Almost every graphic artist will tell you that you shouldn’t use drop shadows when designing a logo, but what you don’t get is a lot of explanation why. It’s a feature that was all the rage at one point but has quickly fallen out of grace. But why?

Do logos need shadows? No, using drop shadows makes your logo look dated, and it tends to make the logo come out blurry. If you want your logo to appear modern and not drive the viewer’s eyes to go batty, you should leave the shadows behind. You may think that it makes your logo stand out and look great, but the experts disagree.

Here are some explanations why you should stay away from drop shadows. Once you understand why they just don’t work, you can find some techniques that make it more obvious that you don’t need shadows in your logos.

» MORE: The Power Of Symmetry: 13 Lessons From Famous Logos

Drop Shadows Are Dated

The fact of the matter is that flat, minimalist design is in, and 3D effects are out. The flat look is so trendy that anything that is not flat looks like it was designed in a former era. Drop shadows come from a different era, and unless you are purposefully calling back to the era, you risk making your logo look old in a hokey way. But just how dated are they? Opinions vary on that one.

The 1970s Called; They Want Their Shaded Logos Back

Some people say that the use of drop shadow goes back to the Abstract Illusionism art movement of the 70s. Abstract Illusionism was a style of painting that was heavily influenced by expressionistic and hard-edged abstract paintings.

The style played with perspective, artificial light sources, and simulated cast shadows. This created the illusion of 3D space on a 2D surface. Unlike traditional paintings prior to the movement where pictorial space receded into the picture plane, the pictorial space of Abstract Illusionism seemed to project in front of, or away from, the canvas surface.

Many of these techniques were appropriated into the commercial world and became staples in graphic design, leading to the popularity of such things like drop shadows.

Smells Like an Outdated Logo

Other people feel that the use of drop shadows became popular with the rise of graphic design programs in the 1990s. With the release of Photoshop, everyone was given the tools to fool around with design. Kai Krause came up with a plugin called Kai’s Power Tools that allowed one to easily create drop shadows. Once this happened, the ability to create drop shadow became a sign that a designer knew how to work with design programs and made the technique trendy. But trends come and go, and this one has been waning for years.

Either way, drop shadow has been out of style for years. If you work it into your logo, you should have a very specific reason, or your logo is going to come off as out of date. Some serious anti-shadow design reasons are up next.

» MORE: A Guide to Choosing the Best Colors for Your Logo

Drop Shadow Tends To Look Blurry

Another reason why you don’t need shadow in your logo has to do with how the human eye sees it. Although drop shadow looks excellent on the web, it does not hold up in print. For whatever reason, drop shadow will never look as good as it does on your screen. Once they are resized or brought up on a different screen, they just don’t look as good.

Drop Shadow tends to amass a smear of gray behind the design. This actually muddies a clean and crisp logo. You want your logo to be clear from afar and drop shadow creates a 3D effect, that smear of gray, that makes a logo blurry from a distance, causing your eyes to strain to process what they are trying to look at.

If your goal is a legible logo, drop shadow is not going to help with that unless done right. Drop shadow will help separate text from the background but only when used subtlety and with the right color combinations.

» MORE: The Ultimate List of The Best Online Design Makers

Skip the Shadow: Other Ways to Add Depth to Your Logo

You don’t have to use drop shadow to create depth in your logo. There are several other techniques that you can use that create depth that are more modern and keep the logo looking crisp and clean. You can use:

• Lighting and shading: One of the best ways to show depth but avoid drop shadow is how you show light and shade. Light shows the viewer depth in how it acts over the surface of an object. How you shade your logo is going to communicate those actions and give a similar depth that shadow would.
• Overlapping objects: You can give your viewer a sense of depth by laying objects over each other. When one object blocks part of another, it sends a message to the eye that there must be depth. Objects that are near cover up objects that are further away. The key is making sure that the blocked object is seen as an incomplete object; otherwise, the viewer will just see two objects sitting next to each other. One way to accomplish this is to have more important information partially cover-up less important information.
• Size and scale: If you place different sized objects near one another, you send a message to your viewer. The difference in size comes from a difference in depth. If you vary the scale of similar objects as well, you can create a perspective of size and scale that demonstrates a deep composition.
• Linear Perspective: Closely parallel lines that converge in one place directly show three-dimensional space. The lines only need to be implied by the objects in the composition to cause this effect.
• Location: Objects higher on the picture plan seem to be further away, lower objects seem to be closer. Where you place your objects on the field or plane can add depth to your logo.
• Color: Warm, bright colors tend to move to the forefront, while cool, dark colors recede into the background. This may have something to do with the visual weights different colors have, but it really doesn’t matter why just know that the colors you use can give you the same depth that a drop shadow would have.

» MORE: 41 Hidden Messages In Famous Logos

When the Use of Shadow Is Okay

Even though you should avoid using shadow and try these other techniques to give your logo depth, there are some instances when using shadow may be needed or beneficial. It basically comes down to purpose. Here are a few instances when shadow is useful…

• Retro look: If you purposely want your logo to have a retro look, then drop shadow can help you accomplish this. But, you still need to be careful, the line between retro-chic and cheesy is a thin one.
• Contrast: If you have no choice in the colors you are using, and you need to separate words or objects from the background, you may have to use shadow. The key is to be as subtle as possible. The more obvious the shadow, the more dated your logo will look.
• Long shadow: There has been a recent trend in using long drop shadow. The shadow is a continuous block coming off the words. Although it is a drop shadow, it is more in line with the flat, minimal modern trends than with the old fashioned drop shadows.

