This blog belongs to a series of 4 blog posts. You may also want to read:

Chapter 1.1: Why do translators need a professional logo to jumpstart his/her career?

Chapter 1.2: These 5 tips will make your logo stand out and get better results

Chapter 1.3: How to define and optimise the logo of your translation business for better results

Chapter 1.4: The 7 best tips to create an amazing logo for your translation business

 

Once we have analysed why do translators need a professional logo in my previous post, I wanted to talk about what makes a good logo. As you may have found out at this stage, not every logo out there fits its purposes. If you find yourself wondering if yours does, keep reading! I am about to give you some guidelines and tips so you can tweak your logo and make it work.

5 principles that will make your logo stand out

The first thing I wanted to talk about is the 5 principles of a good logo. Let’s get started:

1. Simplicity. Your client will be more likely to recognise your logo if you keep it simple. There are logos made merely of a simple typography or even a single letter and they have always been stuck on our brains. Here you have some good examples:

2. Memorability. This must be one of the main objectives when designing a logotype. It must remain in your target audience’s mind. It is a feature that makes you different; that is why when your client is looking at your logo, he has to remember you and your services. And simplicity influences memorability.
3. Timelessness. This may be a tricky one. Do not base your logo (at least, the whole design) in a current trend. Why? Because, as you know, trends change very quickly and we don’t want to get an old-fashion logo by the time the design is ready to be used. We want a logo that can last in time by itself.
4. Versatility. Only one design is not enough. I am sure that when your logo will be ready, you are going to publish it everywhere, and that includes your website, your business cards, stamps, pens, stickers, and the list goes on and on. Make sure that your logo can be adjusted to different sizes; you can also print it out just to see if it works on paper as well.

That is why it is so important to elaborate your logo in vector format. As a photography-lover, I am familiarised with Illustrator and it works for me. It’s easy to use and you have plenty of options to tweak your logo. Be creative and explore every possible design. Take into account that if you don’t know how to use any of these tools, you may need to hire a professional designer. It would be a good inversion.

5. Appropriateness. Make sure that your logo match with your business’ brand. For example, a toy store as Toysrus match its brand with the childish typography of its logo:

And you? What do you think that makes a good logo?