By Sam Makad
Designing a logo for your brand is not quite an easy process, which you are certainly aware of if you have already been down that road. It requires thorough planning and thinking about all the right elements that need to be implemented in order for your logo to stand out and be truly memorable. Your brand logo should be able to tell the story of your business, so designing it is so much more than combining colors and eye-catchy fonts on a fancy background.
Your brand logo is your brand’s identity, so you need to invest some quality time and effort into designing it to be the mark that will perfectly represent your brand. Therefore, take a look at the following tips that will help you design your brand logo like a pro.
1) Brainstorm and Sketch Your Ideas
Brainstorming can help you dig up some great ideas for your logo. You should stir your creative juices and try and come up with something that will speak at length about your brand. It’s important to make preliminary sketches of every single idea that comes to your mind until you find the one that makes all the others seem dull and fade away. You’ll recognize it the moment you see it on paper.
2) Understand Your Audience
Knowing your audience is vital when designing your brand logo, because you want them to really like it and to be instantly compelled to find out more about your business. If your brand sells products or services to millennials, for instance, your logo wouldn’t quite capture their attention if its design more appeals to the senior population, right? Therefore, understand your audience and their preferences before you immerse yourself in your creative process.
3) Choose an Eye-Catchy Font
If your logo includes text, the font you choose shouldn’t be some ordinary one that you can see everywhere you look. It should be unique, so avoid commonly used fonts if you don’t want to come off as an amateur.
It should have a character of its own and, needless to say, it needs to grab people’s attention instantly. Don’t make it so small that people would need to squint to be able to read what it says. The best option to go for is to use a custom font, since the more original it is, the more it will stand out.
4) Take the Time
It’s important not to rush into finishing your project, since you don’t want to regret any hasty decisions afterwards. Take enough time between your preliminary sketches and the actual design process. You need some space between you and your logo, so that you can let your final idea really sink in. When you distance yourself for a few days from the hassle of designing a perfect logo, you will know whether or not your idea is the one or if it perhaps needs some adjusting and final touches.
5) Follow the Trends in Design
You should be aware of the trend shifts, since trends come and go and you certainly don’t want to use a design that is no longer appealing to people. Therefore, make sure you follow the design trends and choose the one that is the best fit for your brand.
However, trends can be tricky, since you never know when one is going to disappear.You should always go with something timeless that will make your logo stand the test of time.
6) Choose Colors Wisely
The color represents the heart of your logo.You need to do your brand logo justice by carefully choosing the right palette that will evoke emotions and make people really love it. The color of your logo should make your brand easily recognizable, so you should try and match it with the overall tone of your brand. The common rule of thumb is not to use colors that are too bright.That will be hard to look at.You should use those that will look good in grayscale and in black and white.
7) Steer Clear of Clichés
In order for your brand logo to stand out from the competition, it must have a distinct style that will distinguish it from all the other logos. That’s exactly the point of designing a logo for your brand – to build brand recognition. Therefore, you need to make sure that it is original and easily recognizable, so that a glimpse of it instantly calls your brand image to mind. Dare to be different – stay away from clichés and strive for uniqueness.
8) Don’t Force Your Creativity
You should never force your creativity, since the result will definitely not be a positive one. If you’re not on good terms with imagination today – leave it. Tomorrow is a new day and it will bring new horizons that will spark your creativity and make you create an awesome logo for your brand. It’s never good to rush into anything so, when in doubt, just take a deep breath, relax and your creativity muse will come to save the day.
9) More on Color: Play with Variations and Contrasts
You need to find the perfect harmony between the colors you choose so, before making a final decision, you should play around with different combinations. Make several designs using multiple color variations, so that you can know exactly which color combination is the best fit for your brand.
Play with contrasts – perhaps contrasting colors are exactly what will convey the story and create the perfect balance you are striving for. Practice makes perfect, so the more you play with different colors and designs, the better chances you will get of creating a logo that will stick for a long time.
10) Simplicity Is Key – Less Is More
The key to designing a logo is to keep it as simple as possible. Simplicity will make it memorable and easily recognizable, so avoid implementing too many elements in the design, as that will only result in your logo looking confusing. The simpler your logo is, the more appealing and attractive it will be and you will manage to hit the bullseye.
Your brand logo represents your company, so you need to make sure you present it in the best possible light. Create an icon that will communicate who you are and that will deliver life-lasting impressions not only to your target audience, but also to the whole wide world. Therefore, choose an artwork company that will help you design an impressive logo which will suit your brand and speak volumes about its identity.
Sam Makad is a business consultant. He helps small & medium enterprises to grow their businesses and Overall ROI. You can follow Sam on Twitter.
