The best practices for creating a social logo.
n part two of The Social Logo, we will discuss the best design tips for creating a social logo, the difference between social networks, and what all the most successful social brand logos have in common.
There are three things you should keep in mind when designing your social logo: Size, Consistency, and Simplicity.
Pay Attention to Size
Get off on the right foot by designing in the correct space. Each social network has its own playbook– make sure you’re following the right size requirements so that your logo appears exactly how you’d like.
- The majority of networks maintain a square 1:1 ratio. As a rule of thumb, designing in 1:1 will make your social logo design largely convertible across your networks.
It’s important to be aware of the different ways your logo is displayed, as well. For example, the Facebook profile picture is nice and large on your fan page, but appears much smaller (90 pixels) on your follower’s timelines. You want to make sure that your logo design will be clear and recognizable at all sizes.
Consistency is Key
Your social logo is the avatar of your brand. Maintaining consistency across your social channels is highly valuable, and will help your followers recognize you on all their favorite sites. It gives your pages cohesion, and plays a big part in that trust we talked about in Part 1.
Consumers are influenced by social media every day. 47% of Americans say that Facebook is their number one influencer of purchases, and 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media.
These are not new statistics, and there are a lot of companies out there vying for attention. A strong social logo will help you stand out and be seen in a sea of corporations and small businesses making the same effort to connect.
For social consumers, your logo is one of two impressions:
- A first impression, establishing a relationship, or a reinforcing impression
- Backing up their opinion of your brand.
Both are important, and you should make both count.
Design Tip: If, like Adobe, you want to change your social logo, or adapt it to recent events/promotions, be sure to change it universally across your networks.
Keep it Simple
Stand out in a sea of image-charged networks by keeping your logo minimal. Many of the most successful social brands use 1-2 colors, a strong, large focal point, and not much else. Not only do you want your social logo to be easily recognized at a small size, you also want it to be memorable and attractive.
Use color wisely, and use no more than 3 colors. Too many colors in a small space can look too cluttered and overwhelming, and is an easy way to get overlooked by followers. Detach your logo from your word mark for simplicity. Stack them, use them adjacent to one another, or just stick to one visual focus.
Remember to push the boundaries. With these three guidelines in mind, be creative, innovative, and surprising, and you can’t go wrong.
Up next: The Social Logo Part 3, where we will discuss tactics to avoid when creating a social logo, and fatal mistakes.
