Designing a logo is simple, right? Think again. There’s more to crafting a brand’s visual identity than just placing a name in a square and calling it a day.
Logo designers are in high demand, and it’s for good reason – a logo is often a company’s first impression, one that can impact a customer’s brand perception, purchase decisions and overall attitude toward a product.
We live in a society painted with brand logos. Even toddlers who can’t yet tie their own shoelaces recognize many logos or are able to deduce what a company sells just by looking at its brandmark.
For those who are about to embark on a brand design journey, or think it’s time for their company’s visual identity to undergo a face lift, I asked some design experts to provide tips on creating a great logo.
Here you are;
Get Inspired
The first step to a killer logo is an idea. So start feeding your brain with new impressions and experiences. Use anything that works for you. Try hiking and gain inspiration from nature. Or visit an art gallery. Meditation, photography, action sports… In a nutshell, any kind of activity that fills you up with energy and joy may help you get that revolutionary idea.
Be Unique & Clever
A logo is what helps distinguish a brand from its competitors, so it’s important that the image stands out from the rest — something many brands struggle with.
In many cases, imitation is the best form of flattery — with logo design, this is not the case. “What’s important is to create something that you believe is different from anything already out there,” David Airey, a graphic designer and creator of website Logo Design Love says. “It’s highly unlikely (some say impossible) that what you create will be original, but that should be the goal.”
Creating a unique design isn’t all about avoiding imitation, but also about designing something out-of-the-box. It’s tempting to just throw an industry icon on the page, but it’s important to think creatively. “The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an airplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer,” Airey notes in his book.
Keep It Simple
All iconic logos are simple: Apple, Nike, Microsoft, Audi and many other ones are perfect examples. You will recognize them from thousands of others because they have simple yet unique features. The main feature should be the most recognizable, like four rings in Audi logo and the tick sign in Nike.
Be aware that the design of your logo may be changed in the future as the company grows, so it must be flexible as well. Make your logo as simple as possible by using simple elements like circles, lines, rings, etc. but don’t discount creativity when doing so.
Color Is the Key
When taking the brand’s personality into account, you have to think about every aspect of the image. Bright and bold colors may grab someone’s attention, but could also seem brash; muted tones exude sophistication, but could be overlooked.
Every color has a different implication and can bring nuance to your message — don’t fall into the trap of conveying the wrong message because of a simple brush stroke. The Logo Company released an article “The Science Behind Colors” and an info-graphic displaying The Psychology of Color in Logo Design. Here’s a quick break-down:
- Red: energetic, sexy, bold
- Orange: creative, friendly, youthful
- Yellow: sunny, inventive, optimism
- Green: growth, organic, instructional
- Blue: professional, medical, tranquil, trustworthy
- Purple: spiritual, wise, evocative
- Black: credible and powerful
- White: simple, clean, pure
- Pink: fun and flirty
- Brown: rural, historical, steady
Original
The whole idea of having a logo gets defeated when your logo is not original. Your logo is an extension of your company and needs to be original else it can do more harm than good to you. Although you can always take inspiration from other logo designs that you admire, copying others work is not acceptable.
Whatever you design, you should always check that your creation does not incur any plagiarism, with the risk that it has chances to get confused with that of any other existing company.
Don’t Expect Overnight Success
Although a successful logo may grow with your business, it must be identifiable from one year to the next. You may change small elements of your logo, or adapt it to your company’s changing needs, but the concept should stay the same.
Reinventing your logo should happen only under the most dramatic circumstances, because your logo is your face to the world: without it, your organization has no identity.
Changing your identity can cause you to lose customers, lose sales, or lose traction in the market.
Know the Power of Typography
There are hundreds of fonts out there to use in your logos. Every font reflects something. Serif is a little bit traditional. For the modern look, try the fonts from the Sans-Serif. If you want your text to look carefree or formal, Script font is recommended.
Travel companies can use the handwritten script. Serif is used to look traditional; Sans-Serif is a good idea if your brand produces innovative products.
Make most out of these tips to a make a killer logo that represents the uniqueness of your brand! If you want a badass logo for your company, don’t forget to check our services page.
