For any business, a logo is the most important branding element. A logo is the identity of your business and in many ways reflects the core ethos of your company. Thus, it becomes all the more important to focus on logo design that complements your profile and makes a strong impact. Logo design is one of the most challenging tasks, especially if you are a beginner.

There are a few simple logo design tips for beginners that will ensure that you get the basics right and create a strong image.

Avoid being Direct: It is not necessary that your logo must comprise of the product or service of your company. For e.g. it is not mandatory that a logo for a restaurant must have food or one for real estate must have buildings. It is a good idea to think lateral while designing a logo. For e.g. consider the logo for Apple, which is a half eaten apple and not a computer.

Typography: It is not necessary that you must have an image or a symbol as a logo. Logo designing can even be simple typography that clearly states the name of the company. Plain typography gives a very professional and corporate look to your business or company.

Start with a Pen & Paper: Instead of directly designing on your computer, it is a much better idea to make a rough sketch on paper. Drawing on a paper helps a great deal for ideas to flow and is the best starting point in logo designing especially for beginners.

Don’t follow Trends: Unlike apparel or cosmetics that are characterized by trends, a logo means a great deal for a company. It is the very identity of your business. Thus, do not try to follow any design trend while logo designing. Instead, it is more important to have a logo that stands out, suits the profile of your business and more importantly will last you forever.

Must align with the Profile: The logo must align the business profile. Looking at the logo, people should know what your business is about. Thus, if you are designing a logo for a real estate company, it is better to have a plain look than making it too colorful. On the other hand, while designing for a night club you can make the logo sleek, stylish and vibrant.

Start with Photoshop: For absolute beginners, Adobe Photoshop is the right tool to start logo designing. Photoshop offers a great Help section that enables beginners to design very easily. With Photoshop you can incorporate different elements using layers. A logo must have atleast three layers, namely, background, text and an image.

Add Colors at the Last Step: Finally, logo design must be first done only in plain black. Don’t rely only on colors to make your logo look appealing. It must have a strong design first. Colors and gradients will only enhance the look further.

These are some of the most important logo design tips for beginners. These are some of the ground rules that will help you make the most appealing logo for any business.