Logo Evaluation Criteria

Understand how we analyze your logo across 10 professional design dimensions. Each dimension is scored 0-100 with specific criteria and actionable improvement tips.

Scoring Guide

90-100
Excellent

Expert grade, minimal improvements needed

70-89
Good

Solid design with room for refinement

50-69
Fair

Acceptable but needs significant improvement

Below 50
Poor

Major issues requiring redesign

Visual Clarity

How clearly your logo communicates at different sizes

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Crystal clear at all sizes, from 16px favicon to large banners

70-89: Clear at most sizes, minor clarity issues at small sizes

50-69: Readable at medium-large sizes, loses clarity when small

Below 50: Difficult to read or recognize at most sizes

Improvement Tips

  • Test your logo at 16px, 32px, and 64px sizes
  • Ensure key elements remain identifiable when scaled down
  • Avoid intricate details that disappear at small sizes
  • Use adequate spacing between elements

What Works

  • ✓ Simple, bold shapes
  • ✓ Clear letter spacing
  • ✓ High contrast elements

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Thin lines (< 2px)
  • ✗ Complex patterns
  • ✗ Crowded elements

Contrast & Accessibility

Color contrast ratios and colorblind-friendly design

Scoring Criteria

90-100: WCAG AAA contrast (7:1+), passes all colorblind simulations

70-89: WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1+), passes most colorblind tests

50-69: Acceptable contrast but fails some accessibility tests

Below 50: Low contrast, difficult for visually impaired users

Improvement Tips

  • Ensure 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text, 3:1 for large text
  • Test with colorblind simulators (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia)
  • Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning
  • Provide alternative visual cues (shapes, patterns)

What Works

  • ✓ High contrast color pairs
  • ✓ Dark on light or vice versa
  • ✓ Pattern/shape differentiation

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Low contrast (light on light)
  • ✗ Color-only differentiation
  • ✗ Red-green combinations only

Color Harmony

Application of color theory principles

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Expert color palette with perfect harmony and brand alignment

70-89: Cohesive colors, minor harmony issues

50-69: Acceptable colors but lacks cohesion or feels amateur

Below 50: Clashing colors, overwhelming palette, or brand misalignment

Improvement Tips

  • Use 2-3 primary colors maximum for logo designs
  • Apply color theory: complementary, analogous, triadic schemes
  • Ensure colors align with brand personality and industry
  • Test colors across different media (screen, print)

What Works

  • ✓ Analogous palette (blue-purple)
  • ✓ Complementary accent
  • ✓ Consistent saturation

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Too many colors (> 5)
  • ✗ Clashing hues
  • ✗ Inconsistent saturation/brilliance

Scalability

Adaptation across different media and sizes

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Perfectly adapts to web, print, mobile, social, and merchandise

70-89: Scales well to most media, minor adaptations needed

50-69: Works for some media but requires significant rework for others

Below 50: Limited scalability, needs redesign for different applications

Improvement Tips

  • Create vector versions (SVG, AI) for infinite scaling
  • Design responsive variants (full logo, icon, wordmark)
  • Test on different backgrounds (light, dark, colored, photo)
  • Ensure quality at 1-inch print size and 16px favicon

What Works

  • ✓ Vector format available
  • ✓ Multiple layout variants
  • ✓ Clear at 1" print size

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Raster-only formats
  • ✗ Single layout only
  • ✗ Pixelates when enlarged

Shape & Balance

Optical weight, symmetry, and visual equilibrium

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Perfect optical balance, natural visual flow, intentional asymmetry if present

70-89: Good balance with minor optical adjustments needed

50-69: Acceptable but feels slightly off-balance or awkward

Below 50: Visually unbalanced, distracting asymmetry, or poor composition

Improvement Tips

  • Use optical corrections (not mathematical equality)
  • Balance visual weight, not physical size
  • Center based on visual mass, not bounding box
  • Consider the logo as a whole, not individual elements

