Your logo goes on everything: the signboard, the bill book, the delivery box, the Instagram profile. A weak one quietly costs you trust every single day. These are the mistakes we see most often, and how to avoid them.
1. Trying to say everything
A catering business wants a chef's hat, a spoon, a plate, a flame and the full company name with tagline, all in one logo. The result is a crowded sticker nobody can read from two metres away. A logo is a signature, not a brochure. One idea, clearly drawn, is enough.
2. Too many colours and fonts
Five colours and three fonts make a logo expensive to print and hard to remember. Most strong logos use one or two colours and one typeface. Check whether yours still works in plain black. If it does not, it is too dependent on colour.
3. It disappears when it is small
Your logo will often be the size of a thumbnail: a profile picture, a browser tab, a stamp. Fine lines and tiny text vanish at that size. Always look at a logo small before approving it.
4. Only having a JPG
You approved the logo on WhatsApp, saved the image, and that is the only file you have. Then the printer asks for a vector file for the signboard. Always collect the source files: AI, EPS or SVG, plus PNG with a transparent background.
5. Copying a famous brand
A swoosh here, a bitten fruit there. Apart from the legal risk, it tells customers you are an imitation. Your logo should make you look different from competitors, not similar to a giant.
6. Following a trend too closely
Gradients one year, flat design the next, thin lines after that. A logo built on this year's fashion looks old by next year. Simple shapes and clear lettering age slowly.
7. Using it differently everywhere
Blue on the card, green on the banner, stretched on the invoice. Consistency is what makes people recognise you. Decide the colours and fonts once, write them down, and share that sheet with everyone who makes anything for you.
A quick checklist before you approve a logo
- Readable at the size of a coin
- Works in one colour
- Looks good on both light and dark backgrounds
- Does not look like a competitor's
- You have received vector source files
If your current logo fails only one or two points, you may not need a new one. A careful clean-up of the existing design is often enough, and it keeps the recognition you have already built.