Your designer sent three logo concepts, presented on stylish backgrounds and mockups of signs and offices. All of them look good on a computer screen, and you are choosing between them by feel. A month later you print the logo on a small rubber stamp and it turns into a blot, or you use it as an Instagram profile picture and none of it is readable.
Much of judging a logo can be checked without relying on taste. A few simple tests you can run yourself in an hour catch most problems before the logo is printed on everything.
What makes a good logo?
A good logo can be read and recognized at every size and on every background you will really use, and it stays distinct from your competitors' logos. Looks matter, but they come after the logo works in everyday use.
A logo does not need to explain your whole business. An accounting firm does not need a calculator in its logo, and a restaurant does not need a fork and knife. Literal symbols like these make a logo look like dozens of others. The logo's job is to be recognized and remembered, while explaining the business is the job of the name, the tagline and the website.
Which tests should a logo pass before you approve it?
Ask the designer for a black-only version of the logo, then run these tests in order. Each one exposes a different kind of problem.
- Small sizeAbout one centimeter wide, and as a profile picture
- One colorBlack on white, and white on black
- BackgroundsOver a photo, on a dark color, on colored paper
- Both languagesNext to an Arabic heading and an English one
- Real applicationsInvoice, sign, social post, app icon
The small size test
Shrink the logo to the size of a fingernail and print it on plain paper. Can you still read the name? Fine details, thin lines and gradients disappear first. If the logo depends on them, ask for a simplified version for small sizes, which is normal in many brand identities.
The one-color test
At some point the logo will be printed in a single color: on a stamp, a photocopy, an engraved product or embroidery. If it loses its shape once you remove the colors and gradients, it relies on color more than form. A strong logo is recognizable in black alone.
The background test
Place the logo over a detailed photo and on a background in your dark brand color. Many logos are designed on white and never tested on anything else, and then the team finds it has no version that works on dark backgrounds.
What is different about a bilingual Arabic and English logo?
A logo that carries the name in both languages has to balance two scripts that differ in direction, height and density. Arabic letters stretch horizontally and have different ascenders and descenders from Latin letters, so if both are set at the same nominal size, one looks bigger or heavier.
Decide which language leads in your market, and design both versions so each also works on its own. You will usually need an Arabic-only version for some uses and an English-only one for others. If the logo's symbol suggests a direction, such as an arrow or motion, test it next to Arabic text, which reads from the right, because it may look like it is pointing against the reading direction.
How do you know your logo stands out from competitors?
Collect the logos of five to ten competitors in your market and place your proposed logo among them at the same size. If it gets lost among them, or looks like part of the same family, it is not distinctive enough.
This happens a lot when everyone follows the usual style in their sector: blue for tech companies, green for healthcare, gold for luxury real estate. Using a color common in your sector is fine, but let the shape or the typeface be what sets you apart. Also make sure the logo does not resemble a well-known logo, since a resemblance can cause problems when you register the trademark.
Which logo files should you receive?
Get the logo in a vector format that scales without losing quality, such as SVG, PDF, AI or EPS, plus PNG with a transparent background for quick use. Ask for every version in at least three colorways: full color, black and white.
- Horizontal and vertical versions, and the symbol on its own if there is one.
- A version for each language if the logo is bilingual.
- Color values for screen and print.
- The clear space required around the logo, and the minimum allowed size.
- A square icon for social profile pictures and the website favicon.
These rules usually go into your brand guidelines, so that each supplier does not invent its own way of using the logo.
How do you make the final decision on a logo?
Judge the concepts after they have gone through every test, since the first presentation is designed to look good. The concept that held up at small size, in one color and next to your competitors is the strongest candidate, even if it was not the prettiest at first glance.
If you are thinking about changing an existing logo your customers already know, first read signs your company needs a rebrand. Refining the current logo may be enough.
We design logos and test them on real applications before handover as part of our branding and design service. Send us your current logo or the concepts you are weighing and we will tell you what these tests reveal.
Questions our partners ask
How many logo concepts should I ask for?
The number matters less than a clear direction. Two or three concepts based on a good understanding of your business are more useful than ten random ones that only add to the confusion.
Does a logo need a symbol?
No. Many successful logos are text only. A standalone symbol is useful if you need an app icon, a profile picture or a small stamp, and it can be a letter from the name.
Should I ask staff and family for their opinion on the logo?
Ask them things you can check: did they read the name easily, and what do they expect from the company? Personal taste varies from person to person and will not help you decide.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
