Most people judge a logo the way they judge a painting: do I like it? That is the wrong first question. A logo is not decoration — it is a compression format for a brand. Its job is to survive being shrunk, photocopied, embroidered and glanced at for 200 milliseconds.
This is the checklist we run every design through, whether it comes out of our own maker or a client’s deck. Eight tests, roughly five minutes. If a mark fails more than two, it is not finished.
1. The squint test
Shrink the logo to about 24 pixels — favicon size — or literally squint at it. If the mark dissolves into mush, the shapes are too thin or too similar in tone. Bold silhouettes survive; delicate details do not. This is why so many great logos are essentially a shape plus a word.
2. The one-colour test
Flatten everything to a single ink. No gradients, no accent, no photography behind it. If the logo loses its identity in one colour, it was relying on effects rather than form. One-colour versions are not optional: fax machines, stamps, engraving and merchandise all demand them.
3. The distance test
Look at it from three metres. Can you still read the name? A logo usually works at two sizes: small (app icon, favicon) and large (signage, hero image). If the lockup only works at one, plan two variants from the start — a stacked mark for tight spaces, a horizontal one for headers.
4. The description test
Could you describe the logo to someone on the phone in one sentence? “A yellow bolt next to the word NOVA in heavy caps” passes. “It’s kind of abstract, with some overlapping shapes and a gradient” fails. If you cannot describe it, your customers certainly cannot remember it.
5. The contrast test
Check the text against its background with a contrast checker. A logo that fails contrast on a dark footer or a light business card is a logo that keeps getting re-drawn badly by other people. As a rule, aim for at least 4.5:1 for body-weight text and 3:1 for large display type.
6. The competitor test
Put your logo next to five direct competitors. If it looks like it belongs to any of them, you have a differentiation problem — usually caused by the same default font everyone else picked. A quick search of your category is the cheapest brand research you will ever do.
A good logo does not need to be explained. A great logo makes the explanation unnecessary.
7. The longevity test
Ask whether this would look dated in five years. Trends are fine in moderation — but a logo built on this year’s gradient, bevel or “brutalist shadow” fad ages exactly like that fad. Timeless logos usually win by being slightly boring: strong shapes, honest type, one clear idea.
8. The five-minute rule
Spend five minutes with the logo before committing. If it still feels right after a coffee break and a context switch, the initial attraction was probably about the design, not the novelty. If it already feels wrong, it will feel worse on a billboard.
What to do with a mark that passes
- Export the SVG as your master file — it is the source of truth for every future use.
- Generate a PNG set at the sizes you actually need: favicon, avatar, social header.
- Write down the two or three rules that keep it intact: minimum size, clear space, approved colour pairs.
That is the whole system. A mark that survives eight tests, plus a page of usage rules, will outlast any trend cycle — and it is entirely achievable in an afternoon with a constrained tool instead of an infinite canvas.