You have a business, and you know you are AWESOME. Your product or service is awesome, your customer service is awesome. All around a complete delight to work with.
Now, how do you get that across to potential customers? Most marketing pros will all agree: a lot of it has to do with your business logo designs.
But where do you even start? How do you go about creating a brand image that translates across the board what you and your business are all about?
Read on for your guide to creating the best business logo designs.
Table of Contents
Identify What Makes You Special
Calling all brainstormers: this is your time to shine. The goal? To figure out what makes your business special. And that special “it” factor doesn’t always have to focus on exactly what your company does. In fact, 90 percent of business logos do not actually describe what the business does.
So, where to start? Anywhere and everywhere.
Does a certain scent or image particularly convey a feeling you want clients to have? What product or service does the business offer? How does the business stand out among the competition? What type of feel or emotions does my business give off? Is the business formal, quirky, or with more of a retro feel? What images or feelings pop into your mind when thinking of what your business hopes to convey to potential clients?
Organize all these items in a way that works for you. Make a list. Start a flowchart. Some compile ideas on a creative board, either in person or online (ever heard of a little thing called Pinterest?).
As you put these ideas together, the main identity of your business will start to take shape. It also doesn’t hurt at this point to enlist the help of others to assist in building a more specific logo and branding theme.
Choose the Colors That Best Support Your Business Identity
Color choice is essential in creating a brand image and logo. After all, it is usually the first component a person sees or recognizes. And it can help link certain images and feelings in a person’s mind to help them understand what your business is and what it accomplishes.
For example, what do you think of when you think of the color blue? Isn’t it usually water, the sky, and other components of nature? Or how about pink? Does it conjure up images of roses, femininity, and fun? What message you are hoping to get across to the outside world depends a lot on the colors used in your logo.
Decide the Type of Logo You Want
There are multiple types of logos available. How you choose the logotype you want depends on the message you want your business to convey.
For example, mascot logos are used to convey a friendly, “down-home” feeling and create relatability. Emblems or monogram logos use words or a combination of letters to identify the main company with simple, straightforward typography.
There are also logos that are a combination of some of the aspects of the above-mentioned. These combination-mark logos bring together a set of letters and a picture or mascot outline that is memorable.
Try Several Rough Sketches
Don’t get hung up on the first rough draft. And go with a few different directions until you find a logo design that works.
One way to do that is if you are using letters in your logo, to identify a font that brings to the table the feel of the business. Typography has a big impact on how people feel when they view your logo. Does your business have a more refined, classy appeal? Or are you family-oriented or catered to children? The font choice can make a big difference in showing what the feel of your business is.
Another aspect of your rough sketches can include various set-ups, placements, and positions of your potential logo. Should the wording go across the picture, around it, or under it? How is the picture or mascot set up? Is the orientation of the logo vertical or horizontal?
In other words, don’t be afraid to play around with different features to see if they work. And keep checking back to your original brainstorming to make sure you are sticking with the true brand identity of your business.
It is easy to digress from the original aesthetic vision in creating a brand identity, so make sure you keep your ideas in focus. Some experts even recommend starting with a black-and-white version of your logo and adding in color later. This can help keep you on the right track with what you are trying to create.
Go With What Works for You
No matter what logo design you decide to move forward with, always make sure it is distinct and unique to your business. Ask yourself the following questions: Is this logo memorable? Does it accurately convey the feeling and aesthetic behind the business? Can it fit anywhere at any size and still convey the same message? More than that, is it simple? Is it unique? Does it reach out and grab your target audience?
These are all questions that merit consideration. Why? Because a logo needs to last as a part of your business’ timeless brand image that will (hopefully) last for the foreseeable future of the company.
Business Logo Designs That Do Their Job
Remember, a logo is the face of your business, the first thing most of the world will see. It will go on every letterhead, advertisement, and business card, and communicates to the world just what your business is all about in one brief glance.
So make it good. Make it count. And show the world just how awesome you (and your business) really are.
Need more information on business logo designs or brand identity advice? Find out more by checking out some of our other informative articles.