. Some logos rely solely on graphics to make up the logo and do not include any other shapes or patterns into their design. Colours are a key aspect in the design of the graphics themselves, we dive deep into the different colour meanings and how they can have an effect on mood in our article “The importance of colour theory”.
The graphics can constructed with any sort of pattern, shape, symbol, or colour, and can be designed with many means, most commonly digitally on a 2D design software that works with vector graphics, meaning that the shapes and elements of the image won’t lose quality when the image is distorted and scaled up or down.
Adobe Illustrator is an excellent software for working with logo design, especially aiding in the design of the graphics part of the logo, thanks to the many intricate tools it has available. The ability to infinitely scale the logo up or down allows it to be used universally, and still maintain the original quality, such as being used as an advertisement on the side of a building, all the way to being used on business cards or clothing items.
To learn about images constructed with the vector format in more detail, check our article on “What is the difference between Vector and Bitmap images?” and to learn more about the different logo variations that can be made, check out our article “Logo Variants and when to use them?” for a more detailed explanation.
Shape
The shape of the logo is another important aspect when considering the initial design, as it will define the entire structure of the logo itself. The most common shapes for a logo is a circle, however, it can also be designed to any shape like a square, rectangle, etc. Some logos don’t conform to a specific shape, and instead, create their own symbols or designs that form more intricate shapes. For example, the Instagram logo is a rounded square shape that matches the form of a camera, in which it depicts, however more intricate logos such as the UN logo uses many more abstract and unique shapes constructed to depict the earth.
The complexity of the logo can work both ways, as a simplistic logo is easily identifiable, and a more intricately designed logo can be seen as artistic or sophisticated, however, this does depend on the constructed elements of the logo’s design itself. A logo can be short and restricted to a certain shape or boundaries, or be long in order to form the name of the business or to accommodate an art piece or an array of shapes.
Text
Text can also be a key part of any logo, including the name of the company itself or an initial of the business’ name. The typography of the text can also affect how the consumer may view the branding of the business, such as bold, striking text grabbing people’s attention better and making more of an impact. Whereas a more calm, hand-drawn, relaxed style typography may be more fitting towards businesses targeted towards children or women, etc.
Text does not always have to be included into a logo, instead, being a separate design that can be placed next to or under the logo, rather than being woven into the core design of the logo itself.
Strapline
The strapline can be used in combination with the logo to convey to the viewers what the business is actually about. A strapline should include what the company is, or explain what it’s about. Such as our strapline “Multimedia Design Studio”, which quickly and easily explains what we are about. But a strapline doesn’t necessarily have to state what the business does, it can also be a simple motto or something that the audience can remember you by, for example, the famous Nike strapline “Just Do it” is now synonymous with the Nike brand of products, just as “Every little helps” is associated with Tesco.
Avatar
An avatar is a key aspect of the social media of any business, as it will be the main visual that viewers will see when exploring the online pages of the company or business. Typically, the avatar will be the logo design that will be either blended with a background colour that matches the brand guidelines of the business or as a white background.
Because all of the mainstream social media platforms use circular avatar borders, a brand that uses a circular logo will fit right into the avatar, however, any company can adapt their logo into an avatar. The avatar isn’t necessarily limited to use on social media, however, as it can also be used in other sites such as the portfolio, contact page, LinkedIn, etc.
Consistency
The logo is not the entirety of what a business’s branding material is constructed of, as it may require many other variants and different designs to accommodate for such as banners for social media accounts or websites. Consistency in the constructed designs, as well as the colours, are key to creating a successful brand.
Brand guidelines are a set of standards that document the set variants of all of the branding material, and the specific colours the brand uses, in order to maintain a consistent style of branding material throughout the entire business. To learn more about brand guidelines, check out our article all about them here.
If you need your own high quality, professional bespoke logo design, contact us today or visit our Logo Design page to check out our designs.
Here at Painting Pixels, we can create a full branding and marketing package so that your company can grow, including an expertly constructed logo, as well as other 2d and graphical design elements to boost business!
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