How to Make a Logo? A Step-by-step Guide
A logo is one of the most important elements of branding. It presents your company right away telling the audience who are they dealing with. Nice logos are usually easy-to-remember, concise, and simple. They convey the key message of your brand distinguishing you from your competitors. They guide your brand from the day first and, ideally, become its most noticeable feature.
We know that it may be difficult to make a nice logo, come up with fresh ideas, and find an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Thus, we have created a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make a logo. This post explains where to find unique logo ideas, provides some helpful resources and gives very practical tips. Continue reading to expand your knowledge about design.
Make a Logo in 4 Simple Steps
Before starting an exciting journey, set your goals and make sure you really need a logo. If you are a business owner, a startup creator, or an eCommerce company, the most probable answer is Yes. In this case, the sooner you create a logo, the better. Ideally, it must be developed before the launch of a company and reflect its primary principles. It should be used from the very beginning to create a strong connection between the services and the brand.
Yet there are also cases when a company exists for a long time and decides to fine-tune its marketing effort. For example, the owner of an old gift-shop that has seamlessly operated for 20 years without any logo has decided to use some branding. A new shop-sign and a website seem a pretty reasonable step. Well, in this case, an appealing logo is also a must. Its design will symbolize a new stage in the business development process turning the company into a full-fledged brand. It will show buyers and passersby that this shop is more than an old gift-shop, it’s a unique place.
Once you are sure you need a logo, it’s high time to start its creation.
Step 1. Find Logo Inspiration
Since logo design is a creative process, before making some practical steps, you need to draw inspiration. Believe us, before you have decided to create a logo, millions of companies have already done that. Interestingly, the first logo can be dated back to the 14th century Belgium’s beer Stella Artois. Can you imagine that? The existing designs will inspire and guide you. You will have a better understanding of your needs, tastes, and expectations.
Thus, if you need logo ideas, use relevant online resources. The web has a bunch of thematic web pages and profiles, including:
Basically, there are two ways to find cool logos on this social network. Firstly, you can browse thematic accounts created specifically to feature branding elements. Try looking through @logoplace, @logopassion, @logoarchive, and other similar pages for inspiration. Secondly, you may also search with the help of relevant hashtags, such as #logo, #logodesign, etc. Instagram is a quick and easy way to see how to make a logo and track the existing and developing trends.
Dribble
This web resource is adored by all creative people who want to share their ideas, find design inspiration, and communicate with their soulmates. Among numerous design projects available on Dribble logos take a special place. Go to this website to get some inspiration and find what you like.
Pinterest has everything a creative person may need. From hand-made dolls and jewelry to paintings and, of course, logo designs. Just enter logos or logo ideas in the search bar to see hundreds of logo collections. Enjoy your time on this website as well as a unique chance to learn how to make a logo based on real professional cases.
Here we have mentioned a few of the most common resources that give inspiration and present great logo ideas. There are much more of them, so don’t hesitate to start browsing.
Step 2. Pick a Logo You Like and Analyze It
The second step in How to Make a Logo Process is an analysis. Once you have conducted the research and have a better understanding of your tastes, pick a logo you like and analyze it.
The thing is that a logo is much more than an icon or a picture, it’s a symbol. Symbols have a multi-dimensional meaning and implicitly convey a complex message to an audience. To put it more simply, looking at the design, a person has a certain mood, associations, and insights. To understand how it works, you need to choose any quality logo and take a closer look at it. Not only will you learn how to make a logo, but you will also realize what turns icons into an effective branding tool.
For instance, let’s analyze the Demsol Fruit branding designed by The Coder.
This design is elegant and memorable at the same time. Once you look at it, you are immediately hinted about the main services of the company. A half of a citrus fruit forming the D letter stands for the name of the brand – Demsol Fruit. The color of the logo deserves special attention. First of all, it remains noticeable on both light and dark backgrounds and, therefore, can be added to various branded items. Moreover, the light-green color symbolizes freshness, which is particularly important for the product offered by the company.
Such a brief analysis can help you to understand what do companies encode in their logos and what techniques they use to achieve a desirable effect. Learn from the best to become one of them.
