Branding, including a companies logo, may be the most important aspect of a their marketing strategy, and really can't be taken too seriously. Any company that didn't pay enough attention to their branding in the beginning will likely pay for it in the long run. If its logo is unprofessional, confusing or not noteworthy it may not matter if it has a great product or superior service. The company won't be taken seriously and might even become the butt of jokes.

We've all seen logos that we knew were just something special. They're simple yet eye-catching, visual interesting, unique and frequently clever. They work on multiple levels. Often they have hidden meaning. A great logo is a simple logo. Think of Apple's, Nike's or Amazon's logos.

While logo development is a fairly abstract process with an infinite range of possibilities, there are some basics that should be adhered to when creating a successful logo. Four principles that should never be hedged on are:

A great logo should look like the company. It should be an extension of the corporate personality. If a company manufactures industrial products, would it make sense for its logo to contain a fancy script typeface? The best logos convey a sense of the overall attitude and philosophy of the company.

The primary purpose of a logo is branding, the setting of the company apart from it's competitors and others. If it isn't sufficiently unique then it has failed from the start. Great logos avoid trends, making them timeless and assure that they will look great well into the future.

A company's logo will likely be used on their website, their corporate printed materials and a variety of promotional products like brochures, t-shirts or postcards. A logo therefore needs to look good in the full spectrum of possible uses – on white, on black, large, small, in color, b&w, reversed out.

One can always tell when a company's logo has been designed by a non-professional. It's cheesy and complicated. It lacks style. The colors don't work. The typefaces used are inappropriate. To create a great logo involves talent and visual sophistication. Just because great logos are simple, that doesn't mean that it's simple to create them.