7 Common Logo Design Mistakes That Every Designer Should Be Aware Of

Some designers think that designing logos is easy. However, any seasoned logo designers will tell you otherwise!

Logo design may appear simple because, unlike designs such as illustrations, logos appear very, very simple. This is why some designers think that logo design is easy. And because designers think that logo design is easy, they are prone to make mistakes – mistakes that could sabotage the overall logo design.

If you are interested in designing logos, you should take the time in learning the craft. If you are a seasoned designer but new to logo design, it may be relatively easy for you since you already know how to design in general. You just need to learn the principles of designing logos.

That being said, if you are designing logos or planning to design one, here are some of the logo design mistakes that you should be aware of.

7 Common Logo Design Mistakes That Every Designer Should Be Aware Of

1) Copying other logo designs

Copying other logo designs is probably the worst mistake that a designer can do. At the least, it takes away the uniqueness of the brand. At worst, copying other logo design can lead the business – and potentially its designer (yes, that’s you) – to heavy and costly legal problems.

That being said, of course there’s nothing wrong with inspiration. But to deliberately copy a logo, even if you tweak some of its elements to make it “unique”, is simply unprofessional and not worth the risk.

2) Not doing user or market research

Yes, user or market research is very important in logo design even though you are just designing a relative simple image. That’s because logos are one of the ways that the business or brand communicates with their customers. Just think about brands like Apple, Microsoft, Toyota, McDonalds, FedEx – probably, their logos run in your mind’s imagination as you just read those brand names. That’s the power of logos – as a logo designer, it is your job to make it “stick” and communicative to your client’s customers!

3) Designing for yourself rather than the client or brand

As designers, we can sometimes be swayed by our own artistic interpretations – yes, even contrary to what our client wants or needs!

When designing logos, always keep in mind what your client wants or needs for their logo. Be sure to put in what they want there, not what you want. Of course, some technicalities lie on you, but even in those situations, always put your focus on the logo and not what you want. For example, you may be tempted to use an image that looks cool for you. But if that image takes away the personality of the logo, then it’s better not to use it.

4) Forgetting about the brand

In quite a similar vein above, some designers may simply forget about the brand. They may not even give much thought about the brand that they are working for to begin with!

Before working on your logo, get to know the brand that you are working for first. By getting to know the brand, you’ll get to know some of the characteristics and personality of the brand that you are working for. This will help you not only in designing a logo that fits its brand, but it also gives you an idea on how to design it – for example, what color to choose based on the personality of the brand.

5) Poor font choice

Poor font choice can sabotage an otherwise beautiful logo. If you are a seasoned designer, choosing a font may be relatively easy for you. However, if you’re new to designer, choosing a proper font may take some time for you to learn it.

Aside from learning typography, one tip that we can give is to not use fonts that you think looks cool or beautiful. Yes, we are referring back to #3. When you use a font simply because it’s your favorite font, you may lose sight of the overall picture of the logo and unknowingly sabotage your entire design.

6) Inflexible image

While logos are typically simple and small, it does not mean that they’ll be used in the particular size again and again. Your logo could be enlarged for, say, printing purposes. For instance, your logo could be printed on a package. It could even be printed on a vehicle. Therefore, be sure that your logo is flexible for such purposes.

7) Using stock photo or art

Using stock photo such as stock vectors is very tempting when designing logos because they are readily available for use. But using stock vectors or stock imagery is generally a bad idea because it can lead to legal problems such as copyright infringements. Even though some stock vectors are licensed for commercial use, legal problems can still ensue. Therefore, it’s best to simply avoid it.