Tips for Designing a Web 2.0 Logo

The Graphics Guy    graphic design, logo design, Uncategorized, web 2.0, web design    

Usually in Logo Design, a designer creates his/her logo concepts with print in mind. In today’s Web 2.0 world… logo design has taken a different direction. Instead of creating a logo that would be featured on business cards, letterheads, brochures, newsletters, etc…. today’s logos are also designed to meet the digital means of  electronic advertising/marketing (websites, blogs, web ads, eBooks, television, etc).

Basically the design elements are somewhat the same… icon and word mark, but the biggest difference is color. For printing methods, designers use Pantone PMS colors… but in the digital Web 2.0 community… RGB is standard.

What? RGB? That’s not what I learned in Logo Design 101?

Yes, that’s more-than-likely true, and in some cases you should follow what you’ve learned. But ask yourself this question: how would this logo look on a website? That’s when Web 2.0 Logo Design comes into play.

Here are 4 tips for designing a Web 2.0 Logo:

1. Research: the first step is ask your client what they plan to use the logo for. If they plan to use only for the web… obviously Web 2.0 is the answer.
2. Color: Yes, RGB is the color mode you should be using. Mostly Web 2.0 logos are mostly made of brighter and/or softer hues of blue, green, orange, and red. Black and Grays are used too… avoid yellow, pink, and purple. You can still use Pantone Colors… but make sure you your design program is set to RGB color mode. This will give you an accurate representation of web color.
3. Fonts: Using clean, easy to read fonts is essential. Remember you are designing for the web, and some fonts do not display well at smaller sizes. I suggest using Myriad Pro, Trebuchet MS, Arial Round, Tahoma, and Georgia. If you prefer to use another font- that’s OK… a good way to test if the font is “web-friendly” is to reduce your image to around 60 pixels in height. If you can read it… its OK to use. Also don’t be shy about using the regular (not bold) version of your font choice… you’ll be surprised with the results.
4. Elements: If you study the well-designed Web 2.0 logos (ex. Google, Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) you’ll discover most designs are a combination of simple geometric shapes, gradients, strokes and web-friendly fonts (see font section above). The popular webby icons are often used along with soft shadows.

In closing… the general principals are clean, neat, bright, soft, and simple. Keep those in mind and you’ll come up with sweet designs.

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