Every enterprise needs graphic design to make each business unique and interesting. Creating or researching these graphic design thoughts can appear to be so overwhelming that the owner of a business gives up and goes with some generic idea that in reality has little value to the company.
That begs the question: how can a person possibly nose around through all the ideas and possibilities to find the graphic design ideas that will be just right for your business? That can be for a website, email campaigns as well as social media and a very important design you want to have just right: a logo for your brand.
Here are some tips and ideas as well as little tricks from the inside that hopefully will make your search for the right graphic designs for your business, the right designs that will make your business stand out and be not only memorable but will draw customers to your shop or website.
Logo Design
Even if you have hesitated at attempting a logo design or perhaps you may already have chosen one, but dissatisfied, you’d like to find something better, more suitable.
To start off, here are some tips to make designing your logo easier.
- Don’t worry about colour at this stage. Stick to black and white. This makes it much easier on the eye when it comes to the details. Once you’ve got something outstanding in black and white, just think what you can with this when colour is added.
- You should create as many different versions or your logo. Some may be in full colour, others in black and white or grayscale.
You want to make certain any placement of your logo stands out from the background, hence the need for different versions.
- It’s essential for you to seriously consider the message you want that logo to say to viewers. You want it to be able to establish a communication with each reader who comes into contact with it.
- Fonts are important too. You’ll want a font that goes with your business. Is it a restrained, formal business? Then you’ll want a sophisticated font with serifs. For a more intimate and comfortable look of a sans-serif font might be more suitable. But don’t get carried away and use too many fonts. That can be not only distracting but tiresome — and it screams: amateur! Usually no more than two different fonts will do the trick.
- Simplicity. A simple logo is often the best. If you attempt to incorporate too many different elements in your logo, i.e. too many different colours, fonts, objects , graphics, etc.
If your logo is composed of letters, you should be aware that there are over twenty-five variations for one single letter design for your logo. You might have a good time experimenting with some of the different fonts by adding in shadows, different colours or shapes and many other ideas.
Sometimes a logo composed of a single letter may be just right. For example the golden arch that everyone instantly recognises as McDonald’s comes from the M. That transformed first letter in McDonald influenced the architecture of the restaurants. That golden arch alone is the brand. Easily recognisable no matter where you go you’ll see a golden arch nearby.
Another possibility is the use of a single letter but designed in such a way that it shows movement. One point in the letter might form an arrow or something else. If you can come up with something that a letter can do to make a positive impact for your business, then you’ve got the perfect logo.
You should always bear the goals you have set and your customers. What sort of emotion do you want your logo to evoke when customers see it?
Your logo could simply be your company name but done in such a way that it stands out. For example, Coca-Cola written in this way is just a word but the company had a hand-drawn logo created that is the company’s logo and is instantly recognisable throughout the entire world.
If you should choose to go this route, you’re free to experiment around with different ideas. Even if you’re not an artist, you can try different ways of writing your text. If you come upon something that really gets you, you can have a professional artist finish your graphic design and voilà. You have a unique very individual logo that cries out to the world that this is your brand.
Again, we emphasise the thought that in most cases, simple is better. An example might be Google. Their logo is simply Google But they constantly vary the colours changing colour from one letter to the next, playing around with the logo by making it dance, formal, playful. But remember with this type of logo, it’s important never to let it become static. When Google started up in 1997 it had the idea but over the years it didn’t become stuck with that particular pattern. It continues to evolve even today in such a way that it always remains interesting.
Depending on your type of business, it may be possible to distort a word in such a way as to make it your logo. For example, if you were to write the word pencil, it’s just another word. If you were to write it in pencil, then it not only becomes distinctive, eye-catching but emphasises the word pencil. Many other examples may be devised simply by taking a letter and toying around it in such a way as to give it animation or special meaning.
You should try to be observant and watch for logos composed of text alone but in such a way as to made that text a unique logo for the business it represents. You may also add a graphic to your text. That can often be a unique way to get your idea across as well as make it memorable. One logo for a company called “Loveclip” features above the text a paper clip in the form of a heart.
If you can come up with a logo so simple yet so perfect, then you need look no further. If you can’t, or want something beyond your capabilities, it may be well worth your while to work with a professional graphic designer.
The abstract logo can be useful in that it may not tell viewers the exact nature of your business. Sometimes this is a positive graphic design in that while it doesn’t tell anything about what your company is, it may create curiosity and attention making viewers want to know more.
Designs for logos that are abstract permit you to be as wildly creative as you with. Brainstorming and using plenty of imagination you can often come up with something you had never before even considered. Once you’re in this mode, you even dream and often by morning a perfect idea will be right there!
Overall, the best logos define your, your company, and what you do.
For social media you would take a slightly different approach.Since social media is based on content, you must consider a way that will bring people in, make them linger while you deliver yor message and take active part in communication.
You should create a graphic or graphics that blend well with any photos or other content that you may post. Most people have learned that mixing content up as well as photos, keeps viewers coming back for more.
