The Process of Creating a Business Logo

Perhaps you think it is now time to give your small startup a boost. You may have been thinking of doing some marketing on the side. You will soon realize how essential it is to have a company logo. The power of a custom logo in boosting your company's branding strategy is unimaginable. However, the process involved in creating a business logo can somehow be complicated and arduous for the less skilled and experienced. Understand that a simple mistake in your logo can cause confusion in your target market.

 

Things That You Should Know When Creating a Business Logo

 

The first thing you need to learn is that the logo is more than just an image used to identify the company. It must also be relevant to the product, employees, and services offered. It is how the target audience could recognize, identify, and remember the companies. It serves as the face of your company. The logo presents you with a rare opportunity to create a statement. Whether you choose to add an abstract or traditional symbol to your business logo, the important thing is that this must be discussed among the key people. You want to make sure that it will create that connection. It must be evaluated; do not forget to ask other people's opinions on this matter.

 

What Your Logo Isn't About

 

There are some misconceptions when creating a business logo. Some people think that logo is a brand, but it is not. Company branding is your company's intangible asset, such as your online reputation. The logo only helps in building your brand and awareness. It is more than just a visual identity. When developing your logo, you want something that reflects your brand identity. Logos can be viewed as part of this picture, but it will not be the entire thing.

 

How to Design a Business Logo

 

There are some things that you need to remember when you are in the process of creating a business logo. First is that designing a logo involves a great deal of strategy, particularly at the beginning of your project. This will involve a significant amount of research, planning, and decision-making rather than spending your time on the drawing board. You should also remind yourself that you are not simply developing a company logo. To ensure that you are doing things correctly, follow our step-by-step guide.

 

Preparation

 

The first stage of creating a business logo requires the designer to gather the necessary information. Usually, this involves doing an interview with the business owner. The logo maker should prepare the questions in advance. The answers to these questions must provide them with an in-depth understanding of the company. At the end of the interview, they should understand the different brand attributes of the company, its values, ethics, vision, and goals. They should also understand the history of the organization. Designers refer to this as the discovery stage. Both parties (the business owner and the logo designer) will discover something about the business. This will help the business owner understand what their company really stands for, what needs to be accomplished, and the methods to achieve their objectives.

 

Possible Questions to Ask

 

While the business owner may believe that they are already aware of the answers to these questions, We still encourage you to take the questions seriously. There's a great chance there is a part of your business that you have not yet considered.

 

·         What convinced you to create a company logo? Why do you need it?

·         What is your brand story? Is there any deeper meaning to the name of your company?

·         Who is your target market?

·         Can You list your competitors?

·         What are the goals you hope to accomplish by having a new logo? How can you measure that you have successfully attained that goal?

·         Who are some of your brand models in this industry? Can you mention some brand that gives you a positive feeling or those you admire?

·         What kind of feeling do you want to stimulate your target audience after seeing your logo?

·         Is there a particular value that you want your logo to express?

·         What makes your business unique?

·         How are you planning to use this logo? Do you plan to use it on your website or your offline marketing campaigns?

·         Do you have a particular request for the logo design?

 

Create a Summary

 

Now that the designer has collected all the answers to these questions, you must summarize this to develop your design strategy. This will serve as a comprehensive blueprint of the company. Some of the elements that should be added here include visual considerations, tone brands, design goals, and the vision of the logo or trademark. Any themes that you think could represent the company must also be added to this summary. These are all necessary to guide you on the next stage of creating a business logo. You can also use this to measure the success of your project. Be sure to evaluate all the deliverables at the end of each stage. It would be challenging for the designer not to have their personal preference, but once you do, consult this summary if it is relevant for the business.

 

The Research Stage

 

Now that you have gathered the information, it is now time to have an in-depth exploration. Most people refer to this as the research stage. It is a valuable part of the design process and will serve as a foundation for your project. As they say, the basics are the most crucial. If you are building a pagoda, the base must be the strongest. Your research goal would be to be educated in essential matters to the organization and find inspiration for the project.

 

The Process

 

You need to start with the most straightforward part. Try to look for the basics of the logo design rules and principles. Be aware of the fundamentals such as typography, colors, styles, and forms. According to the design principles, specific logo colors can help evoke emotions. This will help you create your desired behavioral response from your customers. It's simple, but it has always been fascinating to implement color psychology in your logo design. For instance, blue has the power to instill trust and dependability. It is not a coincidence that office workers mostly wear a blue suits. It is also not surprising why blue is commonly seen in the logo of legal firms, insurance, financial institutions, and software companies. Green pertains to health and evokes a sense of serenity and comfort. Discover which kind of color can help you elicit the proper emotion in your audience.

 

After you have understood these basics, it is time to gather intel. Try to look first at their business competitors. Gradually, broaden the industry to relevant companies. Do not simply look at the logo of these businesses. You need to understand that complete visual system and its impact on the audience. Take note of the element that makes the logo stand out.  

 

Creating a Mood Board

 

It is easy to get lost when looking at the different information and design inspiration. Creating a mood board is recommended to make the information accessible and organized. The Mood board presents the collection of images, color combinations, designs, photos, logos, and illustrations that you think could best represent the company. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is through Pinterest.

 

The Design

 

Now that we have taken care of the two fundamental aspects of creating a business logo, it is time to move forward with the design process. Your goal in this stage is relatively simple. Take all the information you've gathered into the two previous steps and start sketching some designs. Do not immediately digitize the product. Sketching them gives you a great deal of freedom. Even if you think you have a creative block, doodling random shapes can help you establish the mindset you need in designing.

 

Preparing the Tools

 

Apart from your trust sketchpad and pencil, there are some tools that you need to prepare to ensure that designing a logo will be seamless. Here are some of them.

 

·         Program for Vector Graphic Design- Adobe illustrator would be an excellent choice here. Read the complete guide that we've written in the past. However, it may not be beginner-friendly, and it will not be cheap. Vectr and Inkscape would be a great alternative to those looking for a free application.

 

·         Fonts- If you are starting to digitize the logo, you will need to download a couple of font styles. You should also consider how these fonts can reflect your company's values.

 

·         Logo Design Tools- For those who are just practicing logo design, you don't have to spend a great deal of cash. There are free options that you can find in the market. Most of them come with fully-customizable templates.

 

Refining

 

Now that we are close to the final step of creating a business logo, you will need to narrow down all your design and choose the best one that represents the company. You will need to put it into a test and present this to a limited number of people. Be sure that it will not just be evocative but also memorable. It must not be overly complicated. Try to use a mockup generator to see how the logo will appear on websites, pamphlets, or business cards. Next, you need to ensure that the logo can grow with the company. Trends will change, but the most effective logo will remain effective even after five years. You only need simple tweaks to modernize them. Look at some of the logos of the big brands; there have been subtle and almost unrecognizable changes on them after a couple of years.

 

Creating Guidelines

 

Finally, you should not carelessly submit the business logo to the owner. There should be a complete guideline to help them understand how to use this effectively. Inform them if there are some changes to the shades of the logo when used in different channels. For instance, tell them if there's a particular background color to make the logo appear more conspicuous. Can some of the elements be separated? These are some factors to think about to guarantee that the logo will still leave a powerful impact on its target audience.

 

You might be thinking that this is just too much when all you need is to design a logo. To tell you the truth, we may have missed some things here. Creating a business logo involves a lot of work. However, you shouldn't rush it. We know how some of you may be impatient and will skip some of the stages. Take your time going through the entire phase to develop a design that you can be proud of.