Step 3. Think What Kind of a Logo Your Business Needs
Having spent some time looking at other logos and analyzing them, you must have come up with your own ideas. Probably, at this point, you have already narrowed down to several options and may have a hard time choosing the optimum design.
At this step, you need to form a clear understanding of your company’s branding. You have to know what you want to tell your customers and what is your message. Here are several questions that may guide you:
- What is your main product/service?
- What is your target audience?
- What do you want your company to be associated with?
- What is your brand style (e.g. modern, classic, vintage)?
- What is your brand message?
- What are your brand colors?
The answers to these and other related questions are crucial to know how to make a logo design. This way you will be able to design a logo that will present the essence of your company and make you really unique. Try to find the solution that unites your brand colors, company’s name, style, and type of services. This is, actually, almost a formula for the perfect logo.
Tip. Make sure your symbol is timeless and you are willing to be associated with this image for the rest of your life. Drastic changes to design and branding are never easy and can significantly harm the company. So don’t make hasty decisions.
Step 4. Hire professional designers or use a logo maker
If you have completed the previous steps of this guide, you should perfectly know what you want. At this stage, there are two possible solutions. You may either use a template-based logo maker or contact a design agency that knows how to make a logo professionally. Everything depends on your expectations, needs, and financial possibilities.
Professional design vs online tools
It’s absolutely up to you whether you decide to create a DIY logo in a logo maker or hire a designer. Nevertheless, there are several cases when a professional design agency may be a more suitable choice. Let’s compare both options.
Choose a professional logo designer if:
- You are a big company or chain working on a large scale or internationally. Your symbol will be seen by millions of people around the globe and must be seamless. It will be quite difficult to drastically change it later, so you have practically no chance for a mistake
- You plan to expand. If you have huge ambitions, plan to open several branches and grow, it’s better to entrust your branding to professionals who know how to make a logo
- You have an e-commerce business and the competition is high. Today the number of e-commerce businesses is growing extremely fast, and it’s really hard to take a lead. To make your web resource noticeable and special, you need a cool logo. Just take a look at e-commerce giants – all of them have unique symbols, don’t they?
- You want to make sure your branding is really effective. This reason is pretty obvious. Most probably, you won’t manage to create a logo design which is as good as the design of people who know how to create a logo professionally. An experienced designer knows how to realize your ideas and can give you some valuable advice
- Your existing logo needs to be redesigned. It may happen that you have already created a DIY logo or used low-quality services to design it. If it appeared to be ineffective, and you want to have a new one, a professional design agency is the only right choice. Qualified designers will help you to make a smooth transition to a new logo and use the previous branding to develop a fresh concept. For instance, they may rely on the old colors and symbols but redesign them to make more appealing and relevant
On the other hand, online logo makers are a good option if:
- You are a small local company. If you have just launched your company or plan to work locally, the stakes are much lower. In this case, you may not need to hire a professional designer and can learn how to make a logo yourself in an online tool
- You have a limited budget. Of course, when you don’t have enough funds to hire professional help, online logo makers can really come in handy. Such services don’t require design or programming skills and offer numerous free templates to choose from. With some extra effort, you will be able to save a lot of money
- You are a creative person who likes experimenting. Online logo makers are a great option for those who enjoy participating in every step of the brand development. In case you want to contribute to the process or do everything on your own, opt for logo creators
Tip. If you decide to design a logo with an online tool, make sure to complete all the steps in this guide. In particular, you need to understand the basics of successful branding, know your market niche, and analyze the services of your company.
Don’t Forget to Use Your Branding and Develop a Marketing Strategy
Have finished the design? Hurray! Now you are ready to start your brand journey. Remember that your logo design is a symbol of your company that presents it to other people. Make sure to use it anytime you can, for example, on your ads, packages, bags, uniform, social media accounts, business cards, etc. This will form a strong connection between the services you provide and your social image. The next time people see your logo, they will right away think of your brand. This is a huge investment in the prosperity and development of your company.
Nevertheless, once you have a logo, you may also need to develop a gradual and detailed marketing strategy. In this case, professional help is inevitable. Qualified experts will make your effort more effective and help to get the maximum benefit from the newly created logo and other brand elements.
In case you need expert help in logo design, don’t hesitate to contact us.