How to Design and Choose a Logo That Relates to Your Business
Logos can be seen everywhere from business cards and letterheads to letter vans and websites; from social media pages and profiles. An ideal logo should be reproducible at any size while remaining recognizably.
Aesthetics change, but an expertly designed logo will remain relevant five, 10 and 15 years later. It's essential to understand how colors, shapes and typography communicate certain perceptions.
Color
When creating your logo, choose colors that convey the essence of your brand and communicate its intended message. Select a palette that's easy to work with and recognizable across various formats and sizes - it will likely appear on websites, flyers and billboards at different sizes, so ensure it can be scaled down without losing quality or clarity.
A logo should serve as the visual embodiment of your business and make an immediate statement about its identity and mission. When brainstorming ideas, try logo repositories like Logoed, Logospire, or Logo Design Love to spark creative inspiration. Don't be intimidated to think outside the box or design something that will help set apart from competitors; for instance, Crypto Caveman and Sweet Trip's logos combine unexpected elements together (for instance combining cryptocurrency symbols with cavemen depicted with honeybees on maps).
To test whether or not your logo is effective, place it with 8 other similar ones on a sheet of paper arranged into three rows of three and show them to people who have never seen any other logos before and ask them what they think it means - if they can quickly and accurately articulate its intended meaning quickly and precisely then that indicates success!
Shape
Logos represent your company on multiple fronts - in print and digital, across every social media page and website, product packaging, storefront signage and business cards.
At its core, logo design begins with understanding what you hope your logo says (or at least hopes it will say). Establish your competitive advantage and communicate it through your logo design - for instance a medical practice may want theirs to convey cleanliness or trustworthiness while an app that takes notes might use an image such as an elephant with dog-earred ears to emphasize functionality and aspirational value (think Evernote).
Font is no less crucial when it comes to branding your business and creating an identity for its logo. Stay away from generic fonts found on word processors; customize font choices so they reflect the values and identity of your company instead.
Another thing to keep in mind when designing a logo is its layout; how its individual elements are organized to achieve balance and visual harmony. Furthermore, you need a flexible file type so it can be resized without losing clarity or resolution - vector files such as SVG, PDF or EPS may be suitable.
Text
Logos should accurately represent your business in ways that reflect its brand identity, including mission, vision, values, products and services offered as well as how customers perceive your business. To assist in designing an appropriate logo design, ask for feedback from people outside your company by showing the logo for three seconds at random before asking them what they saw - if their descriptions match your intended meaning then chances are it may be ideal!
Font selection is also key; it must be easily legible. Steer clear of generic fonts found on word processors such as Times New Roman or Lucida Handwriting; instead search for text styles that convey your company's tone (for instance "organic", "responsible" and/or "luxury").
Consider your color selection carefully when making your logo recognizable; using limited hues such as McDonald's red and yellow communicate hunger while UPS brown and gold portray reliability. By adhering to a limited palette, your logo may remain timeless thereby eliminating frequent redesigns due to changing fashion trends.
Imagery
Your logo should have an appealing visual style while remaining adaptable for various uses. As your company expands, its use should adapt as necessary - this includes adaptability on business cards, websites and social media pages as well as being easily recognisable at physical locations and product packaging. Brainstorm to find something that resonates with your brand; don't be intimidated by competitors' designs but avoid copying their color schemes or design schemes as this could confuse customers and potentially lead to legal issues later.
Assuring your designer of precise feedback is key to understanding what you like and don't like about their design work. One method of giving feedback would be creating a mood board featuring designs, color combinations, photos, illustrations and graphics you find attractive; or search sites such as Dribbble, Behance and Brand New for ideas and inspiration.
Once you have narrowed down your ideas, begin sketching preliminary concepts on paper. Although your first design might not be ideal, don't let that stop you! Make sure to also create black-and-white versions of each concept to emphasize shape and composition.
