What a logo actually needs to do

A logo is not a piece of art to be admired. It is a working tool, and it has a job. Judge it on the job, not on whether it looks clever in isolation.

It has to be recognizable

The point of a logo is that people know it is you at a glance. Distinct beats intricate. If your mark looks like five others in your industry, it is not working, no matter how polished it is.

It has to work small

Most people will see your logo tiny: a browser tab, an app icon, a profile picture, a corner of a video. If it turns to mush at that size, it fails where it matters most. Design for the smallest use first.

It has to work everywhere

On dark and on light. In one colour. On a sign, on a shirt, on a receipt, over a busy photo. A logo that only works in one exact setting is half a logo. This is why a real identity includes variations, not a single file.

It has to fit what you do

A playful mark on a law firm sends the wrong signal. The look should match the promise. Personality is good, but it has to be the right personality.

What a real identity actually includes

• The logo, in its variations, for every background and size.
• A colour palette, with the exact values.
• Type: the fonts that carry the brand across everything.
• Rules for how it all goes together, so it stays consistent when other people use it.

The mistake to avoid

Falling in love with a version that looks great on the designer's dark screen and nowhere else. A logo lives in the wild. Test it small, test it in one colour, test it on your worst-case background. If it survives that, it is a good logo.

Rebranding or starting fresh? Tell us what the business does and who it is for, and we will build a mark that earns its place.