What is a logo? A logo is a symbol that is meant to represent a company, organization, product, service, entity, or person. Even certain places have logos. A good logo should encompass a company’s philosophy, their purpose, or their goal. A successful logo will do all this quickly and succinctly, conveying all these messages in a glance. It should be clear, memorable, and easily printed on a variety of media. *br>
A logo should be unique enough to differentiate itself, and therefore the entity it represents, from other entities, especially those in the same area of interest. This can be done through the use of color and other elements such as typography or imagery. The McDonald’s logo can be identified in any language due to its color elements and its iconic arches that form the trademark “M.”
A successful logo should also be functional in a wide range of uses. It should be easily incorporated, or at least adaptable, into the standard business forms, such as envelopes, letterheads, and business cards, as well as any signage that might be needed. It should be able to be easily transferred to other less “forgivable” media, such as fabric. It should also be easily identifiable in either full color, limited color palettes, or in black and white.
Of all the principles that make a logo successful, perhaps the most important is that it should represent the brand or company appropriately. If the business represented is a chartered accountancy, using a cartoon turtle as a logo element might not be appropriate. The whimsy of the cartoon image might give the impression that the accounting firm doesn’t take their job seriously. Similarly, a logo for a skate park would most likely not work well with a pink daisy for a logo element. Skaters, being mostly male, will not be very likely to patronize a park they see as “girly.”