Logo Design Fundamentals – The Icon

Logo Design Fundamentals - The Icon

One of the key aspects of a good brand logo is its “mark”. It’s the graphic element in a brands visual identity, but just for simplicity I’ll refer to it as the “icon” throughout this post. Granted there are many brands that do not employ the use of an icon and opt for a purely typographic solution, but by doing so you miss the opportunity to tell more of your brand’s story.

A Picture Paints

By having a strong, flexible and meaningful icon you’ll give your target market a better impression of who you are, what you do, what you stand for and even a feeling you want them to associate with your brand. These opportunities to tell more of your brand story just through the use of a simple graphic can help create a stronger connection between your brand and your market, and insure more clarity especially when it comes to first impressions. Now ask yourself, why wouldn’t you want that?

 

The Power of Icons

Some of the world’s most recognizable brands can easily be identified by more people across all nations purely by icon alone, think brands like Apple, Nike & Shell. The power of a simple, bold and clear brand icon creates a message that doesn’t need to rely on language to be recognized and in doing so crosses all boundaries and geographical limitations. In fact, once your brand icon is well recognized and unmistakable to the market, it can become the primary and only use of your brand identity. Just think when is the last time you saw the words Apple or Nike with their respective icons? And Shell have officially stopped using the word Shell with their icon since 1999!

Icon_Examples

Now I’m not saying you should go and drop the words from your brand logo right this minute, but I do believe that it illustrates the power of an icon in a brand’s image. And how much more effective your brand can be for having one.

 

Keys to Creating a Great Brand Icon

Now that we’ve established the power that a brand icon can have, what characteristics make a good or even great brand icon? There are a number of factors to consider here;

  • Meaning/symbolism
  • Relevancy
  • Style & form
  • Balance
  • Colour
  • and more…

But if were to state one attribute above all else it would be ‘simplicity’. Yes the old adage of ‘less is more’ has never been truer than in its application to brand logo design. Simplicity is an important key to a strong brand icon, it helps make it easier to read, create more impact, be more flexible in application and ultimately communicate your brand story with better clarity. Adding too many elements and or details to a logo icon is something you should avoid. Especially if those visual elements cause conflicts, clutter and make your logo harder to read. If you are able to tell your brand story or core message using less visual elements then you should do just that.

EinsteinQuote

Distilling your brand logo down to as simple a form as possible without losing your story or core message is ideal. With all the visual stimulus of the modern world thrust upon us daily and in great frequency it becomes critical that you get noticed and fast. If your brand logo and story takes too long to register in the mind then people will simply not remember you.

Here are a few examples of logos that are too busy and or have visual conflicts…

Icon_BadExamples

And here are some other good examples of brand simplicity…

Icon_GoodExamples

Time For a Change?

Now you may be thinking ‘This all sounds good, but my brand logo has worked for me so far. Why should I even consider changing it?’ Well can you absolutely know how your brand is being perceived by its visual identity alone? What if you’re branding has the potential to be profoundly more effective. Should you just do nothing? Many long standing well known brands over time have either changed, updated or simplified their brand logos. Not only is this a result of needing to align their brand image with the times but also in the case of simplifying, create a more engaging, flexible and impactful visual identity that engages more effectively than its preceding version.

 

Here are a few examples of brands that have simplified their logos…

LogoChange_Twitter

LogoChange_Starbucks

LogoChange_Mercedes

As you can see each of those brands have removed elements or modified their brand icons to be simpler, clearer and to have more impact.

I hope this gives you some thoughtful insight into good logo design, the power of a brand icon and its effectiveness. It’s a fundamental key to a strong brand that will capture the market, endure and thrive. If you would like me and my team to help you create your awesome brand logo or update your existing one, get in touch with us today. We’ve love to hear your story and create something special for you.

 

For more on powerful logo design see this post > The 3 Essential Elements to a Powerful Corporate Logo

Please feel free to leave any comments and questions about this topic and have a great day!

Related Posts

  • Jacqueline Hill says:

    It is not the most appropriate terminology to refer to a visual identity vehicle as an ‘icon’ as this is a term used in semiotics which refers to a graphic device that is representational. Therefore this term may create confusion within this very important conversation. I too steer away from the use of the term ‘logo’ as it is , in my opinion, outmoded. I have for other past decade or so, with in my theory and educational writing and discussions engaged the term VIM (visual identity mark) as every mark generated by an individual, or company or institution is a visual statement of uniqueness and presence.

    The use of a typographic device for a VIM can be just as effective, if not more so than some symbol that has been developed because the client wanted something like someone else. The selection of the appropriate type face, well crafted, can be a powerful thing. And completely effective.

    I would love to continue this conversation. It is wonderful to find this observation of yours on the net.
    Kindest Regards
    Jacqueline

    • George Pandeleon says:

      Thank you for your comment Jacqueline, I do agree looking at it from a professional perspective as you are too. Although I felt for the majority and those not familiar with the term ‘mark’ it would make more sense to use the more widely used, common terms. Plus for the added SEO benefit. ; )

      I too agree typographic devices can be just effective also. Was going to address that side in a separate post later on.

