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Outdated Graphic Design Trends

Outdated Graphic Design Trends

Graphic design is an industry which is always changing in all aspects and therefore its trends have changed as well. When following a particular trend, it can be hard to disengage from that trend and move onto the next. Obviously, trends will come and go, similar to website trends, and in this blog, I am going to discuss some design trends that are a little outdated.

A blog about some outdated graphic design trends and website design.

Complex Details

Some graphic designers nowadays like to spend too much time on the fine details in their design work. Details that won’t affect the overall piece should be left out as they can often leave work to look cluttered and unorganised. Also, fine details lead to more complex design techniques and therefore leading to bigger lead times on projects. So to make work look neat and well put together you need to often stick to simple and less detailed designs. Whether it’s a focus on the small details or just simple and minimalist designs, our top-notch Manchester web designers are here for you.

Using Bright Colours

Within graphic design, colours have to be appealing, attractive and obviously when having two or more colours they are to complement each other well. Using neon and very bright colours is definitely a trend that had become outdated as Businesses nowadays want the professional look. Bright colour can also make designs look confused and overpowered which could really hinder want your design is trying to say. Using more of a stripped-back colour palette and more muted colours is definitely an approach designers are going for these days.

Focus on Typography

Typography can be massively underrated in design and have a bigger impact on the overall look of a design than you might think. Some design will make use of having body text so making sure the right font is chosen can be quite crucial. It is very easy to start using different types of fonts and by doing this you can make a design look chaotic and messy. When used correctly, using different fonts can make a design look quirky and unique as typography can be a design in itself.

Avoid Using Stock Photography Too Much

Stock photography over the years has been probably the number one help to graphic designers and other designers in the digital industry. However, stock photography can be seen as an easy cop-out or something to fill in the space for free-flowing designs. By not using stock photography, designers are able to use more unique designs as stock photography is available to everyone. This creates a bigger chance for someone to have a similar design to yours as they could be using the same stock imagery as you.

Taking Over White Space

It was once considered that within a design all white space should be filled in and no space should be left empty. Today white space is seen as good as it can add a minimalistic look to a design which is very on-trend in the modern-day and age. With this filling in all white or negative space can be seen as overdoing a design a perhaps making it look cluttered.

Outdated Graphic Design Trends

Graphic design is an industry which is always changing in all aspects and therefore its trends have changed as well. When following a particular trend, it can be hard to disengage from that trend and move onto the next. Obviously, trends will come and go, similar to website trends, and in this blog, I am going to discuss some design trends that are a little outdated.

A blog about some outdated graphic design trends and website design.

Complex Details

Some graphic designers nowadays like to spend too much time on the fine details in their design work. Details that won’t affect the overall piece should be left out as they can often leave work to look cluttered and unorganised. Also, fine details lead to more complex design techniques and therefore leading to bigger lead times on projects. So to make work look neat and well put together you need to often stick to simple and less detailed designs. Whether it’s a focus on the small details or just simple and minimalist designs, our top-notch Manchester web designers are here for you.

Using Bright Colours

Within graphic design, colours have to be appealing, attractive and obviously when having two or more colours they are to complement each other well. Using neon and very bright colours is definitely a trend that had become outdated as Businesses nowadays want the professional look. Bright colour can also make designs look confused and overpowered which could really hinder want your design is trying to say. Using more of a stripped-back colour palette and more muted colours is definitely an approach designers are going for these days.

Focus on Typography

Typography can be massively underrated in design and have a bigger impact on the overall look of a design than you might think. Some design will make use of having body text so making sure the right font is chosen can be quite crucial. It is very easy to start using different types of fonts and by doing this you can make a design look chaotic and messy. When used correctly, using different fonts can make a design look quirky and unique as typography can be a design in itself.

Avoid Using Stock Photography Too Much

Stock photography over the years has been probably the number one help to graphic designers and other designers in the digital industry. However, stock photography can be seen as an easy cop-out or something to fill in the space for free-flowing designs. By not using stock photography, designers are able to use more unique designs as stock photography is available to everyone. This creates a bigger chance for someone to have a similar design to yours as they could be using the same stock imagery as you.

