Have you ever really thought about all of the different logos there are in the world? You probably haven’t, but I have. I’ve also worked with a handful of logos that either I or someone else has designed in creating websites and business cards and the like. Some of them are really easy to work with, while others take quite a bit of creativity to make them usable. That got me thinking about practical logos, and how many are designed without thinking about usability - they’re just pretty.

In this article I’m going to talk about things that make a logo practical, things that make a logo impractical, and discuss if a logo can be both pretty and practical. Ready? Let’s jump in.

What makes a practical logo?

A practical logo is versatile. You can use it on websites, business cards, important documents, social media, stamps, and clothing without needing to adjust the entire design. It may consist of more than one color, but you can make it monotone without affecting the design and the meaning. The font is easy to read. There isn’t an outrageous amount of text or small details.

What makes a logo impractical?

A logo with fancy script that is hard to read is impractical, for obvious reasons. A logo that requires more than one color is impractical because sometimes you may need a strictly black and white logo (or at least monotone)**. Some logos have their own background - if this is required to make the logo what it is, it is impractical. If a logo has so much detail that it can’t be reduced in size and still distinguishable, the logo shouldn’t be used. Too many platforms use miniature versions of logos for icons and you want yours to be identifiable, no matter the size. A large number of small details that are needed to make the logo what it is will make it hard to shrink.

** Having more than one color in your logo is not a bad thing. Small amounts of white space can be used to separate colors so they stay separate when monotone. Depending on the logo, outlining and filling white (or transparent) can be used to create a monotone effect with multi-colored logos too.

Can you have a practical logo that is still pretty?

Yes. A practical logo doesn’t have to just be bold text and straight lines, but use the pretty stuff with caution.

To sum it up

When thinking about your logo, make sure that it:

• contains clear, legible font
• can be made monotone
• is still identifiable when reduced in size
• does not have small details that cannot be omitted
• does not fall apart without background color/shape

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