Here’s Why The Logo Design Are Usually on the Left
Let’s find out several reasons why logo text are usually on the left for most businesses!
Created by Menta Picante | https://www.behance.net/gallery/90181595/Synx
Your logo is finished and ready to be displayed. You want to use it on different branding materials. Here’s the question: where should you put your logo? Should you put it on the Left or right? Just take a look at logos on popular products, and you will get the answer: on the left side.
When it comes to logos, a good design is a must. However, if you have a good logo, if the placement is wrong, it might not get the best results. Just like logo design, logo placement has implications, too. Learning a bit about it can make a difference in logo effectiveness.
Naturally, you want to know why logos on popular product brands are located on the Left. There are three reasons why. No worries. We will explain them. But what if you want to put it on the right side? You can, but we won’t recommend it. We will explain that, too. Let’s start.
Created by Imtiaz Hossain Naim | https://dribbble.com/shots/20061203-Zorra-sports-blog-website-logo-design
Why Are Logos on Popular Products Always on the Left?
1. It follows the direction we naturally look at
One of the reasons why is that it follows the direction we naturally look at. Researchers suggest that humans have a natural gaze bias towards the left side. It is an interesting fact that you might not have realized before.
Now that you know our natural gaze bias let’s talk about logos for a bit before continuing. A logo is a brand’s visual representation. We can even say it is the face of the brand itself. To make an impression, it must be placed in a spot with high visibility.
A good logo is simple and memorable. Having a good logo is a must these days, especially if you are in an industry with many competitions. It allows your brand to stand out and connect with your audience. It is what creates the first impression and what your audience will remember.
For a visual representation of a brand to make an impression and be remembered, it needs to be seen first. This is why you need to keep placement in mind. No matter how good your brand’s visual representation is, if it isn’t seen by your audience, it wouldn’t matter.
Created by Victor Murea | https://dribbble.com/shots/20062327-WeMeet-Logo-Concept-1
Therefore, you want to put the visual representation of your brand in a place where your audience will see it. What better place than the side that we have a natural gaze bias towards?
What’s interesting is how our bias applies to just about any branding material. Just take a look at clothing, for example. Notice where the logo of a shirt is placed. You will immediately notice that logos on shirts are on their left side from the wearer’s perspective.
This also applies to websites. Open a browser and visit a website. Take a look at it. Where is the logo located? The answer is the same: on the left side. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, it is the best place to put a logo on a website.
There are two reasons why. Firstly, many people don’t think about looking on the right side of a website for a logo. That means if you place it on the right side of your website, brand recall can be compromised severely.
Secondly, many people are used to looking for navigation on either side of a website. If you put a logo and/or navigation in the center, it will make navigating the website confusing for the visitors. Left-aligned logos are ideal as they are placed exactly where our eyes are naturally drawn.
In summary, we have a natural gaze bias towards the left side. Thus, it comes as no surprise if logos on popular products are always on that side.
Created by Michael Knapek | https://www.behance.net/gallery/104877747/Luxury-Bar-Restaurant-Branding-The-Horse-Elephant
2. It follows conventions
Our natural gaze bias is not the only reason why brands put their logo the way they do. Brands also do so to follow conventions. Let’s take military uniforms, for example. Notice where logos are placed in. Again, the answer is the same: on the left side. This has been the convention since centuries ago.
The same goes for shirts, too. Take a look at shirts that have a logo on them. You will see that it is on the left side from the wearer’s perspective. Oftentimes, the side is also where the pocket is.
Since most people are right-handed, the left side of a shirt became the most common place to put things. Why? Because things on that side are to get to than those on the opposite side.
In addition, placing the logo on the left side frees the space on the right side. This, in turn, allows for a patch or nametag to be put on the right.
Created by Nick Zotov | https://dribbble.com/shots/15319299-VOLTOSAT
There is also the fact that most cultures in the world read from Left to right. Only a few cultures read from right to left. This is why brands put their visual representation on the left side. Putting it on the left side makes it easy and convenient for the audience to see and/or read it.
