Tips for Crafting a Unique Logo Design

Have you ever really thought about logos? Those signs and wordmarks are everywhere, on each product, service or company we see. But did you know how much thought and effort is put into making a single logo design?

More than meets the eye, a logo is beautiful and represents the brand’s identity. It should tell everything about a business at a glance — its values, personality and unique selling proposition — if well designed. It is sometimes catching your attention even when the name fades from memory.

Consider timeless emblem examples like Apple’s half-eaten apple, Nike’s tick or McDonald’s golden arches. These symbols have become inseparable from their brands and ingrained in our minds as a collective society. And that kind of longevity? That right there is what makes an excellent logo design genuinely great.

Why Uniqueness Matters

“In a world of similarities, difference is the game changer.”

In this age of social media, consumers are surrounded by advertisements. How can your brand's logo be unique when competitor logos and corporate samenesses flood the market?

The solution to this problem is distinctiveness. A unique logo design will:

1. Command attention – In a day, thousands of brands fight for our eyes, so you need something to attract attention.
2. Make an impression – If someone forgets about your logo as soon as they look away, then it’s just wasted space, but if somebody remembers even after they've looked away, that’s great because that means achieving what was intended.
3. Set you apart from other brands – When there are many players in the industry with similar products or services being offered at different price levels, having one thing only owned by you distinguishes oneself among other sellers, thus enhancing customer view towards choosing such seller over another who offers a similar product.
4. Build loyalty – People tend to develop emotional bonds with things that appear different, leading to solid attachment towards such items, creating fierce devotion among clients and making them remain loyal always.
5. Secure future relevance – Trends come and go, but icons stay forever; therefore, if you want people not only to know but also recognise your company identity many years down the line, then ensure its design reflects timeless attributes rather than fashionable features which may quickly fade away after some time has passed.

So basically, I’m trying to say that nobody wants those average overused designs anymore. What I believe everyone should do instead, for their business's sake, is make sure they have something unique up their sleeve as far as logos are concerned because without it, chances for survival become slim or none at all.

The Psychology of Unique Logo Designs

“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.”

Paul Rand.

A unique logo design plays with the psychology of how our brains interpret shapes, colours and symbols. These principles make it possible for logos to be distinctive enough to leave an indelible mark on our unconscious mind.

Simple Shapes Stick With Us

It’s amazing how many iconic logos use simple geometric shapes or forms. This is because these shapes are more straightforward for our minds to process. We recognise them better because their simplicity allows us to understand and remember them visually.

For instance, Burger King’s “burger” shape or Target’s circular roundel instantly register as familiar forms in our minds, which we instinctively know. This makes it easy to learn by heart and associate with the brand.

Clever Use Of Negative Space

Our brains have a knack for noticing negative space – the empty area between or around an object. This is used by clever designers who want to create imagery within their logos to produce an “aha!” moment when you see it.

Think about the arrow that was hidden between the “E” and “X” in FedEx's logo or how Rob Janoff used negative space in his Apple icon design to make it look like there's a bite taken out of the apple itself, which then reveals another shape representing an apple seed. These little delights can engage people more deeply with your logo.

The Allure Of Ambiguity

Logos containing some ambiguity or having concealed meanings behind them spark curiosity; they keep us wondering what it could mean until we finally figure it out, if possible–our brains need closure!

At first glance, the WWF panda logo shows a simple panda bear. Still, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that its body is shaped to represent a leafy tree/plant, thus hinting towards an environmental conservation mission.

These layered visuals are intriguing because they invite us to think further and uncover new significance levels. A logo with more than one interpretation is addictive.

Thoughtful Colour Psychology

Colour does a lot when it comes to how we perceive logos. Different hues can subliminally communicate various brand personalities and values. Red signifies excitement or energy, while blue could instil trust, security, and professionalism.

