Prohibitions in Logo Design (Logo Design Don'ts)
A key factor in logo design education, after covering the professional principles, is understanding how to use details in combination with the logo.
In the first step, we must have a good understanding of the essential details versus the useless, or sometimes harmful, elements. This prevents a professional logo design from being downgraded and, if possible, even allows us to elevate its standard. Sometimes, to increase a logo’s success, it is enough not to add anything to it!
With the specialization and professionalization of logo design knowledge, the main goal of every logo designer is to capture the audience’s attention, create impact, and ultimately achieve longevity in the target community’s mind. Observing this is highly crucial in logo design.
It can be confidently stated that a logo overloaded with various, often unnecessary, or copied details will not be included in the rank of professional logos.
In this article, we will briefly look at the importance of avoiding unnecessary elements in logo design, or in other words: The Prohibitions of Logo Design.
A notable point to emphasize is that we should not follow the idea that we must include all of the Strategic Branding Firm‘s concepts and values within its logo!
Most professional logo designers are well-acquainted with the principles of professional logo design Service. In this educational article, we will cover 4 simple yet vital points that should NOT be included in a logo (the Logo Design Don’ts):
Adhering to these points and refraining from using the details explained below will lead to greater impact, maximum efficiency, and, of course, greater beauty in the logo design. Furthermore, it will guarantee the logo’s authenticity and grant complete credibility to the brand or company’s logo and emblem.
1. Including Contact Information and Company Capabilities in the Logo Design
Although this seems like a trivial point, there are still organizations that constantly reflect some or all of their contact information—including address, phone number, website—or information about their capabilities and assets in their official logo.
When these details are displayed in the logo, they not only create unnecessary clutter and distract the viewer from the main logo design but also severely challenge the legibility of the logo when scaled down.
It is also obvious that if such information is used, any change in this information will force the logo owner to change the logo design (either wholly or partially).
You will find no logical reason to include that information beneath the logo when you already use minimal advertising formats, such as business cards or website advertisements.
2. Incorporating the Company’s Legal Status in the Logo Design
When a company is registered, it typically receives a legal suffix (e.g., Private Joint Stock, Inc., LLC) depending on its legal structure. It is best that this detail be included on the company seal but not displayed in the brand’s official logo. This will clutter the logo design by displaying concepts that are neither functional nor attractive to a simple customer!
You can clearly state this information and the company’s legal status in formal correspondence and contracts with your partner organizations.
3. Stealing Parts of Someone Else’s Logo (The Most Critical Prohibition)
Plagiarism, whether entirely or just an idea or the use of a part of one logo in another, besides its legal consequences, is a reprehensible act that ultimately leads to sometimes irreparable damage to a brand. It is perhaps the most important point in the Prohibitions of Logo Design.
A viewer will easily detect the copied part, and because of this quick recognition, the credibility of the entire logo will be questioned.
Even putting legal obstacles aside, a logo that lacks calculated ideation and a clear objective will certainly be rejected in terms of authenticity and will practically have no specific efficiency for its owner. (Ineffectiveness being the minimum damage inflicted on the brand.)
4. Displaying a Long Tagline in the Logo Design
A good tagline, in parallel with a powerful logo design, can create synergy and convey the brand’s message to its audience in the best possible way. However, if the tagline is intended to be permanently embedded and displayed in the logo design, it had better be very, very short or not mentioned at all in the official logo design!
We are not supposed to tell a story to the audience. Short taglines, besides being easy, fluid, and quick to read, do not clutter the logo. In this regard, it is best to model your work after the logos and taglines of reputable global companies and brands (e.g., Nike: Just Do It).