A Webmasterly Theory on Logo Design
Not knowing anything about logos doesn’t stop me from creating one. Nor does it stop me from writing an article that flaunts my ignorance as I publicly muse about the meaning of company logo designs. Nor does it stop me from coining the word, logology, which I shall declare is the study of logos. As best I can tell, a logo is a symbol used by a business, government, religion, family or any institution for the purpose of communicating their mission with utmost efficiency, maximizing simplicity and speed of transmission.
I read that the logo dates back to ancient times when merchants traded largely with illiterate populations. So, businesses targeted their largest market with logos that symbolized their companies. Medical professions still use the snake-entwined staff of Asclepius, the Greek and Roman god of healing. Every country has a flag, a unique symbol of their national identity. The star of David on the Israeli flag unambiguously signifies the nation of Israel. The cross became the natural symbol of Christianity. The crescent moon heralds Islam. In medieval times, a coat of arms was used as a royal familial emblem. Ranches in cowboy movies were always called “the circle” something or another. Superman wore an “S” logo. Zorro drew his “Z.”
Dialog of illiterate plebeians in the Roman forum:
Plebeian 1: | “Hey, that smells good. What is it?” |
Plebeian 2: | “The sign says they’re selling Caesar salads.” |
Plebeian 1: | “But, you can’t read!” |
Plebeian 2: | “Yes, but I’m sure of it. Look at the imperial logo above those fancy salad bowls.” |
The logo has not become obsolete with the modern literacy explosion. Its use has proliferated. The logo is more present in modern times than you may think. The average American must view hundreds of thousands of company logos during a lifetime. From the car, living room, mailbox, or shopping mall, those who live in a commercial society must bear it’s advertisers. Good company logo design is benefiting large numbers of literate consumers, it would seem.
Most companies want a logo to build name or product recognition over time. To do this, they create a visual jingle. The famous psychologist, Carl Jung, theorized that symbol interpretation in the human psyche may extend to the unconscious. I suspect that the human mind is wired to efficiently process the symbols it detects, perhaps in the same way a web server waits to receive a client request, then sends a response. A logo establishes a connection.
Company Logo Design Approaches
Though logos are everywhere, most people probably do not give much conscious attention to them in their daily routines. I decided to take note of logos that I saw in my everyday life for several months. I condensed my observances to four basic approaches.
1. Symbol
This design approach is a standalone symbol with no text. The symbol must communicate the message all by itself, so it’s important that the message be clear. The symbol design approach is rare in the business world. It’s more common in flags, religious, civic or regional logos. Perhaps the Rolling Stones tongue and lip design would fall into this category. Remember the Prince album?
2. Text
The least inspiring logos I saw were the ones that consisted of the company’s name or initials in text. 3D font effects were common. Even many strongly styled fonts fonts such as in the Coca-Cola logo seemed tired. One that did appeal was Futurus Bank, in which the company name is spelled out with the first “U” in a strong modernistic style.
3. Text Plus Symbol
My favorite logo design approach is one that uses a symbol with text. This logo design is ideal for marketing when an anthropomorphic symbol can be developed into a character like the Cingular “Jack” or the Pillsbury dough boy. The US Post Office logo is a beautiful example of the text plus symbol approach.
4. Text Symbol Fusion
The morphing of text into a symbol of a real product can be an effective company logo design approach. The beloved Enron “E” taking the shape of a power plug is my favorite example of text symbol fusion. I’m going to miss this one.
Other Points Learned About Company Logos
- A logo should be recognizable at a distance like a coat of arms or flag.
- When a logo image is resized or altered, the colors and size proportions remain the same.
- The background color, not just the foreground symbol and text is part of the logo style and normally remains the same throughout the logo’s life.
- A logo can become a registered trademark.
- For an expert’s opinion on business logos, read The Logo FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Company Logos, by Marcia Yudkin.
Evolution of the Clickfire Logo
I looked at the very first logo I created for Clickfire and how the design approach evolved from text (company name) to text + symbol (company name with mouse and flame). I’m afraid the evolutionary process may not be complete yet because the final logo doesn’t specifically communicate Clickfire’s mission of providing viewpoints, tools, and content for webmasters.
Original Clickfire Logo Design
 | Design Approach: text. Done when I knew even less than I do now about logo design (I know nothing now). |
Second Generation Clickfire Logo Designs
 | Design: text |
 | Design: text + symbol |
 | Design: text + symbol |
Third Generation Clickfire Logo Designs that Didn’t Make it
 | Design: text + symbol |
 | Design: text + symbol |
 | Design: text + symbol |
 | Design: text + symbol |
 | Design: text + symbol |
The Keeper?
 | Design: text + symbol |
To be continued? The jury is still officially out on the above logo design “candidate.” There must be more to life than changing logo styles. If you have ideas to improve this logo or thoughts on company logo design or “logology,” I’d very much appreciate.
