How do I know if I have a good logo?

When you think about well-known companies, you know them by their logo. Why is that?

Never underestimate the power of a good logo – it does a lot more for business than you expect. But the real question is, how do you know if your logo is good or bad?

Here are 5 ways to know if your company has a good logo.

1. Is your logo scalable?

Most logos can be blown up larger with ease, but the real question is how small can you go? One way to know if your logo scales well is to check the font size when the logo is placed on a 1.59 x 1.25 standard size stamp. The absolute smallest font size you should print is 7pt, which is pushing it.

You want your logo to be easily recognizable, whether it is 50 feet on a billboard or 1 inch on a stamp. This leads to the next question – is your logo recognizable?

2. Is your logo memorable?

When creating your logo, you want to stand out from your competition. You want your logo to be identifiable and unique. Something to always keep in mind with your logo: could someone easily remember and draw your logo?

Think about the yellow arches, the swoosh, the red bullseye…I bet you know all three companies without their names or any context, and you could draw them on a piece of paper from memory!

3. Does your logo easily convert from color to black and white?

Don’t miss this - color is not bad! But one common thread among many logos that have staying power is that they are still recognizable in black and white. Not only does this help keep your logo mark simple and memorable, but it also gives you more options while still being recognizable.

4. Is your logo timeless?

How do you know if your logo is timeless? When looking at logos of companies that have been around for as long as you can remember, whose logo stands out as “always being there”? Let’s take Coca-Cola for an example.

If you look at the brand timeline, you can see how truly timeless Coca-Cola’s logo has been when compared to the many rebrands of Pepsi. It’s not a bad thing to refresh or modernize your logo, but you should strive to have a logo you can stand behind for the lifetime of your brand.

Keep in mind that the end goal is for customers to recognize and remember your logo.

5. Most importantly, is your logo remarkable?

To be honest, this can be the hardest part to judge - especially if you are not a person who critiques logos often. The better question for most people would be, “Is this logo something I would be proud to display right next to others in my industry?” Picture yourself at a tradeshow. Do you think your logo stands out in a good way or in the wrong way? If you don’t know, talk to someone about what they see and use the other points we’ve discussed to get some perspective.

Not sure where your logo stands? Maybe it’s time for a refresh, or maybe you just need better help keeping your brand consistent across all of your channels. We’re happy to help either way. Simply book a discovery call with us to learn more!