Logo Gallery - 6 Things that make a Terrible Logo Design – Poor Work!

An effective logo design can save a business from failure, but a bad logo can fail even a well-established business. For those who consider a logo to be a negligible part of business, they are hugely mistaken. We have witnessed several brands falter over logo design mistakes and blunders in their branding efforts. This goes to show how important it is to handle logo designing with care and contemplation. When you get a logo design for your company, you’re not just getting a symbol to hang outside the company gates. You are getting something that will act as a sign of trust and goodwill with your clients in the long run. Nowadays, clients don’t really care about the products. Instead it is the brand that they rest their faith in. Hence logo designers must be careful not to mess up while creating identities. Following are some signs that signify that your logo is bad and not up to the mark.

1. Famous for the wrong reasons:

Being famous for the right cause is good, but to be famous for totally wrong reasons is bad for a business. Imagine people talking about your business just because your logo is terrible. Initially you may feel proud that people are gossiping about your business, but soon you will realize that your company is being criticized. You certainly wouldn’t want people saying “Oh I remember…it’s the same company with a terrible logo design”. For instance, The London 2012 Olympics logo is notoriously remembered by people for several inappropriate reasons including the Iranian controversy.

2. Lies to the customers:

As I mentioned earlier, the job of a logo design is to portray a sign of honesty and truthfulness to the clients. But if your logo lies to your customers, then you can rest assure that it is ineffective. For example, the BP logo was supposed to be a representation of an environment-friendly corporation. But it failed to live up to its expectations and ended up depicting a false image to their customers.

3. Looks Immature:

If designing logos was child’s play, then all businessmen would have got a logo designed by their neighbor. But the truth is, when you hire an amateur to create your identity, it is bound to be immature and juvenile. When you see people making fun of your logo design, it shows that you have made a mistake in implementing your logo.

4. Adds no value to your business:

A logo that yields no value to your business is a futile practice. This is because your logo design serves as a competitive advantage over others in the industry. It makes your business unique and differentiable. You can charge a premium price if you have an established brand. But if your logo is giving no value to your business, then it is of no use.

5. Resembles a famous logo:

I have always advocated that there is a thin line between inspiration and plagiarism. One of the worst things you can do with your logo is to make it look similar to any of the famous logos. Case in point is the Melbourne logo that faced controversy over its similarities with the Merchant Logix logo designed by Raja Sandhu.

6. Incorporates no meaning:

The true purpose of a logo design is to convey a valuable meaning to the customers. It must incorporate a message about the company’s mission and rationale of existence. You wouldn’t want your customers to get puzzled looking at your logo. When you have a meaningless logo, your clients cannot make out what your business does.