Sign #1: You only have a Jpeg or scanned image of your logo.
We see this frequently with companies of all sizes. They send us their logo and it’s a low resolution jpeg or even worse – a scanned image! Their response when asked for a high resolution EPS or Tif file, “That’s all we have.”
You should always have multiple file formats of your logo for various uses. You want an EPS file (aka vector image) for all of your print uses. Vector files store the lines and shapes of your original artwork so they are re-scalable to any size without getting blurry or pixelated. In total, there are three different types of file formats you should have for your logo. Take a look at one of our previous posts about file formats to learn more.
Sign #2: Your logo uses standard clipart.
Clipart isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, if nothing has been done to customize the artwork to make it more unique for your logo then chances are the company down the hall or across the street might end up with the same graphic.
Sign #3: You don’t have an actual logo.
This is another scenario that we run into all the time. If your logo is purely type-based and you don’t have it saved as a high resolution PDF or EPS file, you can run into issues with it looking inconsistent.There are usually multiple variations of the same font family and the leading (space between the baselines of type) or kerning (space between the letters) could be different depending on who sets it up for you.
Sign #4: Your logo is hard to read.
You obviously know what the name of your company is but if others are having a hard time figuring out what your name says then you’ve got a big problem. Understandably, everyone wants to use fonts that set them apart but if it sets you apart because no one can read what it says, is that really what you want to stand out for?
When choosing a logo font you want to think about how your logo will read on a business card or smaller (think promotional products) and if it will work large on a sign.
Sign #5: Your logo isn’t versatile.
Ideally, you need your logo to work well in full color, one color, AND black and white. Think about all of the potential marketing opportunities you might come across – t-shirts, pens, black and white ads, etc. You want to make sure your logo is designed to work in all potential applications so no opportunity is missed. That’s why GreenMellen designs all of our logos in black and white first, then we add color. If it isn’t working in black and white we know it’s not going to work in full color.
Logo design can be a complex process. As you can see there’s a lot of important factors that come into play when brainstorming for ideas and starting to shape your company’s overall identity.
