19 logo design quotes that will improve your design process forever

Creating a logo is nearly never on anyone’s priority list when building a new business. Among high-quality products, positive referrals, and branding, you might even doubt if you need a logo at all for a good business.

However, you cannot be farther from the truth. In business, a logo functions as the most critical tool in your promotional arsenal. It depicts the company’s core values and what it endeavors to offer. If executed properly, a logo ensures that your company is recognized and remembered.

Think of any of the leading brands today. Now visualize their logos. Did they pop right up in your mind, right? Nike’s swoosh or twitter’s bird. Whatever the brand might be, their logos are plastered in our minds. That is the power of an exceptional brand logo. Not only that, but a good logo has a deeper meaning behind it. Take the twitter bird, for example. A bird signifies freedom and countless possibilities. A logo can say so much about your platform that no amount of words can.

But what is it really that makes a logo special? Special enough to be remembered by everyone? Even if it is a simple M for Mc. Donald’s? Well-renowned logo designers may have some insight in-store for you. Whether you are an aspiring logo designer or facing a block in your logo designing process, the following 19 quotes from imminent logo designers will help improve your design process forever.

1. “A logo doesn’t sell (directly), it identifies.” —Paul Rand

While designing a logo, keep in mind that a logo is the company’s ambassador, not a salesman. The logo itself will not be responsible for selling the product; it should, however, be impactful enough to induce positive emotions and memories in customers, which can lead to lucrative interactions with the business you are designing the logo for.

2. “Logos are the graphic extension of the internal realities of a company.” —Saul Bass

A good logo is key to successful branding. Even though the logo is just a part of the company’s brand, it is the first thing any potential customer will look at. Henceforth, a logo designer must ensure that the logo lays the foundation of the entire narrative on which its brand is built.

If you think about it, we always associate fonts and colors with emotions. For instance, yellow is a happy color, and blue brings sorrow. Therefore, make sure the colors, tones, and fonts you choose for a custom logo design to determine the company’s personality.

3. “The strongest logos tell simple stories.” — Sol Sender

If you are a logo designer, your priority should be to make the logo memorable and meaningful. It should speak volumes without being too complicated or confusing. It should not feel like the entire burden of branding is on the logo. Keep it simple and classy.

4. “A logo is a period at the end of a sentence, not the sentence itself.” – Sagi Haviv

The logo will say what no salesperson or product can. It should function like ellipses in a sentence function, leaving customers to think, ponder, and feel on their own. It should give a preamble to the company’s beliefs and mission, not narrate the entire story.

5. “A logo is not a brand—it’s only a symbol for a brand. A brand is much more than a logo.” — Marty Neumeier

Your branding is encapsulated by the quality of your services, customer interactions, and public reviews. The logo is just supposed to give your company identity, a face for that matter.

6. “We are all born with genius. It’s like our fairy godmother. But what happens in life is that we stop listening to our inner voices, and we no longer have access to this extraordinary ability to create poetry.” – Milton Glaser

Most often than not, whenever a logo designer is facing a block, it is best to follow instinct. Listen to your inner voice and try to remember why you started designing logos in the first place.

7. “Designers actually can change the world for the better by making the complicated simple and finding beauty in truth.” – Michael Bierut

Best known for his ‘H’ logo design for Hilary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Bierut offers the best reminder for logo designers: keep it simple. The logo you create should be easy to understand and not induce conflicting emotions because of its complexity.

8. “Design is thinking made visual”― Saul Bass

The first step in designing a unique logo is to think. Research the company you are creating the logo for and build an image in your mind. Then, put your thinking onto paper. It is always fruitful to get the creative juices flowing in your brain first to achieve clarity.

9. “Where do ideas come from? From looking at one thing and seeing another. From fooling around, from playing with possibilities, from speculating, from changing, pushing, pulling, transforming, and lucky, you come up with something worth saving, using, and building on. That’s where the game stops, and the work begins.” ~ Short Film: Why Man Creates”- Saul Bass

For all the logo designers out there, try to find inspiration in everything. You never know when or what will give you the idea you have been looking for.

10. “More rationale decreases subjectivity” – Sol Sender

As a logo designer, your job is to make people who see the logo feel something. The more you go into logic and unnecessary details, the logo will lose its subjectivity.

11. “A logo is less important than the product it signifies; it means it is more important than what it looks like.” – Paul Rand

While a logo is a small part of your brand, it must not be a pretty picture with a shallow skeleton. To serve its real purpose, a logo should have a deeper meaning behind its design.

12. “Don’t try to be original. Try to be good.” – Paul Rand

Most logo designers fail to come up with something eye-catching and authentic because they strive in the wrong direction. In their struggle to come up with something unique, the essence of a good logo is lost somewhere. Try to be true to yourself and the company and avoid swerving from your goal in search of something different.

13. “It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes.”

A logo without backing is like a sentence out of context. It is also a part of a custom logo designer’s job to research the product they will help market. This will help make the logo meaningful and authentic.

14. “Logos survive because they can adapt to countless formats” – Sagi Haviv

Over the years, a company will make minor changes to their logo. Therefore, a logo designer must ensure that a logo will retain its communicativeness and aesthetic values in different fonts and sizes.

15. “At the study, we always try to ignore trends.” – Sagi Haviv

It may seem essential to incorporate specific techniques or colors in your logo according to the trends, but it is not the best idea. The objective values of the design should only be kept in mind when designing a logo so that it honestly reflects the brand. Not only that, but a logo should be aesthetically effective in all the times to come, so it is better not to resort to trends that may go out of style after a few years.

16. “The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.” – Marty Neumeier

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes, when inspiration hits, you may get the design right in the first try. But there are times when you have to restart multiple times. But there is nothing wrong with that. Keep trying until the design is perfected.

17. “There are three responses to a piece of design—yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.” – Milton Glaser

The most recognizable brand logos today have one thing in common, that spark. Whenever you design, don’t settle for anything less than what makes you go, WOW!

18. “Great design doesn’t date.” – Harry Seidler

Create an everlasting logo design!

19. “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.” —Paul Rand

The logo is the advocate every business requires to put forward their values and services.

You may also like: The 50 Best Graphic Design Quotes Ever

Conclusion

To all the logo designers, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Think about what you want people to feel when they see the logo and follow your heart. A logo is vital in a company’s recognition, so make sure it is honest and heartfelt. After the thought process is over, Just do it.

Do you think any important quote is missing here?