For example, for a tech company, should one be able to look at a logo and immediately see ‘tech company’, or whatever niche that company may provide\service? Also, is the color scheme important as well? There may not be a way to say ‘high tech’ by the color scheme but should that be taken into consideration? Should the entire name of the company be included into the logo, or does initials with an image suffice?
To be practical, when I see the linux penguin now, after having worked with linux, I think of linux and open source in general, but if I’ve worked with linux I wouldn’t know that from the freaky guy in Apple’s July 1976 ad.
It’s no secret that logos could tie directly into branding, but do they have to? Of course Apple’s logo does, but Microsoft’s doesn’t (how many people really look at it and see a window?), Android’s is somewhere inbetween when you look at the name separate from the robot,
Of course all startups won’t grow to be as big as those but I think those are good case studies to consider.
Another is a description I pulled describing the MGM Grand Logo:
This elegant, poised lion on the prowl symbolizes MGM Grand, the “City of Entertainment”, while the name written underneath in bold and all-caps indicates the dominance of the company. Their first logo was borrowed from a 1968 stylized version of MGM’s Studios logo of a lion head, which then gradually evolved into this muscular full-body lion.
note: I originally asked this question on OnStartups, but after the inactivity and seeing this site, I feel it’s probably better for this site.
Answer
To answer all the individual questions you posed:
It depends.
In other words, there’s no hard and fast rules to this. But, in general, I’d suggest not trying to make the logo do too much. One of the more common mistakes for beginners is trying to make the logo literally describe the company. As your examples show, rarely is that actually what a great logo does.
A common reference for the general ‘intent’ of a logo is Paul Rand’s classic paper on the subject:
http://www.paul-rand.com/foundation/thoughts_logosflags/#.UWWPzKs4WyA
To quote a part of it:
Here’s what a logo is and does:
A logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon.
A logo doesn’t sell (directly), it identifies.
A logo is rarely a description of a business.
A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it
symbolizes, not the other way around.A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it means
is more important than what it looks like.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : MDMoore313 , Answer Author : DA01