Logo Design Principles: What to Check Before You Choose

Three things matter most in logo design: the logo must stay legible at its smallest size, remain recognizable without color, and clearly stand apart from competitors. A logo that fails these three conditions will cause problems on a business card, a social media profile or a shop sign, however good it looks. When you choose between drafts, running the same tests on each one is all you need.

What is a logo for, and why does it matter so much?

A logo's real job is not decoration but distinction. Turkey's Industrial Property Law, for example, defines a trademark as a sign that distinguishes one business's goods or services from those of others, and lists shapes, colors and letters alongside words as signs that can be trademarks. In other words, a good logo is measured first by not being confused with others, and only then by whether people like it.

Customers usually see your logo for less than a second: the small icon in a search result, the corner of a product package, an email signature. In that brief contact, the logo has to make people think "that is them".

What should you pay attention to when designing a logo?

Is it legible at the smallest size?

A logo does not live at one size. Google asks for the site icon (favicon) shown in search results to be square and at least 8x8 pixels, and recommends an image larger than 48x48 pixels so it looks good across surfaces. In a space that small, thin lines disappear and long text cannot be read. This is why your logo needs a short version made up of the symbol alone. It also answers the common question of how detailed a logo should be: only as detailed as it can be while still working at that size.

Is it recognizable without color?

Your logo loses its color on stamps, engraving, single-color print, faxes or white-on-dark use. If the design only holds up thanks to gradients or shadows, it collapses in these situations. Reviewing a draft in black and white first is the fastest test for exposing a weak form.

Does it stand apart from competitors?

Companies in the same sector drift toward similar symbols: a roof in construction, an arrow in consulting, circuit lines in technology. These symbols are easy to understand but hard to remember. The law also states that signs lacking distinctive character cannot be registered as trademarks. Putting the draft next to your competitors' logos shows the distinctiveness problem plainly.

Does it fit the sector and the audience?

A children's clothing brand and a law firm cannot use the same visual language. Relevance means the logo carries the right level of seriousness and the right emotion. The yardstick here is not your taste but what your target customer expects when looking at the logo.

Will the typography last?

The typeface in a logo often decides how long the logo lasts. Very ornate typefaces, or ones tied to a passing fashion, look dated within a few years. Where possible, use custom-adjusted lettering or a typeface with a clear license. A logo built with a font whose license is unclear can cause problems in commercial use later on.

Was it prepared as a vector?

The logo should be built as a vector in a drawing program. A vector file can be scaled from business card size to a building facade without losing quality. A logo delivered only as PNG or JPG will have to be redrawn at the first large print job.

How do you test drafts when choosing a logo?

When a designer sends two or three drafts, asking "which one do I like more?" is misleading. Instead, run the same tests on every draft.

1. Shrink test: Reduce the draft to 32 pixels wide. Can you still tell what it is?
2. Black and white test: Convert it to a single color. Does the form hold up?
3. Real surface test: Ask for mockups on a business card, the website header, an Instagram profile photo and packaging. Instagram's circular crop is particularly hard on horizontal logos.
4. Five-second test: Show the logo for five seconds to someone who does not know it, then ask what they remember. What they remember is what really carries the logo.
5. Side-by-side test: Place the draft among three competitor logos. A draft that disappears is eliminated.

The draft that passes these tests is the one that will do the job, regardless of personal preference. Even so, not leaving the final decision to one person's taste reduces "let's change the logo" debates later.

Which files should you ask for at handover?

A logo is not a single file but a set of files. At handover, ask for at least the following:

• Vector files (SVG, PDF or AI/EPS)
• PNG files with transparent backgrounds, in several sizes
• Horizontal, vertical and symbol-only versions
• Variations for light and dark backgrounds, plus a single-color version
• Site icon (favicon) and social media profile image
• Color codes: HEX and RGB for screens, CMYK for print, Pantone if needed
• A short usage guide showing the clear space around the logo and its minimum size

Without a usage guide, the logo gets stretched in different hands, its colors drift and the wrong typeface ends up next to it. These rules are usually prepared as part of a wider corporate identity project.

Registration and rights: before you start using the logo

Before sending the logo to print, check whether a similar mark is already registered. In Turkey, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) website offers a trademark search; other countries have their own registries. A name-only search may not reveal similar shapes, so for significant investments it is safer to consult a trademark attorney.

Under Turkish law, a registered trademark is protected for ten years from the filing date and can be renewed in ten-year periods. There is one more point besides registration: if an outside designer creates your logo, put in a written contract that the usage rights to the design belong to you.

What are the most common logo design mistakes?

• Trying to say everything: Squeezing all your services into one symbol makes the logo crowded. A logo is a sign, not a summary.
• Using stock icons: Symbols taken from icon libraries are used by hundreds of other companies and are often unsuitable for registration.
• Designing for a trend: The gradient or effect that is fashionable this year will make your logo look old in a few years.
• Testing only on screen: Colors come out differently in print than on screen. Get a proof before important print runs.
• Ignoring legibility: The web accessibility standard WCAG exempts text that is part of a logo from its contrast requirement; that does not mean an unreadable logo is acceptable. Contrast rules still apply to the tagline and menu text next to the logo.

Quick checklist before you decide

1. Is the logo understandable at 32 pixels?
2. Is it recognizable in a single color?
3. Does it stand out among competitors?
4. Is the typeface license clear?
5. Have the vector files and all variations been delivered?
6. Has a trademark search been done and have the rights been transferred by contract?

If you want to handle your logo together with a color palette, typography and usage rules, see our corporate identity work; if you only need a logo and printed materials, take a look at our graphic design service.