Your logo is one of the most important parts of your branding, as it has a major impact on how your customers perceive your brand. So naturally, you want your logo to be outstanding. But how do you get there?
In this ultimate guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to design the perfect logo for your business in eight simple steps. Whether you’re thinking of using a logo maker to get started or working directly with a designer, understanding logos and how to design them will help you build the cornerstone of your brand.
Read on to learn how to design a logo, from defining your brand’s identity to making the right design choices and navigating the whole process from start to finish.
Why you need a logo, and why it needs to be great
Your logo will have a huge impact on your business’s first impression. It gives your customers that first piece of information about your brand and lets them know if it’s right for them.
Because your logo is an essential part of your brand, you want to make sure it’s done well.
All your branding materials will have your logo on them. A great, professional logo design not only has the power to communicate what you stand for, but it can also help you stand out from the competition.
How to design a logo in 9 steps
1. Define your brand identity
Before your logo can communicate the essence of your brand, you need to understand its core personality. Once you have a clear idea of your unique brand identity, it will be much easier to make design choices.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to get to the bottom of your brand identity:
- Why did you start this business?
- What are the beliefs and values that are important to your company?
- What do you do better than anyone else?
- What makes your business special?
- If you could describe your brand in three words, what would they be?
2. Find inspiration for your design
Finding logo inspiration can be the hardest part of the design process. Luckily, we’ve got some tips to guide you through it.
Start with a brainstorm
A proper brainstorming session can not only help you refine your initial ideas but also come up with completely new ones you hadn’t even considered before. Follow these three steps to draw out the best creative logo ideas:
- Every idea counts: Brainstorming is about getting all the ideas out (even those not-so-good ones) and writing them down because even a horrible idea can spark a conversation that leads to something great.
- Think like your audience: Make a list of words that describe your brand and how you want it to be perceived. Think like a person in your target demographic, and always remember what’s important to them.
Get everyone involved: A one-person brainstorm is fine, but diversity is where the real magic happens. Bring in people from every department or even friends and business partners. The more perspectives, the better.
Source: Logo design by Virtuoso via 99designs by Vista
Source: Logo design by Terry Bogard via 99designs by Vista
When it comes to brainstorming ideas your logo, don’t be afraid to think outside the box. See how logos like the ones for Crypto Caveman and Sweet Trip cleverly combine ideas that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with each other, like cryptocurrencies and cavemen or a honey bee and a pin on a map? These creative choices help both companies to express their character and stand out from the crowd.
Make a mood board
If you’re a visual person, a mood board may be the perfect tool for you to get inspired. You can create an actual board by cutting out and pinning printed images, or make a digital one (Pinterest is a great choice). Simply collect all the images you feel drawn to — those can be other logos, color combinations, illustrations or graphics, go wild! Need a good place to start? We suggest checking out our logo inspiration gallery.
Source: Logo design by Virtuoso via 99designs by Vista
Source: Logo design by KaWolfram via 99designs by Vista
Think about how your business can be visualized in your logo. Simply Rooted is all about local, down-to-earth food, and their vintage logo perfectly reflects that with hand-drawn vegetables front and center. If you’re striving for a similar aesthetic, your mood board might include images of vintage logos, handmade illustrations and organic shapes and colors. Or take a look at how the Rugged logo visualizes its “rugged” brand identity in a bold and rough-looking word mark, but still includes a luxurious vibe with a reflective gold effect. Your mood board allows you to see all these elements together and experiment before you start designing.
3. Check out the competition
The best place to see different ideas in the real world? Your competition! Check out what’s already out there, what’s working well and what you should avoid. While stalking those other businesses, think about what makes them different from you and how you can emphasize these differences in your logo design.
Be sure to clearly set yourself apart from your competition. If all the other businesses in your industry are going monochrome, you could choose some color to stand out. If everyone else is traditional, a fun and modern logo could attract more intrigue and attention.
4. Choose your design style
Now that you have a clear idea of your brand, it’s time to start translating that into the design. There are lots of different elements that come into play here, from colors, shapes, graphics and typography. Isolating each component and what it can do for your logo will help you take things step by step, rather than getting overwhelmed with the whole design all at once.
When thinking about your logo, the first thing you want to do is pick the right design aesthetic for your brand. There is no one style that is right for everyone, only what’s best for your brand.
Classic
Trendy logos can be fun and exciting, but they can become outdated faster than more traditional designs. A classic style gives you better staying power and can help you reach a broader audience. This aesthetic keeps it simple and doesn’t venture out into crazy color palettes, graphics or fonts. A classic style tells people that you are reliable and down to earth.
