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Logo design faux pas are everywhere. Scroll through the average small business Facebook page and you’ll spot them: overcomplicated colour palettes, fonts that fight with each other, and shapes that try to be everything at once. The result? A logo that confuses or, worse, repels the very people it’s meant to attract.
Good logo design doesn’t come from throwing every idea at the canvas. It comes from clarity, restraint, and an understanding of what your brand actually stands for. If you’re thinking about creating or refreshing your logo, here are some guiding principles that will help your brand look more professional and less like a DIY experiment gone rogue.
Know Your Message
Before you even think about shapes or colours, nail down what your brand stands for. A strong logo is less about decoration and more about representation. Ask yourself:
- What does my business actually do?
- What values do I want to be known for?
- What do I want people to feel when they see my brand?
Creating a mood board can help bring these answers into focus. Gather imagery, textures, and references that connect to your brand story. A clear mission and vision make your logo less guesswork and more strategy.
Shape First, Colour Later
One of the biggest mistakes in logo design is jumping straight into colour. The truth is, shape carries the memory. Think about iconic brands: their outlines are recognisable even in black and white.
Start by sketching. It does not need to be perfect. Explore multiple iterations on paper before you ever touch design software. Once you have nailed the shape, colour becomes a supporting act rather than the main event.
Traditional vs. Trendy
Logos used to lean on organic, nature-inspired forms. Today, the trend favours geometric, flat, minimal shapes that work across multiple platforms. Neither is right or wrong. What matters is timelessness.
A logo should be original but not trapped in a passing style. Think of Apple’s stripped-back fruit or Soundcloud’s wave-infused cloud. Both are simple, scalable, and adaptable. Whether you choose flowy or edgy, organic or geometric, your aim is the same: a design that stands up five, ten, twenty years from now.
Scale Back (Literally)
Bigger is not better if your logo does not translate at small sizes. Consider where your logo will appear most often: app icons, packaging, social profiles, email signatures. A cluttered or over-detailed logo will crumble when shrunk down.
This also applies to typography. Overly ornate fonts or cursive scripts rarely read well in logos. Stick to clean, legible typefaces that hold their clarity across different sizes and formats. White space is not wasted space. It is what makes your logo breathable and memorable.
Refine with Colour and Font
Once you have got the shape, bring in colour and font. Limit your palette to three to five tones, ideally with complementary shades rather than a rainbow of distractions.
Colour psychology matters too. Reds and oranges suggest energy and passion. Blues and greens create trust and calm. Blacks and golds scream luxury. Decide what atmosphere you want your brand to carry, then choose accordingly.
When it comes to font placement, explore how it interacts with your shape. Is the text embedded, wrapped, or separate? The relationship between the two creates rhythm and balance.
Keep it Simple, Keep it Strong
A logo is not a scrapbook of every idea you have ever had. It is a distilled mark that signals identity, clarity, and intention. The best logos are simple, timeless, and instantly recognisable, not because they tried too hard, but because they did not.
So, if you find yourself tempted to slap your design inside a circle and call it a day, pause. Your brand deserves more thought. Your customers deserve more clarity. And your logo deserves to work as hard for your business as you do.
👉 If you are a small business owner looking for a freelance graphic designer in Surrey who understands branding, logos, and websites, let’s chat. A strong identity is the foundation for growth, and I would love to help you build it.