Closing Note
Finally, as you strive to develop the skills to come up with killer logo designs, you must have in mind that it takes time, and you may not get it right the first time. However, you must never quit but instead keep on practicing so that you can improve your designs with time.
Always be sure to improve continuously your knowledge by every available resource at your disposal. Without a strong desire to learn how to create killer logo designs, you will be just like any average designer, and you will never know what it feels to be at the top of your game.
With proper research, design knowledge, experience, and keeping into account the said tips, you will be surely able to come up with a stellar logo design for your website.
Does your site has a great logo? If so, what would you advise?
Sources: biznessapps, mashable, apppartner, justcreative, thelogocreative, inkbotdesign, creativebloq, tailorbrands, blankmarketing, logomaven
I could create a great logo with this guide. I just wanted to thank you for sharing this detailed information with others. I’m going to share this post with some of my friends to let them take advantage of creating a great logo too.
You’re welcome Jeannette, thanks for your comment.
Hello Ali,
This is another valuable lesson I am learning from you. Thank you for your generosity in imparting your knowledge and experiences.
God bless you more,
Chuna
You’re welcome Chuna, I’m happy to see that you liked it. )
Hi Ali! Great blog post! Your writing is getting better and better. This blog post is very thought provoking. I have been thinking about my logo for a while now and haven’t thought about designing it myself. What a great idea! I now have some inspiration to go on. I’m going to go now brainstorm some ideas. Also, I didn’t even think about color and how that may be perceived by others; oh yeah and the font! Yes, great tips. 💡😁💖
You’re welcome Lili and I’m happy to see that you’ve found my post helpful. )
Hi Ali,
Thank you for this interesting article on creating a logo for a website.
It was very informative and broken down so it was simple, and easy to understand the process of making one.
Your posts are great help, especially for someone like myself who is new to the business.
I will be keeping an eye for more informative posts like this in the future, to help me with my business going forward.
All the best,
Adam
You’re welcome Adam. Hope you’ll use this guide to make your own logo beautifully.
Best,
Ali
A very informative article, thanks for providing these insights into making a digital logo for a website. This is one area where I have struggled with , always trying to make the perfect design from to get-go. Need to let go a bit and take it as a step-by-step process, and realise that it can change over time.
I have just started to think about the colour implications when utilised on my websites. In the past I have tended to use colours that I personal like when creating things. I am now thinking more about what would be good for the customer’s experience. Like you have noted, the style each colour gives representation to. How will it be viewed?
Hi Johan, my experience says that customers and readers prefer to see dark colors for text and light colors for images, banners, etc. So it depends on your niche and audience but always try to pick a color that is most suite for your visitors.
Thank you for this wonderfully comprehensive post on creating killer logos!
The importance of one’s logo design cannot be overstated. You are right on point with keeping it simple with straightforward shapes and clean design. For now I am using a very simple logo that I designed myself on Canva, keeping in mind that an upgrade will be necessary as I build.
I found the color key very useful and am happy to know that my use of green is right in line with my intentions, according to your key. By providing us with technical (color, typography, simplicity), emotional (don’t expect overnight success), and creativity reminders, you give a well-rounded initial blueprint for someone who needs seriously to consider a logo for their business. Or, in my case, an upgraded version of what they have now . So I have bookmarked this page and will be returning to review your points when I am ready to tackle the my logo project. Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Kris. It’s good to see that you’ve found my article useful. )
Best,
Ali
Hey great work again. I have been thinking about creating logo for my website last few days, so this article is a bingo for me. Creating logo for your business is very important I agree. All well-known brands and websites today have a logo that stays into peoples mind. You mentioned just few of the popular brands and their logos knows everybody. People are aware that their products and managment are great and they trust them. You cannot really say anything bad for you know Sony, Yamaha, Audi, Mercedes and so on. Great corporations with great hi-tech products even better logos. “COLOR IS THE KEY” part of article re-opened my mind, I forget how colors are important in attracting people and how every color sends different message. Keep up great articles and thank you for sharing with us.
You’re welcome Tom. Thank you for your comment. )
thanks Ali
I love the colour psychology, thanks for the reminder.
Logos are indeed a powerful way to build identity and a following and the great thing is that if you get stuck, there are so many talented designers on freelance sites who can create awesome designs for not that much money
You’re welcome Tariq. )