How to Design a Logo for Your Brand
You’ve built your brand, and now you need to decide what your logo will look like. There are lots of ways to create a logo, from designing it yourself to hiring a professional. No matter what path you choose, though, you’ll want to make sure the logo represents all the hard work you’ve put into building your brand and doesn’t look amateurish or cheap. With this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a logo that really works well with your brand image.
Is a logo necessary?
Before we get started, let’s touch on one important question: do you even need a logo? While some people (including us) believe that every business needs a logo, others say that creating and maintaining one is both unnecessary and expensive. The answer lies somewhere in between: you might not need a full-on logo, but having something—even if it’s just your initials—is an easy way to add brand recognition.
Logo design tips #1
Simplicity is key. The best logos work because they’re simple and easy to remember, not because they come with a fancy font. Think about your favorite logos—the Nike swoosh, Facebook’s f or Starbucks’ siren—and you might see what I mean. With that in mind, try to use only one main element, such as an icon or shape, rather than having multiple elements in your logo.
Logo design tips #2
Choose an appropriate logo. While you don’t need a graphic designer to create your own website logo, it is best if you can talk with someone who has some experience creating logos. A professional logo designer will ensure that your brand is represented well in your logo, which will make all of your designining easier. The logo should be able to scale to multiple mediums without losing any detail or quality.
Logo design tips #3
Don’t go overboard with gradients. Gradients are powerful, but should be used sparingly. Adding an unnecessary gradient to your logo takes away from its power and instead makes it look cluttered. If you’re going to include a gradient in your logo, make sure it’s at least 50% transparent so that it doesn’t cover up text or other important details in your logo design.
Logo design tips #4
Use Only 3-4 Colors in Your Logo: You might love green and black, but there’s probably no reason you should incorporate both colors into your logo. Not only will it be overwhelming for your customers, but you’ll also wind up with an unprofessional design. While there are situations where logos can include many different colors, these situations are very rare. It’s generally best to stick with three or four colors at most when designing your logo.
Logo design tips #5
Use fonts and colors that complement your brand. While it’s true that you want your logo to stand out, it also needs to fit in. If you want people looking at your brand and saying that looks like something I like, make sure it has a cohesive look and feel. #6: Be unique.
Conclusion
Every business needs a logo if they want their brand to be recognizable. You can create your own, or you can hire someone else to do it for you. One of my favorite quotes about business is people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. So be sure that your logo isn’t just something nice but actually conveys something about your brand.