9 Logo Design Tips for Non-Designers
Create a stunning logo without wasting valuable resources.
The images that represent your business speak volumes. Each visual enhances or reduces the value of your brand. A professional, polished image attracts the customers you want, while a poor one pushes them away.
Your logo is the most vital piece of your brand identity because it is featured on your website, social media profiles, letterhead, etc. Unfortunately, there can be tremendous pressure to create the “perfect” logo, given its prominence.
Many business owners invest resources in logo design and end up disappointed because they aren’t sure how to manage the process. Nor do they know enough about design to get the results they want.
This article provides nine logo design tips to help achieve a final product you’ll love.
When to Do It Yourself
A logo is a visual image most people associate with your business. It’s essential to be clear on the fundamentals from the start. Before you begin, you need clear direction about the design you want.
If you want something simple for your website or social media profiles, it may be best to create a logo yourself.
Likewise, consider using a free resource if you don’t have an adequate budget for logo design. Hiring a designer to create a logo for $100 can lead to generic or unsatisfactory results. In addition, many of these low-cost designs don’t include a license, which means creators can resell them to anyone.
It’s frustrating to think you have a unique logo design only to discover that it looks like a hundred others.
There are many resources available to help you with logo design. Sites such as LogoMaker have templates and guides that are easy to use.
9 Logo Design Tips
The following logo design tips will help you create an outstanding logo, whether you hire a professional or choose to do it yourself.
1. Get Inspired
Coming up with logo ideas can be an intimidating task. To make the process easier, look for logo designs you like—the ones that grab your attention right away. Then, study them and make notes on what it is about each one that got your attention.
Though it isn’t always easy, try to think like your target audience. Choose logos you believe will resonate with them.
Once you have gathered logo design samples, note:
- elements they have in common
- the company’s target audience
- how you could improve on it
One of the best logo design tips I can offer is to create a mood board. A mood board provides a platform for brainstorming concepts.
2. Keep It Simple
Some of the most striking designs—logos or otherwise—are also the simplest. The Nike “swoosh” is one example.
Keep your design simple, especially if it’s your first one.
Focus on creating a logo that is easy for people to recognize. Also, you should be able to re-purpose it for your website, apparel, or other digital and print media.
While you may think an intricate design is better, minimal designs are easier to recall. For that reason, avoid using decorative fonts, confusing symbolism, or complex shapes and lines.
3. Color
Your color scheme is another integral part of your visual identity. Select colors before designing your logo. The ones you choose should align with your brand style, archetype, and voice.
Brand colors should complement each other, so don’t use colors that clash. If you need help selecting a brand color palette, visit this site.
Avoid using too many colors in your logo or using a color that isn’t a part of your brand’s color scheme. A good logo can be monochrome or only one color.
Click this link to learn more about minimalist color palettes.
4. Style
Your logo design is the focal point of your brand identity and should align with your brand style. Creating style guidelines is one of the foundational steps in brand building. These guidelines are rules that ensure brand consistency.
If you don’t already have brand guidelines, develop them before designing a logo.
Your visual style should support the brand persona you want to create and resonate with your target audience.
Why is this important?
A brand’s purpose is to build a connection between your business and the target audience. And if your brand doesn’t align with your audience’s preferences, it won’t get the job done.
READ MORE: If you want to know more about creating a brand identity, click here.
5. Typography
Typefaces (sometimes also called “fonts”) are another significant component of your brand identity. But new business owners often wrestle with typography. Most fonts used in logos are too generic, while others are the extreme opposite.
A standard font, such as Arial, is sometimes appropriate for a brand design. However, these fonts can make a design bland and generic because they’re so common.
Likewise, some businesses choose logo fonts that aren’t legible or match the brand’s style to be unique. As a result, people may ignore these designs, defeating the purpose of having them.
To stand out, avoid overused, generic fonts or ones that are complex and hard to read.
The typeface you choose will affect the brand persona you create. For example, sans-serif fonts are modern and clean, while serifs appear formal and traditional.
To learn more about typefaces and fonts, visit Typewolf.
6. Multi-purpose Designs
You will display your logo on digital platforms and print material alike. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t think about how they will use their logo. As a result, they encounter problems later when they want to create a brand asset but don’t have the design to fit the job.
Creating a primary and secondary design will give you more flexibility for use.
As an example, the first logo shown is a wordmark logo. This type of logo design works well when there is more display space. The second design is the one to use in smaller spaces.
Wordmark logo:
Secondary logo:
Read this article if you would like to learn more about the different logo design types.
7. File Type and Format
You will need various file formats for digital and print assets as well. These include .jpeg, .png, .ai, and .pdf files.
Your logo design should be clear and legible in each format. If you want to know more about the different file formats, click here.
If you’re working with a designer, ask them what file types they will deliver upon completion of the project. For business owners designing their logos, make sure you have access to each file type.
8. Be Unique
One-third of Fortune 500 companies use the color blue in their logo.
Why?
Because research by color psychologists shows that blue is a signal of trust. So, should you consider using blue in your logo design based on this assumption?
Not necessarily.
Blue may be a popular choice for a logo color, but it’s also a generic option. Choose colors your competitors aren’t using if you want to be unique.
9. Relevancy
It’s helpful to become familiar with design trends. Find out what design features are popular, outdated, or under-used. These will help you decide the direction to take with your design.
Look at logos from respected companies within your niche and note similarities in design, such as color, shape, and typeface.
Once you have several design concepts, ask for opinions from others. It’s best to get thoughts from members of your target audience, if possible, and your current customers.
10. Bonus Tip: Working with a Designer
Designing your logo should be fun. So, if you choose to hire a professional designer, look for someone with a collaborative attitude.
Communicate your goals clearly—in writing! Provide the designer with explicit details about your brand identity, target audience, and industry. The more information you can give a designer, the more likely you will end up with a fantastic logo.
Find out how many revisions you may make, how long it will take to complete the design project and licensing rights.
The cost of professional design will vary and can range from hundreds to thousands. Discuss the process with the designer and determine what types of clients they typically work with. Don’t stop interviewing until you find a designer that is a good fit for your business.
Conclusion
A logo is the most vital part of your brand identity. Develop clear goals and collect several ideas before settling on a direction. Also, make sure your final design makes sense for your business and your target audience. If you have questions, email me personally at chris@goldenvineyardbranding.com.
Until next time,
Chris
Author
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