We have a natural tendency to scan images from Left to the right. This is true even when there is no text in the image at all. In addition, our minds perceive time as unfolding from Left to right.
This is why there are plenty of left-aligned logos facing right. It gives the impression the logos are moving toward the future and making progress.
Left-aligned logos follow web conventions as well. In fact, it is a longstanding tradition. It is comfortable for users. Since it is a standard, it might be tempting to defy it. Doing so will make users uncomfortable, however. Worse yet, leaving a bad impression on them, something you certainly don’t want.
If you want users to remember your brand, placement is crucial. Nielsen Norman Group did a study on this using hotel websites.
According to the study, people are far more likely to remember the name of the hotel when its logo is placed on the top-left corner of the website compared to the top-right corner. This further emphasizes that left-aligned logos are ideal.
To sum it up, many brands place their logos the way they do to follow conventions. When it comes to placement, it is better to follow the tested and true conventions than defy them for the sake of being unique and different.
Created by Nick Zotov | https://dribbble.com/shots/20058498-NODRAL-Logo-Design
3. It is more memorable
The third reason why is that it is more memorable that way. This has been proven by the same study that the Nielson Norman Group has done. According to the study, the average lift in brand recall from left-aligned logos is as high as 89%.
In other words, users are 89% more likely to remember logos that are placed on the top-left position than logos placed on the right. The difference is nearly 90%, which shows how significant the difference between left-aligned logos and right-aligned ones.
Thus, if you decide to place yours on the right, the brand recall will be compromised severely. As a business owner, you want to maximize brand recall. You want to have as high brand recall as possible. This is especially true if the industry you are in is very competitive.
The higher the brand recall, the better because more people remember your brand. The more people remember your brand, the more likely they will purchase from you. Conversely, the lower the brand recall, the fewer people remember your brand. And with that, the less likely they will purchase from you.
Created by Nikola Matošević | https://dribbble.com/shots/20040779-Drasil-Brand-identity
There are various ways you can make yours memorable, from a simple design and proper color that suits your brand to slogans and catchphrases. Besides these, there is also placement. You can have a memorable visual representation, but if no one notices it, then no matter how good it is, it won’t matter.
You want a good one that stands out and tells a story about your brand. Such a logo is a must. And so is placement. You can’t put it anywhere you like if you want the best outcomes from it. After all, it can only be as effective as the placement allows it.
An impressive brand’s visual representation with the wrong placement won’t be as effective as it would be with the right placement. And when it comes to branding, you want to optimize everything you have at your disposal. This includes your logo. You want to make your logo as memorable as possible. The proper placement is key to that.
Placing it on the left side makes it more memorable. People can find it easily and conveniently. They don’t have to look to the right to find it. All they have to do is follow their gaze naturally, and that’s it. As they notice your logo, they are likely to remember it. Note that this applies to any branding material.
To sum it up, left-aligned logos are significantly more memorable than right-aligned logos. To put it differently, left-aligned logos result in higher brand recall, while right-aligned logos result in weaker brand recall.
Created by Al Mamun | https://dribbble.com/shots/20052490-Letter-A-logo-design-Artos
What If You Put Your Logo on the Right?
When you look at logos on popular products, you will immediately notice that none of them place their brand’s visual representation on the right. But can you do it? Of course, you can. Ultimately, the decision of where to put your logo is yours to make.
At a glance, putting your brand’s visual representation on the right might make it unique and stand apart. It goes against the placement of logos on popular products, after all.
But upon a closer look, that isn’t the case. Putting it on the right might make it unique, but it wouldn’t be as effective as it would be on the opposite side.
There is also the case that some cultures (Hebrew, Arabic, and Farsi) read from right to left. Most people read from Left to the right, which is one of the reasons why logos on popular products are always on the Left. Wouldn’t a logo on the right might work for people who read in reverse?
