Children are part of the marketing world, and their tastes in things matter when creating products and services. Whether we try to create logos for brands of companies that cater to children, or we design more for their parents who will purchase the product or service for them, we have to understand our clientele first and foremost. We need to understand the different needs and wants of our target market to ensure that the vision of our brand will come across. For example, in Phoenix, brand designers of playgrounds can emphasize the local terrain and landmarks to provide children a sense of familiarity and safety. Doing this will also trigger their imagination.
So what makes an excellent logo for children? Given that we know enough information on the people who will make use of our products and services, what can we do next?
Color is vital.
It is the first thing we see before we can make out words and images. In the case of children, it might be the only thing they can see before they decided whether they're interested. The right use of color varies from age to age. Vivid, distinct, and bold primary colors with thick black outlines are suitable for babies and early pre-schoolers if your product is designed for their enjoyment, rather than their needs. In the case of the latter, it is the parent's eye you must catch. That means using fluffy clouds, pastel colors, and curled yet minimalist fonts. This pattern extends to other stages in childhood until they merge somewhere in adolescence.
The older the child becomes, the less prominent the outlines and the greater the variety in color are drawn. Shades also begin to appear, although younger children appreciate vivid patterns and complex images more than the "cooler," more minimalist adolescents who want to mimic adulthood. A keener grasp of each generation's needs is also key.
Avoid vagueness.
Kids who are considered part of Generations Z and Alpha (born 2013 and beyond) live in a high-tech, fast-paced world where attention has to be caught at once. You should let them know at once what is in store for them and how they can benefit from your brand. For instance, if you sell teddy bears, there has to be a bear in the logo. If you're advertising a playground, there must be a simple slide or monkey bars above or below the letters, whichever the design sees fit. Abstractions only work if they are tantalizing enough, meaning they force children to think without letting them know that they are doing it. But simpler designs are better for specific reasons.
Whatever the case, creating logos for children is not merely an exercise for expertise. It also means a practice of empathy and adaptability. You begin to understand your target market's needs and wants. You fashion your brand to them and their environment, given what you do know about your own childhood and with the acknowledgment that things are different these days. However, the tenets of childhood, precisely innocence, playfulness, and simplicity, remain. Designs and needs may change, but at the core, children don't.
