Despite being small images, logos carry a large amount of information about your company and the meaning of your brand. For this reason, creating one has an immense responsibility, since they are the most recognizable representation of an organization and hence the importance of knowing how to make a logo.
Also read: How to grow your business (4 areas you should focus on)
Think of them as the face of your company. With all the information available to customers today, your logo must quickly and effectively communicate the meaning of your brand.
To face this complex challenge, many companies choose to hire outside help. But for many of us new to logo design, working with freelancers can add to the complexity of the task.
Even if you decide to hire, it’s important that you know how to make a logo, as you’ll have more knowledge to thoroughly analyze the designs you receive.
For this reason I thought it would be interesting to teach you what I know about how to make a logo, to prevent you from going down the wrong path. From the concept stage to the final product. What does it take to design a logo? How are designers able to capture a company’s mission and embody it in a simple image, especially when they are not part of the company?
First of all, I would like you to observe some of the logos that I like the most.
How to make a logo in 5 steps
When you are developing your logo, focus primarily on your mission, personality, and especially your audience. We’ll get to the logo development process later, but first let’s talk about what traits make an effective logo:
- simplicity: Is your design clear and simple enough to be flexible and easily remembered? Is it very overloaded and confusing?
- Memorable: Is it quickly recognizable? Is it intelligent? Will people spend just a second or two to understand it?
- timeless: Will it still be a good logo in 10, 20, or even 50 years?
- Versatility: Can you resize it without losing quality or clarity? Will it work in different media or contexts?
- Prompt: Does it resonate with your audience and the industry your business is in?
Also read: 5 effective strategies that will help you choose the perfect name for your company.
I have been a designer for over 12 years and the most important thing I have learned when it comes to logo design is:
“A logo should be distinctive, not descriptive” Click To Tweet
Pay attention to the following logo. It’s Adair Homes. It’s the company that built my house in Oregon. I think your logo is overloaded. They have tried to describe their company too much within their logo, by including three rules that surround the letter “A”, which I believe is also related to its roots in the northeast of the country.
Remember this: Your logo is not advertising. You have many other ways to explain who you are and what your business does.
What processes should you carry out to design your logo?
Each designer has their own process, which is rarely linear. However, this is how the logo design is carried out and can be used as a guide for you to make your own:
1. Design portfolio:
Gather as much information as you can about your logo vision. How do you imagine it? Are there some colors that you should consider? When do you think you should finish your logo? Most importantly, who is your client? What motivates them? What is your client looking for in a logo?
2. Research:
Conduct research focused specifically on the industry, its history, and its competitors. What is the main sales motivator in your industry? Which are the brands that are winning and why?
3. Reference:
Look up designs that have been successful, as well as styles and trends that are being used in your industry. In my experience, I choose between 40-50 logos and filter these options down to 5. You can do this on Dribble, Logo Moose, and Logo Pond.
4. Drawing and conceptualization:
This is a very important step. You can hire a designer and give them all the information you collected in steps 1-3 or proceed to make the logo yourself. Developing the concept of the logo is the moment where creativity appears in the game, and it must be supported by in-depth research. Some designers use a napkin to draw, some use a drawing pad, and some use the computer directly. This is a personal decision, but I recommend not to start using the computer.
5. Reflection:
In my experience, taking breaks through the design process can be very fruitful. This helps you mature your ideas and renew your enthusiasm. It’s also the right time to get feedback from the right people. People who are designers or potential customers of your brand. I usually spend 2-3 days at this stage.
6. Review:
Even the best designers don’t finish a logo on the first try. The important thing in this phase is that it will help you filter your ideas and define 2 or 3 concepts, all with enough characteristics to be the final logo.
7. Sketch:
A logo by itself on a piece of paper or in a photoshop file is in the least appropriate space. Nobody is going to understand it. On the contrary, it will be perceived on a business card, on a web page or in a promotional video. Do your final revisions and stamp your logo in the appropriate environment for it to be perceived by your audience. It is this perspective that will help you make the final decision.
8. Finish:
Choose your final logo. Make the final version with the appropriate colors, sizes, and fonts easy to use in the future.
How to make a logo (6 things to avoid)
1. Fight the temptation to imitate.
We all have logos we love and sometimes we like them so much that we want to imitate their styles. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of admiration. However, in the real world it’s just a lazy way to solve a creative problem.
Also read: How to awaken my creativity to create innovative products.
2. Avoid overly elaborate fonts.
Don’t be tempted to use those confusing fonts just to make your logo more eye-catching. You can make the mistake of choosing a cheap and unreliable typeface. If you are a professional you should avoid them as much as possible.
When it comes to your logo design, go for classic and simple options, I source most of the fonts I use from fonts.com or Lost Type.
3. Do not use more than two fonts.
Obviously there will always be exceptions to this rule, but it is a general principle. Stick to just one or two typefaces if you want your design to be clean and clear.
4. The simpler the better.
Subtracting is a great technique for removing redundancy in any creative project. It means asking questions like: Does this logo really need this? Does this make sense? Does this match the research and concept? One of my favorite quotes is this.
“A designer knows he has reached perfection, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove.”
5. Get the tone right.
Imagine that you were searching the internet for a consultant and you come across a company called Friar Tuck’s, which has a logo like the one you see in the image above. You would doubt a little about the seriousness of this company. Any company could have a sea of happy customers, but a logo like this does not inspire respect or admiration for the type of services it offers.
The design of a logo represents the professionalism of your business. Use fonts and illustrations that sum up your brand’s personality in the industry.
6. Look for hidden words.
Often when a logo is stylized in a certain way, for example with all the letters together, it can form words you never intended to say. The Weight Watchers brand changed their logo a few years ago, but they had to quickly go back to the previous logo because the word “twat” was formed in the middle, in the middle of the logo.
Designing a logo from scratch is a very complex task, it takes a lot of research, knowledge of the business and the audience, as well as a deep consideration for design principles. However, if you find the right designer and put a solid process in place, you’ll end up creating an amazing logo that people will understand.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
