I’ve had the pleasure of working with some incredible businesses on logo design recently.

It’s made me reflect on what makes a logo really work. Because it’s so easy to get this stuff wrong and create a logo that looks nice, but doesn’t actually do anything.

Design is art with a purpose – and if your logo isn’t serving your business, it’s not doing its job.

So what makes a logo last?
There are 3 key criteria:

1: Uniqueness 🧩

When creating a logo, I usually throw out the first 20-25 ideas that come to mind.

Those are the ideas everyone has.

And a sign of a logo that works is that it’s easily distinguishable.
So “sameness” is the enemy.

That’s why I start every client logo creation by analyzing competitors. Not to try and emulate the industry norms (although that’s what many designers do), but to avoid them.

I push past the obvious and look for something unexpected – not just to look different, but to mean something different.

2: Memorability 🧠

If you’re a handyman and your logo has a wrench in it… your logo is not going to be memorable. It’s the same as everyone else.

The most reliable path to a memorable logo is to break expectations. To identify common visual tropes in this industry and then break those expectations intelligently.

In order to do that, you need to understand the audience’s expectations, which requires a deep level of customer research.

But, it’s not about embracing difference for difference’s sake. It’s important that while your logo is different from the common industry tropes, it’s still directly relevant to…

your mission
your audience
your values.

3: Versatility 👌

The best logos work as well at 32 pixels as they do at 20 feet.
In other words, recognition needs to happen even when you're limited to design space.

That means embracing simplicity over complexity.
The logo should take a second to digest, not minutes to decipher.

Some logos try to cram 8 concepts into one... that’s not simple.
That creates confusion, and confusion is the biggest sales-killer.

Your logo isn’t a random sketch. It’s a tool and a powerful one, if built the right way.

Great logos don’t just happen by accident. Your logo designer needs to work with intention towards these three criteria from the very first brainstorm until the launch.

So ask yourself…

Does your logo check all three of those boxes: Unique, Memorable, Versatile?

If it’s not, you’re part of the silent majority. Silent because they don’t know they’re losing sales – prospects simply forget their logo and move on to a competitor.

But now that you know better, you can build smarter.

And that’s what I’m here for.

Talk soon,

P.S. An “eh” logo is probably costing you more than you think.

I’m offering a few free consultations this week – hit the link and grab your spot before they fill up.

​Click here to book your consultation.