Don’t fall victim to old fashioned styles. Drop shadow may be an easy solution for your logo’s depth issued, but you don’t have to use it. Be creative and purposeful, try some of these other techniques, and keep your logo as modern as possible with a logo template.

Placeit.net is a great way to create a mockup for your entire line of clothing. Placeit.net makes it simple to put together images of your entire clothing line in only a few clicks, making it possible to display your entire line without having to keep inventory.

How do you make an apparel mockup with your design on Placeit.net? Using your own design or by creating one with Placeit.net’s custom design generating program, you can create an apparel mockup in just a few short steps. Simply upload your image, customize the color and text, and download the finished result by choosing one of three inexpensive payment options.

The following steps will guide you through the simple steps you need to take to create a custom mockup. Although there are options for all types of clothing from t-shirts to leggings, for this example we will be using a T-shirt for our mockup. Let’s get started.

1. Getting Started

Before you commit to a subscription, placeit.net gives you the ability to create your mockup to give you an idea of how your design will turn out. When you go to Placeit.net, click on T-shirts in the upper right-hand corner. Scroll down the page to see the available templates for you to try. These templates vary from images involving the garment alone or on a model.

2. Uploading Your Design Image

After you’ve selected the template for your mockup, you need to upload your design image. In the upper left-hand corner, click on Upload Image.  This will open your image files allowing you to choose an image for upload. Select the desired image and click Open. 

Once your image uploads, it will pop up on your screen, giving you the option to resize or crop the image.  If you happen to make a mistake in the editing process, don’t worry. Simply click reset and start over. Once the editing has completed, the image will pop up on the t-shirt completely centered.

3. Adding Text to Your Image

If you decide you would like to add some sort of text to your design, click on Add Text in the upper left-hand corner. You can add up to 50 characters to your design. After entering the text, you can select what font you want the text to appear in by selecting from the drop-down menu found beneath your text. You can even choose the color of both the text and the background. In most cases, you’ll probably want to choose the checkered box option for text background – this removes the background completely.

Once completed, your text will appear on the image, allowing you to both resize the text and move it to the desired location on the t-shirt. While you move text around, you’ll notice a purple line that seems to appear and disappear. This line marks the center of the t-shirt to help you with the placement of your text.

4. Personalizing the Mockup

In the upper-right hand corner, you will find an option to change the color of the t-shirt itself. Simply click on the drop-down menu to choose from a rainbow of options. You can play around with it until you find the perfect color.

There is an option just below that to add a stock graphic to your design or the background. This will give you the option to add a stock image provided by placeit.net to either your design or logo if desired.

5. Choosing the Perfect Setting

Most of the templates already have a background, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change it. On the upper right-hand of the page, you are given the option to select a backdrop for your image. You can choose from a woodsy setting, bricks – virtually anything. You can always play with backgrounds until you find the perfect setting.

If you decide you would rather not add a backdrop, you can choose the color for the plain background itself. Have fun with it! That’s it! It’s that easy!

Making an Animated Mockup

If you want to get fancy, a video of your design on a model will show the movement of the garment in different settings. To try this out, select Video at the top of the page to get started. You can choose one of the many videos available to begin. You’ll follow the same process as mentioned above. The finished product will be in GIF animation style.

Different Types of Mockups

Not only is Placeit.net a great place to design mockups for clothing, but it also provides many other options as well. You can take your brand a step further by creating clothing labels, coffee cups, and other merchandise sporting your brand logo and more.

If you aren’t posting your brand on Facebook or Instagram, you are missing out on a lot of business. If designing adds on these platforms intimidates you, the Design tab offers options to create posts for both platforms. You can also create content for YouTube and Twitter as well.

Placeit.net can also help you create banner ads as well. On this single website, you can design and brand an entire business easily and affordably.

Downloading Your Mockup

Your mockup is available for download in a few different ways. If you only want to make a single mockup design, you can download your completed piece ala cart by paying a one-time fee. If you plan on making more, you may want to consider a subscription option.

BONUS: Placeit was kind enough to extend a 15% off discount to All Free Mockups readers. You can find the coupon here.

There are two separate options concerning subscriptions. Both allow the option to cancel at any time. The first option is to pay by the month, but if you’d rather pay a lump sum for an entire year, the price is a little lower per month. As mentioned, you aren’t locked into a long term commitment.

Learning Tools

By visiting the FAQ page, you can access more helpful material to aid you in your creations. There are answers to the top questions from users as well as a decent amount of video tutorials to give you a step-by-step visual guide in using the site to its fullest potential.

You’ll quickly learn that you can do so much more than just garment mockups with this site. There is a design option to help you build and design your brand logo. By following a few steps, the system will generate several images that go along with your business name and industry. From there, you can customize as much as you want. In addition to creating a brand label, there are also tutorials to help create business and sports team logos as well.

You’ll also find tutorials to make T-shirt designs, business cards, and Facebook ad images. At the very bottom of the page, you find out how to download your mockup, as well as a few more advanced projects you can do with the site.

Putting It All Together

After playing around with the different options offered on the site, it’s easy to see the value of subscribing. Instead of making expensive prototypes or using a drop shipping site where you have to pay a percentage of profit per sale, one flat rate offers a limitless amount of options.

In short, Placeit.net is your partner to great apparel design and mockups. If you have more questions or want more info on payment options, you can call the customer service hotline found on the site to speak to a live representative who can answer all of your questions.