logo mojo

People have emotional responses to simple designs, and nowhere is this more evident than in logo design. Certain images signify complex ideas such as reliability, wealth, intelligence, or wisdom: a rock, for example, is often used to portray reliability, while words or images coming out of a square (“thinking outside the box”) brings to mind intelligence and innovation. Conversely, companies trying to appeal to a younger, more “hip” audience (note ironic use of quote marks) often employ abstract or brightly colored logos to give a sense of irreverance.

Internet companies are a great example of this. Often they have no physical product or storefront, but they use the logo to give their service the right “feel.” Take a look at the old-style “W” in the logo for WordPress. It suggests typing or typesetting and comes across as strong and stable – perfect for a blogging platform that wants to appeal to a more serious audience. Compare that to the bubbly “B” in Blogger. Their front page definitely appeals to a younger, less serious demographic – yet the services themselves are almost identical.

Of course, just because you have an internet-based business doesn’t mean you should discard the cardinal rule of logo creation, which is Keep It Simple. (I left off the “…Stupid” because I find the KISS acronym to be unbearably twee.) The above mentioned logos work because they’re bold, they’re simple, and they’re uncluttered. A good logo should have a minimum of bells and whistles, relying instead on recognizability and scalability. If you have to explain the meaning behind your logo (“…and this swoop here is supposed to signify the triumph of good over evil”) it’s probably not as effective as it could be.

For some solid logo ideas, I’d recommend checking out Logo Pond. See what works, see what doesn’t. But hey, who says you have to do all the work? Drop us a line if you’d like a quote for a custom logo and we’d be happy to help you out. We’re nice like that.