Logos usually are the first visual feature your customers or clients notice about your company or brand. You must create a logo that leaves an impression on your audience. Regardless if you’re launching your business soon or rebranding, you deserve the best logo design for your company.

That’s why in this article, I listed ten tips from graphic design experts on how you can create your logo. Plus, get an overview of where you can find a logo designer and how much designers charge for logos.

 

1. Do Your Research

Logos don’t start at design. You’ll need a reference on how you want the design to look for your brand. Jacob Cass from Just Creative explains the process of creating a logo design. Once you’ve handed over a design brief to your designer, the designer should start with researching and referencing.

This enables both you and the designer to assess the existing logos in your industry. From there, you can reflect on how you can differentiate your brand among your competitors.

Of course, it’s not just logo research you need to take into account. Igor Ovsyannykov from Creative Market makes a good point about crafting your logo to attract your audience. Even if the logo can establish your brand identity, the logo you make is also for your audience. 

You want them to have retention of your logo. Plus, a logo can help associate your brand with a specific thing. For instance, if you’re thinking about athletic shoes, Nike or Adidas would be two of the brands that pop into your head. Soon, you want people to have your brand in their home, clothing, or other merchandise.

Once you’ve decided on an idea for your logo, you need to familiarize yourself with the existing logo types that different businesses utilize.

 

2. Select the Type of Logo You Need

Stephen Peate, creative director of Fabrik Brands, wants you to decide what type of logo best suits your company. You need to understand the different kinds of logos that would make your company stand out. From your research, you have to find a familiar style from different logos.

So, according to Arek Dvornechuk, here are the five types of logos you need to remember:

• Letterform
• Emblem
• Wordmark
• Abstract Mark
• Pictorial Mark

Based on a Logo Design Guru’s marketer, Michael Baker’s observations of three industries, like some restaurant or cafe logos, seem to combine wordmark and a food-related pictorial mark. Meanwhile, some real estate logos would have both wordmark and a real estate-related pictorial mark (e.g., houses, buildings). As for several finance logos, they use both abstract marks and wordmarks.

Now that you’re aware of the logo styles for several industries. Perhaps during the conceptualizing phase, how about you try different logo forms?

 

3. Don’t Settle for One Look

Will Patterson, a Logo Designer, shared on his YouTube channel on how to make the best logo design. As many experts would say, you shouldn’t say yes yet on the first design you receive. Your designer can conceptualize more ideas for you. It can be something like a simple rotation or perhaps an inversion. From there, you can select the design that best suits your brand.

 

4. Align with Brand Identity

David Airey, an expert logo designer and owner of Logo Design Love wrote on Creative Bloq his ten rules in creating your best logo design. One that stands out the most is making your logo appropriate. He means that elements like typography, colors, or marks should show how you present the brand. 

He even emphasizes the appropriateness of a logo to its brand identity. It means you have to incorporate ideologies and beliefs and other representations into one single piece of design.

For instance, the Unilever logo comes to mind. According to the company, 25 different icons represent the Unilever brand. Here are some of the interesting ones:

• Ice cream – fun
• Bee – people and the community
• Spark – change

For Unilever, it works because they represent different companies and brands that it’s only apt they encompass that into one. However, if you want a simpler logo, then go ahead. Many experts do recommend that.

 

5. Aim for Simplicity

“Keep it simple.” That’s what Rodney Abbott, senior partner from Lippincott, advised in Creative Bloq. He provided examples like Starbucks and Google, where over the years, their logos have improved over time. How? They removed some aspects like typography or punctuation marks (Google) to make it simpler, yet keep their branding intact.

If you have a simple logo without any frills, it’s easier for people to remember. For instance, Apple’s logo is well just an apple with a bite. You don’t have to overcomplicate a logo to stand out. Give it a simple modification or symbolism. People will imprint that on their minds.

 

6. Don’t Follow Logo Trends

Ian Paget, the Logo Geek, says that you should read up on logo trends. But, don’t use that as your basis in creating your logos. Some trends that are rampant this year might not work in the next year. Plus, it’s best to go with a style that speaks to your brand. Just because typography or color is typical in one industry, doesn’t mean you should use it for your logo.

 

7. Be Careful of Colors and Fonts

Colors can make or break your logo. If you don’t have the right color combination, your logo can look like a mess. That’s why 95% of brands would use one or two colors in their logo, provided they follow a color palette.

In some cases, logos by NBC or Microsoft use different colors in their logo. However, it works because of the symbolism, and the color scheme all work together

In some cases, you might have to take into account color theory too. It’s how you can relay your brand to the logo design. Blue is the most commonly used color in a logo. The LogoFactory finds 35% of big brands use the color since it symbolizes trust. To add, other logos use red, yellow, green, and purple.

