Why A Great Logo Design Is All In The Metaphor ?

Whether you are after a logo for your business, website or perhaps just a personal blog, coming up with a great design is not as simple as most would think.  The process of moving from concept to finished design is time consuming and requires the consideration of many different elements before the final result is ready to be unveiled.

A good logo design will rely on you being able to produce a logo that says everything you want it to about your business or website or blog.  Whether it is for business or personal use, it should convey to those who see it what you do as well as a sense of trust and credibility.  Trying to incorporate all of these things into one single image may sound complex, but it is really about creating a logo design that will get people’s attention and tell them what they want to know in an instant.


The use of metaphor is often prevalent when it comes to logos.  Some of the cleverest designs use metaphors or symbols to represent their business, take Apple for instance.  The choice of metaphor could be representative of a name or the products or services offered.  The point is clever use of metaphors will tell your audience instantly what you are about or who you are without the need for explanation.
Your choice of metaphor could be perfectly simple, a hairdresser could use a pair of scissors for instance, or it could be more complex, a company offering global communication systems could use an image of the world with images of communication devices connected around it.  The idea is to find something representative of what you do or offer and which will appeal to your target audience.
This last point is important because if you get your logo design wrong you could attract the wrong type of people and if people come to you looking for something completely different, then you will know you have got it wrong!
Once you feel you have found the perfect metaphor for your logo there are several other elements that will need to be considered in conjunction with it when it comes to creating a final (and effective) design:

• Consider the overall design

With any logo design, the creative process does not end with just the selection of an appropriate symbol.  The placement of images and text within the overall design will all have a bearing on how it is read and understood.  Add to this a little color psychology and you will realize that successful logo designing relies on the coming together of many different elements.

• Keep things legible

Do not try to be too ambitious with your choice of metaphor, if a logo cannot be understand at first glance then it will likely fail.  Too many logos are overly complicated or use imagery that is so ambiguous it would take a genius to understand its meaning!  Create some designs and then test them through a focus group to see which achieve the desired results.  If your focus group members cannot understand a particular logo design then you know it is a lemon!

• Test scalability
  

There is little point in having a logo if it is not used to full effect.  To get anything back from your logo design you need to place it on everything your target audience will come into contact with.  This includes stationery, websites, blogs, signage, advertising and promotional items.  However, all of these things will range in size such as billboards through to pens; so your logo needs to be scaleable in order for it to successfully transfer across different media. Be sure to look at how your designs work when reproduced in both large and small sizes and in particular how complex designs appear when reproduced very small.
Creating a good logo design is not something you should aim to do overnight and by the same token avoid DIY logos, they are rarely successful.  Working in conjunction with a professional design company will help you to create a logo that is the perfect metaphor for your business or website.  Do not underestimate the power of a logo, it is essential for branding purposes and for creating awareness of what you have to offer.  By incorporating a clear and legible logo into your offerings you will have something which is instantly recognizable and readily associated with you.

source : http://designrfix.com/logo/great-logo-design-metaphor