A logo is one of the most important visual elements of your brand. It’s the first impression your brand makes to potential customers, so it should instantly give your audience a sense of what your brand is all about. What feelings does it evoke? What is the tone? What can I, as the customer, expect?
What different types of logos are there?
The most popular types of logos are monograms, wordmarks, pictorial logo marks, abstract logo marks, mascots, and emblems. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and the right one for you is largely up to personal taste. If you have an online brand, I would advise against emblem logos since they can be difficult to scale down in size.
What should you consider when creating a logo?
The two biggest factors in my opinion when it comes to a logo are: color and font. There is quite a lot of research about color psychology, or how different colors can evoke different emotions. For example, blue conveys trust and calm, so it is a popular choice for banks, healthcare, and insurance.
Like color, a font has an immediate visual impact. An elegant script font might be great for a restaurant, but a bad choice for a university. A clean, bold serif is great for a software company, but probably not for a daycare. Be intentional when selecting your fonts and make sure they fit your brand concept. No matter what font you choose, it should be readable.
You don’t have to have fonts and colors figured out when you sit down to create your logo, but it’s good to have a few ideas. For example, if you know you want warm colors and a serif font, that’s a much better starting point than from scratch. Now that you have an idea of what to consider, let’s go over how to design your logo from start to finish.
Step 1. Have a brainstorm session
Whenever I’m designing a new logo for a client, I always like to begin by brainstorming words that capture the essence of the brand. These could include the brand name, the product names, the product’s unique selling points (USPs), a meaningful symbol or mascot, ways you want to make your customers feel, etc. In a brainstorm, remember that there are no bad ideas! Try to come up with 15-20 words or phrases that you associate with your brand.
Once you have your list, circle the 3-5 most important words in your list. When you look at just these words, what associations do you have? What color feels right? What’s the tone? Is it playful or serious? Is it big and bold or soft and sophisticated?
At this stage, I like to start grabbing some visuals based on these associations. I’ll start swatching potential colors and saving reference images. Think of it almost like making a mood board. This will give you some inspiration to incorporate into your logo while staying true to your brand.
Step 2. Start sketching your logo
With your most important words and your brand mood board ready, sketch out a few logo ideas that incorporate the elements you’ve selected as important to your brand. For example, if you’re designing for a kid’s camp, you probably want a playful handwriting font, perhaps with rustic or earthy elements. If you’re designing for a coaching business, you may want a clean, minimal font and rich blues or greens.
It’s a good idea to experiment with different logo types when sketching options. It can be helpful to see ideas visualized (even if it’s rough) to decide whether they work for your brand or not. For example, maybe you want to see what a monogram logo will look like, but you end up more drawn to an abstract idea. Your options can be very different from each other, but try to make sure they all feel true to your brand concept.
Step 3. Review, revise, and refine your logo
Seeing your options side-by-side, try to pick the one you like best. Now, start refining and perfecting your design. There are many different tools you can use to create a logo. Here are some tools I have used and can recommend, in order of expense:
- GNU Image Manipulation Program (open-source and free)
- Procreate (one-time payment of less than $20)
- Affinity Designer 2 (one-time payment of $25-90 depending on device)
- Canva (limited free version or full access for $10 per month per person)
- Adobe Illustrator ($23 per month)
With one of these tools, you can draw, adjust, and refine your logo until it’s exactly the way you want it. During this process, I like to try many different variations of the same idea. You will also want to test how your logo looks against different background colors, perhaps making different versions for light and dark backgrounds. You’ll also want to test how your logo looks across different sizes. You may need a simplified version of your logo for use in small formats, such as a favicon or social media icon.
Once you’ve finalized your logo and its variations, you can extract .SVG files from any of the tools above. SVG is the ideal format for a logo because it will not get pixelated at different sizes.
Final thoughts about creating a logo for your brand
There are a lot of businesses out there, so it’s important that your logo stands out. You want it to be versatile to suit different uses (online, storefront, business cards, merchandise, etc.) and accessible (contrast, readability, etc.). You want your logo to clearly convey the feeling of your brand.
If you want help designing the perfect logo for your business, book a free consultation with me!