Taking Over White Space

It was once considered that within a design all white space should be filled in and no space should be left empty. Today white space is seen as good as it can add a minimalistic look to a design which is very on-trend in the modern-day and age. With this filling in all white or negative space can be seen as overdoing a design a perhaps making it look cluttered.

Biggest Trends for Graphic Design in 2020

Biggest Trends for Graphic Design in 2020

Graphic Design and Branding

Biggest Trends for Graphic Design in 2020

Muted Colour Palettes: It has become increasingly popular for designers and brands to use more of a muted colour palette for branding. Muted colours are simply colours that have been desaturated and colours that have taken the vibrance out. The old approach of having the vivid more bold colours has become less popular as time has gone on. This could be due to brands wanting to have more of a professional look rather than a more quirky and vibrant look. I also believe people are starting to follow the bigger companies such as Apple with similar trends. Once Apple starts a new trend, everybody else follows.

Colour Gradients

Gradients have been a trend that has been going for a few years. This is because designers keep finding new and attractive ways to put gradients into their designs and branding. For years gradients have mainly been used for backgrounds and for colour filters over the top of graphics. Last year gradients were a massive focal point for a lot of graphics. For 2020 I believe gradients will just be a standard of most designs, from social graphics to web sliders. Even when the colours are similar or muted they can make a piece of work look a lot more eye-catching. With simple gradients, it can add a touch of quality to the piece.

Abstract Illustrations

Simple illustrations nowadays don’t have the same effect as they once did. Using more abstract and obscure illustrations is definitely the way forward to grab people’s attention. The good thing about creating these is that other companies can’t copy them exactly so in that case, they become unique to you and your brand. A good example of a company doing this is Mailchimp who have gone down the road of making more abstract illustrations as opposed to last year. These type of illustrations can be great when trying to distinguish a certain brand as they are unique to them.

Big, bold and simple fonts

A trend that has been going for a while now is the minimalistic approach to designs. Using bold and simple fonts is a great way to compliment this. These types of fonts give a modern and contemporary feel to most graphics as they both stand out whilst not being too overpowering. This bold text is also a great way to direct the reader to important parts of graphics so at first, they don’t look too overwhelming.

Neutral and subdued stock photos

Similar to the colours being muted so have stock photos within design. A few years ago bright and colourful stock images were very popular. Designers would purposely crank up the saturation so that images were unbelievably vibrant.

Minimalistic homepages

Minimalistic homepages for websites has also been on the rise due to more people going for a professional, clean look. A lot of people go for this look not just for aesthetics but more for function as the load speeds are less when its minimalistic.

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Tips that graphic designers should know about Instagram
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Tips that graphic designers should know about Instagram

Instagram Tips for Graphic Designers

Instagram Top Tips: Everything a Graphic Designer Needs to Know

As many of you know, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms to date making it an excellent marketing tool. It has also become increasingly popular for designers of all sectors to show off their work to others to maybe try and draw attention and in turn draw business. Some designers may also be using it simply to show off their work as more of a portfolio rather than just for business aspect. Standing out amongst the crowd of designers trying to do the exact same thing as you can be difficult and there are little tips to overcome this problem. You have to do so much more than just create a feed that looks beautiful. There is no point in doing that if it’s not going to be seen. In this blog, there are some little tips that will help boost your Instagram page for a wider audience.

Creating an enticing bio

You may not believe but a good bio can be a key for enticing the viewer to indulge more into your feed. This is an opportunity to state a quick summary of who you are and what you are offering. A bio has a limited character count of 150 so it is crucial that your bio is short and concise. A Bio can also consist call to actions which are great when trying to get people to either contact you or visit your website.

Being social is important

This may sound obvious as we are working on a social media platform but some accounts lose out from lack of interaction with others. This can include replying to comments, following and liking other profiles that are similar to yours. Even commenting on others work with honest authentic opinions to entice communication which could turn into a follow or like on pieces of your work.

Involve your followers with your posts

When putting new posts live it isn’t just important to catch attention through your actual work but what you’re saying. Writing interesting captions which involve maybe questions to try and spark some engagement can be a good technique. Depending on whether you are starting the Instagram for business purposes, giveaways and competitions can be a great way to attract new and present followers to enter. With social media it’s all about interaction and these competitions can create just that. Reposting work of designer you follow can also show that you appreciate others work and is great when you’re not producing content as fast as others.

