Your Logo is the part of your business that bridges the gap between from "just another dentist" to "leading dental brand".

Your logo logo should provide a powerful visual impact that consumers will associate with your practice. There are so many things that can be told in a logo yet with a special simplicity that makes it unique.

Don't really know how or where to get started?

Luckily, we have put together some fantastic ideas for you to get started and come up with the logo that will make your practice stand out.

How to Create an Awesome Dental Logo

1. Color is Key

Think about the type of dentistry you provide - do you primarily serve kids or adults? Does your practice focos on cosmetic work or more surgery based procedures?

These questions will help you decide the colors for your logo - what feeling/emotion do you want people to associate your practice with?

The following is a list of some colors commonly used in logos and what they evoke:

• Red symbolizes passion, energy, urgency, and even sometimes danger - probably not the vibe you're going for.
• Orange is enthusiasm, energy, movement, and action.
• Green is a symbol of nature and, relaxation.
• Yellow is associated with happiness, but too much can feel a bit intense.
• Blue provides professionalism along with a friendly and relaxed feel.
• Brown is the color of the ground and not anything you as a dentist would have anything to do with.
• Pink is romance, but it also reminds people of gums if placed in the context of a dentist's practice.

2. Font Choice

If the choice of colors is important, the type of font you chose is a very close second. In fact, the type of font you use will affect what your entire logo looks like. There are two basic font styles to choose from:

• Serif - Fonts that have a "serif", which is a flourish or stroke at the end of the letter, include Bodoni, Garamond, Georgia, and Times New Roman.
• Sans Serif - The word "sans" means "without", hence these letters do not have the embellishments of a serif. The most common ones include Arial, Futura, Helvetica, and Tahoma.

In the above example, Desert Creek Dental has chosen sans serif fonts. This gives the logo a more modern look than that one given by the more traditional serifs. Use this type if you want to appeal to younger patients.

Traditionally, serif fonts are the fonts preferred by dentists as they give an impression of solemnity. This is still a sentiment you want to convey to your patients. On the example below, note how Creekside Endodontics uses serifs, which gives a sense of commitment and professionalism.

3. Modern is What you Must Aim For

Truth be told, when it comes to the design of a logo, you should aim for a more modern look. This is something that will not necessarily hurt your more veteran patients.

Many times, modern is simple. You could even use the traditional molar art and give it a fresh, modern twist.

4. Less is More

The most effective way to surface emotions in your potential clients is through simplicity. They cause such a powerful impact that people are able to relate your brand by the mere look of your logo. Just like the Nike symbol.

Furthermore, a simple logo will look good no matter where you print it. Use a too elaborate one and try printing it on the corner of a letter-sized page and the details will get lost. Consider that your logo will be placed in a variety of places, from large billboards to a dental brochure.

Here's some food for thought:

• Test your logo in as many places as you can. Try it in different environments and sizes.
• Try removing all the colors. Will people still recognize it?
• Consider the technique to be used: printed, stenciled, embroidered, etc.

5. Look Friendly

Coming to visit the dentist is a downright scary experience for many. To try to ease that, dental practices must show themselves friendly. So, how do you bring warmth to a chilly waiting room?

Since your logo is an effective way of communicating what your practice is about, what a better opportunity to tell your patients it will all be all right.

6. Make it appropriate

Do you specialize in a particular area of dentistry alone? Make sure your logo is appropriate to the type of audience you want to attract. Check out Bright Healthy Smiles's logo.

It is pretty easy to tell what they specialize in. Besides being very clear on the type of patients they take in, the logo is fun and pretty friendly.

7. Include your Name or the Name of Your Practice

This is called personal branding in marketing and is very important. Most dentists only include their names followed by DDS or DMD. If your practice does not include your name, it is still important to include it in the logo.

Your patients will connect the name with the logo. At some point, clients should be able to recognize your name from the logo alone. Think about what do you want people to see when they see your logo.

8. Leave trends to the Fashion Industry

A common mistake when designing logos, not only in the dental industry, is making it follow the present trends in colors and design. Yes, your logo will look modern and timely, but only while the trend is on.

Instead, think of a timeless design. Do not confuse being trendy with being modern. We have mentioned already that a modern logo is the best way to go. However, this does not always mean that you have to follow trends.

9. Communicate as Much as Possible in One Design

This is where creativity plays a big role. Note how this logo from Smile Brite shows three teeth connected by an orthodontic device but also in the shape of a smile.

It is simple, nice, creative, and it tells what this dental office is about. Did you notice that the order of the colors of the teeth is the same as the name? This helps in connecting the logo with the name whenever people only see the logo.

