Why you should have an amazing logo
When you think about your favorite companies, what comes to mind? Sure, their products will come first, whether it’s the Big Mag from your favorite fast-food chain, or the shoes you’ll use to pound up the pavement during your next run. But here’s an interesting question for you: would you be even able to recognize the products from your favorite brand if it weren’t for their logo? Take Nike, our second example: their logo is, of course, that iconic black swoosh. Their footwear is generally adorned with the logo, and serve to distinguish them from the sneakers and shoes of other brands. But would you be able to recognize Nike shoes on their own, if you weren’t a connoisseur? Chances are, probably not.
The same can be said for countless logos that have existed throughout the history of marketing. A lot of the time, the logo is what identifies this product as specifically belonging to a specific company, and, in the absence of the logo, we would find ourselves gravitating toward whichever product or service seemed to best fit or needs. But in a world with logos—a world with high brand recognition, where everyone can instantly recognize the double swoop of McDonald’s golden arches—then you’ll gravitate toward those products and services you’re familiar with, identified because of their logos. You’re aiming for those amenities that you already know you like, rather than floating around in a sea of the unknown.
Thus the importance of having a great logo: it will help users identify your brand and distinguish it from the rest of the competition. If you don’t have one—or if you do have one, but it isn’t memorable—then you risk having everyone who might be interested in your goods or services pass them over because they simply haven’t caught their attention. A good logo is bold, iconic, and instantly memorable, after all; otherwise, it’s just a few coloured lines and vectors on a piece of paper. Logos will help ensure that you find customers since they will automatically look at those goods and services that they’re familiar with.
All of this can be said for dentist logos, which is what you’re looking to create at the moment: dental clinics offer products and services, just like all the best-known companies in the world. So by now, then, we’ve discussed the importance of a good brand logo, and what a good logo can do for your dental clinic. But what makes a logo good—or, better yet, amazing or excellent? We’ll examine that problem in the next section.
How to create the best logo you possibly can
#1. Simplicity is of vital importance
If you want to create an excellent logo, then you’ll have to keep the principles we mentioned previously in mind. In particular, remember that the best logos are the ones that people remember—which they won’t be able to if your logo is too complex. The best logos are the ones which present users with a relatively simple image their minds can latch onto and recreate at will. We already mentioned some of the best-known logos that fall into this category: Nike (the swoosh) and McDonald’s (the golden arches).
Also consider FedEx, which writes its name in a highly readable font—and which, in case you didn’t know, offers the hidden bonus of the arrow between the E and the X (more on that one in a bit). Even logos which consist of the company name—Coca-Cola, eBay, Google—are done in such a way that not only can they be read easily, but also so that you can easily conjure them up in your mind’s eye at will.
#2. Select the perfect colors for dental logos
Simplicity aside, another factor to keep in mind when planning dentist logos is to choose the right colors. To continue with what we were saying before, the right colours need to be bold enough and confident enough that people will remember them, but not so bold as to be overpowering.
Now that you have an idea of how many colors to use, you should choose which of those precise hues you’d like to employ. Because you’re advertising dental services, pale blue is generally a good color to go with: it brings to mind freshness, cleanliness, and, of course, the scent and taste of fresh toothpaste. Other good colors for dental logos include red (think Colgate), green (remember your favorite minty toothpaste), and darker shades of blue.
#3. Contrast the colors for balance
Of course, as it’s your logo, you’re free to decide which colors to choose; note, however, that some will stick out more than others. As we said, make sure the colors, in general, aren’t too bold. Contrast the paler colors, such as sky blue and teal, with darker colors to create a balanced effect.
Also, keep a unified color scheme in mind: no more than three colors, and even that is going to be a bit much in some cases. The exception, naturally, is if you choose to have each letter of your logo in different colors, as Google and eBay have done with their logos; however, this isn’t as easy as it looks, so you’ll want to be careful if you go down this route.
#4. Find the right shape for your logo
Okay. So now that we’ve decided on colors, what about shape? Again, simplicity is the rule. Because this is a dental logo, you’ll naturally want to write the name of your clinic. Don’t be afraid to make the name of the clinic larger than non-essential words like “clinic” or “dentist”, since having too many words can clutter up your logo. If you do choose to include them, make sure they’re balanced with the rest of the logo.
#5. The importance of font in your logo
Choose the right font as well: something which conveys professionalism, as well as comfort—you want your patients to have a great experience!—and maybe even a little bit of whimsy. If you don’t know which fonts to use, there are thousands of public domain fonts online, as well as thousands of those which are free to use for commercial purposes.
#6. Choose images as shorthand for dental services
Now that that’s out of the way, enhance the shape of your logo by choosing the right images. After all, the simple name of your clinic, especially if it’s on a white background, can be a little dull. Instead, consider including common shorthands for dental clinics—toothbrushes, teeth, a lovely smile—as part of your logo. These icons will help potential patients understand what kind of services you offer, without having to look up your clinic online or search for a secondary source of info.
#7. Aim for readability
Another tip to keep in mind is that you want your logo to be readable. Part of this, as we mentioned earlier, is choosing the right font. The right font will not be cramped or narrow, and instead will take up the right amount of space. It may also have serifs (i.e., little notches at the tips of letters like the branches of “y,” for example), but will generally not be cursive.
#8. Make sure your logo is the right size
Another aspect of readability is ensuring that the logo itself is large enough. In order to test this, ask friends and family to review drafts you’re working on: are they able to read what it says? Why or why not? Also imagine your logo ideas posted up on a sign in the front of your clinic, or on a billboard by the road. Will it be large enough to be legible?
#9. Don’t distract your viewer with too much information
Finally, a readable logo is one that doesn’t crowd the eye, again thanks to its simplicity. But if you’ve covered all the bases we’ve already mentioned—color, size, font, icons—then you should be well on your way. Basically, make sure there aren’t so many elements that they distract the eye; focus on the name of your clinic and one icon. Any more than that, and you risk confusing your viewers.
#10. Last but not least, don’t be afraid of whimsy
I can give you the perfect example of whimsy right now: the arrow in the FedEx symbol, formed by the letters E and X. That’s actually fairly clever; I’d be willing to bet a lot of you didn’t even know about it before I pointed it out just now. Another cool example is how the yellow arrow in the Amazon logo goes from “A” to “Z.” Neat, eh? Easter eggs like this elevate logos from “cool” and “fun” to “amazing” and “delightful.”
Of course, you won’t have to go this far if you’re designing simple dentists logos. What you can do instead is add a few fun touches, such as perhaps some braces to the smile icon, or have a tiny tooth take the place of the dot on top of an “i.” Whatever you do, if it makes you smile, it’s certainly whimsical enough.
Creating perfect dentist logos: a rewarding experience
So, there you have it: tips to create the perfect dental logo. Just remember: aim for readability and simplicity, don’t overload the user with too much information, and make sure users know that they’re looking at the logo for a dental clinic. Other than that, you should be fine, and ready to create the perfect dentist logos. It’s now time to get those creative juices flowing!