How To Design A Logo: Step-By-Step Guide

Want to design a logo for your own business? Well, first of all, if you have got the resources and are willing to speculate during this, we strongly advise you to appear at hiring an expert log designer or logo design company. Hiring knowledgeable will always produce far better results and ensure that your logo is fresh and adaptable to present day trends yet as being sophisticated enough that when it’s named in conversation people don’t say “Oh yeah I’ve seen something like this before” rather they are saying “oh I do not think I’ve seen anything quite like that before” or words thereto effect! (no guarantee).

And who doesn’t like professional logo design services like those offered by our company? And, who can pass up the opportunity for them – for any amount!

What is a logo?

This question probably makes you think of an image from a famous shoe company or computer brand. In reality, we understand that this word brings with it vivid images since we can already picture such a thing in our heads. It’s very important to stand out from the crowd these days. How can a company do that? It needs an effective logo that not only holds in this digital age but appeals to customers first and foremost.

Logo Play Big Role in Make Branding

A logo serves many purposes. For starters, it’s how your company is recognized and remembered among other businesses. It also functions as the face of your business because logos are so commonly displayed in marketing materials such as business cards, sales literature, social media sites, etc.

Your company’s logo can also convey meaning. Amazon’s smiley arrow states that the organization sells everything from “A-Z” and also signifies how happy customers are when they shop at the stores.
One caveat to remember is that a logo doesn’t have to embody some deeper meaning. Many companies misjudge this and ask for something more profound than can realistically be given by a designer. Most of our designers agree that most people are asking too much out of a logo, but when you think about it from their perspective it’s not an easy job given the constraints attached.
So remember, a logo may play an important role but it sure as heck isn’t everything.

Define Your Brand Visual Identity

This is a common confusion, but your logo isn’t simple. And your brand isn’t your logo. Your brand is invisible; it’s your reputation—what people think of when they hear your name, what they tell others about you, and how you make them feel. Your brand is built from a thousand touchpoints with customers—not from a logo.

Sometimes new companies and organizations request a logo, but good designers will tell them that they’re too focused on just one aspect. Logos are part of the picture, not the entire thing. A logo is only one image within a larger visual system that includes everything from your colors to your typography, photography to layout concepts, etc.

An indicator of success:-

Starting a business is hard work – very hard work. You have to make sure to give your business everything you’ve got and then some, after all, it’s not just the idea that matters, it’s what you can make of it. Today we want to remind you that if you insist on creating an excellent logo or any high-quality creative piece of work, focus on doing the best job possible because the best logo in the world won’t save even a single business entity’s existence if its performance doesn’t comply with ethical standards. But we also understand that every one of us lacks patience from time to time, especially when building up a new company – so try not to push things too far by focusing on making sure your first steps are as solid as possible to allow the company to grow accordingly over the long run.”

Here are two things we would like to speak to help with our dive:

1. Design is a lot of strategies – and at times it can be more thinking than drawing. Good design doesn’t just happen: It requires a plan, and that plan should start with assessing your basic goals for the project. Working with designers (and developers) to define a roadmap is an excellent way to demystify and streamline the design process.

2.The logo is not the face of your brand. It’s one of many pieces which comprise your overall visual system.

To do this right, you’ll want to take things one step at a time. While every designer’s process looks different, the one we’re going to guide you through has five steps:
  • Discover
  • Explore
  • Design
  • Refine
  • Define
Every step in Product Management has a goal, process, and deliverable. We will look at why each phase is important, the series of actions or steps you need to take, and the final deliverable for that stage – which you’ll need for the next phase.

Phase One: Discover

This is a step, so it naturally occurs after defining requirements with stakeholders within the initial stage, but design comes first. The invention phase is when designers and product owners collaboratively uncover information by asking inquiries to determine the scope of the project they’re near to tackle.
For you, this may be like having a vision. The more you recognize about your company/organization, the better. You’ll determine when everything comes together exactly how you imagined it in your head, then that’s after you know you’ve succeeded. Don’t hesitate to require a while removed from this project once in a very while to urge into a far-off place where inspiration may come to you in unexpected ways.
We encourage you to travel through the exercise of outlining your answers. In my experience, doing just this may provide a deeper understanding of every material and also make it easier to recollect what you’ll have forgotten that’s crucial.