10. Connect with Your Location

Dental offices are usually local businesses. Whenever you get patients, you want them to feel at home. A good way to instill that is to show in your logo how proud you are of the place you live and appeal to community goodwill. .

Notice how Seattle Oral Care nicely incorporates the Space Needle, an iconic symbol of Seattle, into their logo.

Adding the name of your city to your practice and your logo also serves other purposes:

• Including the name of your city on your name is good for SEO marketing purposes.
• Most searches on Google are local and they do not even require the name of the city on them. If someone searches for "dental care", for instance, local results will show up. Placing your city on your name helps to your SEO while representing it on your logo helps with people connecting your service with your city.
• Visual representations of your city on your logo helps the locals better connect with your brand.

11. Fancy TypeFaces can Also Look Good on a Logo

Perhaps the most colorful logos will belong to pediatric services. However, it is ok to experiment with colors and fancy typefaces. Notice how Creative Pediatric Dentistry uses colors and creative letter-building elements.

The fancy fonts reinforce the idea of this being a nice place for kids. Very few children will stay scared of the dentist after walking into this logo.

12. Don't Be Afraid to Stand out of the Ordinary

Who says that dental logos must have a tooth on them? You can go out of the ordinary and place it creatively. Granted, the shape of a tooth will forever be the symbol of dentistry. But this does not mean you can try other approaches.

Garden Orthodontics decided to go for a design that, at first glance, does not tell it is a dental office. When you first read the word "Gardens", and notice the grass shape above, you start thinking of a fence and a backyard. Once you get to the "Orthodontics" part, the brackets and the smile at the bottom begin to gain shape.

13. Include a Tag Line

A tagline adds a strong plus to the message you are trying to convey through your logo. Note how Orthodontex adds the geographical feature to their logo and then also adds four words that express what they do.

You must be able to describe everything you do through a tagline. This also helps your patients to connect with the mission of your practice.

Here are some quick tips to come up with a killer tagline to include in your logo:

• Make it nice and simple.
• Think of the patient first-what benefit do they get by coming to your office.
• Be specific about what you do.
• Try to make it no longer than 4 words, otherwise, it might be forgettable. Plus, it might just stuff the space of your logo.

It definitively is a challenge but you can get some ideas online for inspiration. Once you have come up with the one for you, make a quick Google search to make sure it has not been taken already.

14. Make it a Unique Dental Logo

Even if your dental logo checks all the above boxes, it still has to be unique in order for it to work. Now, this does not mean to kill the typical elements of a dental logo - the smile, the toothpaste, the toothbrush, etc? Not at all. These elements are actually important as they are part of the dental business activity.

But how to start building something that has not been done before?

1. Check out the logos from the dental practices in your city. These are the ones you want to stand out from.
2. Check out the color of these logos. You will probably notice that most of them have blue or a tone of it. This is because blue gives a feeling of calm and peace. You may use it too but if you do, your logo will not stand out from the rest.
3. If you want to go cliché, place a tooth on your logo. Now, if you want it to be unique, find a creative way of representing a tooth (if you really want to place a tooth on your logo) using other forms. But also keep in mind that you can still do away with the tooth.

The Mountain View logo is not your traditional dental logo. Instead of focusing the design on a dental device or tooth, it was inspired by the mountains. These brought about a design that is simple, elegant, and versatile as it can be changed to any color.

15. Abide by Symmetry and Balance Rules

Symmetry is very important to provide an aesthetically pleasant dental logo. Few people understand geometry but almost everyone can tell when a design is crooked. Now, you do not need to be proficient in geometry to get a perfectly balanced logo.

However, don't leave it all to chance. Brands such as Apple, Bing, and Adidas did not miss out on this aspect to create their successful logos. Start at least with a design grid and make sure all the lines and angles match.

16. Make a Smart Use of Shapes

Note how Dr. Dental was able to insert the tooth inside the "D", which is the initial of the name. This is another example of smart and creative design.

Decide what it is that you want people to look at when your dental logo is on display.

17. Don't Forget About Elegance

Notice how Supremia's logo is symmetric, simple, and nice. The fonts are sans serif, and the logo itself is elegant with a geometric shape.

This is a nice combination of simplicity and elegance.

18. Use the Services of a Professional

You might want to hire a professional designer to help you materialize your ideas. Once you come up with the design, this will be yours for the rest of the existence of your practice. Therefore, leave it to the experts.

You don't want to hurt the main design of your logo all the time. This will only hurt your practice's face.

Reasons why you should hire a professional:

• They have a sharp eye for art and artistic styles.
• The expertise and skills of a graphic designer are specific.
• Their expertise allows them to incorporate a marketing hue into the design.
• They will provide you with samples over and over until you are happy with the final work.

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