There is no such thing as a large brand without a logo, they just don’t exist

That’s because your logo is the first thing a customer sees when they engage with your products or services.

So it’s only natural that you want to create an exceptional logo. 

Great, but how do you do that exactly? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. 

I’m about to show you the steps you need to take to design the perfect logo for your business. 

From the foundations of your logo to understanding your business personality, I’ll share some of my top logo strategy tips.

If you’re ready to find out what steps need to be taken in order to create an effective and functional logo, then let’s get started.

Why do I need to know how to design a logo?

Unless you have the unique opportunity to create a brand new market of products and services, you’re going to have competition, you and others in your market will all try to attract similar customers.

During that first impression, your logo is going to play a key role by giving off bits of information about your company and letting the customer decide if it’s the right choice for them

Because your logo is going to play such an important role, it’s no surprise that you are going to want to make sure you have a striking design.

I tell the clients that I work with, if you need a good place to start thinking about the kind of message or emotion you want your logo to address, then look no further than your company values and beliefs. 

Check out your competition

A great way to start gathering inspiration, and ways to make your new logo different is to see what’s already out there. 

There is a lot you can learn from looking at other businesses in your market, such as what is working well, and what is not.

But be careful that you do not create a logo that simply blends in with the rest of the market, you want to create a look that is truly unique to your business.

If it looks like all of the current companies in your market are using simple, modern pictorial logos, then switch it up and use a wordmark logo with a stylish typeface.

In the end, it’s all about differentiating yourself.

Choose your logo style

When you enter the marketplace, nailing the right look is a critical first step for any new business, and knowing the difference between the logo styles available to you will give you a huge advantage.

If you just started, or have a small team and need to take a DIY approach to design your logo, then using any of the 7 common logo styles listed below will give you a huge advantage:

• Pictorial Mark
• Abstract
• Word Mark
• Combination Mark
• Letterform
• Emblem
• Dynamic

Remember that a good logo will have a strong visual impact, and will stand out from the rest of your competitors.

Pick the right color

Before you start building, you’ll need to decide on a color palette for your logo.

Colors can have a powerful impact on your emotions and thoughts, and unfortunately, we can’t cover the entire history of color theory in one short section. 

But understanding the color wheel, and a few key concepts can allow us to build an attractive color palette that is appropriate for your customers.   

Analogous – when you think of analogous colors, think about three neighbors who live next to each other on the color wheel. They usually pair up well and create a nice harmony in your design.

Complimentary – unlike analogous colors that live right next to each other on the color wheel, complementary colors live on the opposite side. Not only does this produce an excellent look, but one that grabs attention.

Monochromatic – This set of colors, covers all of the different varieties that one single hue of color will produce. Or simply put, if you take this shade of blue, and reduce it to white in five steps, this is the color palette it will produce.

Triad – this set of three colors is evenly spaced apart on the color wheel, the most well-known combination being Red, Blue, and Yellow, but it’s not the only one. Because these colors often have a strong contrast, they can produce a very dramatic effect.  

If you want to take a look at current color trends and get inspired, I would encourage you to have a look around color.adobe.com.

Decide on the right typography

Picking the proper typeface that compliments your business is no easy task, and just like color, I can’t give you a complete lesson on typography.

But if we can narrow it down to two simple typeface styles, then you’ll already be ahead of everyone else.

And you guessed it, those two typefaces are serif and sans serif.

First, let’s talk about serifs.

The most obvious thing all serif typefaces have in common is the use of a small line at the end of the letter…and you guessed it, this is called a serif.

A few examples of serif typefaces are Times New Roman, Garamond, and Georgia.

And you’ll generally want to use these typefaces when you want a more traditional and classic look to your logo.

Now Sans Serif typefaces tend to not have the extending lines and features that you see in a serif typeface, and the width of the letter is generally consistent throughout, you don’t see a lot of the variation that you see in serif typefaces.

Honestly, you could pick any modern company and see that they use some form of a Sans Serif typeface.

Now the reason I’ve decided to focus on this pair of typefaces is that they tend to be pretty flexible and work well when used together.

Create your logo

Now that you’ve carefully considered every element of your logo it’s time to start building it. 

Now you have a few options, and each is going to come with its own pros and cons. 

They are each also going to depend largely on the budget, and timeline you’ve planned for your new logo design, so you should carefully consider which option is right for you.

You can start by looking at a large design agency, but this is not going to be a quick or inexpensive process.

Which leads you to the next option, using an online logo maker. This solution is instant and inexpensive, but you also run the risk of picking a premade logo that is already in use by someone else.

A good middle ground is hiring an independent, or freelance graphic designer. This person will give you all of the benefits of working with agency designers, but might not have all the bells and whistles that drive up costs.

However, if you are on a tight budget like I mentioned, then stick around because in my next video I’m going to cover a few free design tools to get you up and running with your new logo.