Using hashtags effectively

As some of you may know hashtags are something that can be searched within Instagram to find certain posts or inspiration. So for example, if #logo was put into the search everyone that has put that in their caption would show. However, using big hashtags like that means that your post can easily get lost in the crowd as everyone who creates a logo will be using it. Trying to use more specific ones can be more effective when trying to show your work but using these alongside the more popular ones. You also don’t want to use too many hashtags as it can look quite spammy.

Be organised

It is very useful to be organised when making your Instagram consistent and for it to look nice. Knowing what you are going to post helps keep things fresh without posting the same sort of stuff all the time. You should also consider special days of the year such as Christmas to keep the audience engaged. It is also important to just consider the number of times you post as you dot want to bombard or leave it too long between posts as both can put off the audience.

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Why is email marketing is so powerful?
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Why is email marketing is so powerful?

Blue Whale Media Email Marketing

Why is email marketing is so powerful?

In today’s day and age, email is the primary contact for any businesses to get in touch with each other. Normally this would be for general conversation or a means of contacting other businesses. People believe that social media is the most effective way of marketing due to the vast numbers involved however the total number of worldwide email accounts blows social platforms out of the water with a staggering 3.9 billion users in 2013. This why businesses tend to use email marketing as a way to draw new business and custom.

Custom Email Designs

With platforms like Mailchimp, it has become increasingly easier to design and produce branded emails to match your business. These are great when trying to attract new customers as they aren’t the same as the usual boring emails you might receive. These emails can be full of information, latest updates, services/products and offers. A well-designed email will definitely create traction and spark some interest in the intended audience.

Emails reach more mobile consumers

Nowadays it might be no surprise that mobiles are becoming increasingly popular and therefore people are more likely to see marketing material on their phones. One of the most popular smartphone activities is email according to average statistics. This is a great way for small businesses to reach their consumer from their mobiles without spending a significant amount. It is also worth knowing that more people are going to view emails on mobile devices as opposed to desktop and tablets. This is why it is crucial the designs look right on mobile and are somewhat responsive.

Email marketing has more features

There I denying that social media platforms are very powerful when it comes to marketing, however saying this social media does have its limitations. For example, ads can have limited characters, restricting the message you might be trying to convey. Emails can be made from HTML code allowing there to be no restrictions making the media that you included endless.

Email marketing is affordable to small businesses

Many small businesses are working under a limited budget which means they need to find ways of reaching their audience without spending too much. Email marketing is a great way of achieving this as it is a very cost-effective digital marketing technique. What makes this so great is that even though it costs so little it actually provides a great return on investment. No matter how small your marketing budget is you can still take some great benefits.

Email works well with other marketing tactics

Another great reason for using email is that it integrates well with other marketing tactics and helps promote them. For example, a social media giveaway or competition can also be added to an email to try and drive people to the social platform. In general, you can also use emails to drum up excitement around your social platforms by including share buttons etc. Emails can also help reflect marketing that has been produced on your website.

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Adobe Illustrator tools every designer should be using

Adobe Illustrator tools every designer should be using

Graphics design with Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator tools every designer should be using

Pen tool

The pen tool is one of the most powerful drawing tools in the illustrator programme. It used mostly for creating shapes, lines, curves and is great when tracing an image. Many beginners will shy away from the pen tool as it can be quite difficult to get used to at first. When experienced with the pen tool, the ability to create art increases significantly. Anchor points are a bi-product of the pen tool allowing you to move or adjust your lines after you’ve drawn your desired shape. These anchor points help when things aren’t as perfect as you hoped and part of the lines and curves need slight adjustments.

Clipping Masks

Clipping masks are a tool that can restrict any shape or pattern to a desired and predetermined area of your choice. When used properly they can save a lot of time and also produce some amazing and eye-catching work.

The align panel

The align panel is a must when creating precise measurements. It is a tool that will just be naturally used in every project you do. The align tool helps align objects/shapes to the artboard or other objects without worrying if it is perfect. The most common one I use is making sure my artwork aligns directly in the centre of my artboard through one click of a button. I often use it when creating logos and when a slogan is paced underneath I can align it so it sits perfectly in the middle.