At the moment, the answer is not clear yet. What we do know is that most of your audience will be left out. On top of that, a study by the Nielson Norman Group has shown that logos on the right result in weaker brand recall.
According to the study, logos positioned on the top-left of a web page are 89% more likely to be remembered by users than ones on the right. That’s how significant the difference is.
While you can put yours on the right, we won’t recommend it. Doing so might make it different, but there are no other benefits your brand can derive from it. It is better to put it on the left, just like most brands do. Follow the best practice that most brands follow.
Created by Sumon Yousuf | https://www.behance.net/gallery/149162229/CELOV-Brand-Identity-Logo-Design-CHAMPA
Some Placement Tips
Now you know why logos on popular products are always on the Left. Placement is important. But is that all? The answer is, of course, no. We have a list of logo placement tips that can make your logo even more effective. Check them out.
1. Add a boundary
To make your brand’s visual representation stand out and grab attention, add a boundary around it that sets it apart from the surrounding elements. Keep in mind that the boundary works regardless of whether it is on a product or online.
We recommend adding a boundary anywhere your brand’s visual representation appears. Do scale it, though, so that the boundary’s size is appropriate. Make sure that the boundary is neither too big nor too small.
Note that adding a boundary may limit other design elements. It, however, gives the audience’s eyes a break. In addition to that, it draws attention where you want it to be: on the logo.
2. Choose the right shape.
The shape of a logo might tie into a product. Ideally, the shape should allow the logo to be placed just about anywhere. However, in some cases, the shape makes it difficult to do so. You can change the design if it hasn’t been finished yet. But what if it is already finished?
If it is ready to deploy and/or already established, you can find some ways to work around the shape. For example, you can try implementing other geometric designs instead of changing your brand’s visual representation entirely.
Created by Luca Guerci | https://www.behance.net/gallery/95942207/Ginntech-software-house
3. Study your competitors
You can gain a lot of insights from your competitors. Among them is how their logos look and where they place them. Now that you know the proper placement, you will probably notice if a brand’s visual representation is put in the wrong place.
Study your competitors. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Do you find any logos with a similar shape to yours? If you do, how is their placement? What do you like? Also, what do you dislike?
4. Create alternate logos
Having a single logo is not enough. More likely than not, there will be times when it won’t work the way you want it to. Perhaps you need to put it on a small product package. Or, you are sending out a letter with a logo in it.
For such cases, you want to have alternate logos ready. A few alternate ones should suffice. Make it similar to the main one but with simplified designs. For example, you might use an image or text only. You can also create one with different color which suits the occasion better than the main one does.
Created by Burak Bal | https://dribbble.com/shots/20066216-BlackLine-Branding
5. Highlight your brand
You also want to highlight your brand. Always keep in mind that a logo is a brand’s visual representation. The images tied to a brand impact how consumers see the products and services that it offers. Therefore, highlighting your brand is a must.
6. Don’t put your logo just about anywhere.
Establishing your brand identity is certainly important. But you don’t want to overdo it. You don’t want to put your logo just about anywhere. People don’t like it when they receive a hard sale. Instead of using spammy placement, you want to put it when it is suitable.
Putting your logo up in your social media post is unlikely to impress your audience. You would be better off using it in your profile. Then post shareable quality content. Your audience will appreciate that and, hopefully, associate your brand with something positive and likable.
Created by Timur Aldemir | https://dribbble.com/shots/20043717-Frexo
Conclusion
Having a good logo design is a must. And so is logo placement. Now you know why brands put their logo on the left side. It is because it follows the direction we are naturally looking at, follows conventions, and it is more memorable that way.
These are the reasons why logos on popular products are always on the Left. Can you put your logo on the right? Of course, you can. The problem is, while it might stand out, your logo wouldn’t be as effective as when put on the Left. So, it is always a good idea to follow the best practice: put it on the left side.
