How to create a business logo

Looking to find out how to create a business logo? This article will be covering the processes you can take to make your perfect business logo. The different elements we will be looking at today are:

• What is a logo and why is it important.
• A good logo
• Different kinds of logo
• Logo elements
• Competitors
• Drafting your logo

What is a logo and why is it important?

A logo is the symbol, image or stylized font that is used to identify your brand. It is a fundamental part of your brand identity. It’s what people first see when interacting with your brand. The logo should capture the spirit of your brand. It doesn’t need to be a literal depiction of the product or service you are offering. It should communicate the brand promise or how you want your customers to feel after using your product or service.

Before launching into the practicalities of logo design, you need to have an understanding of your target audience and be clear on what you want to communicate to them. Brainstorming some keywords that you want your brand to be associated with will help shape your logo design later on.

A good logo is:

• Memorable
• Easily recognizable
• Relevant
• Versatile

Different kinds of logo

Logos can be image-based, text-based, or a combination of the two. There are 7 types of logo.

1. Lettergram or monogram logos which give the brand initials (think WB, HP)
2. Wordmark or logotypes which focus on the name alone (think Google, Disney).
3. A pictorial mark (Instagram, Twitter, Apple) can be used without the text because the companies that use them are established and instantly recognizable.
4. Abstract logos whereby you recognize the logo with the brand but you don’t know what the logo actually represents.
5. Some brands have mascots associated with the company and use the mascot as their logo (think Pringles, Frosties)
6. Combination mark logo, a name and an image.
7. The emblem logo. This is often more traditional and used for university institutions.

Logo elements

Logos are made up of 3 main elements.

Colours: They determine how you’re perceived. Check out the colour chart below to find out the associations with each colour.

Font:  Typography can help reinforce the brand story. Some businesses create their own font.

Style:  Will your logo be vintage, floral, modern?

Competitors

It is also useful to look at your competitors’ logos. You might notice that many companies in the same sector chose similar colour palettes for their logos. For example, Unilever, P&G, Mars, Nestle (FMCG) all use blues. IBM, HP, Capgemini, Atos (tech) also use blues.

Looking at your competitors can help you find inspiration and will enable you to get an indication of what your target market is familiar with. Whilst you can use competitor research to get inspiration, avoid mimicking their identity and try to establish something unique that will help your brand stand out.

Drafting your logo

Sketch a variety of logo concepts and create digital drafts. Refine these ideas in response to feedback from customers and target audience. Try to avoid subjective feedback. Ask specific questions and provide context. Avoid broad questions such as “what do you think of this logo?”

Next steps

Your logo may need refreshing or redesigning after some time in order to keep in line with current trends and remain relevant to your customer. Check out this link for logo trends to look out for 2021.

https://www.wix.com/blog/2020/11/logo-design-trends

Can we help you?

We’d love to! We can take your logo design journey from initial concepts to delivery. Look at this link to find out more about our services and see some case studies.

https://www.clearbrand.co.uk/services-logo-design/

Details:  

Written by Matt on behalf of ClearBrand, December 2020.

To get in contact about working with ClearBrand on a project,
please call +44 (0)118 959 9284 or email info@clearbrand.co.uk.