How Not to Ruin Your Logo

Visual branding is powerful—and when done right, it can trigger buying decisions based on emotion.

Chances are, you either put a lot of effort into designing your logo or paid a pretty penny for someone to create the perfect symbol for you. The last thing you want to do is weaken its impact by using it all wrong. Messing with your logo impacts brand recognition.

Here are four common logo usage mistakes and how to avoid them:

Changing the orientation

Your logo was developed with orientation and balance in mind. When you tilt or spin it around, you’re changing how people perceive the logo. And that means, it can change how they perceive your business. At the most basic level, you might also be negatively impacting its legibility. 

Placing it over the wrong photo or incorrect placement on the right photo

This one is tricky, but we promise you: IT MATTERS. Overlays, when done right, can really work. But when you place your logo on a photo that’s too busy, choose one that doesn’t fit your brand, or don’t use the right color or transparency, you cause your logo to fade into a background of visual noise. When in doubt, consult a designer, who might be able to help you with next level tricks like adding gradients to create more contrast or “ghosting” your logo for a subtle watermark effect. 

Scaling your logo incorrectly

It’s not melted cheese. It’s not saltwater taffy. Stop pulling on it like that. There is never a time or place where you should stretch a logo to fit into a particular space. It screams, “I’m not a real company!” before you even get a chance to talk to potential clients. Do we even need to say more?!

Using the wrong colors together

If your logo was designed by us, or any other reputable designer, you should have been provided a brand color palette and some examples of how to use your brand colors together. This is SO IMPORTANT when it comes to how you use your logo. Nothing makes us cringe more than seeing a gorgeous new logo we designed used in a color combo that just does 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 work 👏🏼. There are a few ways this can go wrong: using two colors that are complementary and end up “vibrating,” using colors that are too similar so the logo doesn’t show up, or using colors that just aren’t part of your brand palette! The safest bet is to always use your logo in the color combinations your designer recommended. 

What’s the best way to avoid ALL of these mistakes? 

If you don’t already have them, we recommend creating a set of clear brand guidelines. That way, you always have something to refer back to and when it comes to outsourcing, you can be sure your logo will be used consistently across all applications. If you’re in need of some brand guidelines or perhaps even a logo refresh, we’d love to help! Book a consultation.