Looking to learn how to make a logo? You’re at the right place!

It is a tedious task to create logos, especially stunning ones. This article will show you the importance of custom logos and how to make professional-looking logos. We’ve also plugged in some great logos for your inspiration.

Why Do You Need Custom Logo Design?

A logo is an indispensable part of your business. It is as important as having high-quality products and positive reviews and referrals. It is a leading element of your brand image.

So, what makes a logo so important? Your company logo design is important because it:

1. Grabs attention
2. It helps you make a strong first impression
3. It is a pointer of professionalism
4. It is the bedrock of your brand identity
5. Distinguishes you from the competition
6. It fosters brand loyalty
7. It gives your audience something to remember

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Custom Logo Design

Now, let’s take you through the entire process to customize your logo design.

Step 1: Know Your Brand Personality

Your brand personality is the foundation of your logo design. Since the logo is the first thing people will notice about your brand alongside its name, you need to be sure the logo isn’t sending a message contradictory to what you stand for and that it resonates with the right people.

Who are you? Who do you appeal to? What do you bring to the table, and how do you show up?

Think of your logo as a dress you’ll wear to a networking event where you’ll meet with investors, customers, and coworkers. You already know people are often addressed the way they are addressed. So, you’ll choose a dress that suits the message you want to send to people.

To nail your brand personality, you need to figure out your target audience and brand story – the same way you’ll figure out who you are and what you want people to think about you.

• Why did you start this business?
• What makes you special?
• What are your core values?
• Whose problem does your product or service solve?
• What adjectives should your audience use to describe you?

The answer to these questions will help you figure out how to approach your logo design. For instance, if you’re a business seeking to distinguish itself as professional, trustworthy, and classic, you’ll steer clear of bright colors and quirky fonts. Likewise, if you’re distinguishing yourself as a playful, kids-oriented brand, you’ll choose funky logo designs above minimalist ones.

Step 2: Analyze Your Competition

Now you know who you are and how you want to show up with your logo design, but how do you ensure that you are truly unique and worthy of attention? The simple answer is to check out what others are already doing.

Checking out your competitors’ works is always a great place to get inspired. Not only will you be inspired, but you’ll also be one step ahead of them after learning what they’re doing right and how you can improve on their drawbacks.

However, you want to avoid copying. That’s the primary purpose of checking out your competitors. You don’t want to be seen as a copycat. This isn’t only bad for your reputation but also injurious to your business as you can be caught up in a legal situation for plagiarism.

Step 3: Choose a Design Style

Once you’ve noticed what your competitors are doing, it’s time to decide on your own logo design style.

There are several logo styles to choose from. Knowing each of them will guide you to make informed decisions. The following are styles to consider:

• Classic style
• Retro or vintage logo style
• Modern and minimalist style
• Handmade and handcrafted style
• The funky and playful style

If you’ve noticed that most of your competitors are going the minimalist way, you can choose the retro style. You can also combine styles. The goal is to stand out while also appealing to the audience in your niche.

Step 4: Decide on a Type of Logo

You’ve thought about a style but still, have to consider the type. You might want to ask now, what’s the difference between logo style and type of logo?

A logo style is about the feel of your logo, what the audience sees, and what you pay homage to, while the type involves the structure and elements in your logo design. Don’t get confused. Stick around.

Here are the types of logo designs you can consider:

• Wordmark, lettermark, or monogram
• Brand mark
• Pictorial mark
• Abstract logo mark
• Mascot
• Emblem
• Combination mark

Step 5: Pay Attention to Typography

Typography is the art of choosing and structuring fonts in design. Each font has a specific personality. As such, the fonts you choose in your logo design contribute greatly to the story you tell in your logo. For example, if you run a law firm, a serif or san serif font will be a perfect choice instead of a playful script font.

Check out this article to learn more about logo fonts.

Ideally, you shouldn’t choose a font merely because of its aesthetic value. You should consider the functionality of such a font and how it helps to convey your brand personality. Check out this article to learn how to nail typography in logo design.

Step 6: Choose Your Colors Wisely

Colors are vehicles of emotions. They are also used as a form of therapy known as chromotherapy or colorlogy.

Just like fonts, the colors you choose for your logo add a layer of meaning to it. For example, if you’re a child-oriented brand, using orange or yellow in your logo design will be more befitting than red or green.

We don’t make the rules. Culture and personal experience often inform the emotions people attach to colors. For instance, while white is generally accepted as a symbol of purity and innocence in many Western countries, many Eastern countries see it as a symbol of mourning.

When choosing colors, you should look beyond the attractiveness and consider your target market’s association with each color and how it reflects your brand personality. So, we recommend that you conduct due diligence on your target audience before choosing a color.

Step 7: Design Your Logo

At this point, you should understand that creating a custom logo is the product of combining several elements. So, rather than jumping into all the elements at once, you need to take each element apart- step-by-step- deciding on the role each will play before mixing them all together. This will help you remove redundancy in your design.

