What Logo Background to use

The best logo designers in Nigeria and world over consider how usable your logo can be in different contexts and situations. Not all logos can be printed on different colors of t-shirt for instance without it loosing its original feel. It is important to note  the different impacts the background color has on your logo design.

The following are the five different possible design backgrounds your logo can have and its effect

White – the safest option

A white background is the most common logo design background choice. It is a blank canvas which provides a good contrast to most colours, meaning your logo is as legible as possible. It also means your logo will be very easily placed onto letterheads and stationery.
However, at the same time a blank canvas is blank. Because it is neutral it doesn’t communicate any additional brand messages, which can be effective.

Black – a strong statement

A black background can really make your logo stand out, and can mean your logo design colours will really stand out in contrast. It can give a much stronger emotional impression than a white background, as a result.

However, black backgrounds can create problems. They can make printing your logo onto stationery a bit more difficult, and it means that all of your branding will have to have a black basis (meaning you’ll have to accept a fairly dark web design, for instance).

Colour – for deeper brand communication

A coloured background emphasises the values of that colour in your branding, and means you are using the background of your logo to communicate more to your audience.

However, it is a very strong statement, and it will necessarily become a large part of your logo design and subsequent branding. Like a black background, it can create problems printing or displaying your logo in particular contexts. You also have to be very very sure that the colour you emphasise conveys exactly the right message, or you risk turning off your potential customers.

Pattern – for expressing further ideas

A patterned background expresses the ideas or concepts behind your logo even more clearly – it is a very strong statement of your brand and what you stand for, and makes your logo more memorable to boot.

However, a patterned background is likely to create more problems with transferring your logo to new contexts, and can look clumsy, or cut off.

Transparent – makes your logo more flexible

A transparent background makes your logo really easy to transfer onto different contexts, and can make the main part of your logo really pop wherever it is displayed.

However, certain kinds of logos look much better with transparent backgrounds than others, and you can have the same problem as a white background – it is simply neutral and not communicating anything further.

The best of all worlds

You should always have the option of having your logo files provided in monochrome, and with a transparent background. This way you can use different variations of your logo in the appropriate concept. However, the more places you can display your logo in its pure format the stronger your brand association will form in the mind of the viewer, and the more memorable your logo will be (repetition is key).