Your business logo is the visual and mental backbone of your business.
It appears on everything from your website to your product packaging. It’s at the forefront of your branding, marketing strategies, and prospect acquisition. In other words, your logo reaches everyone who makes any contact with your brand, usually as the first impression of what your business is all about.
It has such a powerful impact, and you obviously want it to offer a favorable impression of your brand. With the right kind of guidance and resources, you can create your own logo that:
Reflects your business flawlessly
Stands the test of time
Imprints on user perception
The process of building a strong logo can be a little daunting, but with enough awareness and determination, you can create the best logo design for you and your needs that absolutely gets results.
In this guide, we are going to go through every aspect of the logo design process step by step.
Let’s get started, shall we?
5 Benefits Of Designing A Great Website Logo
Your website logo should invoke a positive emotion with your audience. It must advertise your values and the experience you provide to your customers.
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An unprofessional logo will make people second guess your ability to deliver quality products and services. And that’s the last thing you want on your website of all places.
Your logo is a communication tool that will appear on your products, social media, website, official documentation, business cards, and more.
Therefore, it is visible to everyone in your company, stakeholders, consumers, and potential customers. With all that being said, it’s easy to see how your business logo design can affect brand performance.
Here are some benefits of having a great website logo.
1. Tells A Story Of Your Brand
At the end of the day, what customers buy isn’t just a product or service, but a promise that their life will be made easier after the purchase. One of the ways you can do this is by evoking nostalgia. Some brands use typography in their logo design that resembles the trends of the childhood years of their target audience.
2. Helps You Explore Your Creativity
Your choice of color should, first of all, depend on your industry. Because there is an unofficial color palette for every industry, and you want to distance yourself from the competition, it can be tricky. But you can get ahead of the challenge by understanding your brand and the psychology of colors.
3. Allows You To Build Your Brand Identity
The typography, colors, and symbolism of your website logo can be used to build the rest of your brand identity. Once you pick those elements, you get to create a compelling story told through the design (hence, benefit number one). That brand identity should serve as a guide for all your future marketing efforts.
4. Promotes Brand Loyalty
The more people see your logo and products, the more trust they place in your brand. This is how you’ll build your brand authority and accessibility.
Once people fall in love with your brand, they’ll look for your logo on more products and will be more likely to try them out and get in touch. In that sense, your logo will help you build loyalty. That’s why it’s important to choose one logo and keep using it on all of your products and services.
5. Shows Off Your Professionalism
Standing out amongst your competitors with a “quirky” website logo is not the way to go, since it will appear unprofessional and make people doubt the quality of your products. Make sure your logo is made and tested by professionals. Your logo must first be accepted by designers before you ask your target audience for their opinions.
The importance of your logo design should not be underestimated because it holds so much power as a marketing tool, a way to build loyalty amongst your customers, and a differentiator that sets you apart from your competitors.
The 7 Different Types Of Logos
Your business logo is almost always the first characteristic people notice about your brand, so a powerful and suitable visual can highly benefit your business. And you don’t have to put yourself in a box because there are different types of logos to choose from!
There is no one-size-fits-all principle here; different types of logos work depending on the kind of message you want to express to your target audience.
The seven different types of business logo ideas consist of abstract, combination, emblem, lettermark, mascot, pictorial, and wordmark. Here is a concise list to help you make your decision:
It relies on the audience to develop their own cognitive understanding of the visual. The success point of abstract logos is when the audience conjures a unified understanding of the logo. The meaning of the logo isn’t always evident; it’s about reading between the lines.
2. Wordmark Logo
Source: uwaterloo
Wordmark logos comprise only your business name and nothing more. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity. This logo may just be word/s on a canvas, but it is the incomparable choice for businesses that need to boost their memorability. There are no other elements to feast your eyes on, just the business name. It’s more powerful than you think.
Lettermark logos take on a whole different identity. Instead of utilizing the full name, which can cause confusion and effort, the branding element specializes primarily in its abbreviation. It’s a clear and straightforward solution in communicating a lengthy brand identity. Basically, it’s a bite-sized, abbreviated version of your brand in a logo.
Similar to abstract logos, pictorials rely heavily on the subconscious in a different way. Pictorial logos are creative outlets that don’t tell a brand story directly, but they have a vibrant spirit that subconsciously pulls people in. It’s about taking ordinary objects and incorporating stylized elements to them that make your business unique.
An emblem logo provides formal and professional energy to your visual branding. It often includes several vital details that you may only notice if you carefully inspect and observe the visual. Every aspect of the logo has meaning. All the elements in the logo, even the tiniest characteristic, must have significance to it.
