Your company logo is far more than a doodle that decorates your business card and website. It is a symbol that has the potential to be synonymous with your product or service. A good, memorable logo can do the job of reminding the public of your excellence. A great logo can do that as well as evoke positive associations with feelings of comfort, confidence, love, security, adventure, or whatever you most want to convey with your brand. A logo design services professional will take you through a series of important steps to help you decide on the logo that represents you best.
Here are some of the decisions you will need to make in the logo design process:
Name Your Business
How would you like your name to appear? Do you want the name written out traditionally or presented as a web address – all one word and ending in “.com?” Do you have a stylized form in mind such as using all capitals or none? Keep in mind other concepts you may want to bring in as well. How will the lettering of the business name look in conjunction with the image you have in mind? Will you be including a tagline?
Secondarily, would you like your name to appear? A logo that needs no verbal introduction is a coveted item. In general, it takes a long time to build up recognition so complete – think the Nike “swoosh” – that the company name is not needed. Unless your company is very well-established, including the name of your business in your logo is strongly recommended.
Envision Your Icon
What kind of design are you considering? Do you want to include images that represent objects or people such as a house, car, computer, or family? Do you prefer a logo icon that is simply a shape alongside or surrounding your company name? Take some time to consider the feelings conjured up for most people by various shapes. Softer, rounded shapes tend to be welcoming and gentle. Harder edges and angles communicate power. Vertical lines can give off a sense of strength and horizontal lines can represent stability. Those are just a few examples of the psychology of shapes.
The colors you choose are also very much part of the puzzle that makes a great logo. Do you have established company colors that you must incorporate or if you’re starting from scratch, which color or colors do you have in mind? Are there any you definitely want to avoid? FastCompany.com presents a series of infographics on the colors of the rainbow and what is most often associated with each. Yellow gives off a sense of cheerfulness and warmth. Green symbolizes money, health, and nature. Purple can bring up thoughts of wisdom, wealth, and royalty. Keep your primary audience in mind, because cultural differences can be a factor. For example, in the United States, red and blue have acquired specific political meanings. In other parts of the world, those same colors often represent different or even opposite political persuasions.
Are you interested in adding texture to your logo, such as the look of brick, marble, sand, or paisley? Sketch out your ideas and take some time reflecting on how they make you feel. How do the words and image hang together? Will it look good in different sizes? In black & white as well as in color? Do you need to make adjustments? Notice how some familiar logo icons affect you. It is always a good idea to ask a few trusted others to share their responses.
What’s the Message?
If you’ve already been experimenting with colors and designs, you probably have a sense of how you want potential customers to think about and remember your company, products, and services. What are the adjectives that you’d like to associate with your work? What is your brand story? Do the ideas you’ve sketched out match what you’re thinking of so far? A conversation with a logo design specialist can help you sort out the details. Loebig Ink Graphic Designer, Angela Martinez, gives each client a draft of four to six concepts.
“I always try to find out what the client really wants it to say. A lot of times they have something in mind but don’t yet know how to explain it, so the first round of drafts usually helps point us in the right direction,” Angela says.
Once you have found the clear path to what you’re looking for, it’s time to choose a final design for a striking logo to represent your brand.
Look Sharp!
At the end of the logo design process, you will want a sharp image that will look its best no matter where it is applied. Angela Martinez emphasizes the importance of producing vector logos. A program that uses pixels is not able to produce a logo you can use anywhere at any size. According to Shutterstock.com:
“…vector graphics are comprised of formulaic curves. Due to a vector’s mathematical makeup, each path, line, or curve looks precise at any size. These complex shapes and lines can be produced exclusively in vector-based programs, such as Adobe Illustrator or Sketch.”
Once your vector logo has been designed and completed, you are ready to show the world a new, powerful expression of who you are and what you do.
Check out some of the logos our design team has created here.
Resources:
Clem, Alex. “3 Reasons Why Your Brand Logo Needs to Be a Vector,” Shutterstock.com. https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/why-your-brand-needs-a-vector-logo
Gillett, Rachel. “What Your Logo’s Color Says About Your Company (Infographic),” FastCompany.com, https://www.fastcompany.com/3028378/what-your-logos-color-says-about-your-company-infographic
workerbee. “The Meaning of Logo Shapes,” 99designs. https://99designs.com/blog/tips/logo-shapes/
Angela Martinez met Loebig Ink founder Brian Loebig through a freelancer website named Elance (now Upwork) eight years ago. Brian wanted Angela’s graphic design expertise for his newly growing business. Soon, Angela became one of the first members Brian took onto his team for Loebig Ink. With her outstanding creativity and visual perspective, Angela is adding a tremendous amount of value and experience to Loebig Ink’s portfolio. She has grown into the Lead