Why you should hire a logo designer who starts in black and white
When I begin working on a logo design, the first step I take is to strip everything back to basics. Before considering colors, effects, or textures, I start in black and white. This might seem old-school, but it’s a crucial part of the process that sets the foundation for a logo that works across all platforms, scales well, and stands the test of time.
Why starting in black and white matters
When I approach logo design, the goal is always to create something versatile and timeless. By beginning in black and white, I’m able to focus purely on the concept, shape, and composition. Color can be powerful, but it should never be a crutch. A logo should work in its simplest form—if it doesn’t look strong in black and white, it won’t hold up once color is added.
This approach ensures that your logo is built on a rock-solid foundation. Whether it’s displayed on a small business card or a large billboard, the design will be consistent and recognizable. This is especially important if your logo will be reproduced in different formats or sizes, where color might be limited or need to be adjusted.
Hire a logo designer who follows these steps
Once the black-and-white concept is finalized, I move on to refining and testing the design in various real-world scenarios. Here’s what that looks like:
1. Testing in different sizes and formats
The logo needs to be clear and recognizable, whether it’s scaled down to fit a social media profile or blown up on a storefront sign. Before introducing color, I ensure the design maintains its impact at every size.
2. Adding color intentionally
After confirming the black-and-white design is strong, I start exploring color options. The colors I choose are always purposeful and tied to your brand’s identity. Even with vibrant color, the logo should still be recognizable and maintain its strength in monochrome, ensuring versatility across all uses.
3. Fine-tuning for versatility
I also test the logo across different backgrounds—light, dark, grayscale, and even reversed (white logo on a dark background). This final phase ensures that your logo is adaptable and looks great no matter where it appears.
Why I avoid photography in logos
In my process, photography never plays a role in logo design, and there are good reasons for that:
- Complexity: Logos need to be simple and scalable. Photos are detailed and lose clarity when resized.
- Inflexibility: Unlike vector graphics, photos don’t translate well across different formats and sizes.
- Instant recognition: A logo should deliver instant brand recognition. Photos are open to interpretation and can dilute that.
- Timelessness: The best logos are timeless. Photos are often tied to a specific moment or trend, which can make them feel dated over time.
Stick to the fundamentals when you hire a logo designer
Below are a few examples of logos that work well using this tried and true ideology, and two of them resisted the use of color altogether.
The concentric circles of the Target logo are striking in their simplicity. The black-and-white version is just as effective as the colored one, proving the strength of its design.
The three stripes Adidas logo is minimal yet iconic. It works perfectly in black and white, emphasizing that logos don’t need complex visuals to stand out.
The panda logo of the World Wildlife Fund is a great example of how detailed shapes can still be simple and effective in black and white. The strong contrast and clear form make it easily recognizable.
Design trends come and go, but the principles behind great logos stay consistent. Starting with a strong black-and-white design ensures I’m building a brand on a rock-solid foundation. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, and versatility first, I create logos that aren’t just attractive but effective and timeless. So before diving into the color palette, I test, test, test. If it doesn’t work in black and white, it won’t work at all. Hire a logo designer who understands this. You won’t regret it.
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