A logo is often the first and last thing people see about your company. It’s a visual representation of your brand, which means it needs to be something you are proud of. If your logo doesn’t communicate who you are as a business, what you offer and why people should care, you need to re-evaluate your branding strategy. A poorly designed logo can be one of the biggest barriers when attempting to market your brand. It can make potential customers overlook your brand and ignore you almost entirely. A bad logo will end up costing you more than you think down the road, but luckily there are ways to tell if yours isn’t cutting it anymore. Here are 11 warning signs that your logo sucks:
1. Your logo is too busy. If your logo is cluttered and confusing, it could be hurting your brand’s perception. You want a simple logo that doesn’t distract from the brand itself, but still communicates the message you’re trying to send. So keep it simple. The best logo designs are the ones that convey a clear, concise message that is easily understood by the viewer.
Below is an example of how Apple kept simplifying there logo over time:
2. You don’t know what colors you should use with it. If you have no idea what colors to pair with your logo, there are probably a few things wrong with it in general. Find out which colors work best for your brand, then stick with them!
Pro tip: Look at other companies within your industry to see what colors they are using. Typically, you’ll find a few common colors that are used among them all.
Take a look at the top US fast food chains below. Notice any similarities within the colors?
3. Your logo looks generic. If your logo looks like a bunch of other logos, you’re probably not making the best first impression. You want to stand out from the crowd, not blend in with it.
We live in a society that values originality and creativity, so you want your logo to reflect that. You can do that by researching different types of logos and coming up with something that’s never been used before. Or if you find the right professional logo designer they can do this for you.
Pro tip: Again, when designing your logo, look at logos of other companies in your industry to get a good idea of what they are doing, then pair that with your own creative brands image.
Generic Logo Samples
4. It doesn’t look professional enough for your target audience. If you want people to take you seriously as a company, then you need to look the part. Your logo will help you do that.
5. You’re not sure how to use it. Does your logo work as a favicon? (That little icon you see on the top of a website’s browser) Does it work well in black and white? What about on different background colors? If you’re not sure how to use your logo, then you probably don’t know what it stands for, which leads us to our next point…
6. You can’t explain what it means or why it works so well with your brand. If you can’t explain why your logo is perfect for your brand, then maybe you should go back to the drawing board!
7. It doesn’t fit with what people are expecting from your brand. This is a big one: if people aren’t sure who you are when they see your logo, they’re probably not going to stick around for long. Make sure that your logo fits perfectly with the rest of your brand, and that you can explain why it works so well.
8. Your logo is hard to read. Your logo should be easy to read and simple enough that a child could identify it. If you have to squint to figure out what your logo says, then it might be time for a new one.
9. You don’t know where you can use it without violating copyright laws or trademark rules in some way. If you want to use your logo on any merchandise, make sure that you aren’t running into any legal issues.
10. It’s too difficult to remember or recognize at first glance. This is one of the most important things for a logo: if people aren’t able to recognize it immediately, or remember what it means, then you’re going to have trouble getting them interested in your brand in the long run.
11. And finally- You’re not happy with it. If you’re not happy with your logo, then you should change it. Otherwise, your brand will suffer for it.
Pro tip: Take a look at the logo of your favorite brand and get inspired.
Final thoughts:
Your logo is one of the most important things that you want to make sure that it’s unique and different enough from everyone else’s. You don’t want to run into any copyright issues or trademark problems with the graphics or icons used within your logo.
Don’t get stuck with an ugly, boring, or hard-to-read logo just because it was the first one that came to mind when you started brainstorming ideas for your brand! Take some time out of your day to really think about what you want people to remember about your brand so that they can easily recognize it wherever they see it.
If you would like our professional team to create a logo of your dream click here to find out more. Or you can alway use our logo maker tool to create your own logo.