Distinctive combinations involving colours and unexpected pairings tend to stay in our minds much longer than expected from standard palettes. Which fast food burger joint’s sign is more easily remembered – the generic red one or McDonald's golden arches?

The best logos use colour theory based on emotional triggers brought about by psychological effects, thus shaping the brand's visual identity.

Form Follows Functionality

Ultimately, the most memorable logos aren’t just pretty pictures. Their designs reflect directly on what they represent and reinforce the core purpose/function of the business or product being offered for sale.

Amazon’s iconic logomark and a smiling arrow represent their commitment to ensuring ultimate customer satisfaction at all levels, from ordering until it gets delivered safely and sound into your hands. The UPS package design icon promises secure transportation of parcels from sender to receiver. By letting the company’s mission inspire form, unique logos gain depth and emotional connection – More than just an excellent picture!

Verizon has a simple check mark, which signifies reliability, while Amazon uses a smile arrow combination to show end-to-end customer satisfaction delivery promise.

Creating Your Unique Logo – Tips from the Pros

Enough of the geeking out over logo psychology. Let’s get to it: how do you create a unique logo that will make your brand stand out? Here are some tips from the pros:

Research Your Industry and Competitors

George Lois says, “Provocation is the essence of the best work.” But you can’t provoke unless you know what has already been done in your category.

Spend some time surveying the logo landscape within your particular industry. What are the familiar visual tropes, elements, and styles that keep coming up? What design cliches are overused? What colours and typography treatments seem ubiquitous?

Identify these conventions and norms so you can deliberately zag where others zig. Maybe instead of a skeuomorphic icon that’s been done a million times before, you go with something more abstract and conceptual. Or perhaps you inject an unexpected pop of vibrant colour into your palette. The point is to know the cliches so that you can break them on purpose.

Get Obsessed with Your Brand’s Story

No great logo was ever made in a vacuum. Behind every memorable mark lies a deep brand story and core values that it seeks to encapsulate visually.

Before putting pen to paper, make sure you have an intimate understanding of your brand’s:

• History and Origin Story
• Mission, purpose, and reason for being
• Key pillars and value proposition
• Brand personality, voice, and tone
• Target audience(s) along with their unique needs/pain points
• Competitive advantages or differentiators

This research into backstory will inform creative direction and reveal higher-level ideas/meanings/concepts that should be viscerally communicated through logos.

In short – become obsessed with your brand’s tale; let it permeate through everything until even pores breathe inspiration into design thinking because otherwise, there won’t be any other way than creating one single wordmark that reflects the true essence of your company!

Start With Concepting, Not Drawing

Don’t start sketching logos immediately; absolute uniqueness in logo design requires deep, upfront conceptualisation before picking up a pencil.

Try exercises like:

• Freewriting or free-associating to spark surprising visual ideas
• Personifying the brand (what would it look like if it were embodied as a person?)
• Representing core attributes as shapes/symbols
• Looking at nature/history/mythology for inspiration
• Creating mental/mood boards filled with relevant imagery.

Only after exploring many different angles of conception and creative themes should you begin roughing out logo sketches. Work through these initial raw concepts until a clear, differentiated direction emerges.

Embrace Simplicity and Flexibility

Remember when you finally design the thing – less is more. The most unique, iconic logos achieve their power through simplicity alone.

Ask yourself:

1. Can the essential brand identity be conveyed by one single shape or mark?
2. Have all superfluous parts been removed so that only bare bones remain?
3. Will the design work well across various sizes and applications without losing impact?

Play with Negative Space

As mentioned earlier – clever use of negative space makes some logos unforgettable. So, during this process, try to find ways in which this visually surprising element can be incorporated.

Do you know what shapes could be derived from the negative space between the elements of a design? Can this make objects appear three-dimensional or create optical illusions? Play with the background, overlapping shapes, and spacing.

The FedEx logo is the most famous example of negative space in logos. Others include WWF’s panda, NBC’s peacock, or Hiller Branding’s monogram – they all use empty areas to form recognisable emblems that are thought-provoking and unique.

