Logos are the first and foremost defining factor of your brand’s perception. If they’re generic, they’ll probably be forgotten or misinterpreted but if they’re unique, they can elicit a memory or a certain emotion with the viewer, therefore, engraving it in their memory. If you want to design a logo for your or any company, the impact of the perception lies in your hands.
This rendition will speak volumes about the prospects of your company’s identity. It’s vital to ensure from the beginning that you present a solid and clear statement regarding your company’s message.
While a logo may seem quite simple to create, a great one isn’t always necessarily easy. It involves robust market research, awareness of your buyer personas, and thoughtful consideration of the principles of logo design. Only after so many iterations do you finally get it ‘just right’.
We’ve broken down the entire process you’ll need to take to design a logo that not only satisfies you, but also lies with your prospects.
1. Story
Marketers today would agree that buyers connect much more strongly to stories than they do to the basic facts of your product. This means there needs to be some story in your logo. For instance, when we look at Pespi, we don’t see a black, carbonated drink — we see red and blue colours and non- generic script letters.
The point to focus here isn’t what your company does it’s why you do it. That ‘why’ is the root of your story; it should prevail in the color, shape, and font style of your logo.
If you struggle with this stage, a top brand identity agency can help identify and highlight the story behind your company.
2. Brainstorm
Now that you have a why, it’s time to think about the what. Start brainstorming words that relate to your product, keep in mind you can use a thesaurus to better aid you.
For example, if you’re in the Food industry, you might simply type in ‘food’ You’d be surprised by how descriptive the synonyms are that appear till you zero in on the most apt ones.
Select the most relatable words that describe the what as well as why. Each of these words can help guide you to refining a concept.
3. Sketch
Using the why and selected keywords for bearing, start sketching every idea that comes into your head. Keep refining, using previous sketches to influence the outcome of new ones. You could also inspire an idea or a feature of your logo from another logo. You might focus these sketches on a shape or the name of your brand or brand logo.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Keep the shape simple for starters.
- Shun any popular clip-art artwork or generic symbols like a globe, star, or similar icons that people too easily identify from other places.
- Colors can be difficult to select. You need to include color with your logo, but be selective of the colors you use. Read up on color psychology to get an idea.
- Generally, don’t choose more than three colors. Choose a color or group of colors that best suit your idea; please don’t turn it into a rainbow!
4. Buyer Persona
Pick three concepts that your eyes keep going to and share these drafts with your friends and family members. The better judge would be someone who fits your buyer persona because they will give you the most productive opinion on your artwork. This will allow you to have an idea of what your customers might think or feel when they see your logo.
Brace yourself for honest feedback and criticism. Don’t take any negative comments personally. Use the feedback to select one final concept to develop into a design.
5. Refinement
To begin refining, look at the brainstormed words now look at your chosen sketch and use them to develop your sketch further. Add back the traits you liked best about the different iterations you made and combine them together.
6. Free Designing
Now’s the time to turn your sketch into a usable digital format. To bring this design to life, many free design platforms are available. Some of these are:
These platforms will provide you easily usable tools to create your logo but what you need is technical direction since your logo will be targeted towards a business audience. Make sure all of your text and shapes are perfectly balanced and the logo itself is aligned with its surroundings. The logo doesn’t need to be symmetrical but it should appear even with surroundings no matter how you re-purpose your logo.
7. Colors
Initially, to design a logo it is important to select a versatile color scheme, which initially may look good against the canvas you designed it on but it will eventually be placed on various backgrounds and needs to pop out.
Always certify logo color disparities for both dark and light backgrounds. Now this might mean in some cases, you will have to change the color of your entire logo.
Create an assortment of options to fit your business merchandise and apparel which include but isn’t limited to, T-shirts, stickers, notepads, and coffee mugs.
8. Font
Choosing the appropriate font can be a tedious task. If your chosen sketch is mainly a shape or symbol, try to incorporate the name of your company. Consider the font style this text will carry if your company name ever stands on its own.
Try to avoid basic fonts that are standard and monotonous on every word processor. Some examples of generic fonts are Times New Roman and Comic Sans. These fonts will only aid in making your logo generic and unappealing to the masses. however, there is a catch it does depend on how ingeniously you use this font.
Google has a bulk of free premium quality fonts which you can use for your logo.
9. Scale
Your logo will represent your company on multiple platforms — in print, website, on each of your social media business pages, and across the internet as your business grows. You require the accurate size and dimension so that it can be put on a billboard without pixelating or screened onto the side of a souvenir pen. The entirety of the logo should be legible, regardless of the logo’s size.
We know it can be a tad bit overwhelming for a beginner, but take it gently and don’t rush yourself into it. After all, It’s better to go through the process in a methodical way to avoid a design error or even a change of heart later on.
Also See: How to start a startup