If all else fails, Stefan Asafti, brand identity designer, wrote that you shouldn’t hesitate to see your logo in black and white. You don’t have to put a pop of color on a logo, so that people would notice you.

On the other hand, the improper use of typography can make your logo disastrous or cheap. That’s why Waqas Ali Dogar, Creative Director of Fullstop 360, listed some of the fonts that could be left as just a font on your word processor.

Some of the fonts he advises not to use are:

• Impact
• Comic Sans MS (using this is a sin!)
• Bradley Hand
• Papyrus
• Trajan Pro

So, if you’re using a letterform or wordmark logo, Logaster suggests some fonts you might consider for your logo:

• Futura
• Cloud Sans
• Qanelas Soft
• Trocchi
• Casual

It’s always best to match the font to your branding. 97th Floor, a digital marketing agency, recommends if you’re going for elegant or professional, go for the serif fonts. It’s those with tails at the end of each letter. Meanwhile, for a fresh or modern look, go for the sans-serif ones. If your branding doesn’t fall into any of those categories, feel free to use legible calligraphy or scripts.

Plus, make sure that if you’re using typography in your logo, it shouldn’t stretch out or pixelate when it appears in different branding assets.

 

8. Test Out Different Sizes

Paul Heaton from Reform Studio wrote in Creative Pool what to avoid in creating your best logo design. An overlooked detail about logo design is that you should observe how your logo looks in different assets. For instance, would you use the same size logo in packaging, letterhead, or on your website? If you have a logo with only one size, it will look pixelated or warped on other mediums. That’s why before the final logo design, you need to have it rendered in different sizes and adjust from there.

Take The New York Times as an example. They have different iterations of their logo, which they modified or resized according to the design requirements of a website. This way, their logo looks consistent everywhere. Plus, it doesn’t lose its overall branding that people will recognize the logo wherever it’s placed.

 

9. Make It Memorable

Okay, many experts would say, you should stand out. You need to be unique. But how? According to a writer from the Yale University Press, Paul Rand, a legendary logo designer, cited his work on Okasan Securities Company on how to achieve a memorable logo.

• Add Significance to One Small Element
• Engage Your Audience
• Put Contrast
• Simplify the Conceptualization
• Provide Symbolism
• Make it Readable

In 1972, Paul Rand created the IBM logo. Even now, the corporation uses the recognizable design because, based on the elements he listed, it’s present in the logo. That’s the power of investing in an expert for your logo design.

 

10. Hire Experts

According to Alvin Francis, for those without any design background, you should hire a graphic designer. Sure, the easiest way to get a logo design is from do-it-yourself (DIY) graphic design tools. You can sign up, choose a logo that matches your design preferences, and design it in any way you wish.

While they provide an immediate solution to your logo needs, DIY graphic design tools do pose a challenge in copyright. Here’s the disclaimer from Canva regarding the licensing of a logo design you’ll create on the platform. So, by using a DIY tool, it means you and some others would probably have the same design with minimal differences.

That’s why you’re better off hiring a graphic designer. Entrust your logo to those with experience and they will give your logo a professional look and will make your brand recognized by customers or clients.

 

Where to Find a Logo Designer and How Much Do They Cost?

You have different options to get your best logo design. Also, Jacob Cass of Just Creative provides an estimate of the prices for a logo design for freelancers and agencies.

So, your first option is to tap a freelancer to create your logo. You can look for designers in freelance sites like Upwork or Fiverr. Just a heads-up though, some would charge an upwards of $5,000. Although you can get one for at least $100, you might have to be wary of the quality of the design.

Your second option is a design agency. They’re masters of branding because they’re detailed on how they design your logo and position it. That’s the thing because of their experience and expertise, they might charge more than $10,000 for your branding strategy.

However, you can save a whole lot if you try an unlimited graphic design service. Here’s why. For an affordable price of $349/mo, you can get more than just a high-quality logo design. You can receive other compelling and attractive designs for your social media visuals, packaging, and a whole lot more. Design Doctor is a prime example of a subscription design service that can do just that.

 

Final Thoughts

To get the best logo design, trust the experts that have provided their piece based on their experiences working with clients. After all, there are millions of businesses operating globally, and you want to make an impact through your logo. That’s why you can’t compromise quality by using free tools or paying for a $100 logo. You don’t even have to break the bank so you can get the best logo out there. That’s why Design Doctor is here to meet your needs cost-effectively.