Six tips for strong logos

For most small businesses, the primary use of their logo is for their signage. And since most signs are viewed by people passing by in moving vehicles—or are on a moving vehicle—a logo must make an immediate and memorable impression. Such logos must get the point across in a hurry.

There are a lot of tools that a designer can use to make this happen, but simplicity is certainly at the top of the list. You see it throughout the logo designs of Travis Toews [RT Signs, Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada]. He described it as central to his approach in “Making simplicity work.”

“When I design a logo,” he says, “I’m not always sure how it will be used on a sign or vehicle, but as a signmaker, it’s always in the back of my mind that it will likely be used for signs. I also consider how it will work when used small in the case of websites or print. Using a lot of detail often doesn’t pay off because it won’t hold together at small sizes.