For a prospective client and upcoming graphic designer here are some pitfalls to be avoided.

1.  Its not an exhibition of your font collection. So don’t use more than two different fonts.

2.  The world is neither multicolour nor monochrome. Avoid using more than three different colours unless you want a rainbow.

3.  If you are still using clipart or photo, then it means that you still use Windows3.2 with your dotmatrix printer , or else you come from the era when air was clean and sex was considered dirty.

4.  People love symmetry. Scientific study has shown that beautiful people have a symmetrical face. So avoid creating a visually imbalanced logo.

5.  A logo has 0.1 millisecond to make its impact on the customer. So avoid making unrecognizable company logos which are either mirrored, resized or inverted.

6.  Follow the golden rule of KISS( Keep It Simple Stupid) Avoid using symbols that are irrelevant or unrelated to the business of the client.( If your client is in nuclear business no need to show trees and children)

7. Some symbols are cliché, so avoid them. Like symbols of handshake, Globe etc.

8.  A Logo without a concept is like hiring masons to build a house without any engineer or architect.You will build a house in the end, but not many guests. Always better to start the logo design process with a brainstorming session with the client and sketch out your ideas with a pencil and papers.

9.  Imagine watching two different movies in two separate screen.  So unless your target clients are Siamese twins avoid using distracting effects over logo.

10.  Imitation is not the greatest form of flattery. Besides the legal hassle its also shows your company logo in poor taste. Only imitate logos if your client is into selling counterfeit products.