The pathfinder panel

Another very common panel I use is the pathfinder panel. Some of you may think the clipping mask tool is a better solution. If the artwork you intend to make is full of gradients and other elements then yes the clipping mask would be more suited, however, making entirely new shapes from simple shapes will require the work from the Pathfinder panel. There are many different options which can be used in the pathfinder panel. All these modes only work when you have two or more interesting shapes which crossover is some way.

Multiple artboards

A great feature that illustrator has is its ability to use multiple artboards in the same document. This makes it great when you’re creating more than one piece of artwork in the same project. It is also great when exploring a variety of compositions and different styles as it is easier to compare the different pieces of artwork. For example, I will use multiple artboards when creating logos or icons for a website so I can easily compare and deliver the same styling.

Rulers and guides

For most graphic designers making work so it is precise is very important to the overall project. Rulers can help make sure the alignment of all elements is correct throughout the project. Once rulers are turned on it is a great way to measure and set reference points throughout your project. Rulers can be dragged from the top and the left of your artboard. Rulers can also help the speed of the project increase as everything is precisely aligned through a few clicks.

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Creating minimalism within graphic design

Creating minimalism within graphic design

Minimalistic graphic design

Creating minimalism within graphic design

Minimalistic design refers to the design technique which makes use of creating clear and sharp graphics with no dramatic or distracting features within it. A good piece of minimalistic work could have great use of white space and making sure that elements within the graphic don’t clutter the overall view. Each feature should serve a purpose and have the reasoning of being there. Minimalistic design can seem easy as there is less to play with however, that is the complete opposite as it can almost be harder to create due to the strict rules it can propose.

Simplicity and clearness

The main feature to all minimalistic work is to keep it simple as bringing too many elements together can hinder the work you’re trying to create. Fonts should be limited to a maximum of two and your colour palette should be more relaxed and refined as too much colour can create a distracting concept. The minimalistic design definitely goes by the saying ‘less is more’ and some great pieces of work can be produced through these little rules.

Typefaces and fonts

Being very selective with your typefaces can play a very important part when creating your minimalistic art piece. Although it may not seem that important and good clean typeface can go a long way. With choosing typefaces it is also important that they look good in a laid-out format and is easy to read when decreased in size as smaller text helps to add more blank space within the artwork.

No typical design tricks

By design tricks what I mean is stuff you would normally put on a graphic or a website to make it look better such as drop shadows, effects, textures and crazy typefaces. When creating a minimalistic piece, it is better to stick with the basics and focus more on colours, fonts and layout. It can be easy for a designer to fall under the trap of adding unnecessary features without needing them.

Attention to detail

Although it may seem like not a lot of attention is needed as there is not a lot going on, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Minimalistic design is all about attention to detail as elements must be aligned, organised and balanced properly. All elements on the page must work in harmony of each other and just by throwing stuff on a page doesn’t make it minimalistic. Designs that are rushed can seriously affect the minimalism you’re trying to achieve.

Consistency

Consistency focuses more on designers that could be doing multiple pieces for the same project rather than just a one-off. It always looks great when the same minimalistic elements are used throughout a design project. With consistency, it can be very easy for a designer mind to wander and go a bit off track with what they are trying to achieve. This is why it can be hard to be consistent through several pieces of work as new ideas always propose themselves.

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Elements of modern web design
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Elements of modern web design

Modern Web Design

Elements of modern web design

In most cases, companies will already have a particular font that they use as part of their brand and something which can distinguish them. Over the years it has become increasingly popular to express and create more designs through means of text/typography. Choices in typography often hint at what your brand is like giving little hints about who you are. Typography can be helpful when leading customers through your site especially when there have been more design elements added to it. Large and creative typography can also be used to outline important parts of your business that you may want potential customers to know about you.

Large, responsive and visual hero images

Many websites nowadays use hero images in order to draw the attention of the viewer. The hero image makes use of large, visually strong images with little text in order for the viewer to scroll down the page. In my opinion hero images add a sense of minimalism into a design letting the image do all the visual representation. Regardless of text, these images are capable of telling the story. However, making that image responsive is key for them to work.