Process

Ask yourself:
Why does one need a brand new brand identity? Why isn’t your current one working for you anymore?

Why is your company called _________ ? What does it represent or how does it appeal to people within the marketplace?
Who are your target audiences?
What are the most convenient ways to communicate with your customers?

Who are your main competitors? List them or provide a picture/graphic.

What does one think about this logo? Have you ever seen any others we’d like? Who were they designed by, and the way long did they go to create? What was their role within the creative process?
What are the highest 3 or 5 brands that you just love and admire? What does one like most about them?
As a graphic designer, are you creating logos specifically to elicit a particular emotion within the viewer? Does one think it’s important to realize that goal if so?
What does your brand look like? What are its defining qualities? Is your client inquisitive about “inner beauty” or is it all about the aesthetics of a product or service?
What are the unique characteristics or personality forms of your brand? For example: Is your brand refined, silly, nostalgic, vibrant, etc? take a look at this text for some more ideas about determining your brand’s personality.

What will be the most use of the logo/visual system? Social media, a website, t-shirts?

Are any special requests or must-haves included within the design? If a visible refresh, assets could also be provided in your proposal comments but won’t necessarily be employed in the project.

Phase One: Explore Of Resource

Talking with experts is like building a cheetah when going after your mommy. Collaboration is very helpful in ensuring you have everything you need at all times.
You can create a bulletin board by cutting and pasting images onto the wall with tape or thumbtacks. However, most designers follow an easier method and use Pinterest to collect their examples, but if you want to make it easy for others to share an idea with you of similar cases that they’ve encountered in the past, just copy and paste your images into a document. Comparing several design directions is a good way to get feedback from people who are familiar with your brand. Create separate mood boards for each direction and present them to other members of your team or a decision-maker, that person should help you narrow down to one direction.

Phase Three: Design

Finally! Now is the time to show off your creativity, which we believe is a vital part of any branding exercise. Start by picking up some snippets of information and data from each previous phase and begin sketching out several logo ideas for our next meeting.
There are some good things to keep in mind when creating a logo for your business:

Tools

Before starting a project, it’s crucial to make sure you have what you’ll need to make it happen:

Pencil and paper

Not everyone thinks in visual terms (far from it), so even if it seems like you can’t draw, create rough sketches of the ideas in your head. Your brain will be forced to think creatively—which is exactly the mindset you need to come up with your next big idea!

Vector graphic design software

Adobe’s Illustrator Vector Graphics Editing Software is popular industry-wide since it can be used for a variety of different purposes from simple logo design to complex 3D models. However, when you’re just getting started in this world, the cost of the software might be a deal breaker for you and your business. Fortunately, there are tools like In kscape and Vector that function much like their more expensive counterparts but at a much lower price point with only minor differences as well.

All logos are vector images that can be easily scaled. Instead of pixels, they’re made up of lines defined by mathematical formulas.

Fonts

If you go the above route, you may want to think about which fonts on Google Fonts may work best for your designs. I’ve always liked pairing Product Sans with the Serif Pro font or Roboto with Open Sans and Lato. Of course, any combination of fonts is fair game; that’s what makes it fun.

Free logo design tools

If you’re short on time, money, and design skills, there are plenty of online tools that will get the job done. Most of these sites offer customizable templates, so it’ll be easy to create a logo that looks professional. Just keep in mind that you run the risk of sacrificing originality.

There are many free tools available to help you design your marketing materials, however, some of these may require that you purchase the final scalable vector file for it to be used and distributed.
Top Logo Designers in Jaipur

Top 5 Online Free Logo Design Tools:

  1. Hatchful
  2. Logo Makr
  3. DesignEvo Free Logo Maker
  4. Canva Logo Maker
  5. Looka

Types of logos

To make sure your logo is memorable, it’s a good idea to keep in mind these seven elements of effective logo design:

Word mark

Just like any other business, a lot of people create logos and banners for their groups. A logo is meant to be in the spotlight of an ad, website, or project-type thing. This specific piece of art must remain clear and easy to read. So even if you have a clever slogan, make sure it’s not too tiny to read comfortably!