Retro or vintage
There is a reason why vintage and retro designs have been on trend for quite some time now. They instantly remind you of the past and evoke romantic feelings of nostalgia. A vintage logo tells customers that history is important to you and that whatever you sell is done right. Worn and hand-illustrated logos in brown and beige color palettes fit this aesthetic beautifully.
Modern and minimalist
Brands can choose a clean and minimalist style to communicate how fresh and modern they are. This style uses a lot of whitespace, minimal details and simple lines, often resulting in sleek, pared-back logos. A minimalist and modern style shows your customers that your brand is up-to-date, cool and considered.
Fun and quirky
This is a popular choice for brands with a young (or young at heart) target audience. Fun and quirky styles tend to be colorful and cute, often using symbols or illustrations to create a positive and friendly vibe. Go for a whimsical mascot or a sweet illustration to let your brand’s fun personality shine through.
Handmade and handcrafted
A handcrafted style shares a clear message: this brand is individualistic and stands for handmade quality. The style works well in combination with other aesthetics, like vintage, to really drive the message home. But it can also be combined with minimal and quirky styles for a simple and sophisticated or bright and youthful look.
Can’t pick just one? Of course, these styles aren’t mutually exclusive. You can mix and match them to suit your brand. For instance, your brand can be both handmade and fun.
5. Find the right type of logo
In addition to the overall style, there are 7 main types of logos you can choose when creating your logo. You can pick the one that suits your company name or overall aesthetic best, or combine them to create something unique.
Lettermarks (or monogram logos)
Lettermark logos can streamline your company logo, especially if your name is very long or hard to remember. Many businesses choose to go by their initials – just think of HP, CNN or H&M. These monograms can be great for minimalist logos, but remember that they are not very good at expressing what your business is about at a glance.
Wordmarks (or logotypes)
Wordmarks are a straightforward way of using your company name as a logo. To give them personality and recognition value, they are all about typography. If you’ve got a great name for your brand, this could be the perfect way to put it in the foreground.
Pictorial marks (or logo symbols)
When we hear the word “logo,” we often think of pictorial marks or logo symbols. These are iconographic images that are easily recognizable and unique to your business. You can choose something simple or more complex, but make sure to pick a symbol that creates a clear connection to your brand.
Abstract logo marks
Instead of a recognizable symbol, abstract logos are geometric forms that don’t establish an immediate connection to an existing image but create something entirely new for your brand. An abstract logo mark will condense your business into a symbol that is truly unique to you. If you want your abstract logo to create a certain mood or feeling, consider experimenting with the meanings of different geometric logo shapes.
Mascots
Mascot logos are a fun way to give your brand some extra personality. They are often colorful, cartoonish characters that represent your business in a family-friendly and approachable way.
Combination mark
A combination mark combines a symbol with a word mark to create an easily recognizable logo. The brand name is either placed next to the symbol or is integrated into the graphic element. People will associate both elements with your brand, which allows you to use them both alone or together.
Emblem
Similar to combination marks, emblem logos often combine word and pictorial elements. They usually consist of text integrated with a symbol or icon, such as badges, seals or crests. These traditional shapes can give a logo a very old-school and classic appearance.
6. Pay attention to color
Colors can have many different meanings. The psychology behind color is complex, but to keep it short, colors often have certain emotions and ideas attached to them. To learn more about color theory, check out this in-depth guide on the meanings of logo colors.
- Red stands for excitement, passion and anger. It’s a great choice if your brand is loud and youthful and wants to stand out.
- Orange is associated with change. It’s also a vibrant, invigorating and playful color.
- Yellow is accessible and friendly, giving off a cheerful, affordable and youthful energy.
- Green can create feelings of harmony and calm, and is perfect for any brand that wants to establish a connection to nature.
- Blue is a very popular logo color. It’s calming, cool and symbolizes trustworthiness and maturity.
- Purple can be your ticket to looking luxurious. Depending on the shade, purple can be mysterious, eclectic or even magical!
- Pink is bright and bold. It can stand for youth and innocence while still looking modern and luxurious.
- Brown works perfectly for rugged and masculine vintage logos. It can give your brand a handmade, unique and aged look.
- Black is sleek, modern and luxurious. Want to keep things simple but eye-catching? Choose black.
- White is clean, modern and minimalistic. It can also be combined with other colors to add a youthful and economical touch.
