How do you create an effective restaurant logo design? What are the things you have to consider to win more customers? How can you make your logo design enticing and mouthwatering? 

Working on a restaurant logo design is quite a task. Remember that most people eat with their eyes. That means if your branding isn’t visually good enough, people will unlikely visit your restaurant and eat. 

In this post, you will learn how you can create a logo design for your food business. In addition, you can get tips on what to look for when hiring a logo designer.

 

Best Restaurant Logo Design Examples  

Let’s have some inspiration to kick start your design process, shall we? You will notice that our examples are mostly fast-food restaurants. We excluded the fine dining restaurants as we want to highlight food places that have a huge market share. 

 

Burger King 

Who’s not familiar with Burger King’s logo? The name of the fast-food chain is inside two buns, which we can all recognize as their own take for a burger. It also uses red color which can trigger intense emotions such as hunger. 

 

Chipotle 

Next on the list is Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. It’s a fast-casual restaurant chain serving tacos and burritos. And since Mexican foods are mostly spicy and use chili, it’s only fitting to use that as an inspiration for their logo. What does this mean for you? 

This simply tells us that you have to pick the right icon as your base design for the logo. Others are using burgers (remember Burger King), fries, a tray, utensils, plate, and all other things that represent food.

 

El Pollo Loco 

It’s time to take a look at  El Pollo Loco’s classic logo design. Using yellow is actually a bold move in terms of logos. If you are not careful enough, it can backfire. But if done correctly, it can certainly grab one’s attention easily. 

 

Panda Express 

Panda Express is the go-to restaurant if you are craving for Chinese food. Thanks to the mouth-watering menu. But its logo has become iconic as well. If there’s one thing we would commend about the company, it has got to be their branding even from the start. The use of ‘panda’ already created an impact. The design is clear, casual, and just what you need if you are selling comfort food. 

 

Bubba Gump 

If you are offering seafood, then using this inspiration might work to your advantage. Bubba Gump’s logo reminds people about the seaport which matches the food they serve.    

 

What’s Common in These Restaurant Logo Designs? 

There are different factors that can make your logo design effective. These things are noticeable in our examples above.  

 

The Use of Right Colors 

Most of the time, restaurants or food places use colors red, yellow, and orange for their logo. These are known to stand out and again, can trigger hunger and thirst. Let’s all go back to color psychology for this one. Your logo designer is pretty much aware of this.  

According to statistics, brand recognition can be associated with the colors of your logo. 

 

Clear Typography 

The font you use for your restaurant logo design plays a huge role as well. You want it to be clear and bold enough that people can see it from afar. In addition, always think that your logo will be used in different marketing materials and even in your food packaging. Complex typography isn’t scalable, to begin with, and you might have trouble printing it. 

 

Icons 

And lastly, most restaurant logos we featured above-used icons that perfectly represent their food offering. We have burgers, chili, Chinese, and shrimps. Your logo designer can create something unique from your chosen icons.

 

Examples of Famous Logo Fails 

But wait a minute. Before you call a logo designer, we want you to see some of the most famous logo fails. Please be very cautious with your visuals. People are naturally creative and imaginative, and if you are not careful enough, you might be sending mixed signals. See the logo used by doughboys.

Another crazy design was said to be for a Chinese Restaurant. Well, there’s actually debate if it’s for a different organization though. Nevertheless, it didn’t sit well for a lot of people and that’s quite understandable. 

Last on our list of failed logos is from mama’s baking. It is cute and simple but you have to admit, the placement of the small fire can be distracting. 

Quite frankly, these mistakes can easily be avoided by experts. 

 

Bonus Tips When Creating Your Logo Design 

 

What’s Your Restaurant All About? 

First of all, you need to identify what food you are serving to your customers. Is it Japanese cuisine? Is it the Mediterranean? Or Asian? Or is Western? This is important because a good restaurant design will immediately show its customers their food offerings through a logo.

 

Check Your Competitors’ Logos 

It wouldn’t hurt if you look at your competitors’ logos, most especially if you are serving the same cuisine or if you are in the same area. We’re not saying that you have to imitate or copy them. We encourage you to compare and even analyze what works in the market. And also, you have to make sure that your restaurant logo design is unique.

 

Create a Timeless Logo

Some people pattern their restaurant logo designs on what’s trendy. While that’s not entirely bad, you have to think about the years to come. Will your design be appropriate? Or will you require changes? Remember, revisions on logos can cost you a fortune.   

 

Why You Need to Hire a Professional Logo Designer 

You have probably seen free logo makers online and we know that it’s tempting to use one. After all, who doesn’t want to get free branding, right? But the downside of using free logo makers is that your output will be unoriginal. If you are looking for a long term solution or if you want to scale your business, a unique logo is necessary. 

How about amateur logo designers? Should you trust them? Well, there are newbies who have exceptional talent. If you are lucky enough, then you can get a quality restaurant logo design for a fraction of the cost. But let’s be realistic here. It rarely happens. 

Your best approach is to hire professional logo designers. With them, you know that they have vast experience not just with restaurants but with other industries as well. They can definitely leverage that exposure to create something amazing for your restaurant.

 

What to Look for a Restaurant Logo Designer 

Again, if you are not an expert, we highly encourage that you hire a professional logo designer. There are hundreds, even thousands of logo designers out there. Truth be told, the number can be overwhelming. And that is why you should know what to look for so you can narrow down your options.

 

Years of Experience 

As mentioned, choose someone with years of experience not just in creating restaurant logo designs but in different industries. 

We are not belittling new graphic designers. Some of them are extremely talented even with a little professional experience. However, if you want to get a restaurant logo that will work, you must look for someone that has years of experience under their belt.  

 

Right Tools 

The tools used by graphic designers are vital as well. Investing good equipment is a sign that a logo designer takes his or her business seriously. Here are some of the common ones:

• Computer with the right specifications 
• Stylus and graphics tablet 
• Smartphone 
• Monitor calibrator 
• Storage 
• Graphic design applications  

 

Outstanding Communication Skills 

When hiring a logo designer, you must also gauge his or her communication skills. You want someone who listens to your ideas, and at the same time provide their own. This collaborative effort can create a strong logo for your food business. 

 

Meets Deadline 

And lastly, work with someone that can commit to their promises. If you agreed on a specific deadline, your designer must comply. Of course, we understand that there are instances where an extension for deadlines is accepted. But if this is a recurring scenario, then you might want to work with another designer. You wouldn’t want to delay your marketing plans because of an unfinished logo design, would you? 

 

Conclusion 

While there are standards or rules when creating a restaurant logo design, we still encourage you to be creative. It’s good to break the norm but you have to balance it as well. If you are not sure about your ideas, then working with experts is beneficial. There are online services that you can use such as Design Doctor. These types of graphic design services are affordable yet provide you with quality output. It’s the perfect choice for a blossoming business.