Stop discussing logos on a white background
Tags: Design, Logo Design

The founder of the branding agency “Logomachine” Roman Gorbachev’s cry of the heart.

For grasping the essence of what it is about, imagine for a second that you understand wines. No, you don’t just understand — you have devoted many years to this, following the news and knowing the history of famous varieties and most winemakers. Moreover, you have even made wine more than once. When it comes to wines, you have every right to say: “Guys, I’m a pro.”

Now imagine that every new wine causes a public stir. News about wines also appears on Medium, and the comments are: “this is a terrible wine”, “this wine does not cost so much”, “the wine should be tasty, but what is this?”, “The wine should be original”. Everyone has an opinion about wine.

What would you think if none of the commentators tried a new wine, but everyone just looked at the photo of the bottle and wrote their opinion? Wine is made to be drunk — try it before discussing it! But everyone looks at the bottle and thinks: “Hmm, this wine is bitter.” Such a madness.

But that’s exactly what happens with logos. Here is a company logo:

Nike logo

Everyone looks and comments: “I’ll draw this in a pint in a minute!”, “They paid $ 35 for this snot”, “the logo should be recognizable, original, but what is this ?!”.

Let me tell you a secret: this is the first and last time you look at a logo on a white background point-blank. I call this a “vacuum logo”. For the rest of your life, you will see this logo like this:

Pay attention to how much space the logo takes up:

I marked with red the place where there is no logo. For example, a logo on a website usually occupies less than a percent area:

Everything else is brand colors, fonts, shapes, patterns and rules. This is called “corporate identity” or “identity”. I have already said many times: the useful effect of a logo is the recognition of the company and the impression it makes. Style influences this more than the sign.

You can easily recognize the Сoke by its colors and silhouette, although the logo is not visible:

In life, you will see the logo in a small format, on the go, from afar, in passing. More often, branded color combinations will be visible. So for what reason should you look at the logo at close range trying to draw any conclusions? Look at how they plan to use it! Briefly speaking:

Discussing the success of a logo on a white background is like discussing the taste of wine in a closed bottle

Not a single logo is created to hang in a vacuum — it is put on the site, printed on business cards and cloth. There you must look at it.

If a designer shows you a logo in a vacuum — you better run away. If the designer hasn’t asked where exactly you will be using the logo — run. Hundreds of logo options on a white background — waste of money.

Any logo can be used with talent or no. There is no incredible power in the Nike logo — the company just works properly and invests a lot in design and advertising. That is why “Swoosh” has become so recognizable and stylish. We recognize the mermaid with its tails spread apart, because it’s on every corner.

A “logo in a vacuum” can only be discussed for its quality of graphics, but this is a very complex and subjective question. This can be done by designers on duty, but finding the golden ratio in Apple’s logo doesn’t get us any closer to understanding the company’s success.

If you are far from design, you should not rush into arguments about composition, recognizability or beauty. So should I not argue about the nativeness of someone else’s code in C ++, if I have not written a single line in my life. I’ve just got no clue.

Ultimate guide how to react to logo news

1. You should look at how you plan to use the logo. If there is no information, it is pointless to discuss a “logo in a vacuum”.

2. No, you shouldn’t look at the logo on a white background and talk about proportions and the golden ratio. Even if others like it.

3. If there is a photo of the logo “in real life”, it is useful to say what kind of impression the design makes on you in general: it looks attractive, repulsive, expensive or cheap.

4. No, there is no need to write “this logo is not recognizable” — no one knows how to measure recognition by eye. Moreover, it will depend on the advertising budget.