Embrace Ambiguity and Concealed Symbolism

As humans, we naturally crave meaning. Our brains constantly try to find patterns and uncover more profound layers of understanding. Injecting ambiguity into your design can tap into this urge to know more about what we see.

Instead of presenting a straightforward logo with one obvious interpretation, try building it around symbols open for multiple readings. Hide clever visual double entendres or puns that become clear only after prolonged observation. Let there be surprises as people decode its different levels of meaning at other times.

Here are some great examples:

• Goodwill’s “smiling face” that doubles as two hands clasping each other. 
• The Peugeot lion looks like an attacking beast and a flying comet. 
• Toblerone mountain range also contains silhouettes of bears (or dancers). 

These witty metaphors communicate more than meets the eye at first glance.

Suggest Motion

Our eyesight evolved to detect movement because our survival depended on noticing things that move around us for most of history. Add subtle dynamics into the otherwise static composition to exploit this instinctive ability when designing logos.

Consider doing these things:

• Adding diagonal lines suggesting speed by their slant
• Using flow-like shapes such as arrows, paths or loops
• Creating a feeling of progression through overlap between separate elements
• Incorporating vanishing points/lines for implied depth/perspective
• Inserting spirals or radial rays as signs of activity emanating from a central point

By triggering this psychological response, you make your brand mark appear alive and catchier than all those stagnant symbols – people just can't help but look at things that seem to move.

Think Outside the Colour Wheel

I’ve already mentioned colour psychology about logos that stick with viewers. But if you want yours to be unique among peers within the same market niche, don’t limit yourself by choosing shades commonly associated with it.

Try using combinations rarely seen elsewhere. Play around with contrasting hues. Mix warm and cold colours where nobody expects them together. Introduce bright accents not traditionally found in industry standards.

It may backfire, yes; however, if done knowingly and deliberately, it would burn an image of your corporation into clients' minds while setting you poles apart from competitors at once.

Bring in a Guru-Level Pro Designer

Making an original logo out of thin air isn't something even seasoned pros take lightly. Designing something encapsulating the entire company philosophy into a single graphic requires a deep understanding of visual arts and a business strategy, consumer behaviour patterns, etcetera, etcetera.

So, you need the required skills and knowledge in branding principles, iconography, and design theory to attempt such a vast branding task. You should hire an extremely talented logo design specialist who will walk with you from the beginning to the end of the process.

Here are some things to look for when vetting designers:

• A portfolio filled with surprising, unique conceptual logos (not just minor modifications on clichés)
• Extensive experience and case studies within your particular industry/niche
• Logo design theory thought leadership and brand expertise
• Positive reviews from clients whose distinctive logos had an impact
• Ability to provide brand strategy as well as naming service, among others

The right person for this job will serve as your guide – they will ignite new creative outlooks within yourself while pushing against comfort zones; their insatiable perfectionism towards creating something truly original that befits ambitions behind any given brand’s logomark.

Putting It All Together

“If you think good design is expensive, then you should look at the cost of bad design.”

Ralf Speth.

And there we have it – an all-inclusive guide to unique logo design! I know this is no easy task, but I hope you are as excited as I am about what a unique and unforgettable logo can do for your brand’s identity and success.

Will the pursuit of uniqueness demand more creativity, strategic thinking, and investment on your part? Absolutely. But doesn’t achieving such a desired brand recognition and memorability level deserve it?

I mean, come on, an iconic logo can stick in people’s minds for years upon years. To mould their perception of who you are as a company. To put you on the map as a household name. That differentiating force is invaluable in today’s oversaturated sea of sameness and noise.

So go ahead and be unconventional. Break the mould. Create something synonymous with culture – like those brands did for me when they showed how powerful being different could be.

Unique Logo Design FAQs

The post Tips for Crafting a Unique Logo Design is by Stuart Crawford and appeared first on Inkbot Design.