      I appreciate your feedback on this. : )

  • […] on from our fundamentals post about icons, this one will explore Logotypes. What is a logotype? Simply it is a purely typographic logo, there […]

  • Humbling Words From Awesome People

    • The Sponge is enabling small business to focus on essential elements of marketing/strategy. I used to go in circles and best guess engagement with customers; I didn’t understand my target market. The Sponge gave me a real wake-up call: To realise how much time and money I was throwing away for no return. The learning was interesting and interactive. Now, I feel in control and focused.

      Sue Lea Timely Business Solutions
    • We were in the middle of re-branding and wanted to know how better to market our product including how better to tell our story. This webinar provided practical marketing techniques, and rationale to explain the benefit of this strategy. The 'light bulb' moment for me was making the connection between the power of storytelling and marketing our brand.

      Susan Perry CEO CommunityGro
    • Branding is a familiar concept to comms & marketing professionals like myself. But it’s often a mystery to other staff, and for brand to be authentic, unique and indispensable they all need to be on board. This training helped me clarify branding to everyone in our organisation. Now they’re all part of the brand redevelopment crew, identifying and sharing stories that resonate with our values and purpose. Thanks, Luke, for launching our journey to uncover the brand that ‘comes from within’.

      Avril Janks Communications and Marketing Coordinator
    • The Sponge’s perceptive sensibility guarantees a perfect match between your business and its presentation to the world. They makes your values, ethics, goals, and the 'feel' of your business shine through every aspect of your brand.

      Geoff Walker Sydney Massage Time Pty Ltd
    • I recommend The Sponge’s services to new and established organizations who are looking to differentiate themselves from the “ordinary” and stand out from the crowd.

      Annette Wright InfoGenesis Pty Limited
    • One of Luke’s talents is his ability to move people and organizations from the creative to the innovative, commercializing ideas and inventions.

      Rodney Marks Hoax Speaker
    • I have had The Sponge involved in several IT based projects over my years working as a Software Developer. Each project has seen results that have exceeded expectations and I highly recommend them.

      Shane Wisniewski Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety
    • I usually don’t believe in one stop shops, because of the inability to be great across many areas, but The Sponge truly are the one stop shop for brand creation, innovation and lead generation.

      Mark Capelin Tribe Social Fitness
    • Luke and the crew at the Sponge helped set up our Corporate image as it stands today. They were extremely helpful and patient. They took the time to understand our business and brainstormed with us some of the essential elements and came up with various images until we were happy with the final one. Can't recommend Luke and his team enough. Thanks again Luke.

      Kim Lie Jom Complete Health Chiropractic
    • The Sponge team are great to work with. They translate your ideas and vision into something real and tangible and they truly want to make an impact to your business strategy with their valuable insights. We have been using them for over 10 years and would highly recommend their expertise.

      M Levonian William, Thyme & Prophet / Report Factory
    • A great vibe and energy brought to every project that The Sponge have led for me. Easy to work with, quick on the uptake of direction and prompt service. Will definitely be using The Sponge again and highly recommend.

      Lucette King NSW Department of Education
    • High level strategic thinking and their creativity makes them stand out. Quick turn around time and reasonable price make them the winner every single time.

      Syed Mujtuba Crescent Wealth
    • Awesome company with awesome creativity. After working with them over 2 years, The Sponge has successfully turned me from a happy customer into a raving fan!

      Jeremy Chen Claytan Australia
    • Great creative proactive company. Could not be happier with the works they both provided and suggested. Now our go to company for branding.

      Ross Thompson JHA Engineers
    • Awesome design. Easy to work with. Jobs are completed quickly. Highly recommended.

      Alexander Bont BONT
    • Luke and the team at the Sponge are truly artisans of their craft. They're AWARE, they DARE and DELIVER.

      Claude Di Ciano Richardson & Wrench Willoughby
    • Love their vision, love their work and mostly love the team!

      C. S. Chen Claytan Australia
    • The Sponge truly immersed themselves into our business, our team and our culture to develop a brand that not only captured our essence but more importantly; expressed it to the world.

      Mende Seljanovski Enth° Projects
    • The Sponge have been outstanding to work with. Their expertise, dedication and outstanding quality of work is second to none. I am grateful for their input into the design of our brand and website.

      Matt Malouf The Fortune Institute
    • Our brand looks better than we could have dreamed and The Sponge team managed to squeeze so much meaning into it that our prospects really get a sense of how we can help them.

      Darren Vardy Insolvency Options

    We Love Helping Good Brands Grow

    We’re Ready to Help Make Your Brand Something to Rave About.

    Working with us is super easy.

    Step 1:

    Step 1:

    Book a free consultation

    Step 2:

    Step 2:

    Allow us to craft a plan for you

    Step 3:

    Step 3:

    We’ll implement it together