10 Things to Consider When Creating a Logo for Your Business

Have you ever heard the phrase A picture says a thousand words? Well, when it comes to logo design, it might be even more than that! A logo is the face of your business, and choosing the right one is important if you want to portray the right image about your company. However, creating a logo for your business may seem like an intimidating prospect, especially if you’re not 100% sure of what makes up a good one. Here are 10 tips to help you create a logo that really represents your business perfectly.

How important is it?
If you’re starting a business, you don’t need anyone telling you how important it is to have a professional logo. You can probably guess that it’s going to help build your brand, but it does more than that. A logo helps people identify and recognize your business quickly. It’s one of those things customers won’t necessarily notice at first glance, but they will remember it if they like what they see.

Create Logos in Every Color, Scale and Style
Even if you’re not designing logos, it can be useful to create every color, scale and style of your logo. Imagine you’re designing an advertisement or flyer using your logo in black and white. It looks great!

Have an Outline
One of the most important things you can do when designing your logo is create an outline before you start actually drawing. Whether you’re working on paper or in Photoshop, decide beforehand what your logo should include: What color scheme will you use? Will there be any typography? Is there anything special about your industry or brand that requires unique imagery? Having an outline will help keep your design clear and focused.

Maintain Consistency
Maintaining consistency across your brand is essential. This means not only choosing one color and font family that represents your company, but also making sure that everything from your logo design tips to your tagline maintains an overall look and feel. This consistency will help potential customers more easily recognize you as a company—and even remind them of you when they see certain elements, like color or fonts, pop up elsewhere.

Get 2nd Opinions
Instead of turning over your logo design to one graphic designer, think about having it designed by two or three. With multiple sets of eyes on your work, you’ll end up with more opinions and perspectives that can help you find just what your business needs. But remember: No matter how much advice you receive, make sure you trust your gut; after all, if no one else gets it right but you do, who cares what anyone else thinks?

Discuss with Others
Before moving forward with your logo design, it’s a good idea to speak with others who may have knowledge of your industry or niche. Find out if they have any logo design tips that might save you time and energy down the road. As you are talking with them, keep an open mind about any suggestions that come up; these could be things you never considered before and could make your logo even better than you imagined.

Put Yourself in the Buyer’s Shoes
Just as you’d research and study your target customer and know them better than anyone else in order to improve your odds of being chosen, so must you get to know what makes a good logo. It is all about presenting a more attractive option for their business’s needs. In other words, think about what qualities people look for in logos today, then match or exceed those expectations by building off those traits. 10 logo design tips that are sure to help you do just that

3 Tips for Choosing a Great Designer
You may not think of your logo as something you need to do yourself. After all, it doesn’t take long—you can get online and have 100 logos designed in less than an hour. But, without a lot of thought into your design process, you can end up with something generic or amateurish. We’ve compiled 3 tips that will help make sure your logo is professional and memorable: 1) Choose your designer wisely; 2) Keep things simple; 3) Be unique!

Limit Symbolism & Imagery
Stick with something that’s simple, clear and tangible. The more lines, colors and shapes your logo contains, the harder it will be to translate across all platforms – including digital media (e.g., your website, social media pages and online presence). Logos are most effective when they’re succinct yet memorable. Look at McDonald’s golden arches or Nike’s swoosh; each have only two colors and one shape. Simplicity wins!

Don’t Fall in Love with First Drafts
Too often, entrepreneurs fall in love with their first drafts. They often see their logo, business card or website and convince themselves that they have a great idea. Get some feedback and make sure your designs are on point before you get too attached. If you can’t think of anyone who will give you honest feedback, try posting your design online and asking people what they think. The more eyes on it, the better!