Alright, let’s be honest. This is a request that we developers and designers always receive from our clients. It doesn’t sound like such a harsh request does it? Of course not! But there are reasons for why logos may seem to be small and why it is perfectly okay.
Clients say
Often times after a design is made, the feedback we receive is “Can we make the logo bigger?” And of course we often ask why you want the logo to be so large. Their response could be “We want our logo to stand out”, or “We want people to remember our amazing logo so that they remember us and come back to shop with us.” But what happens if the user doesn’t really care about your logo or perhaps what if they don’t like it at all? We have to keep in mind that your logo is simply your identity and there are other important factors going on when it comes to developing a website that works, and not only works for you, but the average user that comes to your site.
Why you shouldn’t make your logo so large
As I have stated earlier, there are many other important factors going on when developing a website for your users.
- The need for screen real estate – We have seen logos being enlarged go very badly. Sometimes the logo would be enlarged so much that it was pushing the rest of their content down with the logo taking up the first 30 – 40% of the height of the screen. You also have to realize that every user is viewing your website on a different sized screen or device, so while some screens the logo is taking up 30 – 40% of the screen height, other devices may be showing 40% or more. The problem with that is you want your most important content to be shown as you are trying to sell your products or services. Don’t waste all of that important space on your logo that you are trying to pound into your users.
- The user experience – Often times large logos can pose a threat in disrupting the user’s experience. It can distract the user from more important content on your site. Don’t you want your customers to focus on the products or services you are offering?
- Your site isn’t just about you – I know this is hard for some companies to swallow. While your website is apart of YOUR business and you want the website to represent it how you see fit, we have to take into consideration your target audience and what is the best overall plan to use so that they can easily navigate the content on your site.
Some examples of small logos for LARGE companies
Don’t think that I or other developers and designers don’t appreciate or value our client’s constructive feedback. We thrive on getting feedback and learning what client’s want and also learning what a client needs. So please do not be afraid to speak up. This is your project after all!
Before questioning whether your logo may be too small or not, take a look at some of these websites of some of the largest companies around and see how small their logo might be.
Apple
BestBuy
Honda
YouTube