Now that you have a logo, use it. The more you use your logo, the sooner it can become a household word. The more recognisable it becomes, the more business you’ll see coming your way.
It’s important to remember to keep your logo stand out against any graphics you may use. Contrast is the key here. It your logo doesn’t stand out against your graphics, then it’s as if you didn’t have a logo at all.
The simplest logos are the most eye-catching. However, you don’t want your logo to distract attention from your content. The idea of graphics is to enhance, not detract.
One often used idea for graphic design is the use of quotes Quote graphics quickly get your point across. A great number of websites list inspirational quotes. Plenty of printed material is also available.
Quotes don’t necessarily have to be inspirational. They can be humorous; informative. Abe Lincoln said: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Isn’t that a great logo idea for an attorney?
Sometimes you may find data from your own research, or statistics that adequately describe your company. In doing that, you would want to go on to explain a little more. Perhaps putting your text in contrast over your photo or colour design will bring more customers to your site, curios to read more.
To announce events and garner more attention you might try using graphic designs rather than simply posting a photo or drawing with a caption beneath it. A clever graphic may cause viewers to linger while they take in the message you want to deliver.
You should never forget the importance of ads to help your growing business. At first, creating the right graphics for social media advertising can be intimidating. It may take a while to determine just what sort of ads work best for you and your brand.
You need more than captions. They just don’t generally create enough interest by themselves. If you can come up with some clever graphics, especially graphics that connect in some way to your business you’ll see a noticeable rise in interest in your pages, including such sits as Facebook and Instagram.
It may be a challenge, but you should be bold and try different graphics to learn which create more engagement and interest. Try new things. Sone may not work so well, but there’s no shame in that. Just keep trying new ideas.
As to websites, everyone knows that your website is where the magic begins. Most of your content and contact to place orders.
In most cases your website will have a number of graphic designs incorporated into it, including your icons, your charts, and information about your business, i.e. menus if you have a restaurant
— and of course, that all-important logo
Experience has taught that the most effective design for a website includes at least three elements: typography, photos and/or illustrations.
Typography may be used to show the importance of each part of the design page
The reader would do well to look at different magazines as well as websites to note the hierarchy of text and the fonts chosen. A page in Time begins with the magazine’s banner in larger red more formal Letters than below that more information but in much smaller print. Following that, events are listed according to the magazine’s idea of importance by the use of font sizes, but with few variations. Along with this copious photos illustrate what the content will be about and hopefully, will induce the reader to read more.
In this way, you can enhance your pages and move your elements around so that your website will stand out and draw in customers.
Quotes don’t necessarily have to be inspirational. They can be humorous; informative. Abe Lincoln said: “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Isn’t that a great logo idea for an attorney?
Sometimes you may find data from your own research, or statistics that adequately describe your company. In doing that, you would want to go on to explain a little more. Perhaps putting your text in contrast over your photo or colour design will bring more customers to your site, curios to read more.
To announce events and garner more attention you might try using graphic designs rather than simply posting a photo or drawing with a caption beneath it. A clever graphic may cause viewers to linger while they take in the message you want to deliver.
You should never forget the importance of ads to help your growing business. At first, creating the right graphics for social media advertising can be intimidating. It may take a while to determine just what sort of ads work best for you and your brand.
You need more than captions. They just don’t generally create enough interest by themselves. If you can come up with some clever graphics, especially graphics that connect in some way to your business you’ll see a noticeable rise in interest in your pages, including such sits as Facebook and Instagram.
It may be a challenge, but you should be bold and try different graphics to learn which create more engagement and interest. Try new things. Sone may not work so well, but there’s no shame in that. Just keep trying new ideas.
As to websites, everyone knows that your website is where the magic begins. Most of your content and contact to place orders.
In most cases your website will have a number of graphic designs incorporated into it, including your icons, your charts, and information about your business, i.e. menus if you have a restaurant
— and of course, that all-important logo
Experience has taught that the most effective design for a website includes at least three elements: typography, photos and/or illustrations.
Typography may be used to show the importance of each part of the design page
The reader would do well to look at different magazines as well as websites to note the hierarchy of text and the fonts chosen. A page in Time begins with the magazine’s banner in larger red more formal Letters than below that more information but in much smaller print. Following that, events are listed according to the magazine’s idea of importance by the use of font sizes, but with few variations. Along with this copious photos illustrate what the content will be about and hopefully, will induce the reader to read more.
In this way, you can enhance your pages and move your elements around so that your website will stand out and draw in customers.
Author Bio
Tom Koh is widely recognised as a leading SEO consultant in Asia who has worked to transform the online visibility of the leading organisations such as SingTel, Capitaland, Maybank, P&G, WWF, etc. Recently he was instrumental in consulting for a New York-based US$30B fund in an US$4Bn acquisition. Tom is a Computational Science graduate of the National University of Singapore. In his free time he performs pro-bono community work and traveling.
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