If you had a one second job interview, how would you present yourself?
Instead of cramming your life story into that one second, you would be much better off using one or two words to convey your message.
In the case of a logo design when you only have a second of a viewer’s attention, how do you convey this message graphically?
Simplicity
In our most basic form, our ability to retain images is based on our brains breaking down graphical elements into their most basic shapes.
For more in-depth views on the importance of design foundation, please see my earlier post, Great Design Lies in the Foundation.
Almost all the most memorable logos in existence work for this very reason. A great logo, like most design, works even when it’s stripped down to its basic silhouette.
If you’re ever in doubt, analyze the silhouette of your own design and see how well your image maintains its readability.
Or, try the Pencil test.
Imagine, or mock-up, your logo as if it were printed on the side of your company pencil. If your logo is no longer recognizable at this scaled down size, you may want to reconsider the number or placement of the elements in your graphic.
And what type of shapes you use can have monumental impact on the overall feel of your brand.
For example, using hard angles/spikes conveys urgency and attention, while rounded corners invites a user with a sense of welcome and softness.
As with our own Aviary logo, we employed these ideals by using rounded connected shapes to convey an inviting atmosphere with a sense of freedom and fluidity.
Typeface
Imagine the style of font and lettering you use as your voice in this job interview.
Do you want to walk into this job interview with a loud, boisterous voice, announcing to the employer you’ve arrived?
Or do you want to convey a sense of playfulness in your tone?
Using the appropriate typeface can work as well as vocal expressions can for your brand identity.
Styles
There are several different approaches to crafting a logo.
Text – The Text logo uses only type to communicate the brand. Since this is the most basic of the various approaches, it is therefore of utmost importance to select the right font, and equally important, the right color(s), to identify your company with. This style is generally favored for informative websites and companies, as it presents a non-distracting element for a company intent on showcasing their most valuable assets, the content.
Symbol – The opposite of the Text logo, the Symbol logo is stripped down to its bare graphic form to communicate the company’s brand. This particular style is generally reserved for long established brands that have the luxury of such brand recognition.
Text and Symbol – With this particular style, the logo is usually presented as a graphic with adjacent text. The upside to this style is that it gives the logo a chance to convey its message through a graphical and vocal representation. The downside is that the added element can inadvertently inundate a user with sensory overload. But when done right, the text and symbol become synonymous in a viewer’s mind.
Embedded Symbol Within Text – This style places symbol(s) within a design’s type for subliminal recollection and identifiability of a brand. When employed correctly, this style can have long lasting rewards for a company, as the logo can, and should, stand strong on its own, with the added symbolism a prize for the attentive and the astute.
Color
Finally, color can play as important a role as any of the other aforementioned elements.
A user can identify with color using previous subconscious associations, providing long-lasting brand awareness for a company.
For example, the color red generally encompasses a sense of attention and energy, prevalent and befitting for something like a cola company.
Challenge
Using the preceding tips and your own observations, join in the forum fun and try creating a new logo for Aviary for fun!
Feel free to try your hand at using Aviary’s established brand to construct your logo, or give Aviary a whole new look and feel as your imagination deems fit!
Note: This is not a contest to design a new logo for Aviary, but rather a fun exercise in design.
Here are a few of my favorites from the community:
Aviary logo take two.egg by WalrusGumboot on Aviary
WalrusGumboot employed a literal approach that plays well to Aviary's motto, "Creation on the fly".
Aviary Logo.egg by mpeutz on Aviary
Mpeutz took the letters of the word "Aviary" and embedded it into the shape of a bird, an opposite take on Aviary's current logo with the eggs embedded into the "Aviary" text.
Aviary Logo Contest.egg by kayjaycali on Aviary
Kayjaycali used simplicity. A design strategy often used by websites to not distract from the site's content.
Logo, Caligraphy.egg by anderlohr on Aviary
Anderlohr applied a hand-drawn looking text to evoke a mood of loose, freehand artistry.
Aviary Logo Challenge.egg by FalseReflex on Aviary
FalseReflex created a design using shapes that evoked a sense of fun and airyness, giving Aviary a loose and playful environment in his interpretation.
Happy Aviating!]]