A mascot logo comprises a character, person, or business spokesperson, usually someone with sentimental value. Having an ambassador for your brand, especially in a logo, is a unique method of communication that mentally inspires business values. It also expresses the business to be more meaningful, which resonates with people deeply.
7. Combination Logo
A combination logo is perhaps the most common logo you see. It consists of the typography (a wordmark or lettermark) and the visual element (a pictorial, emblem, abstract, or mascot).
The text and symbols work together to form a strong understanding of the brand. It’s the classic option as it achieves many benefits in one visual.
Introspect on the heart of your business, its core values, and how you want to project yourself to the world. Having a logo is one thing, but having a logo that genuinely reaches people is another.
5 Steps To Design A Logo
So, how do you design a memorable logo? If you're at the stage of creating a company logo design , you're in a position where you can impact how your customers perceive your brand.
And while it may seem like a simple task, knowing how to design a logo that helps you build a memorable brand requires a bit of effort. But once you know what makes you unique and what your brand is all about, it will be a lot easier for you to make design choices that complement each other.
Here are five steps for creating a company logo design that is scalable, flexible, and memorable.
Step 1: Start With Your Brand Story
Before creating a logo, take some time to craft your brand story. The way to do this is to stop thinking about what you do and start thinking about why you do it. The root of your story lies in answering the 'why,' and this gets translated into colors, typefaces, and the overall design of your logo.
Step 2: Study Your Competitors
Studying your competitors that fit within your brand guidelines gives you a different and unique insight into your industry. When you do thorough competitor research, you begin to understand how they built their brand, where you are in the brand-building process, and how to take things up a notch to exceed customer expectations.
Step 3: Look For Inspiration
When looking for inspiration, don't limit yourself to just looking at other logos. While that can be a great starting point, try observing everything around you and soak up all the inspiration you can find. Once you immerse yourself in the logo design process, you won't even have to look for inspiration—it'll come to you.
Step 4: Know What Makes A Great Logo
Once you have your brand story and inspiration in place, the next step is to understand the characteristics of a great business logo design. Designing a logo that follows design principles and tells a story takes effort. But you can do it as long as you build a logo that:
Stands the test of time
Resonates with your audience
Utilizes simplicity
Boasts versatility
Finding the delicate balance between these four components makes all the difference.
Step 5: Be Mindful Of Your Color Palettes And Fonts
Your company logo design will be placed on multiple different backgrounds, which is why you need to think about your color variations. A good practice is to create a version of your logo for both light and dark backgrounds. This might mean changing the font's color, or it could also mean changing the color of your entire logo.
Choosing a font is an equally important decision. The font you choose can say a lot about your business. You could either go with serif (with stems on each letter) or sans serif (no stems).
3 Rules To Choosing The Perfect Logo Background
When you are in the middle of creating a logo for your brand, you may wonder about the aspects that drive or hinder the design. Whether it’s the clarity, contrast, and even the imagery itself, your logo background acts as the backbone that structures all the elements coming together beautifully, provided that you choose a suitable one.
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Are there specific business logo ideas to follow when choosing the right background template? Certainly! And they’re not as complicated as you think.
These are the three essential aspects of an effective logo background template:
Use contrast to make your logo pop - Your logo background dictates whether your audience can easily understand it or not. Make sure that you employ the contrasts of your logo accordingly. If the elements of your logo are dark, use a white or plain background, and vice versa.
Remember your logo versatility - Before deciding on a logo background, you have to prepare and ensure that the design doesn’t interfere with other branding, marketing, and sales materials. Ensure that it doesn’t blend on any surface—it must stand out and shine proudly.
Choose your colors wisely - Choosing the color of your logo background correctly allows you to communicate specific ideas and beliefs. Colors organically spark a subconscious feeling in your audience, and your color choice for your logo background can shift the narrative.
6 Types Of Logo Backgrounds To Choose From
Choosing the right logo background is up to your preferences and understanding of your business and industry.
1. White
Source: Britannica
Choosing white is almost like choosing a blank canvas, which automatically provides you with good contrast to most colors, allowing the design to be as readable as possible. Not to mention, white enables the logo to sit perfectly on letterheads, envelopes, documents—anything white by choice or nature!
2. Black
Source: Wallpapercave
If you want to talk about standing out yet remaining classy, black wears the crown in this aspect. Choosing a black logo background works similarly to picking a white one—it’s neutral, and you get a great contrast with your design. It displays a stronger emotional impression.
3. Color
Source: The Nord Room
Using a colored logo background expresses a desire to communicate more deeply with your audience. Brand colors help build trust and elicit certain emotions that customers can associate with your business. This is especially important for colored logo backgrounds, as it is the largest part of your design.