Clickfire logos designed with JASC Paint Shop Pro. Hmm… I don’t think I used Photoshop with these logos. I can’t remember 
–Emory Rowland
hello sir
please help me with design of a good symbol which can be suitable for both a company and an educational institute.
thanks and best regard
sama
sama, I’d suggest googling for a logo designer or look for one on a forum marketplace like sitepoint.com.
hi I need logo to my company “kareem pharma”
i need a logo for a european institute of buddhist studies. however we don’t want it to be asian. can you see if you can come up with something that’s more european. the students that come to our center will learn from buddhist scriptures and will put into practice. thank you
thien, I am flattered that you would ask, but I think there are plenty of talented graphics people out there on the forums and elsewhere who could design the logo you need. Best of luck.
Plz advise me a logo for following required company.
Sir we require a logo for a brand named digitron and a company named scales n sensors. it’s a electronic weighing machine company.
Hai,
Plz suggest me a logo which suits for livetelecasting company
RK
Hi please suggest a Logo for a Medical Disposable company
Good.. I really appreciate.
Sir, I need logo to my company with provide services as well as doing jobwork. Name is Parshwanath
Its really great…
Cany anyone suggest a logo for my company – Robert Jackson Plus. Thanks.
Although the concept in your designs and your effort was good (for a webmaster/programmer) how much time did you spend on it? If you are worth $40 / hr then you might have saved money using a professional.
In general, a marketplace for logo design like DesignBay.com or a freelancer (from somewhere like elance.com) will get you a better result and save you time!
(Webmasters/web designers with clients or employers asking them to make logos would also do well to outsource.)
Alec
Director
DesignBay
Alec, I wrote this a long time ago and it was more of a personal journey/learning experience for me. Now, I think I would certainly do as you suggested and just hire a professional designer to create one. In fact, I did that with the current logo.
plz help me to gesn a new logo
my co name is workppl
Lol.
Nice article about the progression that a logo goes through during the design progress.
It seems you have given yourself some trouble with a potential workload, however!!
Jamie
i want to logo for my company. we have a company of beads.
I want a logo for my new shop.
My shop is for Showpiece, Handicrafts & Garments items.
Regards,
Mainul
please help me with design of a good symbol in my event management company
nice tips.. thnx sir! hee xD
ive used one of ur themes…it was owsome! thanx
hello sir
pls help me in finding a new pharma co name and logo.
Please help me with a logo for a stainless steel fastener manufacturing company.
Thanks.
Your final logo is “okay” to me. The obvious design solution for me lies somewhere with the cord of the mouse making up the Clickfire type in cursive. The dots over the “i’s” could be flames or balls with a flames around them. You could give this a try in 3D software (like 3DS Max) so it looks very realistic. But you might want to hire a 3D designer for that. You’ll still likely need a 2D flat graphic as well for certain applications. Your article was a nice read though.
Sir I need logo to my company .Please help me out
name his NEEL CONTROLS Our company manufacture electrical good only
Sir,
I need a logo of my company,our company is telecom based.
need symbol and slogan for brand LEGEND brand electronic weighing machines.
I need some Logo for banks and shops and different companies
please help me design my company logo
i want a stylish symbol and logo for my FASTENER company pls suggest me
The clickfire logo has indeed evolved to a better looks in time. I think the text symbol fusion is the nicest approach.
i want logo for my own garment shop named HUSNAIN kindly send on my e mail thanks
l want a logo for my company
Hi,
My company name is (IGlobe Web Solution). Kindly suggest best logo for my company. Pls help me its urgent for my project. I hope you are give me logo. Pls send me on my below mail ID :- sachin.rajgrihar[at]gmail[dot]com
Thanks!
Regards
Sachin Rajgrihar
8860271673
Hi,
I would like to have ur favour regarding Logo design for my company – WYNN Eventz -(an event management company.
mail id is wynneventz at gmail dot com.
Thanks,
Winkle
Hi,
Kindly help us how to decide one company logo for a Consulting Services who’s dealing with various HR services, IT solution & Counselling.
Thanks
Pranab
Can you please help me with a logo design for my clothing line called “Francheyz Designs”. Thank you.
@Eddie, If you search clickfire.com for “logo” you’ll see lots of logo design software and design services, both premium and free (LogoSnap for example). If you find a good solution, please post back here, thanks.