Background videos

Videos that play automatically within a site are great for showcasing a business’s services or product. They can reduce the amount of text and visuals needed also to explain the business. The likelihood of a viewer becoming more enticed by a moving element on your site increases significantly as people would much rather watch something rather than read it. Videos are effortless for a potential customer and information can be consumed very easily. These videos will often only have one line of text overlaying the video as they can often gage the key points within your business.

Semi-flat design

Flat design is design without any 3D elements or the perception of making things look 3D. Flat design is great when trying to get viewers to comprehend your site as usually they are layout correctly and the functionality is a lot less complex leading to quicker load time to the site.

Hamburger menus

With some websites, the long navigation menu can give you plenty of options to look at. This can make the web page look cluttered and take up more space than actually needed. Hamburger menus take this problem away by storing all these options within it until clicked by the viewer and can often be found in the top right corner of a website on a mobile and computer device.

Large product images

With a website nowadays it is always better when the viewer has a better understanding of what you do or what you sell. Large product images make it easy to showcase products within the site and also outline features and specification a product may have. The Apple website is a great example of a company that showcases large images of its products. The large product images make it easier for a customer to buy a product and overall benefit you as a business.

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Top 6 Essential Graphic Design Software for Beginners

Top 6 Essential Graphic Design Software for Beginners

Graphic design software blog

Photoshop

Photoshop, probably the most well-known design programme in the world is essential when wanting to become a graphic designer. Photoshop is an image editing software which makes use of raster (pixel) based work. Photoshop offers simple tools for beginners such as perspective correction, colour & channel alterations and other various tools made to achieve other aspects. Photoshop runs on both Windows and Mac. It is considered one of the best graphics programmes due to its friendliness to beginners. Although it may look daunting to look at its interface, once familiar with the tools and settings it is fairly easy to navigate and use.

GIMP

Gimp is a perfect alternative to Adobe Photoshop however not as readily used. Tools within this programme make it ideal not only for graphic designers but for photographers as well. The GIMP programme is very easy to use making it ideal for beginners and once you start using it you will see it as one of your main programmes on your desktop. It is definitely a prime chose when choosing a programme for a beginner.

Illustrator

For many graphic designers, Illustrator is a great companion alongside Photoshop. It is a programme used for its abilities to work with vector-based artwork which include creating logos, typography, icons and illustrious. This programme obviously offers different features to what Photoshop does which is why it is important for a graphic designer to be familiar with. As it is part of the creative cloud, it is able to be used on both Windows and Mac. A basic knowledge of Photoshop will help when using illustrator and some tools are familiar with both programmes.

Inkscape

Inkscape is an alternative to adobe illustrator which also makes use of vector art. Inkscape is very easy to use and isn’t as complex as Illustrator which makes it perfect for beginners. The programme itself is free to use however its abilities to do what illustrator can do is decreased.

InDesign

InDesign is a programme used for creating layout design such as magazines and brochures. Anything with multi-page documents is definitely something that should be created through InDesign. This programme works great as a trio alongside Illustrator and Photoshop. As InDesign isn’t really designed for creating graphics, knowledge in the other two would be desirable. Learning InDesign isn’t hard and is ideal for beginners to get to grips with as the graphics tools aren’t as powerful as Illustrator and Photoshop. The relationship with combing text and graphics is easy when it comes to InDesign.

Corel Draw

Corel draw is a vector-based graphics editor which allows you to create endless amount of designs without any restrictions. This is a very popular programme now in the industry which some great productive functions which are easy to use perfect for beginners who can learn through trial and error. However, Corel draw can be quite hard to navigate and tools can be quite hard to use at first.

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Unmanned Drone Operations Safety And Risks

Unmanned Drone Operations Safety And Risks

 

Drone Video Footage

Unmanned Drone Operations Safety And Risks

In this blog, I am going to talk about the risk mitigations and overall safety aspects that are needed to be put in place in order to film a commercial drone flight safely and legally. This will take into account weather, airspace and obstructions that might be seen at the site where the drone commercial filming is taking place. This is something that the CAA put in place to make sure that all commercial operations were carried out safely and legally as some people think drones are unsafe and dangerous.