These are a few basic meanings and symbolisms of colors for your understanding:
Red: A sign of energy and passion. This color is highly attention-grabbing, leading to a boost of brand recognition. Red encourages users to take action and dive into the business. Effective in small doses.
Blue: An expression of quiet determination. Blue is a sign of integrity and trust. This color puts people at ease with an air of calmness and serenity. Some of the top brands in the world utilize blue in their logos.
Orange: This color represents a unique blend of motivation, friendliness, and adventure. Brands that use orange portray an outgoing and lively zest for life to their customers.
Green: A sign of prosperity, growth, and transparency. Adding a touch of green can symbolize reliability in your business, allowing people to feel as though they are safe in your hands.
Yellow: This color stands out by evoking feelings of stimulation and peace (opposing traits) simultaneously. Yellow can show customers that your business is one with a warm and inspiring atmosphere. Effective in small doses.
Purple: The color of mystery and sophistication. Purple represents curiosity and creativity. This color shows your audience that you are an innovative thinker and that your business is classy and high-end.
4. Pattern
A patterned logo background conveys innovative concepts and ideas, making a strong imprint for your brand and memorability. Patterns are almost like pictures, and people are more inclined to remember images effortlessly. Another perk is the uniqueness of it all; patterns are a dime a dozen. It can boost brand recognition due to its distinction.
5. Gradient
Source: The Verge
A gradient logo background can be beautiful when executed correctly. Essentially, your gradient background is an unexpected detail, implementing two colors in a backdrop template. Because of the frequency of elements in a single component, the logo should be simple enough not to overload the entire visual.
6. Transparent
This one is non-negotiable. Regardless of which logo background you choose, you need to have a transparent version of it ready and handy for all occasions.
This grants you immense logo flexibility, allowing you to bypass attaching and printing hurdles. You could place this logo on many different mediums with little to no hassle.
Your logo background can significantly alter and refine your design to make it feel complete. The best thing you can do for your logo is to have it flawlessly and effectively communicate exactly who you are and what you do.
5 Creative Logo Icons To Consider
If you see a business logo design with a cupcake as an icon, you’d know right away that it belongs to a bakery business. That’s precisely what choosing the right logo icon does for your brand. It is the foundation of the associations people potentially make about your business.
Over time, these collective associations transition to a valuable business asset, one that most companies desire with a passion: brand recognition. There’s a lot on the line here, so where do you start? Start here!
Regardless of your preferences, whether you’re going for literal or symbolic, you will surely find the perfect logo icon that makes your design shine the brightest.
1. Abstract icon
Source: Wikimedia
Abstract logo icons are one of the most common options as they leave much room for imagination and symbolic representations. These visuals are not merely swirls, curves, and lines on a logo—they are illustrations of something more profound.
2. Animal icon
Source: Wikipedia
Animal visuals activate a specific instinctual command in consumers’ minds, inclining them to take action. Not to mention, these logo icons are also relatively easy to remember. People have to work to remember abstract icons, but everyone already knows what a particular animal looks like. Building the association is where the challenge lies.
3. Emblem icon
Source: Wikipedia
Emblem logo icons evoke a sense of prestige and nobility. They are also loaded with details and elements, making them the perfect choice for a brand that has much to say. If you’re looking for an air of sophistication that stands the test of time, you can’t go wrong with the emblem.
4. Geometric icon
Source: Toyota
Whether circles, squares, or even hexagons, geometric logo icons are a versatile and popular option among many businesses with differing industries. They provide a sense of precision, stability, and accuracy. And let’s be honest, those are definitely qualities you want to be associated with your business.
5. Interactive icon
Source: Marketplace
Interactive logo icons get great results as they can engage and affect customers by eliciting a thought or an emotion. The challenge here is the construction of these icons. They require immense planning and cohesiveness. After all, you’re coming up with a logo icon that evokes a subconscious response.
As long as you continue to strive for the perfect logo icon of your business, no matter how long or strenuous the process gets, you inch your way closer to greatness.
Best Logo Makers For Businesses
A logo maker is a fast, easy, and efficient way to get a great logo design for your business. However, there are so many best logo makers, so how do you choose one? Choosing the best logo makers for you solely based on speed and price may not be the best way to handle the process. Let’s dive into some other important factors.
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What are the pros and cons of a logo maker? Let’s break it down!
