Whether you’re looking to create a logo for your brand-new company or are simply unhappy with your existing logo, there’s a lot to keep in mind during the design process.
Ultimately, you want a logo that is memorable, eye-catching, timeless, and versatile enough to use just about anywhere.
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That’s a tall order, isn’t it? But when you consider the fact that 75% of people recognize a brand by its logo alone, it’s easy to see why logo design is so important.
The good news is that there are some practical tips you can follow while designing a company logo that can make the process a bit easier and yield a successful final product.
1. Start With Your Brand Personality
Before you even get started with designing a logo, it’s important to consider your brand personality. In simplest terms, this refers to how you want your brand to make your target audience feel.
This is something you and your marketing team should sit down and discuss (if you haven’t done so already) because it will be key to your long-term marketing strategy.
If you’re designing a logo for your coffee shop or company such as Nespresso and Nespresso alternatives, for example, you’ll want to end up with something that will look great printed on the side of a coffee cup. These feelings are what should drive your logo design, along with any other content you may put out.
Once you’ve established your brand personality with at least a few key terms, you can move on to the next step in your logo design.
2. Look For Inspiration
If you’re struggling to come up with ideas for your logo based on your brand personality alone, don’t fret. You may just need to do a little more research and gather some inspiration from other successful logos that are already out there.
Of course, this doesn’t mean copying or plagiarizing—it simply means getting a feel for what other brands are doing, along with what you like and don’t like.
For example, you may find in your research that the majority of your competitors have a very traditional logo design. This may inspire you to create a fresh and more modern design that will stand out.
When brainstorming logo ideas, you might also consider making a “mood board” using images you find on sites like Pinterest.
These images reflect the overall look and/or feel that you’d like to capture in your logo and can be useful when it comes to the next steps of the design process.
3. Decide on a Logo Type
It can also be helpful to narrow down your design options further by deciding on an actual logotype.
There are a number of logo types to choose from, including:
- Monogram logos, which use initials (often your company initials) instead of a full company name.
- Wordmark logos, which incorporate your full company name.
- Abstract logos, which utilize a unique symbol (such as a geometric shape) that may not have an obvious connection to your brand.
- Pictorial logos, which use images that actually represent your brand (think of Apple’s logo here).
Ultimately, you can choose which logo type works best for your brand; it’s also not uncommon to blend logotypes, so keep an open mind here.
4. Start With Sketches
Now that you have a better feel for your brand personality, have gotten some inspiration, and decided on a logotype, it’s time to get sketching!
As tempting as it may be to start your logo design directly on your computer, sketching often tends to be more productive for logo designing in the early stages.
That’s because, with a pencil and sketchbook, you’re not as limited as you might be with digital editing software.
You can (and should) always digitize your best ideas down the road, but sketching them out is a great starting point. Plus, when you wake up in the middle of the night with a new logo idea, it’s a lot easier to jot it down on a sketchbook rather than booting up your computer.
In addition to sketching, you can also get design inspiration from an online logo maker tool. These types of tools, many of which use AI, can create hundreds of logo variations very quickly, and you can use those to get initial ideas and then continue on developing them.
5. Don’t Overlook Color
The use of color is so undeniably important—not just in your logo design, but in branding as a whole.
The colors that you incorporate into your logo design can help to evoke your brand personality while effectively catching your audience’s attention.
When deciding on colors for your logo, color theory can really come in handy. Specifically, specific colors can evoke certain thoughts and emotions in your viewers. Check out some examples below:
- Pink – Associated with softness and nurturing qualities (often used in the beauty industry).
- Brown – Associated with nature and earthiness (often used by coffee companies).
- Green – Associated with security and nature (often used by health brands and outdoorsy companies).
- Black – Associated with power and sophistication (often used by fashion brands and automotive brands).
- Blue – Associated with logic, trust, and intelligence (often used by tech and insurance brands).
- Red – Associated with excitement and activity (often used by retail brands).
With all this in mind, many logo designers actually find it helpful to design a logo first in black and white. From there, they can use color theory and other factors to add color as they see fit.
6. Select the Right Font
Don’t overlook the importance of using the right font in your logo design. In fact, typography can really make or break a design – so this is not something you’ll want to consider an afterthought.
There are several different types of fonts, ranging from serif and sans serif to script and display fonts. The type that’s best for your logo will go back to your brand personality and the type of feelings you’re trying to evoke.
If you’re going for a more traditional and elegant look, then a serif font can be a great choice. For something a little edgier, using a more decorative display font can help your logo stand out.
Don’t be afraid to play around with a few different font options as you design your logo; some brands even find success with combining different types of fonts on the same logo!
7. Consider Intended Uses
When designing a logo, it’s also important to consider where it will most likely end up. Obviously, your company logo should be used on your business website and social media pages. However, it will probably be printed elsewhere, too. You can use your logo in your marketing collaterals as well. So, if you make posters or other promotional materials, make sure to place your logo there to increase awareness around your brand.
If you’re designing a logo for your coffee shop, for example, you’ll want to end up with something that will look great printed on the side of a coffee cup. If you’re working on a retail logo, on the other hand, make sure you’re designing something that will print well on any packaging.
8. Work With a Professional Designer
Last but not least, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that you can always turn to a professional graphic designer to assist with your logo design.
Not only will a professional have experience designing logos for other brands—but they’ll have the resources and tools needed (such as high-end laptops and professional design software) to create stunning logos.
So if you really want to have something unique that will stand out, hiring a professional is the way to go.
The Bottom Line on Designing a Logo:
Your company logo is an image that your audience will associate your brand with for years to come, so make it count. By following these design tips, you can ultimately come up with an eye-catching logo that reflects what your brand is all about.