The 3 Rules of Good Logo Design

How do you design a good logo? What makes a logo great? How do you create a good logo? What are the rules and design principles behind logo design?

In this video, Sagi Haviv tells us his 3 tips for what makes a good logo:

1. Appropriate – logos should be appropriate in it's feeling.
2. Distinctive & Memorable – It has to be unusual enough to persist in our mind. It should pass the "doodle test."
3. Simple – It needs to be able to be produced in every pixel size.

When you strike the balance of these 3 things, you have a good logo.

Check out our full interview with Sagi here:

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv is the brand design firm behind many of the world’s most recognizable trademarks. Since 1957, the firm has pioneered the modern movement of idea-driven graphic design across every discipline, specializing in brand identities, exhibitions, print and motion graphics, and art in architecture.

#logo #sagihaviv #createlogo
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Host– Chris Do
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[Ighart]

Loving this, such clarity
1. Appropriate
2. Distinctive
3. Simple

[davidwitt]

Remember the whole live stream with Sagi Haviv. It was awesome and definitely a must see!

[hitts]

Designer: the Logo needs to be simple minimalistic elegant
Client: can you add this and this and that and make this bigger and add the whole family names and add some symbols and i want 7 different

[AnthonyMcNeil]

The FedEx logo. I felt so stupid when my first design teacher told me about the hidden arrow. That's just a great logo. The arrow isn't in your face and you will never notice it. Still amazes me to this day that I never noticed it 😂

[bluskydesign]

Please teach us how to narrow down the gap between generic and complicated.

[syedzaidi]

Thanks for reaching out to professionals for us. Thumbs up to Futur team.

[oristatdesign]

I agree with him for companies of that size. The bigger you get as a company, the more exposure you have and you’ll want a simpler, more recognizable logo. On the other hand, when you’re creating a logo for a smaller niche business like maybe a small law firm or a personal trainer, I think it’s totally fine to include more detail and meaning into the logo since it’s not gonna be plastered everywhere. I think the criteria that determines what makes a good logo will vary based on the size and industry of the company. Hopefully that makes sense, but would love to hear other people’s thoughts.

[inmorann]

The whole episode with sagi haviv is, no doubt full of wisdom; This guy is awesome. Regarding my favorite logos then I have a list of them but here are few I like most ; Nike, UPS, Nvidia, Apple and Starbucks.

[Hugo-rqfi]

I love the part where he says the logo should be jsut like a signature. I guess it's on full interview video, but that makes a lot of sense.
Not an illustration but a signature!

[pranaytony]

Thanks for making *THE SECRET* very straight to the point!

[eBlackize]

Trying to do this kinds of logos for clients and receiving only bad feedback that they want something more obvious (as shown in the the example as "before") I'm really getting discouraged and unable to expand my portfolio with works that I like.
At least this video has assured me that I'm not the one with aesthetic "problems" here.

[bnibcdcreativemedia]

Fundamental rules. Although I naturally enjoy the challenge of a complex logo, my top three logo criterions are 1) simplicity 2) single color 3) sensitivity.

[doubleknocker]

These snippets from previous videos are the perfect aide-memoire for me, time's short and these bite-sized clips stop me from getting too distracted - thank you.

[pranaytony]

This is such a sweet straight to the point video that anybody can show this to the people who think logo should be a complicated one!!💐

My favorite line is, "it's so simple that's why it's so complicated!"

[GlenCarrie]

I do not have years of expert tuition behind me but I have always stood by my gut instinct and a keen eye for what is good and what is not so good. I always test a logo in black and white and keep it as simple as possible. if you cannot doodle it in 5 seconds its too complicated.

[noahmukono]

Great tips. I agree Simplicity is key. I also love a logo that works well when it's inverted, perfect example is the Nike swoosh.
I also love logos that make use of negative spaces.

[epicmomo]

I really love alot of logos designs but i would categorize my favorite ones with the experiences I've had with these companies. Since ultimately a logo is a visual identity and how they interact with audience is the most valued in my opinion. I cant help but not only choose soley in aesthetic but how they prove themselves. I would say nintendo's since I've had so many memories with the logo starting up in their consoles during childhood. Nike's beautiful swoosh has been a partner through my every training as a martial artist. Coca cola calligraphy is a personal favorite and a soft drink that has been in most social event or reunion. Finally the north face is another companion when i adventure and whenever I challenge nature.

[shamstalent]

1. Has to work big and small
2. Has to work in black/white or one color
3. Simple like Sagi says

[juliorodriguez]

There is so much value in this video...

[itsJWPH]

My faves are WGBH-TV, Annapurna Pictures, and of course, CorridorDigital!