Your first concept is clean and simple. But then the CEO wants *more meaning.*
Every revision adds a hidden symbol until the final logo resembles a cursed runestone.
The logo sees things. It is sentient. It cannot be ignored.
It burns into the retinas of unsuspecting customers.
What Works
Logos should not require a 12-page manifesto explaining their meaning. If it needs that much context, it’s probably a mood board in disguise.
Resist the urge to make every curve symbolic. Sometimesa circle is just a circle: not the eye of the customer, the sun, the founder’s childhood memory, and global unity all at once.
If your logo starts feeling haunted, throw Comic Sans at it. Preferably printed on paper that’s been soaking in designer tears for three days.
If that doesn’t work, try holding up a mirror and whispering “clarity, simplicity, scalability” three times. If the logo vanishes, congratulations — you’ve broken the curse.
And for the love of Brand, don’t make the logo bigger.
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