What makes a great logo? Tips to creating your own logo for your brand.
- Abby Howard
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
If I were to describe a logo that consists of a yellow arched “M“, or a logo with a rainbow colored “G”, or even a red rectangle with a white play button, you would probably quickly say: “Hey, that’s McDonald’s, Google, and YouTube”, and you would be correct! These logos are easily recognizable. When we see them, we are immediately able to put the logo to the brand name. Excellent branding requires an excellent logo; therefore, I will be sharing some tips for creating your very own logo to ensure consumers will remember your brand.
Brand Colors
The colors you choose for your logo can make or break the message you are trying to convey for your brand. Colors carry different meanings. In the West, blue is often associated with trust, calmness, and dependability, while red is used to convey excitement, love, or urgency. If your logo is for a peaceful spa, for example, you may benefit more from using a gentle, calming blue rather than a loud, bold red. Another thing to keep in mind is the amount of colors. Using too many colors that clash will be hard on consumer’s eyes, and it won’t look professional. Try sticking to a simple color palette that uses only a few colors, either from the same hue family or complementary colors.
Font Choice
Almost as important as color choice is the font you decide to use for your logo. In conjunction with colors, the font choice can also convey a message to your consumers. For example, Vogue uses a bold, serif font, which excellently showcases their message of striking style and elegance. When choosing your font, think about who your target audience is. Are your consumers adventurous teens? Retired bookworms? Classy fashion lovers? Try to imagine the point of view of your audience and choose a font that compliments the personalities they might have.
Graphics
Another thing to keep in mind while creating your logo is the type of graphics that will reflect the brand you’re trying to promote. For example, an obvious choice for a coffee shop logo may be a coffee related element such as a mug or a coffee bean, and that would be a great way to make sure consumers know what your brand is all about. Not every logo’s graphics need to be right on the nose though. Maybe your branding features a mascot you could use, or a special motif; Some logos can be abstract or out of the box. In fact, sometimes your color palette and font choices may do all the talking, and you won’t have a use for any graphics at all. Back to the Vogue example, their logo is text only and doesn’t feature a graphic. This choice perfectly reflects their brand’s simple elegance. Whichever route you choose, once again try to think about your target audience, and the overall feeling you would like to show to consumers.
If you take all these tips into account while creating your logo, you’ll be sure to create something consumers will remember. The most important part of design is having fun; Once you get into the flow of things, new ideas will appear. Before you know it, you’ll have many different logos to choose from. Creating your very own logo from scratch will feel rewarding, and all the work you put into it will be worth it once you see the finished product. Now get designing!
