The Artistic Dimension of Logo Design
When a logo or emblem design lacks a specific message and is designed merely to appear beautiful, it can be said that this logo design possesses only an aesthetic and artistic dimension. Its primary goal is to stimulate the viewer’s emotions, lacking the technical aspect of brand message transmission.
However, in today’s crowded, competitive, and specialized business world, we encounter such designs less frequently. This is because the ultimate and primary goal of brand logo design is to communicate and reflect a specific message from the brand to the audience, effectively conveying the brand’s voice and introducing its personality. Even an art gallery crafts its logo design in a way that ultimately encourages visitor attendance and commercial profitability. This exemplifies why even an artist, in designing their personal logo, must incorporate technical functionalities.
In a simpler term: A logo is a tool. A tool aimed at delivering a message—a message from the brand to the audience!
Considering Pure Artistry in Logo Design
But how can the purely artistic dimension of logo design be achieved? Such logo designs are typically created by individuals who are either painters or painting enthusiasts, rather than graphic specialists. This is because the art of painting plays a minor role in the subject of sign design; design and graphics are the core knowledge required in this field. A logo is fundamentally considered a graphical design with a specific concept, rather than a mere piece of art.
Graphic designers (who deal with the science of graphics, not just painting, in logo design) strive to reflect a message, even a simple and concise one, in their most minimal works. Sometimes, they convey an ocean of concepts through severely simplified and minimalist designs. The message-delivery aspect of the logo must be considered so crucial that the design avoids esoteric and specific artistic concepts understood only by artists, and must remain generally comprehensible and perceptible.
The Different Dimensions of Logo Design
As discussed above, in emblem and logo design, we are always faced with two fundamental topics:
1. The Artistic, Aesthetic, and Unique Dimension of the Design:
This is the artistic aspect of logo design that aims to excite emotions, yield pleasure, and attract the audience’s attention. The beauty of the logo design helps us capture the exploratory gaze of the audience in today’s brand-saturated business world. This provides a brief opportunity to share our message with them. It is like holding an exquisite and dazzling product before the audience’s eyes, asking them to look at it so we can capture their attention and, in the next step, discuss the product and its advantages.
2. The Technical Function and Message Transmission Dimension:
The role of logo science is no less important—and perhaps more so—than the artistic dimension of the design. The primary goal of design lies at this point. Once we have engaged the audience, it is time to proceed to our objective: transmitting the brand’s message. If this is achieved, the logo has successfully played its role in our branding operations. We must emphasize here that the logo’s message must be carefully considered before the design process to maximize the benefit from the opportunity presented.
Commercial logo design means creating a design that places the audience in a space where they, on one hand, love to see the design and enjoy it, and on the other hand, with the same delicacy and positive feeling, the logo can convey the message to them. A message that the audience is not only familiar with but also feels a sense of belonging to.
A standard logo design is a flawless yet profound work of art.
A design that lacks these two fundamental dimensions—the artistic performance and the technical function of message transmission—will ultimately be just a piece of art, and nothing more.