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What I wish I'd known about logo design when starting out

Over the years, I've made countless mistakes in logo design (some of which I'm sharing with you today 🥴).


See, when I first ventured into logo design, I found so much conflicting advice that left me confused:


🗣️ "Keep it simple, but be bold."


🗣️ "Stand out, but stay timeless."


🗣️ "Follow trends, but not too closely."


This made it so challenging to discern what I should and shouldn't do.


And to help you avoid falling into the same trap, in today’s newsletter, I'm going to share some of my biggest logo design blunders.


Mistake #1: Getting too attached to my first idea


It’s easy to fall in love with your first concept. You design something, and it feels right.


But trust me, that initial design rarely becomes the final masterpiece.


While it might seem flawless at the time, failing to challenge that idea could mean missing out on something far better.


Just look at one of my project boards from 2019 compared to how they look now.





Without this experimentation phase, I couldn’t achieve the same results for my clients. During this process, I design dozens of logos—many of which may not be great, but all contribute to reaching that one design that truly hits the mark.


Don’t settle too quickly. Explore, refine, and push your concepts further than you initially think necessary. The best ideas often emerge after several attempts.


Mistake #2: Letting the Client be the expert


Your client’s design preferences aren’t as important as they might believe. That sounds harsh, but hear me out.


A logo’s job isn’t to reflect the client’s personal style or simply explain their business—it’s to resonate with their audience and effectively represent their brand story.


In 2019, I worked with a car detailing company and made the mistake of blindly following the client’s instructions. They wanted a car in the logo simply because that’s what they sold.


Had I researched their industry, competitors, and audience, I would’ve realised that everyone else had nearly identical logos.


Google search of car business logo's. Showing very similar designs - car silhouette paired with brand name.

The outcome? A mundane design that blended in with countless other logos in the industry, failing to make any impact.


Logo Design of a Car Enhancement company. It features half of a deep warm red sports like car and a black 'C' with red 'G' in the middle situated on the other half. In a simple font, the text underneath reads 'DETAILING. ENHANCEMENT, PROTECTION, MAINTENANCE'.

I’m not suggesting you ignore your client’s desires and vision. However, following too closely to their design preferences can sometimes be detrimental to their business.


As designers, our responsibility is to research and guide clients on how to stand out effectively. Once I grasped this concept, it changed the way I approached logo design.


Mistake #3: Playing it too safe by sticking to Design Rules


Design rules exist for good reasons. Balance, contrast, and legibility are essential for creating functional logos. However, some of the most memorable logos intentionally break these rules. By doing so strategically, they stand out and make a lasting impact.


For example, in 2022 I worked with a nail brand to design their logo and visual identity, which intentionally broke a few design rules.


Nail Brand Board. Top features the word 'Shaded' in two different fonts, interlocked (a rough script weaves through a blocky serif.) The background is pink. Underneath, there's a brand pattern made out of sketched arrows, circles, hearts and XOXO. To the right, the logo is overlaying a black and white image of a woman.

See, most beauty logos emphasise clean lines and precision to convey luxury and refinement. The "Shaded" logo breaks this mold with rustic paint strokes, introducing a more artistic, expressive vibe.


By layering brush strokes over sans-serif type, I deliberately disrupted the smooth structure, adding texture and movement.


This approach gave the brand a dynamic, handcrafted feel while maintaining the logo's functionality.


While understanding design principles is crucial, don't hesitate to break them if it results in a stronger, more memorable design.


Mistake #4: Falling Into the Trap of Obvious Designs


How many logos have you seen with light bulbs representing ideas or globes symbolising international companies? These images have become so overused that they’ve lost their impact. That’s why it’s crucial to recognise that if your logo design feels obvious, it’s likely been done countless times before.


I’ve made this mistake myself, creating logos so cliché that clients would rebrand within months—definitely not the outcome you want as a logo designer!


Here’s a prime example: in 2019, I designed a logo for a fashion brand featuring a woman holding a shopping bag. Talk about being obvious!

Logo Design for 'She who wears is', a fashion brand. 'She' is created with a thin lined calligraphic font and meets up to the heel of a woman in a dress and a handbag. Underneath, 'who wears it' is in capitals in a sans serif font. There is a bright yellow shadow on the logo that is difficult on the eye.

To avoid this trap, push beyond your initial ideas.


Your first concepts will likely draw from familiar symbols and trends.

Dig deeper.​


Mistake #5: Overcomplicating My Logos


Simplicity is often the key to versatility, which is one of the most important factors in a successful logo.


A complex design might look great in one context, but how will it scale down to a business card or a mobile app icon?


Will it still be recognisable when embroidered on a uniform or printed in black and white?


These are the sorts of things you need to think about when designing a logo.


I’ve certainly been guilty of overcomplicating and over-customising logos.


I thought adding more details would make them seem worth the investment to my clients.


In reality, I was doing the opposite—cheapening the logo instead of enhancing it.


Here’s an example of an old logo design where I overcomplicated it to the point of being unreadable.

Logo design for 'too faced'. Too is in a blocky sans serif font and features two side profiles in both O letters. 'Faced' is in lowercase and in a thin, script font. Logo colours are deep beige and brown.

Compare that to how I’d design it today: much simpler, cleaner, and more memorable, without losing any personality.


Business card mockup featuring redesign of 'Too Faced'. Business card is a deep orange with orange foiling. Logo text is a simple serif in all caps. Logo icon features two side profiles facing different directions with the top part forming a love heart.

Aim for clarity over complexity, and your design will have a far greater impact.​


Bonus Tip:


If you want to create impactful logos that stand out, I’ve put together a detailed tutorial on how I customise type in logo design. You can watch it here.


Chat next week,


Abi 😊






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