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Go
easy on those
"Special
Effects"
A logo that
depends on fancy
special effects is not
a solid logo.
"Special
effects" include
drop shadows, bevels,
lens flares,
reflections, and
stylistic filters. We
remove these effects to
distill the underlying
logo concept so that we
can better improve it.
Only once the logo
concept is strong by
itself should you
experiment with special
effects …and
even then, only in
moderation. Also, since
special effects are
used as crutches by bad
designers, the effects
themselves are usually
tacky. For some
"groovy"
perspective, see
Microsoft's
original logo.
Don't Add,
Only
Subtract
Every element in a logo
design is a potential
distraction and every
extra detail is one
more thing to forget.
The most successful
logos of the biggest
companies are usually
one or two words with
maybe one simple
symbol. Be absolutely
ruthless while
subtracting from your
logo. Leave only the
most important
elements.
No
Photographs
Photographs, pieces of
photographs, and
bitmapped images like
photographs do not
belong in a logo. They
don't scale and are
difficult to recognize,
especially when your
logo is resized.
Replace photographic
elements with a symbol
equivalent (or remove
them completely).
Multiple
Versions
Once your logo concept
is solid, sometimes
you'll need
different logo versions
for specific uses. For
instance, you may need
a logo for printing on
dark backgrounds, a
version that is very
small, or a very simple
version for photocopy
and fax. A strong logo
must be flexible.
Legibility
Small print text blurs
when the logo is small,
decorative fonts are
difficult to read, and
low contrast colors
hide your text. Text
should typically be
large, use conservative
fonts, and have high
contrast with its
background. Unreadable
text is ugly and
wasteful.
Scaling and
Spacing
People like certain
ratios common in nature
so use them in your
logo to improve its wow
gold composition. The
most famous natural
ratio is the
"golden
ratio" Phi. (about
1.618) Also, use the
typographic scale for
to keep your font sizes
"in tune." In
good design, these
natural ratios appear
often. But don't
rely on intuition;
break out those rulers
and calculators and
verify those ratios.
Yes…
calculators. See? Math
is good for everything.
(fact)
Vectors
Vector graphics are
shapes, lines, and
colors that can be
mathematically defined.
A vector master-copy of
your logo is important,
especially for printing
and for maintaining the
integrity of your logo.
A logo only saved as a
bitmap (or worse, only
as physical copy) like
a jpg or tiff can't
be enlarged, loses data
when shrunk, and
usually prints poorly.
What looks good on a
computer screen rarely
looks good in
print.
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