Logo Design- The Meat and Potatoes

The logo design you choose for your company will be the face of your business. It will tell a short story about your company through colors, fonts, and artwork.  It is what will stick out in people’s minds when they think of your business, and what they will recognize and associate with your brand or product going forward. Your logo is critical to your identity when branding your business as it will appear on your website, social media, business cards, and all other marketing efforts. For this reason, you must choose wisely in your design as an ill-designed logo can convey that you may not know what you are doing, while a well-designed logo will communicate a professional persona.

Common Mistakes in Logo Design

A common mistake that companies make when designing their logo is not paying attention to the size and surrounding clip art that overwhelms the central part of the logo. The design you choose for your logo should be unique and used to convey bits of information about your business. You do not want your logo to look like another company’s design in any way so that the two companies are not confused.

Another mistake businesses tend to make when creating their logo is trying to recreate different spin-offs of the original logo for specific purposes. They should remain uniform across the board in everything you do concerning your company. So how do you design a good logo?

How to Start Designing Your Logo

Start by brainstorming what the purpose of your logo will be. Are you planning to use it to boost brand recognition? Maybe you are using it to create memorability and trust. Whatever your use you want to make sure that you are conveying the correct message. Use this as the basis for what direction you will take your logo.

Now decide who your target market is. You will use your target market to create a logo font that will be appealing to them. Things such as consignment or knickknack shops may have a more whimsical font while technology companies may have a more 3D approach. Certain angles and shapes convey specific meanings; for example, circular logos are meant to convey trust, while logos that are more angled convey speed.

Research Color Psychology

Color psychology is a real thing. The colors you choose for your logo also play a large part in the design. Some colors such as blues tend to promote comfort and calm; others such as reds can encourage love or aggressive feelings, and the color yellow makes you feel energetic and joyful. Take a look at different logos that stand out to you and see what color they are. Pay particular attention as to how many colors they use and what type of business it is.

Consider incorporating your company’s name into the logo. When thinking about this make sure the name is not too long, is unique, and would be easy to remember. Your logo does NOT have to have the company name with it. If done correctly your logo can stand alone by itself just fine and still be relatable to your brand.  

Start Sketching

Now it’s time to sit down and sketch out a few designs. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to create more than three. Even if you do not like one of them, you may still like certain aspects of the design that can be rolled over into the next design idea. Once you have a few, take them out and find out what others think about them. Make sure that the people you show it to will not have biased opinions to ensure you get the most accurate feedback about the design.

Once you have decided which logo is the right one for your brand, it is time to hire a professional like us,  IDM, to turn your sketch into a digital copy.  Our professional designers will take your drawing and turn it into a digital, professional-looking logo that you can use for all your marketing and branding needs. Once you receive the finished product, you are ready to go. Add your new logo to your website and social media platforms, as well as the rest of your marketing materials, and start getting your logo and your company out in the public eye! ­­