You want a logo that grabs people’s attention and makes a lasting impression. Repetition can help you do that.
It may seem incredibly basic, but using repetition can establish visual unity and attractive aesthetics, and lead to brand recognition.
Here’s how you can incorporate repetition into your design to create an impactful logo.
What is iteration in design?
It may seem easy to understand, but understanding what repetition is as a design concept will allow you to use it more effectively.
Repetition is reusing the same or similar elements throughout your design. This is not a sample; A pattern is an iteration of multiple elements that work together seamlessly. (I’ll show you what I mean below with examples.)
The ultimate goal of repetition is to make a lasting impression on your target audience.
When it comes to logo design, the use of repetition can make a big impact when applied correctly.
Repeating colors, fonts, words, or shapes can help tie your entire brand image together. (Basically, brand image is the impression your target audience has of your business.) It can also help potential customers recognize your brand and keep coming back!
Repetition does not mean disorder
Repetition doesn’t mean your logo has to have a lot of elements jumbled together. In fact, repeating an element gives depth and dimension to your design, encouraging your eye to follow.
Some of the most iconic logos feature a single repeating element, such as Chanel’s alternating ‘C’. If you look at the RVCA logo in the image below, you’ll notice that the ‘A’ has the same shape as the ‘V’, just upside down.
Simple but effective.
Iteration is a single element that is used more than once
If you iterate over multiple elements, that is considered a pattern, not repetition. A pattern is not as powerful in a logo as repetition because it has more shapes and colors that come together to form a whole. So a pattern most commonly used in background images on websites and app pages.
The Google logo is a clear illustration of this. Google could have used their multicolored palette for every letter in their logo, but doing so would look busy. One color for each letter also allows Google to use those colors in their product lines to reinforce their brand identity. (We’ll learn more about that later.)
Why use repetition in logo design?
You might think that using the same element over and over again will make a logo boring or boring, but it’s actually quite the opposite!
Repetition produces:
- Aesthetic – Repeated elements can be used to add emphasis to certain areas and make images look better
- Consistency – The more we see something, the more familiar we become with it, leading to customer loyalty (and sales!)
- Brand unity – No matter how you put your logo (website, social media profile picture, etc.), the element of repetition shows consumers that it’s all coming from the same business (that’s the essence of branding). brand form)
How to apply repetition in logo design
Repetition is more than just consistent shapes and colors in a logo design. When it comes to your logo design , you can use different elements to add depth and creativity to the design.
Here are four ways to use repetition for a logo that is more appealing, balanced, and memorable:
Cubes
When you use shapes in your logo, it’s easy to include repeating elements.
If you look at the logos of IBM, Audi, NBC, Microsoft, Adidas, and Mastercard, you will notice that each logo uses repeating geometric shapes.
Mastercard’s logo consists of a circle used twice and NBC uses a teardrop six times. This means you can consider how many times you want to use repetition in your logo.
Also, the repeating element doesn’t need to take up the entire logo; it might just be part of it, like the 24 stars circling the mountain in Paramount’s logo.
Colors
Choosing the right colors for your logo plays a bigger role than just aesthetic appeal.
The right color combination can form a visual connection between your target audience and the values of your business.
Color can also add depth to your logo using gradients and gradients. That is, you can change the color or use the color spectrum.
Most importantly, using color repetition can increase consumer recognition of your brand.
For example, Google has a set color scheme that repeats in all other elements of their brand. If you look at any of the icons of a Google product (like Gmail or Google Maps), you’ll see the same colors show up. So even if you don’t see the Google logo, you’ll most likely recognize them immediately by their consistent color repetition.
Font
You can also flip, rotate, and overlap the letters in your logo to create repetition. Fashion logos often use a logo centered around the company name (aka logo), so they often use repeating fonts.
Aside from being big fashion brands, what do Chanel, Gucci, Fendi, Givenchy, RVCA and DC Shoes have in common? Their logo features alternating letters that mirror each other.
In some cases, like Gucci, the initials used in the wordmark are a completely different font from the logo. But if you look at the ‘F’ in Fendi’s logo, the fonts are the same weight and size as the logo.
How else can you use repetition with fonts in your logo? You can use the same font in your intro as your logo. Let’s say you want the tagline to be the secondary focus of your logo. You can use lighter font weight to do that.
It’s important to note that using too many fonts, colors, or other design elements can lead to a cluttered logo.
Move
Using similar shapes that vary in size and spacing can create movement in your logo.
While the examples above of repeating geometric shapes convey consistency and stability, slight variations can express creativity and movement.
Looking at CISCO, Spotify, and SoundCloud, you can see very similar elements are repeating, but the elements are not the same. The resizing helps add the dynamic movement that these sound-based brands want to allude to. Think about it: A static logo wouldn’t really fit the branding of any of these companies.
On the other hand, T-Mobile and BlackBerry have successfully combined consistency with motion. Both companies want customers to know they can be trusted, so the repeatable design elements are exactly the same. However, they also want to show that they are moving forward with modern technology, which the distance between repeating shapes conveys.
For you
Now that you understand the concept of repetition, you should be able to apply it to your own logo.
However, if you add repetition to your logo, make sure it grabs the attention of your target audience and makes a lasting impression.
Follow these principles of repetition and you will have a great logo.
