Logos are awful. They weren’t made to complement your map in any way, shape, form, or especially color. They were made for an entirely different purpose: perhaps for a letterhead or website. So not only do they look strange when placed on a map, geoprofessionals tend to slap them on the map layout without regard to anything except the fact that they were asked (or sometimes not even that!) to do so. It is so much better to simply mention the company name(s) in the text on the map. If you can’t get away with that, put the logos in a place where they are not seen right away. Definitely do not line up 5 logos on the very top of the map layout. This causes the map reader to sit there and “read” the logos first!
However, even though I am usually against these things, I’ve seen a few examples lately where some really good cartographers have managed to incorporate the logos very nicely. In these cases the color schemes for the maps complement the logo colors – most likely this was intentional – and the logo tends to blend in well enough and be in such a position that it does not overwhelm the rest of the map. I don’t know if this is a trend or not, but the most effective logos out there lately are on tourist maps. For example, the logo for a neighborhood or commercial association that sponsored the map might be placed in the lower-right hand corner.
Here’s an example from Daniel Gray who designed this for the City of Moncton. He even manages to place this logo effectively at the upper-right hand corner:
What are some of the challenges you’ve had with logos?
#1 by Atanas Entchev on October 26, 2010 - 4:24 pm
Quite often the logo is the most important component of a map. In other words, the map was created for the sole (thinly-veiled) purpose of displaying a logo.
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
#2 by Gretchen on October 26, 2010 - 4:50 pm
Indeed! I once saw an exquisite map of bike trails – with a very large logo of the bike shop that paid for it coming out at you almost in 3D from the lower-right hand corner. Other than the logo the rest of map was wonderful.
However, let’s say you are a university professor and you are making a map of some species that you are studying in collaboration with other groups. Should you place all those group’s logos at the top of your map? No. But it is done, and often.