A mark, not a picture

A logo is an identifier, not an illustration and not a description of the business. It has to be recognised quickly, remembered, and reproduced everywhere the business appears.

The two tests that matter. It has to work in one colour, because it will be stamped, faxed, engraved, embroidered and printed on a receipt. And it has to work at one centimetre, because that is the size of an app icon, a favicon and the label on a product.

A logo that only works large and in full colour is not finished. This single standard removes most of what beginners produce, including gradients, thin details, drop shadows and small text inside the mark.

It does not have to explain the business. The most recognised marks in the world do not, and a new designer trying to show what the company does usually produces something cluttered. Recognition comes from repetition, not from explanation.

Simple is harder and lasts longer. A complex mark looks like more work and dates faster, and the client who asked for something that shows everything is asking for something that will be redrawn in three years.

Distinct beats beautiful. If it looks like every other logo in the category, it fails at the one job it has, which is to identify this business rather than a similar one.

And it is one part of a brand, working with typefaces, colours and layout, which is why the rest of this shelf matters.