What Works

  • ✓ Optically centered
  • ✓ Visual weight distributed evenly
  • ✓ Intentional asymmetry

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Mathematically but not optically centered
  • ✗ Heavy elements one side
  • ✗ Random placement

Typography

Font choice, readability, and brand alignment

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Perfect font choice, excellent readability, strong brand alignment

70-89: Good typography with minor refinements possible

50-69: Acceptable fonts but generic or slightly misaligned with brand

Below 50: Poor font choice, readability issues, or brand mismatch

Improvement Tips

  • Choose fonts that reflect brand personality
  • Ensure readability at all sizes
  • Limit to 1-2 font families maximum
  • Consider custom lettering or modifications for uniqueness

What Works

  • ✓ Brand-appropriate style
  • ✓ Clear legibility
  • ✓ Consistent weight

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Generic default fonts
  • ✗ Too many font styles
  • ✗ Poor letter spacing

Uniqueness

Distinctiveness compared to common logo patterns

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Highly distinctive, memorable, avoids clichés entirely

70-89: Memorable with some unique elements, minor similarity to common patterns

50-69: Recognizable but feels familiar, uses some common patterns

Below 50: Generic, uses clichés, easily confused with other logos

Improvement Tips

  • Research competitor logos before designing
  • Avoid overused elements (globes, swooshes, leaves)
  • Add unique touches or custom details
  • Test memorability: can someone recall it after 5 minutes?

What Works

  • ✓ Custom icon design
  • ✓ Unique color combination
  • ✓ Original concept

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Stock icons
  • ✗ Overused symbols
  • ✗ Copycat designs

Versatility

Adaptation across backgrounds and contexts

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Works perfectly on any background, multiple color variants available

70-89: Adapts well to most backgrounds, minor issues on some contexts

50-69: Works on some backgrounds but needs adjustments for others

Below 50: Limited to specific backgrounds or contexts

Improvement Tips

  • Create light and dark variants
  • Test on colored backgrounds, photos, and patterns
  • Provide monochrome version
  • Ensure logo works without color (black/white)

What Works

  • ✓ Multiple color variants
  • ✓ Works on light/dark backgrounds
  • ✓ Monochrome version available

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Single background only
  • ✗ Fails on dark backgrounds
  • ✗ No alternate versions

Application

Performance across real-world brand touchpoints and use cases

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Works confidently across web, mobile, print, packaging, and signage

70-89: Performs well across most use cases with minor adaptations

50-69: Works in familiar contexts but needs significant adaptation elsewhere

Below 50: Fails or becomes impractical in common brand applications

Improvement Tips

  • Test the logo on websites, social profiles, print, packaging, and signage
  • Prepare responsive lockups for horizontal, stacked, and icon-only use
  • Check legibility in realistic production conditions
  • Document minimum sizes and clear-space rules

What Works

  • ✓ Clear in real layouts
  • ✓ Responsive lockups
  • ✓ Production-ready guidance

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Only works in a presentation mockup
  • ✗ No small-size variant
  • ✗ Unclear usage rules

Commercial Value

Contribution to brand equity, trust, and marketing performance

Scoring Criteria

90-100: Builds distinctive equity, trust, and long-term commercial value

70-89: Supports the brand clearly with room to strengthen memorability

50-69: Communicates the category but provides limited strategic advantage

Below 50: Weakens trust, differentiation, or the brand's commercial potential

Improvement Tips

  • Connect the mark to a clear positioning and audience promise
  • Assess distinctiveness against direct competitors
  • Check whether the identity can support future products and markets
  • Use consistent brand assets to compound recognition over time

What Works

  • ✓ Distinctive in category
  • ✓ Supports trust and preference
  • ✓ Scales with the business

What to Avoid

  • ✗ Generic category signals
  • ✗ Short-term trend dependence
  • ✗ Limits future brand expansion

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