Creating the right logo for your business is crucial because you need to get it just perfect. There is more to a great logo than simply visual components. The design needs to promote a strong brand identity and appeal to potential customers in order to be a success.
Let’s take a closer look at how to create a logo which is appealing to customers, memorable, unique and that stands out for all the right reasons.
1. Think about Your Customer Base
The customer base you are considering is whoever you are trying to sell your goods or services to. For instance, if you sell countertop dishwashers, the customer base you want to attract is people who want to buy a new dishwasher or those who have bought one of yours already.
The customer base is the key to whether or not your business logo is going to be successful, so the more you know about current and potential customers, the better idea you will have about how to make the perfect brand logo.
2. Check Out Your Competitors’ Logos
Take a look at the logos the competition is using. What seems to work well for them, and what do their customers seem to identify with? Is there something you should avoid, or something missing from one of these logos? What is your first reaction when you look at them?
You will want to set yourself apart from the competitors. Say they are all using symbols – you might want to use a figure instead. If they all seem to be using reds or blues, consider monochrome for your logo.
3. Analyze Your Product
A good logo will communicate the personality of your brand, so it goes without saying the better you know your brand the better logo ideas you can come up with. Ask yourself the following questions about your brand identity:
- What product or service are you offering?
- What are the benefits and features of your product?
- What values and beliefs matter most to your business?
- Which problems does your brand solve?
- What is your company better at than your competitors?
If you can answer the above questions, you will have a better change of creating a brand logo which can complete and complement the picture.
4. Select Which Psychographics and Demographics to Target
It is important to know which psychographics and demographics you are targeting as a business owner in order to be able to design a logo which customers will relate to. This means you need to know about the lifestyles and values of those customers.
Psychographics is about ‘what’ and ‘why’ differences, so you can segment a pool of ‘like’ people based on attributes such as interests, priorities, values, and hobbies.
Demographics is more to do with age, marital status, gender, income, geographical location, and so on.
Image Source: Branding Compass
5. Take a Look at Visual Identity
Visual identity is how a brand uses imagery and graphical information to differentiate it from similar brands. Visual identity is what a customer can physically see, and a logo is of course a visual representation of your brand, as well as a graphic symbol of your company and its identity.
The best logo for your brand will convey what the business does, and also consist of memorable imagery which customers will not forget in a hurry.
6. Consider Your Logo Design
By now you should be ready to create a winning brand logo. Let’s say you are focused on stay-at-home mothers from 25 to 35 years of age earning a household income of $120,000 within five miles of your company.
Your research shows that these women value caring for their children and are financially able to afford more than just the bare necessities. You can use this information to hone your logo.
There might be easy ways to design a logo these stay at moms will relate to, based on their wants and challenges. For example, maybe carry a line of organic products for children or offer valet parking so she can be in and out quickly even with small kids.
7. Where to Get Logo Inspiration
A lot of business owners will know their company inside out, and have a good understanding of their target demographics, but it is still possible to lack the final idea for a great logo. Here are some places you can look to find logo design ideas:
- Pinterest: There are thousands of helpful resources to get ideas from on this huge social media platform.
- Instagram: Do a search for #logo and you will find more than 12 million posts with logos from a wide variety of businesses.
- Dribbble: This online community features work by web designers, graphic designers, artists and photographers. There is user-made artwork featured and you can search for logos using the search bar to find some excellent logo ideas.
- Behance: Here you will find plenty of curated galleries which you can browse through at your leisure, to get those creative juices flowing.
- Google: Last but not least, Google is a reliable standby. Simply type logo or logo design ideas into the search bar and see what comes up.
Although you might be inspired by the work of others, you will also want to ensure yours is different enough not to be viewed as a close copy. Take inspiration from these websites and their contents and come up with some fresh, new ideas of your own.
8. Choose the Correct Logo Type
Even an easy question like ‘what type of logo do you want to have for your brand’ can puzzle budding entrepreneurs. They might respond saying they want it to be current or nostalgic, which isn’t really an answer. Ensure you take your time in figuring out what kind of logo you want for your business. Some logo types include:
Vintage
Vintage logos come across as having a classic and artistic appeal.
Animated
It is natural for people’s eyes to be attracted to moving things such as computer screens, roaring fires or ocean waves. There has been an increase in animated logos recently.
Monogram
This type of logo is comprised of up to three letters (typically three) to make one symbol.
Transparent
This type of logo does not have a background color.
3D
3D graphics always pop, and using 3D to make your logo can make it look more realistic.
Mascot
A mascot logo will be dominated by one or more mascots or fun, cartoonish illustrated characters.
Emblem
These tend to be traditional and look somewhat conservative.
Combination
It is also possible to combine a number of types of logos to come up with a hybrid.
9. A Logo Should be Memorable
It is always a good idea to create a logo which is going to stick in your customers’ minds. Try to find something that will stand out, using words or a picture or illustration to make an unmistakable statement, showcasing your brand’s main benefits.
Take a look at the Amazon logo, as a good example. You can see the arrow between the A and the Z. This means the company sells everything from A to Z, and the arrow looks like a smile to indicate happy buyers. This is a simple design but it is immediately eye-catching.
10. Use of Color is Important
Different colors can stir up different moods and feelings. Red can evoke love, strength and passion, for example, as well as aggression.
This is why it’s a good idea to try and match the colors in your logo to the feel and tone of the brand.
When you think of John Deere, for example, you think of the green which is used heavily in their logo, and this makes the brand recognizable and also sets it apart from competitors.
11. Keep Rough Sketches of Ideas
It is a good idea to make sure you always have something to sketch on. This could be a phone app, a sketchpad or even a paper napkin. See if you can come up with twenty or thirty sketches and then come up with different variations of your ideas. If you still aren’t happy then start again and try out some new ideas to see how they look.
11. Handy Tools to Get You Started
By now you will have thought about your brand and what it stands for, as well as which images and styles you prefer, and which qualities your potential buyers find most important and relevant. This means it’s time to use a logo design tool. Here are some of the best ones:
Hatchful: This free logo maker is part of Shopify and it can be used to generate custom logo ideas. Use any of the free fonts, vectors and icons to design your logo.
DesignBro: This creative design platform connects pre-vetted designers with clients all over the world.DesignBro is perhaps the best choice if you want professional custom designs for an affordable price.
Canva: This popular graphic design platform is used to create presentations, social media graphics, logos, posters and other visuals.
Now you know what kind of logo your brand needs, as well as some great tips and tricks to ensure your logo is the perfect representation of your business, it’s time to get started. A great logo can showcase your brand identity for many years to come.