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.
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