8 Elements to a
World Class Logo
by Mark Combs

What are the 8 elements of a “world class logo”? I had a potential client ask me this question. I had to stop and think. I had never considered that before. I started searching my brain for what it takes to reach the levels of “world class”. 
Simplicity
By far the most important of any of the elements. Simplicity dictates that we boil the contents of the logo down to the bare minimum. Each line or shape should be vitally necessary to the design. Without each element included you would be unable to convey the message. We must ask ourselves at every turn do I need this line/shape to reach my customer? Don’t use three elements when one will do

Visual Weight
In a ocean of marketing sameness, a world class logo will stand out. Without color, without additional help, it stands above the crowded marketplace. I am not saying all logos should be bold and heavy, but they should have some visual weight in order to be seen from a distance or in motion.

Reproducibility
No matter what medium, a world class logo should reproduce well. Whether in the newspaper, on a billboard, on a business card or even on a fax machine. Your logo should be able to stand up to every corrosive media. Too much to explain, let me sum up. When they print, let’s say, the yellow pages, the ink hits that newsprint paper and it spreads, or bleeds, outward. If your logo is too finely detailed or has small holes in a field of black, that bleeding will hurt your logo and in turn hurt your image.

Balance
Balance is a visual sense that the logo is stable and reliable. We are strange animals. Humans perceive even the slightest errors in design. Most people don’t even realize they do it, it’s mostly subconscious. But we still perceive it, and when we see a logo that feels unstable we tend to apply that uneasy feeling to the company itself. So if your logo doesn’t have good balance it will reflect on your company.

Believability
A world class logo gives customers the assurance that we are who we say we are. Your logo must be seen as a legitimate company. It can’t feel like a plastic banana. The image we portray must match the image of our product or service. You wouldn’t sell monster truck races with a tea room marketing strategy. There are a lot of things that go into believeability; quality, consistency, balance and simplicity.

Consistency
Your world class logo needs to maintain consistency in order to keep that title. If your logo was just a little different each time your target market saw it, they would soon start looking for a new provider. Without consistency your ever-changing logo, the usage of it, tells your customers that they can’t count on you to be the same tomorrow as you are today.

Frequency
How often you see a logo lends to its viability. The more you see a logo, any logo, the more expected and trusted it becomes. Your logo needs to show its face more often. Some exposure will help with your goal of becoming “world class”. After all, if no one ever sees your great logo, how much good is it doing for your company?

Market
To be world class, you logo must have a market. You could have the best graphics in the world, you could have checked all the boxes on this list and many more, but if no one is buying your offer, it does you no good. Why are the greats so great? Yes they have many if not all of the above traits, but people buy their product. You must have a market. No great logo will succeed without a market.
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