Brand Mark

The graphic symbol in a logo is called a pictorial mark. These symbols are recognized from the moment they are seen and often create an immediate connection with the audiences that view them. Many patient dental clinics have adopted a toothy image for their logo, as well as many outdoor clothing companies which used mountain-like imagery in their logos.

Combination Mark

This logo includes both a symbol and a wordmark so that it would appeal to more traditional audiences as well as some audiences who might not be as familiar with this specific type of design. Tackling each element in the lock-up separately, then being able to decide which combination works best will help ensure your audience is engaged from day one.

Abstract Logo Mark

As their name suggests, abstract logo designs are less representational and are usually mathematical. These sleek logos are great when you want to appear unique on the design scene having a look that’s completely identifiable as your own. Again, we strongly recommend drawing on your company or organization’s name when looking for ideas to make sure this is consistent with your company’s brand image.

Letter Mark

A monogram logo design, also called a letter mark, is ideal if you find it hard to decide between two shorter names that are just as good. If your name is longer or clunky to say out loud, then you can abbreviate it instead of going with only initials. Letter monograms offer creativity in font styling because they require fewer letters than typical word designs and less patience for legibility because of their single-layered meanings (whether you’re using one initial or two).

Mascot

Consider a mascot. Again, this tactic works best with brands who want to come across as lighthearted, so making strategic decisions about the specific type of character will deliver the desired message and emotion you’re trying to communicate through your brand identity. On the other hand, if you want to come across as more serious in tone, mascots may not be right for you.

Emblems

It’s important to keep your logo simple and easily recognizable by using shapes and a color scheme that will make your brand stand out.

Symbols

If you opt you wish an emblem in your logo—whether traditional or abstract—you might have to do some brainstorming.

Make connections

When developing a brand, consider the name of your company and write down as many related words that would be utilized in your logo design. As an example, if our company was called “Sprout” we’d also write things like “grow”, “garden”, “tree”, etc on our list of words as they relate to a physical object.

Think figuratively.

Using the Amazon smile as an example, take into consideration how you wish your target market to feel about your brand. Now let’s replace the word “smile” with any symbol that involves the mind once you imagine our “Amazon smile”.

Go literal

While our designers cautioned against going with the foremost obvious choice, you’ll still consider an interpretation of your brand message. Just don’t be afraid to fiddle with it. Put a singular spin on that. Try combining a literal symbol with something more figurative. As an example, if your company is thought of for its high level of quality, you will want to consider turning out with an abstract logo that’s visually appealing and has some connection to quality just like the Nike Swoosh or Apple’s apple. Or if your business sells towels, maybe use a hand doing the “OK” gesture (a la The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series) holding or touching a towel so people know what sort of business they’re in immediately yet as getting some mileage out of the favored “I’m OK” meme sweeping Facebook!

Get Weird

At this stage, there are not any rules. Think outside of the box so as to gauge how well new ideas get on my feet to some good quaint criticism or review. Try your hand at implementing a replacement idea or two along the way, but don’t be afraid to reevaluate your current direction going forward because you never know unless you try!

Generate, evaluate, repeat

Like all design jobs, sometimes you will need to try to do some iterating. This implies you will have to travel back and forth over many alternative options before choosing the simplest one that matches you and your client. It’s because everyone seems to be unique so make preparations for a variety of outcomes on everything from color schemes to choices about logos, text, and even layout designs – several of which could not be right for either one among you! Talk this through with someone who can help offer feedback (e.g., an admirer or work mentor) and put aside enough time to dedicate to every finished product before moving on to the subsequent one.

Fonts

If you decide on a wordmark, ensure to place your mark into the right typeface. Fonts have associations—some brand personality types reflect particular fonts. When you walk into an area stuffed with people, you’ll likely notice that almost all of the faces stand out from the group. You’ll also notice something else – people are endlessly fascinated by typography and this extends to fonts or typefaces. The typeface is another word for a font. There are about 2,000 unique sorts of typefaces currently available for digital use (according to industry figures) but today we’re visiting to have a glance at three common families employed in popular design: serifs, sans serifs, and scripts.

