Your logo is one of the elements of branding your business. It should convey the “brand” feeling and concepts you want your business branding to express.
So, where to begin?
There are several important question you need to answer before you begin the logo design process. Don’t depend on your logo designer to answer these questions for you. You need to know the basic ideas of what you want (font, color, image) as well as answer the bigger picture questions (target market, feeling to convey, style).
Jump-start your brainstorming with these questions:
- Who is your target market/clientele?
- What should come to your customer’s mind when they see your logo?
- What feeling and style do you want your logo to convey?
- Are there any icons or graphics that could work well with your brand?
- Do you want a text only logo or text and graphic combined logo?
- What colors and fonts do you have in mind? Why? (Examine your motives on this one because your favorite font or color might not be the best choice to convey your brand.)
Some important mistakes to avoid when designing your logo:
- Don’t use too many colors, fonts, or other elements – you want your logo to be simple and eye-catching but not overwhelming or it will look like a bit of a mess. Simple is memorable.
- Remember that you may want to use it in print, and don’t have a web-only logo designed or you’ll end up needing it redone when you want to use it on your business cards or brochures.
- Don’t make it too complex or it won’t scale well. It might look great in a big size but you may want to use it in a smaller size later.
- Consider what it will look like in black and white and don’t rely solely on color for your effects. If your logo image or shape is two tones of a color, it might look great in color but be indistinguishable in black and white.
- Logos are not the same as website header banners. Don’t try to cram too much information into your logo design. It shouldn’t include your phone number, fax number, email address, etc. Keep your logo simple.
- Don’t use stock photography or clip art – it’s often not legal and can get you into trouble. Plus, you want your logo to be unique!
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Ahhh..I always have this issue. I still don’t have the perfect logo because I have no idea what I want but this is helpful and something I can work with. Thanks for sharing. :)
You’re welcome, Sukhraj, glad it was helpful. I don’t have a logo for this website either at the moment… eventually I’ll get one together again. :)
I still haven’t found my perfect logo, either. I would rather go without for the time being, than use something that I’m not happy with. When it slaps me in the face, I’ll know it is right. :)
Ouch! I hope it doesn’t slap too hard… hee hee
Great article, thanks!
Some great tips in there – very down to earth and digestible pieces of advice. As a freelance graphic designer I would run through something similar with any new client, in order for us to achieve the logo they had in mind and to ensure the new logo captures the ‘personailty’ of their business and works hard to pay for itself.
Keep up the good work!
I really loved this post. You write about this topic very well. Logos are key for the reason that you want people to see a visual image of your company or business. When people see your logo, you want them to instantly correlate that logo design with you and no one else. If your logo is simple and unique people will associate your logo with your company. A logo is one of the smartest ways to make impact with a brand name when done properly.