One of the first things you need to create when building a brand is your logo. Think of it as your calling card that lets everyone know who made a specific product. However, learning how to make a logo for your business is not easy, in fact, it’s pretty difficult.
Luckily, I am going to help you streamline the process with these awesome logo creation tips.
What Makes Designing One So Difficult?
There are two main factors that are problematic for beginners when they are creating their first logo.
- Creating the logo using software
- Making the logo standout
However, with the right approach both of these should not be too troublesome to overcome.
For example, one of the biggest mistakes that a beginner makes is trying to create it themself with no graphic design experience. Thanks to all of the great free logo makers available online, creating it by using some photo editing software, like Photoshop, is a big no-no unless you have experience.
As for making one stand out, there are hundreds of examples of successful logos to study. And I assure you, if you look closely enough, you will uncover a few similarities amongst them.
Why Do You Need A Logo For Your Website?
If there is one thing that every successful business and website have in common, it’s a logo. Without exception, every single successful company has a representing image.
And there is a very good reason they do. A well-designed logo can help give a new customer an idea of what your business is all about.
For example, when you look at the Burger King logo, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. It’s the words Burger King between two buns. Anyone unfamiliar with the brand would be able to figure out they make Burgers.
However, this isn’t necessary. For example, take the Facebook logo, a blue “f.” It tells me nothing about Facebook as a company, but it’s something that everyone recognizes at a glance.
Once a logo becomes associated with your brand, it helps build recognition.
There Are Three Types of Logos
If you take a look at the most popular logos, you will notice that there are similarities between them. In fact, you can break up their design choices into 3 types.
Note: There are actually a lot more types of logos. However, a lot of these can be broken down into smaller subgroups. But for simplicity’s sake, we are going to keep them in 3 large groups.
Wordmark Logo
The Wordmark Logo is the simplest type. It is your companies name written in a specific font and color. Some great examples of this are Google, Cocacola, eBay, and even our very own logo at GreenGeeks.
The key is making sure to pick a font that represents the tone of your company while matching it with the color.
The main advantage of picking this type of logo is simplicity. It can be pretty difficult to come up with a unique logo in a crowded market place. And as an added bonus, everyone who views this type of logo knows your company name.
Pictorial Mark Logo
The Pictorial Mark Logo is the traditional idea of a logo. You select an image that clearly identifies the company or brand. Some great examples of this are Apple, Twitter, Target, Shell, and many more.
The key, here, is making sure it matches the company name or the main feature of your product.
For example, Apple’s logo is an apple. It’s pretty straight forward but very effective. On the flip side, look at Twitter. It uses a blue-bird. The idea is that birds make a “tweet-tweet” sound, and while on the platform all you will do is send or read tweets from other people. Thus, it makes perfect sense.
Combination Logo
The Combination Logo is simply a word and image combined into one. It is a great choice for companies that want to use an image, but their name doesn’t make it easy to do so. A few excellent examples of this include Doritos, Taco Bell, Adidas, KFC and more.
Take the Taco Bell logo for example. It’s an image of a bell with the words Taco Bell underneath. If it was just the bell, it wouldn’t be an obvious representation of the company. But when you add the companies name to it, you get the whole picture.
4 Ways to Make A Logo Standout
Before you even begin creating a logo, you need to understand how to make one that will stand out. And more importantly, you need to have a clear image of your brand in mind.
Here are 4 tips to help yours stand out from the competition:
1. Pick the Right Colors
Color is the most important choice when it comes to logo selection. Your color selection will make or break the image, but it’s not an easy thing to pick. It largely depends on the tone of your business and the type of logo you are choosing.
Each color has a meaning that triggers a phycological response. For example, the color red represents power, energy, strength, excitement, passion, life, courage, love, celebration, and seduction. It covers almost every emotion that a business hopes to trigger in a customer.
And as a result, it is by far the most popular color choice for logo design, especially in the food industry.
However, some logos are not made up of one color. Instead, you may consider using two colors. However, I would not recommend using more than two. In fact, 95% of all logos are either made up of one or two colors.
So, how do I use this information to my advantage?
Read up on what each color represents, make sure it matches the tone of your website, and ensure it looks good with your style of logo.
