by With deadlines closing in and the demands of the customers getting increasingly irksome (I’ve been there), one must prioritize the tasks in order to succeed. Not just the tasks, mind you. We need to know what to focus on. This piece is dedicated to finding out what is the most important element when it comes to designing a brand – what exactly is it that draws us to, for example, Starbucks, H&M, or online casinos such as Slots Heaven.
Logo
One of the most important elements of brand design is coming up with the right logo to represent a company. If properly executed, the logo will not only inform the world about the company’s mission, but it will also draw in more clients and build the brand. Whether your company, or your client’s, as it were, focuses on being creative, fast, efficient, or trustworthy, the logo needs to reflect that.
Creating a logo is a difficult task in its own right. Minimalism is simple and effective, while special attention is given to logos that represent two things at once. Take the Spartan golf club logo, for example. At the same time, it displays a Spartan and a golfer in full swing. This is the kind of creativity and ingenuity one needs to make the brand seen.
Visual Elements
I’ve written about the effects of colors before. The emotions and traits of the brand and its name have to be supported or complemented by the colors chosen. Choose red for alert, blue for stability, black for seriousness, white for elegance and professionalism, and so on.
Shapes and sizes also play a huge part in creating a proper and professional image. That’s why logos that want to portray being mellow have curves. The McDonald’s logo, for example, is a big M that is yellow, without many sharp angles and is large. It is meant to portray happiness, the size of the brand, and the friendly atmosphere. Put a red background and you have fries in ketchup. It’s ingenious.
To create a good logo, make good use of negative space, explore the possibilities of balance, and make sure you don’t overload the end result with visuals. This doesn’t just concern the logo, though this is definitely the priority.
Change and Trends
Change is inevitable and often good. The same goes for logos – the ones that followed the trends and desires of previous decades had to evolve to keep the clients and customers interested. After the company has made a name for itself, it can afford itself the luxury of coming up with a minimalistic approach or something creative. Amazon first had the river after which it was named and now the logo shows that they have everything from A to Z.
Name
The task designers are not often faced with is creating a name for the company. The creation process of this nature is in most cases left to the founders. Be that as it may, we are here to discuss the important elements of a brand, so we need to come up with a name that either symbolizes the company’s mission or attributes certain traits to the brand. Let’s go back to Spartan for a second. Spartans were fierce warriors, noted for their cruelty and strength. They lived for war and for fighting. The brand name, while having nothing to do with golf, projects strength and discipline.
