Logos are the first thing people see when they visit your business or company website. If you design them well, logos can create a good impression on potential customers. On the other hand, a poorly designed one may send clients running in the opposite direction. Fortunately, designing a logo doesn’t have to be too complex of a task. In fact, with the help of a free logo maker, you can have the luxury of creating your own logo in a way that best reflects your business without prior knowledge of code or in-depth design tools. Are you looking to make a logo for your new business? Here are some crucial guidelines to help you.
Choose a Design
First, decide what you want your logo to look like. There are a few major categories of logos: abstract, pictorial, and wordmarks. While abstract logo designs do not use images, pictorial ones use one- or two-dimensional images. Lastly, wordmarks use words with or without graphics. Abstract and pictorial logos might be simpler concepts, but they’re usually better left for larger companies with more money to spend on their marketing campaign. Wordmarks can be easier for customers to remember than abstract logos.
Find a Free Logo Maker
There are tons of online tools that can help you create personalized and professional designs for your business. The trick is finding one that gives you more than just your standard generic designs. You need a logo maker that will help you create something different from similar logos that main competitors in your niche use. It’s worth investing some time playing around with logos to find what you exactly want. The results will be well worth it to ensure that you have a compelling, high-quality brand image.
Get Some Inspiration
It’s often said that you should never judge your own creative work because it will always fall short of your vision. The same applies when coming up with your company’s logo. Keep an open mind and look for inspiration everywhere. You might just be surprised at what catches your eye. Consider starting in unconventional places, like graffiti or hand-drawn flyers.
Even as you look for inspiration, think about doing things differently from your competitors. There’s no sense in a blindly following formula if it doesn’t fit your business model. You want a unique symbol that highlights the critical strengths of your business and resonates with your audience.
Brainstorm Unique Logo Ideas
As we already stated earlier, logos are an extension of your brand. Before you design any, brainstorm some unique ideas for your logo. Think about how your business works and how it solves clients’ needs.
If you’re unsure where to start, think about what makes your company different, how customers interact with your brand and your mission statement. The answers you get are what will help shape your logo.
Know Your Audience
The more targeted your design is, the better it will resonate with your customers. Sure, you can throw any old design out there and hope for success, but if you want to craft something exceptional and memorable, then you need to know who you’re designing for.
Look at your audience or your target market if you are a startup. With this in mind, you will quickly determine the message you need to put in your logo. You will also figure out how you should portray your logo in style.
Use Simple Fonts and Colors
The last thing you want is your clients struggling to read through your logo. So, use simple fonts and colors to make your design professional. One area that might get you stranded is the type of font to use. Generally, sans-serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica are more modern and easier for viewers to read. Stick with this option or mixed fonts if you want your logo to have personality.
Make sure your logo works on both light and dark backgrounds by designing it in black first. If necessary, then change the colors to suit either scenario.
Define Your Brand Identity
Defining yourself as an idea, service, product, or business and understanding exactly who you want to appeal to will help narrow down your options. Are you targeting millennials? How about baby boomers? Once you have a brand identity, you won’t have problems choosing colors, fonts, and images. You will also decide whether you want something minimalist or complicated quickly.
Consult a Designer
Sometimes there’s nothing better than having an expert evaluate your logo and make suggestions for improvement. Inexpensive graphic design services are available online or in local communities, often for as little as $30 or $40 per hour. Just be sure you choose someone with experience in your field.
The Takeaway
Logo design is an art. That’s why designers come up with unique and innovative ideas for logos. However, many free logo maker applications are available if you have no budget for professional design services. Together with the above guide, these programs allow you to experiment with different graphics, colors, styles, and text until you come up with something that works for your business.
