The web is full of premium logo design ideas, but before getting to work on your next great logo, we thought we’d give you a few pointers to make the process smoother.
We put together a list of 8 great tips to create a truly unforgettable logo.
1. Learn Why Your Brand Needs One
A professionally designed logo gives a lot of advantages, but the three main ones are:
- Validation of your expertise
- Brand recognition
- Customer retention
Validation of your expertise
Investing in design is never a waste. Our brain registers and processes visual inputs much faster than text, so your logo can either seal the deal or break the deal with a potential customer.
This is even more true if we consider that people tend to make irrational decisions and then justify them rationally. This means that some clients will make the decision to buy just by looking at your logo and then will try to justify the purchase by looking at your website more in-depth.
Brand recognition
Think about your favorite brand and close your eyes: do you see their name or their logo? A perfectly designed logo will speak more than a thousand words.
Take Nike’s example. At the beginning, their logo had their name in it, and as the brand grew they eventually dropped it altogether.
Customer retention
Your logo is at the foundation of your whole visual experience, which in turn influences the user experience. A smooth, easy, fun UX will make your users want to spend more time on your website and will make them want to come back.
2. Define Your Brand Identity
Now let’s talk about how you create a logo.
First, define your brand identity.
In a nutshell, the brand identity is both the looks and the personality of your brand. It defines your language, and your visuals. It ties everything together and it will influence everything. This is why you need to keep in mind two things when defining your identity:
- The values you are delivering
- Your users
3. Find Inspiration
Just sitting at your desk and waiting for the perfect logo idea won’t do it. Going at it like a madman, dishing out draft after draft won’t help either. So, how to create a great logo? Here is what you can do to get the ideas flowing:
Rediscover your favorite brands
Think about products you really love, go explore the logos, and figure out why they work. You could also go through a few premium logo design reviews.
Visualize your values
This is the second time we mention values, and it’s because they are important. Try to portray your brand values with design elements.
Check out your competitors
To copy them? No, the exact opposite. Differentiate your brand from them. Tractors are a good example; not one brand has the same color scheme, and now you know the reason.
Dive into the social media ocean and roam the aisles
Both in person and in your digital self, keep an eye out for logos that attract your attention and then analyze them.
Talk to colleagues
Once you have a few ideas down on paper (maybe those visualized values), talk to your colleagues. It’s better if they are not designers at all. Some of the best concepts come from those you suspect the least.
Of course, just surf the net. There are plenty of listicles with ideas and inspiration.
4. Analyze the Competitors
What you can do is a three-step process to understand the logos of those in the same space as you:
- Gather the logos of both direct and indirect competitors. There are some great premium logo design online tools that will help you dig them out.
- Find the similarities and the differences.
- Exploit the commonalities, give them a different twist, and use the result in your logo to be the coolest kid on the block.
5. Select a Design Style
A design style is like a language. You need to carefully pick one for your logo because it will then ripple down to every visual asset you produce. Again, go back to your values and pick a style that helps you convey them in the clearest possible way.
6. Choose the Right Logo Type
This is directly related to the previous point. Always think about your identity.
Whatever your choice, remember some of the basic rules:
- Avoid trends, they’ll die and your logo will die with them.
- Be as different from your competitors as you can.
- Keep it simple.
- Be bold, it’s the only way to innovate.
7. Typography and Colors are Important
We talked about this a little bit already, but it really deserves a section of its own. As for colors, typography should be different from your competitors but also connected to the identity of your brand.
8. Integration of the Logo into Your Brand
The short version is as follows: a premium design is not enough—you need to plaster your logo everywhere for everyone to see. Repetition is the key to memorization.
Follow these few steps:
- Make sure you substitute your old logo everywhere at the same time, so you don’t have inconsistencies.
- Add your logo to emails, favicon, merchandise, your office, and your employees’ LinkedIn profile.
- Treat a new logo like a proper rebranding launch, and create some buzz around it.
Conclusion
So there you have it—8 ways to have a premium logo design. It’s not quick and it requires a lot of effort, but we can assure you, if you nail this, the rest of your design work will get a lot easier. Always remember to go back to your values, identity, and the reason you are doing what you are doing.
