Earlier this week I received one of those annoying e-mail forwards from an acquaintance—you know, the ones with “FW: FW: omg sooo cute! read this!!” in the subject line. But instead of bombarding me with pictures of puppies in ridiculous costumes like I’d expected, my friend had actually sent me something I found interesting (and not cruel to animals): Company logos that, when turned sideways or upside-down, had rather embarrassing results.

A good logo is essential for any business, and this recent Tools and Tips article walks you through the three steps of creating a great one for your company: Conceptualizing, executing and refining the design. And when you’ve got your final version, be sure to look at it from all angles before printing it on pens, pill boxes and other tchockies. You don’t want it to bring in more strange looks than it does new business.