Risk Mitigations

In an ideal world, we would like for all commercial shoots to have zero risks. This, however, is far from the case and in fact, with every drone shoot, there will be risks involved. Reducing the risk to near zero would be time-consuming, expensive and nearly impossible. Us drone pilots, therefore, reduce the risks in the best way they can so that the drone video operations we do can be carried out. Risks at a site might already be there and visible or they can turn into last-minute risks which propose themselves during a flight such as third party infringement, a dog walker for example. A good example of risk mitigation would be putting barriers up around the site in order to stop third party infringements. This could be a temporary fix whilst you film your drone shoot.

Risk Assessment Matrix

The Risk Assessment Matrix is an easy to use table/graph which basically allows us to tell the seriousness of a hazard. It is based on the likelihood of it happening and the potential injury or damage it will cause. A catastrophic injury or damage with an almost certain risk of it happening will have a score of 25 and should be deemed unsafe and therefore should stop a flight from happening as the risk involved is too much. In an ideal world, the risks we hope for is something that is extremely unlikely to happen with insignificant damage or injury in the case that it did happen. Obviously different hazards pose different threats and scores.

Emergency Procedures

Alongside normal procedures, the pilot is also requested to carry out emergency procedures in the event of an emergency. Emergency procedures to need to be written before hands and then recalled from memory if ever to occur. This is due to the pilot not having the time to read through the procedures. These emergency procedures could include flyaways, Aircraft fire or collisions with obstacles.

Our flight planning process

So obviously our process starts off with the initial contact form the client followed by a quick site assessment just to get a quick gage of whether the flight looks feasible. This will then go to a more detailed flight planning assessment where I look at airspace and nearby aerodromes. This is simply a more complex reviewed carried out from my desk. After this has been finalised and deemed safe and legal we will then come out to the actual site so we can get a better look of what the site looks like and review any obstructions or obstacles that may not have been seen from Google Maps. Once this has all been done and everything seems okay we will then book in a date for the drone flight and shoot.

Final decision making

The go/no go decisions can be made before flights or during flights where risks and hazards pose great treats. The earlier the decisions are made the easier it is. These decisions should be made by the pilot and a judgement call has to be made whether the flight is achievable and able to be continued.

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Top modern logo design trends

Top modern logo design trends

Logo Design

Top modern logo design trends

When it comes to a business, a logo is the first thing the majority of people will come across. This is due to the fact that a logo is something that represents and identifies a business. Just like any other thing in this world, logos have evolved and changed to suit the environment. This wasn’t due to people becoming more creative but an increase in the level of technology and the capabilities it can do. Nothing looks worse than a logo that doesn’t adhere to modern-day trends.

Simple logo design

Not necessarily a trend but more of a necessity, a simple design is a good characteristic for any logo. Simple logos work as they are not created for people to be blown away by, more just a recognisable and easy to remember emblem form signature for the company. Apple is a great example of a simple logo that is easy to remember and recognisable. It works alongside there branding very nicely. A lot of companies nowadays are redesigning their fonts by simplifying them rather than changing their overall concept.

Breaking letters

Another modern design trend for logos is the breaking up of letters. Since most logos are made up of words, it is within the designer’s interest to break of slice these letters up to create more of an eye-catching and appealing logo. This new trend can also be seen as a minimalistic approach to logo design. This new trend can involve a lot of creativity to see what letters work well being broken up and what letters complement each other nicely. It is important that not too many letters are manipulated as the logo can look confused and overworked.

Simplified colour pallets

Older logo designs would make use of an array of colours making them bright and colourful. This has now changed in recent times where more stripped back colours pallets work best finding those which work together nicely. It is said that more colours for a logo can over-complicate it and make it confusing for the viewer. People tend to also establish a particular colour when they refer to a company, therefore, having few colours is better for achieving this.

Shapes and symbols

Shapes and symbols are great ways to show what your business does in simple ways. A good example would be a building company making use of various shapes creating a housing look essentially telling people what their business entails. Shapes can also add curiosity to the viewer’s eye and maybe look a bit abstract.

Line drawings

With minimalism being in these days, line drawings are a great modern trend. Line drawings require a bit more creativity as this is crucial to making it look attractive. Line drawings are often elegant and sophisticated and would complement a restaurant logo very well. The line art can be made into a symbol that enhances what the business does such as a knife and fork for a restaurant.

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