Serif fonts

serif fonts have small lines that terminate in a very curved or arrow shape that’s attached to the top of the larger strokes within the letter or symbol. These fonts are classic and may be good choices after you want to speak trust, tradition, and class. As an example, if you’re running an occurrence for alumni, prospective students, or distant parents, this font can make a good impression; by establishing yourself as a heavy academic institution with roots that reach back to history.

Sans serif fonts

Sans serif fonts are typefaces without any finishing strokes, or ‘serifs,’ on the end of every letter. This fresh-looking font style, which is widely used in digital and print media, is known for its simple visual appearance. In addition to being great for aesthetics and readability on text, sans serif fonts are also frequently utilized as logos because of their unique appearance compared to other fonts with curls or flicks at the ends. Sans serif typesetting isn’t only excellent for use within businesses – it’s also popular among modern graphic designers!

Script

It takes a lot of practice and experimentation to find the perfect font for your brand. While finding script fonts is a great place to start, the best way to design a logo is with trial-and-error – generate new options until you find something you like, then evaluate your newly chosen font based on the criteria previously discussed (frequently used words/phrases, flexibility in various contexts, etc.) before repeating the cycle.

Deliverable

You should end up with at least one or two logo designs to evaluate. It’s also common during this stage to have three or four logos to choose between. In the next phase, we will go over some steps for evaluating your designs.

Phase Four: Refine

Goal
If you have three or four different ideas for the next phase of your project, now is the time to narrow them down. Have a final choice already in mind? Great! You’re almost done with the planning section. Let’s put it to the test and see what happens. Now realize you’ve forgotten about an important step in your plan? Start back at Step 1 and revise that portion of your initial plan before trying again.

Process
Designers should evaluate their work and ask themselves, “ Does the design look similar to something else that’s out there? Why would someone purchase it if they have bought other similar designs before? How does this design make me feel when I look at it?

Where will you use this logo?
When designing a logo, be sure to think about all use cases. For example, you might want to consider both the primary and secondary use cases for logos and images you create. Use cases represent how people will use your product (like a website), but also how they’ll interact with it in the real world. For instance, if you own a clothing company and made matching T-shirts for parents and kids that said “I love Mommy and Daddy” on the front, you would include this as both a primary and secondary use case because a potential customer would see the T-shirt worn by multiple people during one (event).

Does the logo have legs?
Architects who design iconic buildings don’t do so only because of visuals. They take into consideration the bigger picture, including how practical a structure will be to building owners, potential tenants, and the general public regarding circulation and upkeep. Take some time to think about whether or not your logo will still look fresh in 17 years by thinking: Does it stand the test of time? Will people still recognize your brand in 17 years?

Deliverable
By now, you should have a logo that looks exactly how you want it to. And for most, it takes a while to make sure every element is just right. To ensure that your final design doesn’t take an unexpected turn we want to provide you with a thorough guide on how to protect your logo’s design.

Phase Five: Define

Goal
When it comes to maintaining the integrity of your brand identity, quality is key. Given the number of places your logo will live and the number of people who may need to use it, it’s important to define a set of rules and guidelines for how to treat your logo. One way that organizations who are serious about establishing a global presence can help ensure that their logo remains consistent on all fronts is by creating an org chart outlining precisely who has permission to use the company’s trademark depending on the area they oversee (i.e., the design department may not have permission to alter the brand’s distinctive font, while accounting personnel tasked with keeping accounts up-to-date might need a version that is easily readable when tacked onto receipts or invoices and so forth).

Process
First, decide if there are any specific guidelines you should know about concerning your logo’s size, color, layout, treatment, and overall look. Then go through the tips below:

Deliverable
Sprout’s Design Systems team recently built a website called Seeds entirely devoted to our brand, writing, and visual guidelines as well as all the patterns and components our product designers need to build our app. Seed’s design system is simple and useful, but most importantly cohesive across all of the pages we have within Sprout. It makes it easy for us to refer back to while designing or building new features!

Conclusion

What a lot of people often forget is that designing a logo is no small feat. It takes dedication and skill to complete this type of task well. If you don’t believe us, just look at how long logo designers take to produce their final designs; we are talking weeks not hours or days! So our final piece of advice for you is to be patient and give yourself the time and dedication you need to work through each stage thoroughly because your final design will most certainly reflect the amount of effort you have put toward it in its entirety!

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