The pros of using a logo maker:
They are budget-friendly
They are sophisticated and easy to use
They are available around the clock
They are fast and efficient
They can give you more designs in a minute than any designer could
Some logo makers offer a branding kit along with the logo
The cons of using a logo maker:
You may not always get the exact design that you're looking for
You have to put in a bit of work to customize your logo
Not to be biased, but it appears the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Even then, the cons can be minimized with efficiency and forward-thinking on the logo maker’s part. This brings you to why LOGO.com is one of the best logo makers to choose for your business.
Why Is LOGO.com The Best Free Logo Maker In The Market?
LOGO.com is an efficient and user-friendly logo maker that is your best designer friend. The tool was created with two solid foundational aims:
To reduce the back and forth process that companies have with designers about their logo design. LOGO.com anticipates the common discussions between the two parties and has an optimization that tackles these setbacks right away.
To save customers thousands of hours worth of research to study logo designs and understand what kind of logos work better in creating that connection with the user.
Some of the best logo makers today require the user to have some design sensibilities. However, LOGO.com has already processed this information, and it only gives you resources to design your logo that have proven to be effective.
Not only do you get a wonderful logo for a cost-efficient price, you also get:
Full ownership of your logo
A social media kit
Business card templates
Email signatures
Brand guidelines
The option to edit your logo
A free domain name
A website builder and hosting
4 Other Logo Makers To Consider
Here are some other logo design company options to consider and how they compare to LOGO.com:
Looka - Looka has a great logo maker, but it is not optimal for users looking for a bargain. LOGO.com offers everything this platform has to offer at a more affordable cost— one where you can get way more than what you pay for.
Logo Makr - Logo Makr has dynamic selections for logo designs. However, speed and cost are significant factors. Receiving customized designs takes up to 24 hours, whereas LOGO.com has an average design time of 20 minutes.
GraphicSprings - GraphicSprings makes the logo designing process easy and intuitive with its simple interface. However, brand owners need more selection. It is best not to compromise quality designs for convenience and an easy structure.
Logo Garden - Logo Garden is a great choice for startups looking for a bargain. However, the design itself may not be state-of-the-art. LOGO.com allows any combination of elements to shine in a design while preserving quality.
Your logo can help you improve your business's recall value which can help promote word-of-mouth and strengthen brand loyalty. Nobody can know your brand as well as you do. We know you’ll make the right choice, and the right choice is LOGO.com.
3 Reasons To Use Logos With Words
Some of the most memorable logos are nothing but text, like CNN, Disney, and the infamous NASA worm. Creating a logo with words isn't as simple as using a fancy font. Logo design company are limited with how much they can modify letters until they're not recognizable. Get ahead of that by incorporating text with your logo that packs a punch.
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Logos that involve words, often called typographic logos, are a sound basis of logo design for various reasons.
A lot of information in one place - When designed well, a typographic logo delivers the brand's name, colors, and motifs all in one go.
Better brand awareness - When your company's name is the logo itself, it makes it easier for people to remember the name and the 'feeling' behind your brand.
Easy to replicate - Whether on websites, letterheads, packaging supplies, and pop-up stores, logos with words perform well on just about all types of mediums, making it ideal for growing brands looking to spread awareness.
5 Requirements Of A Logo With Words
There are some fundamental things that every business logo design with words should do:
It clearly shows the brand name - The point of a logo with words is to show off the brand's name. The font needs to be legible and easy to read.
It ties in with other branding aspects - Your logo is central to your brand identity and is pivotal in its consistency.
It uses the right colors - Colors are crucial to your logo with words. When picking the colors of your font, remember that the font needs to be readable on all surfaces.
It works in both small and large sizes - Your font and the entire logo need to be readable on both ends of the scale, such as business cards and billboards.
It must be memorable - Being memorable is a fundamental principle of any logo design. Trends come and go. An edgy font that's eye-catching now probably won't stand the test of time.
2 Kinds Of Logos With Words
These are the 2 kinds of logos with words to consider for your business:
1. Monograms And Lettermarks
One of the most common forms of logos with letters is the monogram or lettermark. More often than not, these types of logos are used with initials. The acronyms of these lengthy company names have become their own identity. In nearly all forms of letter marks, you'll see one consistent design theme: simplicity.
2. Wordmarks And Logotypes
Simply put, a wordmark is the entire company's name spelled out and used as the logo. Depending on the length of your brand name and your design system, logotypes might be an ideal solution. Wordmarks are great for new businesses as it's a logo and brand name wrapped up in one neat little package. A lot of information is delivered in one go.
Why Is It Essential For You To Have Different Logo Variations?
Let’s set the scene. You have an excellent logo, and it looks great sitting on your company website. Sooner or later, you may want to tap into other mediums of marketing, such as social media branding, business card designs, email signatures, etc. That logo on your website won’t necessarily be a good fit for some of these channels. What now?
