Short Introduction to Logo Design
When thinking about your favorite brand, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Probably their logo, right?
A brand logo is what is most memorable and sticks the most in users’ minds. You can’t be able to think of Nike without visualizing the checkmark shape, you can’t talk about Apple without the eaten apple popping into your mind! That’s the reason why one of the most important parts of starting a business is the focus on the logo. Creating a logo may sometimes feel quite difficult because it requires creativity that makes the brand stand out yet simplicity that clings in people’s minds.
How to design a logo without graphic design skills
Even though hiring a designer to create your logo is preferred in order to have a long-term professional logo, this process when you are just starting might be costly and time-consuming. If you want to avoid any difficulties, there are many different ways that non-designers can create effective logos with accessible simple tools that you can use for free!
Key Principles of Logo Design
Before we discuss the tools, here are some logo design tips for beginners:
1. Simplicity: Less is more.
In logo design as with any creation, less is always more. Make sure not to overcrowd your logo document and focus only on what represents your brand the most. For example, if you are a developer who wants to have your website and logo that people can contact you through, you can add your initials inside coding brackets or use a techy font and color to write your name.
2. Scalability: A logo should look good in all sizes.
It’s very important to make your logo scalable at any size, remember that nowadays people are using multiple social media platforms and multiple devices. You want your logo to work well in a square, rectangle (vertical and horizontal), or circle (if you want to add it as an Instagram profile picture for example).
3. Relevance: How a logo should reflect the brand’s identity/industry.
A logo doesn’t necessarily need to show the actual industry of the brand (if you are selling clothes, you don’t need to show a t-shirt in your logo) but it should be relevant to it. If you are a clothing company, you can make your logo the actual name of the brand but focus on the identity rather than the industry: if the brand is high end you can play into the font, choose a serif font to elevate it, if it’s more of a hippy brand, you can add a background with colors. The logo should be a reflection of the brand’s voice and identity.
4. Color Psychology: Best colors for logos.
It’s essential to choose colors that evoke the right emotions and align with your brand. The reason why you see all insurance and banking institutions using the color blue, it’s because it creates a feeling of trust for people. You can search for the feeling associated with each color and use it as per your brand’s identity, purpose, and core vision.
5. Memorability: Tips to create a logo that sticks in people’s minds.
What is a logo’s purpose if not to be remembered? That is the most essential part of building brand recognition. In order to create a memorable logo, you should focus on simplicity, incorporating unique elements relevant to your brand and industry as well as leveraging symbolism. By focusing on all the areas discussed above, your logo can make it easy for people to remember and connect with your brand by becoming a visual anchor for it.
How to create a logo design: step-by-step guide for non-designers
Logo design mistakes to avoid
- Using too many colors or fonts.
- Overcomplicating the design.
- Copying other logos.
- Ignoring scalability or versatility.
Easy logo design tools
There are multiple free logo design software and user-friendly tools that you could to create your logo, one being online tutorials which you can find on YouTube, or if you need more in-depth learning, you can search on Coursera, Udemy, SkillShare… and if you want to immediately get into it, you can use Canva to create your logo with the free subscription option.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post, if you want to get more information on design, marketing, and everything in between, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter! And if you need me to design a simple logo for your brand FOR FREE, send me an email to digitaldactylo@gmail.com and I’ll be glad to help!