2. Make It Simple
You may think this is counterintuitive when you are trying to stand out, but being simple really does do the job. You do not want to pick a logo that makes someone think as it should be recognizable at a glance.
This is why logos that just consist of the company name are so popular. There’s nothing to guess as it really is just the name of the company in an attractive font. It’s also why simple pictures work just as well, like Apple’s logo. It’s just an Apple, nothing more.
Sometimes saying less is more.
3. Understand Your Audience
Obviously, you want your logo to appeal to as many people as possible, but you can’t please everyone. In reality, you should build a logo that caters to your target audience.
For instance, if you run a law firm, you may notice that logos are typically the office name. This is because it’s very professional and what people want to see from their lawyers. These are great examples, of a targetted logo.
If you do not take your audience into consideration, you not only risk not appealing to everyone but also appealing to no one.
4. Be Creative
This may seem like a strange point when I previously listed simplicity as a tip, but let me assure you, you can do both. Sometimes just the act of being simple is creative in and of itself.
The best example of this is FedEx’s logo. Did you know that the empty space in between “EX” creates an arrow? It’s a really creative fact in an otherwise simple logo of its name.
Of course, not every business will be able to have this hidden meaning, but it’s a great thing to strive for.
Another approach to consider changing the appearance of a letter. For example, consider the Chick-fil-A logo. The “C” resembles a chicken. It’s simple, but it does stand out.
You don’t have to be needlessly complicated to be creative.
3 Ways to Create a Logo
Now that you have a few guidelines to follow and have probably come up with a few ideas, you’re ready to make your own. Just remember that the method you choose should take into consideration your budget. After all, the design process can get pretty expensive.
Here are 3 ways you can bring them to life:
1. Using a Logo Maker
If you’re completely new to graphic design, but insist on doing it yourself, using a logo maker is the way to go. Many free and premium options can help you make a stunning logo. In fact, we already have a list of the best free logo makers online.
However, be warned that while these tools are great when starting out, some of them tend to produce similar results when compared next to each other. This can make your design less original, which is why you may want to consider the premium option.
Premium platforms have far more customization options and can help you create a logo that really stands out from the competition.
Companies spend millions of dollars redesigning their logos, so don’t be afraid to pay for a better logo maker. It is your brand’s image after all.
2. Hire a Graphic Designer
If a logo maker is not working for you and you have some money to spend, consider hiring a graphic designer to do it for you. This is typically how you get the best result, especially if you are spending a lot.
However, make sure you hire a logo designer. The term graphic designer has become incredibly broad in 2020, and just hiring one may not get the results you want. Logo designers specialize in what they do and it shows.
If your curious about how the process typically works, it’s pretty simple. You provide an idea to the designer and they provide feedback and offer their own input on how it can be made better. In fact, just by getting another person’s input on your design can have a positive result in the end.
3. Create it In Photoshop
If you have years of graphic design experience under your belt, you should consider making it from scratch in a photo editing software like Photoshop. This helps you avoid following a template like in a logo maker, which tends to offer less original creations.
Although, there are a lot of guides for building logos if you are looking for a template.
But let me make one thing clear; do not do this if you are inexperienced. If your logo looks bad, it reflects on how others perceive your business.
It is important to point out, however, that this does tend to run the risk of it getting personal if it doesn’t come out well. Many people are unable to take criticism when their creation is not working well. And it can take a long time to design one from scratch, even with the proper knowledge.
On the other hand, this method could save you a lot of money if you have the skills.
Collect Feedback
Before you release a logo to the public, you should try to collect as much feedback as possible. This can help you catch a mistake or avoid releasing a low-quality image that will do more harm than good.
And you can use it as a way to engage with your audience.
A great way to do this is to share it on social media or make a post on your blog about your new potential logo. Ask for feedback in the comment section and use that information to potentially make any changes and redesign ideas in the future.
Only Release A Quality Product
You may have gotten the idea that putting together a quick logo is good for business. But, a bad one can do more damage than good. For this reason, I strongly recommend taking the design process seriously and only release a quality graphic.
For many customers or visitors, it might be the first thing they see. First impressions are important, so don’t let the logo be what drove them away.
Did you create your own logo or hire a graphic designer? What color did you choose?