- Gray creates a mature, classic and serious look. Darker shades look more mysterious, while lighter shades are more accessible.
Combining colors
Of course, you don’t need to stick to just one color. You can combine several colors to tell a complete brand color story. To make sure your colors work well together, take a look at the color wheel.
- Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the wheel. They bring out the best in both colors and create a dynamic and bold look.
- Analogous colors are next to each other on the wheel. If you want your logo colors to be harmonious, make them analogous.
- Triadic colors draw from three equal sections on the color wheel. Pick these for a vibrant but balanced look.
7. Pick the right typography
The right font will not only complement your overall design but also help you fine-tune the personality of your logo. There are 4 basic types of fonts you can work with:
- Serif fonts were a popular font in traditional printing and are easily identified by the little “feet” (called serifs) at the end of each letter. These fonts are classic and sophisticated, but they’re also very versatile. They look great with most kinds of design but work especially well with vintage, elegant or classic designs.
- Sans-serif fonts are perfect for a modern and clean look. Sans means “without” in French, so this font lacks the little feet found on serif fonts. This works great for modern brands.
- Script fonts, reminiscent of handwriting, range from elegant calligraphy to more relaxed and down-to-earth styles. Use them to make your logo look more individualistic.
- Display fonts are decorative, highly stylized fonts that really catch the eye.
Combining different logo fonts is a great way to add more emphasis and contrast, so consider which font types could pair well together when experimenting with different styles.
8. Bring it all together
Now that you have an idea of your logo’s different design elements, you can start combining them to play with your logo’s look and feel in detail.
The logo for floral brand Botanica uses a wordmark logo, a classic serif font with flourishes and a natural brown and beige color palette to create an elegant and thoughtful look. On the other hand, Mush combines a fun and modern font with colorful and bubbly shapes for a fresh and eye-catching look.
9. Create your logo
Now that you’ve considered all the necessary design elements and how they come together, you’re ready to start designing. There are a couple of ways you can create a logo.
If you plan to work with a designer, this can be done through an agency or a professional freelance platform as an individual project or contest. This is a great choice if you’d like more support, collaboration and guidance with design. If you want to design your own logo, you can do that with design software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, or by using a logo maker. This DIY option is best for budget-conscious or time-strapped businesses who need a logo quickly, or for those who want a hands-on approach to building their brand.
If you’re unsure which option is right for you, you can head to VistaPrint’s logo design page, where all your options are explained in more detail.
Once you’ve got a design mockup (or two!), get feedback from friends, colleagues and potential customers to see if your logo is clear, eye-catching and consistent with the rest of your branding.
What makes a great logo? Some guiding questions
While every logo design journey is different, keep these principles in mind to make sure your logo gets noticed for all the right reasons. A great logo is immediately recognizable and effortlessly stands out. It also seamlessly fits your brand identity and works across multiple sizes and formats.
To keep your logo design on the right track, here are some questions to ask yourself during your design journey:
- Will people immediately know what your business does?
- Is your logo simple and memorable?
- Is it versatile? Can it be applied to all your branding?
- Is it timeless or does a specific trend inspire it? (And would you have to do a redesign in a couple of years?)
- Does it set you apart from your competitors?
- Does it appeal to your target audience?
Obviously, your brand’s needs and expectations for a logo will be very different if you sell children’s clothing and need a simple logo that can be stitched onto fabric, than if you make sophisticated, high-end wine with an intricate label. So don’t forget to take a step back and consider the bigger picture while you’re designing your logo. This is not about personal taste, it’s about what works best for your brand.
Tips to fine-tune your logo design
Sometimes it’s more helpful to be told what not to do when designing something as important as your logo. Here are some tips on things to avoid:
- Don’t give in to the clichés of your industry. A dentist doesn’t need to have a tooth in their logo, and a bakery doesn’t always need to have a loaf of fresh bread. Choosing imagery that’s less common in your industry can be an easy way to stand out in a sea of generic logos and branding.
- Don’t make it too complicated. Simplicity is key for a memorable (and printable) logo.
- Don’t try to be too trendy. Logo design trends are great for inspiration, but make sure your logo won’t look dated in three years.
Build your brand with your logo
Now that you know how to design a logo, what’s next?
Once you have your logo, you’ve created the foundation for all the branding materials your business needs – whether that’s business cards, packaging or a website. By setting the tone for your style, color palette, font and overall look and feel, your logo is the prefect reference point to continue building your brand. And just like that, your business is ready to show the world its brand-new face!
Author: Antonia Gesch
