† What Makes A Good Logo? Can Malaysia Do It? †

What makes a good logo? It has to look good in black and white or in colors, be eye catching and distinguishable in all sizes whether you're seeing it from far or in the dark. Most importantly, it has to be able to make a quick impression and easy to remember.

1. Simple: Simple logos are often easily recognized, and such logos are a powerful tool to catch people's attention. Just remember K.I.S.S: Keep It Simple & Stupid, and people will remember it forever.

2. Memorable: How many people do not know McDonald's? It seems ridiculous for those who don't know about it. Nice burgers, nice services and nice logo.

3. Timeless: In order to have a strong logo, one must make sure that the logo is fashion-proof and indestructible over time.

4. Versatile: Even if you print the logo inversely, can the public recognize your logo? A good logo should be able to work both in horizontal and vertical formats.

5. Appropriate: Appropriateness for its intended purpose is very important. If you're designing a logo for a shop that sells toy, the logo need to look cheerful, colorful and fun.

Other examples in Malaysia:

A good example here it is, the Alpha.com Pharmacy. Simple and easy to remember logo.

Here's a really bad example of logo. How many people can remember such sophisticated nature of the logo? First of all, the word and the cat-like logo are too congested and clumped together. Secondly, this logo is so hard to be remembered. Malaysian government, seriously 'clever' aren't they? There's no wonder this car company can never reach a world class standard.