Now, how do you intend to design your logo – by yourself or an expert? Don’t answer yet. Let’s go through the options

DIY

If you have the design skill to create a stunning logo, then nothing stops you from creating your logo by yourself. Design software like Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, or Spark can come in handy. And if you can design to save your life, there are several tools out there that can save you:

• Use a custom logo maker tool or logo creator: Free logo maker tools like Canva, Tailor Brand, Logo Generator, and Brand Crowd, among many others, are tools that help create a logo with easily editable free logo design templates. You might not even need logo templates with a tool like Logo Generator. You’ll only need to insert key details about your business and let the tool create a new logo for you in just a few minutes.

However, while this may be a good idea for small business owners, you should know that many of these free online logo maker tools cannot give you a professional logo design. At best, you’ll have a basic logo filled with cliche elements.

Hiring a designer

There are many options when looking to hire a professional logo designer. You can look through portfolio websites and contact a freelance designer you’re impressed with. You can also use freelance websites like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, or People Per Hour, among others. You can also contact a professional design agency like All Time Design.

How Much Does Logo Design Cost?

Professionally designed logos can cost a fortune. However, we have just the solution for you.

At All Time Design, our team of professional logo designers is battle-tested to create the perfect logo that fits your brand’s personality. Interestingly, our designers create your logo within 24 hours of your request.

Not only can we design your logos, but we can also handle your entire graphic design needs for as low as $499 monthly up to $1699 for our premium package while you focus on other things that matter. Also, you’ll get as many modifications as possible within a month for a fixed monthly subscription.

Choosing a Free Logo Generator or Hiring a Designer?

Whether you’re a small business owner or a large corporation, you cannot afford to joke with professionally designed logos; professional designers know just how to create the perfect logo design.

Pro tip: Don’t skimp on quality. A designer is your best chance to get a completely custom logo design.

• Host a logo design contest

Aside from hiring a designer, you can also commission a logo contest.

Logo design contests are great You’ll need to create a design brief containing information about your brand and the contest’s prize. Make sure it’s a good prize to attract top-quality designers. That way, you can choose from many beautiful options. Once you pick the winning logo design, the designer can transfer all the rights to you.

Step 8: Ask for Feedback

Once you have what you think is your favorite logo, before you ask your designer to send you the logo files, ask for feedback from friends, family, associates, and customers.

Create multiple iterations of your final design. Play with structure, fonts, and saturation. Then, show people your logo design for five seconds and ask them what they think about it. If they can describe your logo to fit your business and brand story, then you have your ultimate awesome logo. It’s time to show the world.

Logo Design Best Practices

Keep it Simple

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication when it comes to design. Contrary to what you might think, a complicated design doesn’t equal a top-notch design. Instead, complicated designs only confuse your audience and make it hard to tell your brand message or remember what you stand for. So, keep your logo simple to make instant and memorable connections with your customers.

Make it Functional and Flexible

A functional and flexible logo design tells more than your company name. A great logo tells your brand story and captures your brand personality. It also retains its essence in any size or material, whether print or digital, solid or transparent background. Getting high-quality logo files from your professional designer is key to ensuring flexibility. That way, you’ll be able to execute your logo in any form without losing its value.

Combine No More Than Two Fonts

Font combinations can help deepen your message. However, too many fonts can be confusing. Keep your logo fonts at a maximum of two – one for the primary font and the other for the tagline.

Avoid too Many Colors

While your logo may not be monochromatic, you want to avoid too many colors. A rule of thumb is to keep your colors at a maximum of three. The first color will be the background color (60% of the design), the second will be the second color for text (30% of the design), and the third as an accent (10% of the design).

Gather Logo Design Ideas

We mentioned checking out your competition before you start designing your logo. Beyond your direct competitors, you should also check out your collaborators, substitutes, and those unrelated to your business for more logo ideas. That way, you can be well-equipped with tons of ideas to experiment with.

Remain Unfazed By Trends

A good company logo stays above trends not bow to trends. The fact that you need to retain your custom logo for as long as possible makes it necessary to ignore trends. You should stick to what rings true for your brand rather than what is raving in the graphic design world.

Put Your Business Logo Everywhere

Your logo is your brand’s face. Put it everywhere. Your branding materials, websites, business cards, marketing materials, letterhead, T-shirts, social media pages, and everywhere your business appears.

Logo Design Resources

If you require more guidance, we have a library of logo resources to help you through the design process of creating a winning design.

• How to Make a Logo
• How to Hire a Logo Designer for Your Business
• How to Nail Photography In Logo Design
• Classic Logo Designs
• Vintage Logo Ideas
• Minimalist Logo Designs
• Clothing Logo Designs
• Construction Logo Ideas
• Interior Design Logo Ideas
• Fitness Logo Ideas
• Logo for Finance Company
• Real Estate Logo Ideas
• Podcast Logos
• Logo Design for Restuarant
• Photography Logo Ideas

The post How to Create a Custom Logo Design for Your Business appeared first on All Time Design.