“Logos are a graphic extension of the internal realities of a company”—Saul Bass
Have you ever seen a company without a logo? Certainly not! In order to bring a company into existence, every business needs a logo. A logo is a visual symbol or an image of a brand. It acts as the face of the brand. The logo design is perhaps the first thing that is noticed by the audience. When you think about the big brands like Amazon, Apple, Nike, etc., the first thing that comes to your mind would probably be the logos of the companies.
In today’s highly competitive world, winning the heart of the audience and making a mark in the industry is not easy. Being a newbie, the first thing that will set you apart from competitors is your company logo. There is no doubt that the quality of your products or services plays an important role too in order to make a mark in the industry. But if your competitors are also delivering the same quality, then it can become challenging for you to stand out in the competition.
Many business owners invest their time in naming their business. They think that having a unique name will help them in getting the attention of the audience. Yes, it’s true that the right business name makes you the talk of the town, but that doesn’t mean that they ignore the importance of following a process of creating a logo. Many people have a misconception that logo designing is all about just drawing a circle and putting graphics or company name in it, with trendy colors and fonts. But the fact is far from this idea. There is more to craft than just putting a name on a blank canvas. If you see the online reports, you will find that the demand for graphic designers has increased tremendously. As per Statista, in the U.S.A, by 2020, the revenue of graphic design services will amount to $11.4 billion approximately.
If you have got a business idea and thinking of creating a logo for your company, then you should first know the professionals approach towards logo design process in 2019.
- Start with your Story:
Today, marketers have started realizing that customers connect more to the stories rather than the basic facts of your product. It means that your logo should be able to convey some story of your brand. In one part it should convey who you are and what you do. And in the other part it should evoke the collective feelings, perceptions, and experiences.
Let’s take an example of LG. The brand was originally established by two individual companies – GoldStar Co. Ltd and Rak-Hui (pronounced ‘Lucky’) Chemical Industrial Corp. To become Lucky-GoldStar (LG), in 1958 both the companies decided to get merged. This then rebranded in 1995. Today, the globally familiar logo has two letters ‘L’ and ‘G’ in a circular shape which symbolizes technology, future, and youth. The logo represents the efforts of the company to make customers happy. The smiling face indicates affection and warmth and the ‘one eye’ is designed to show that the company is determined and focused. The blank space on the upper right hand shows the company’s innovation, creativity, and flexibility. The red color has been used in the logo to denote friendliness and grey color depicts reliability and technology. Helvetica Black typeface has been used in the logo design.
- Brainstorm words that illustrate your Brand:
Now that you have a story to tell, it’s time to start your online brainstorming on Thesaurus website where you can find related words or jackpot of synonyms. Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose you are into construction business. Simply type ‘construction’ in search bar. You would be surprised to see how descriptive the synonyms are that appear. You can even begin new search by clicking on the results and dig deeper into the words that capture your brand at the best.
Choose 7-10 best words that not only express what you do but the ‘why’ from the previous step. All the words that you choose from the example given above fit in the space perfectly, while it actually helps you present the concept with more clarity.
- Sketch ideas:
Armed with your ‘why’ and some keywords for guidance, take a paper and pencil and start sketching ideas that comes into your head. Let each thought or idea to develop independently. If you don’t get anything in the first few ideas, don’t get frustrated. Continue to refine and use the preceding drafts to manipulate the result of new one. While sketching the ideas, keep the shape of your logo simple. If you can draw symbolic components in ten seconds or less, it means you are in a good shape. Avoid any common art-work or symbols that can easily be recognized from other places. The more innovative you are at this stage; the better will be the outcome.
- Test your sketch:
Don’t be in a rush to finalize the logo. Test it by sharing it with your friends, family or colleagues. If possible, show your ideas to someone who best fits your potential customer profile. Testing will help you in getting the more productive opinion on your design. Be ready to take negative comments as well. And don’t take those comments personally as the feedback will help you in coming up with impressive logo.
- Make color selection:
Colors have a great impact in the emotions and behaviour of the audience. It communicates with the consumers at sub-conscious level. Each color has different implication and can bring variation to your message. If you are new in the industry, choosing a right color for a logo can be a little tricky. Trends evaporated as quickly as they emerged. After every six months, Pantone – the world’s famous company that sets standards for color consistency, release its new color report. Thus, it is important to have a proper understanding of color psychology before selecting the final color. Here is a quick breakdown:
- Blue: Professionalism, Dependable, Power & Authority, Trust
- White: Purity, Cleanliness, Virtue
- Yellow: Happiness, Innovation, Caution, Fun & Friendly
- Green: New beginnings, Natural, Healthy, Growth
- Red:Passion, Love, Anger, Desire, Determination
- Black: Power, Sophistication, Evil, Mystery
- Orange: Creativity, Energy, Happiness, Fun
- Decide on your font style:
Typography is an art of arranging types. Just like colors, it too has a great impact in the emotions and behaviour of the audience. Choosing a wrong font can destroy the design of a logo. Therefore it is important to have a basic understanding on font pairing. Also do a proper research on the latest trends competitors are following. The right pairing not only makes your content readable but also helps in communicating the brand message in an appropriate way. While design a logo, we would suggest you to avoid using generic fonts like Times New Roman, Comic Sans, Lucida Handwriting. You can go with either serif (Caslon, Georgia, Garamond, Century) or san-serif (Opima, Arial, Hevetica, Avant Grate) fonts.
- Consider scalability of the design:
The best thing about a logo is that it can be used everywhere. You can put it on brochures, billboards, website, letterheads, etc. It not only helps in building brand identity but also attracts customers to the business. Thus, while creating a logo, it is vital to take care of every single detail of the design. All the elements should be clearly visible all the platforms you choose to use the logo. You can use grid software to create a scalable logo. When everything will be in proportion, you can resize the logo without any fear of losing its details.
- Hire a designer:
Now that you have taken into consideration all the above points, it’s time to start designing your logo. We understand that being a start-up can you may hesitate to invest in a professional graphic designer. Don’t worry! We have a solution! Designhill is World’s No.1 freelance graphic design marketplaces where you can get connected with professional designers from all around the world. The designers provide you with the best quality designs at affordable price. The platform also offers online logo maker tool for those who wants to create logo on their own.
Conclusion:
Logos are small visual elements that have the power to make or break a business. We humans are naturally drawn to visuals. And on the basis of that, we make perceptions. A well-designed logo can help your business to get the right attention. On the contrary, a bad design can give a wrong impression and fail to communicate company goals and objectives. By following the above-mentioned tips, you may come up with a unique and amazing logo.
Author Bio:
Jelly Shah works as a Digital Marketer, brand consultant and business strategist with Designhill- A reliable marketplace for logo design, business cards maker, web design, Custom Design Casual Tank Tops, and many other designing works. With extensive experience working both client side and within the agency environment, he has authored several articles on topics related to digital marketing, business strategies, content marketing etc.