This is where logo variations come in. You might think you only need one main logo to represent your business. Eventually, you’ll come to realize that you need multiple formats to keep up with various platforms for brand marketing purposes.
The logo design on your company website has enough space to sit pretty and perfectly. But you can’t use that logo on Instagram, where you’d have a small and compact area to work with—it may not be readable to your viewers. And even if it is, it certainly won’t have as good a presentation as it did on your website.
All logo variations are designed to suit different platforms and channels, so you never have to break a sweat over the sizing and placements of your logo, no matter where you put it. More than that, it gives you versatility as a brand, which you can maximize to your branding and marketing needs.
The 6 Kinds Of Logo Variations To Have In Your Arsenal
One of the most important things for your business is to have a set of logo variations that complement each other and solve different problems. Here they are:
1. Primary Logo Design
Your primary logo is the one that you widely use the most. It can also be defined as the origin of other logo variations. It’s a self-explanatory image of your brand, containing its illustration, wording, icons, and sometimes even location information.
2. Stacked Logo Design
There will be times where you won’t have all the space in the world to fit primary logos, but there’s still a moderate amount to work with. A stacked logo helps in this situation. Depending on the orientation of the primary logo, a stacked logo faces another direction, one that might be more suited for smaller to average spaces.
3. Submark Logo Design
Think of a submark logo as a mini-me version of your primary logo; most of it is preserved but still redesigned for channels where a full main logo wouldn’t fit very well. The difference is that you may have to forego some aspects of your logo, keeping only the business name and icon.
4. Wordmark Logo Design
Wordmark logos are essential because they bring out the core perception of your business: your name. Your business name is what shines a spotlight on you. It’s what people need to remember the most to make the association to your products/services and other branding elements.
5. Icon Logo Design
Some logos don’t have an icon, but if your logo has one, that’s an added logo variation in your arsenal that may prove to be helpful in certain situations. If you’re reading this article on a desktop, you’ll find a tiny little brand icon on your browser tab. Those are called favicons, and they serve a single purpose: provide a branded touch to your website.
6. One-Color Logo Design
If you want to test your logo on its strength and effectiveness, this logo variation is an absolute indicator for it. A one-color logo has, well, one color. The point of this design is to provide a neutral visual that is simple and instantly readable on many various backgrounds and platforms.
Having logo variations is not a requirement, but it significantly boosts brand versatility, professionalism, authenticity, and pride.
3 Ways To Know It’s Time For A Logo Redesign
Your logo is an integral part of your brand identity. A well-designed logo helps with brand recall and communicates vital messaging to your audience. However, your logo can become dated, and you’ll need a logo redesign.
How do you know it’s time for a logo redesign? These three indications suggest a change:
When your business evolves - Perhaps you've recently added a new line of product or service categories to your company or are now servicing a new business domain unrelated to your original segment. If your company has grown and evolved, it might be time to update your logo as well.
When you’re targeting a new audience - Let’s say your brand is a fashion label targeting people between the age of 20-30. Your audience base will be continually changing. Your brand needs to evolve to stay updated with the latest trends. When you find this happening, consider making adjustments.
When you have a dated logo - Most brands are identified by their name, slogan, or logo. Both the slogan and logo can age over time. The aesthetics tire and technological advancements could mean you need adaptive logos that work with modern devices.
3 Things To Keep In Mind During The Process
A logo will need a makeover as time goes on. When going in for your logo redesign, keep the following three points in mind:
1. Which Elements Do You Keep And Change?
Try incorporating subtle changes into your logo while maintaining its overall look. When you opt to change only a few elements of your logo, you give fresh legs to your logo without losing audience recall. If you feel you need to make sweeping changes, break up the changes over time and multiple iterations.
2. Are Your Customers Attached To The Old Logo?
Sweeping changes to your logo can often yield polarised opinions. Some customers may love it while others will hate it. By limiting the scope of the redesign, you will prevent polarized opinions. Once you finalize your redesign, test it with your consumers. Use focus groups with your consumers to seek feedback and be prepared to make changes.
3. What Is The Extent Of The Change?
It's not always easy to define the extent of change required in the redesign process. Does your logo need a tweak or two, or does it need a complete overhaul? Incremental changes are great when you want to make minor tweaks to ensure your logo looks up to date. Either way, it’s okay as long as you clearly express your goals.
Conclusion
A logo is the silent spokesperson of a brand, and it speaks a thousand words. It embodies the essence of what a company stands for, making it an essential component during the brand-emerging process.
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Designing a logo is not easy, but the rewards are absolutely fruitful.
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