Does this sound familiar? You started your own business, and it’s been growing steadily. When you began, you put the emphasis on where it needed to go: delivering your service in the best way you can.
Branding was hardly on your radar, let alone a customized company logo to use across your materials. Your emails signed off with just your name and contact info—and even your Facebook page had a generic look and feel.
By now, you’re a little more marketing-savvy and ready to start branding your company with a powerful logo. After all, you see them everywhere—and the best ones instantly invoke exactly what that company is all about.
You appreciate the value of having your name recognized and want to start building consistency in the ways you market your business. But designing a logo takes thought, creativity, and expertise…and you’re no graphic artist. Where do you start?
Logos: Building a Recognizable Brand
We’re living in a highly visual world, and a logo—a compelling, memorable image that represents your business—is an essential tool for helping you communicate your value prop and company personality. A well-designed logo is also an important component to establishing your online presence. Consider these modern logo design ideas to help you select the best logo for your business:
1. Emphasize A Letter
You want the name of your company to stand out. Putting some extra attention on a single letter is a common way to make your logo attractive—or, if your business name contains multiple words, you can make several letters stand out. Think of how some people are remembered by their initials. J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael J. Fox, W.C. Fields…you get the idea.
Making certain letters prominent in your logo can work in the same way. Pay close attention to your font: your letters (all of them) should be easy to read. While you want to choose a unique, eye-pleasing font, you’ll want to avoid too-fancy or abnormal fonts that make people crinkle their brows.
An interesting modern logo design idea is to use broken letters, where one or more letters have a small piece cut out or even run into the next letter. These types of designs can be very eye-catching and that’s what you want. Be careful not to crop out too much of your letters, though, as this can lead to ambiguity—and more crinkled brows.
2. Make It Meaningful
Thanks to computers and online logo tools, you no longer need to sketch images freehand. That’s why oftentimes you’ll see some neat, little graphic or picture in a company’s logo.
When you put your name together with a picture, it becomes clear what business your company is in and even what you stand for. Using a graphic that “means something” can accomplish two things: it attracts attention and conveys a key message about your business.
When incorporating a graphic with the name, make sure it’s something that can be easily connected to the company and support your company’s offerings. A marketing agency, for instance, wouldn’t want to use a graphic of a soccer ball unless their customers are in the sports industry. The idea is to get the point across immediately—and avoid any confusion.
What’s more, how an image is incorporated into the logo can have an impact. If the image has a wrap-around feel in the logo, it can convey safety and security to a customer. An abstract shape can represent discovery and exploration. You want your logo to mean something and it’s possible to pack in the meaning in all kinds of ways.
3. Catch The Eye With Geometry
Another simple, yet effective, design idea is to use shapes and geometry in a clever or unexpected way. Creatively designed shapes can work to emphasize your business name and convey the nature of your business. The shapes can be used to hold the text (e.g. the business name) or be placed around it. Your font may even have a geometric bent that drives interest and a positive response, like, “that’s clever!”
The greatest benefit is using shapes is to draw attention to your logo. Using shapes in a repeating pattern can grab the eye and generate interest in your logo, but be careful: sometimes using complex shapes (or too many of them) can lose a customer’s eye. You want to be attractive and unique, but still need to keep your logo straightforward.
4. Keep It Always-In-Style Simple
With so many different design options, you might be overwhelmed. Going the simple route can be just as effective as getting creative with fonts, images, and messages. Maybe you’re not looking for a logo that “says” so much, or maybe you prefer an exceptionally clean, easy depiction of what your business offers.
Your logo can be as simple as your business name in an attractive font, maybe with a motto or phrase that delivers your company message—or maybe not. You can have different color combinations and use each one in a specific way.
Be careful with colors though: you don’t want to use too many colors as this can often irritate who is looking at it and come across as anything but simple. It’s best to keep your logo to one prominent color instead of going for the rainbow effect, unless that’s what your business personality calls for.
5. Mind These Best Practices
In the world of logo design, the sky can be the limit, but there are some mistakes to avoid because they make your logo look outdated or unprofessional. Keep these best practices in mind while designing your logo and stamping it on various places:
- Clarity: Make sure your logo never looks fuzzy or pixelated. You want your logo to look sharp, so make sure you preview your logo on whatever you’re placing it on.
- Readability: Check over your letters and make sure the font is large enough for wherever you place your logo.
- Versatility: You’ll want to use your logo in different ways: on social media, in your email signature, and on old-fashioned business cards and letterhead, too. That means you’ll need access to the EFS and GIF files.
Want To Give It A Try?
With the right support, designing your company logo isn’t a daunting task. It’s actually fun to dress your company name up for the world to see—and know what your business is all about. You’re the best judge: when you see the right one, you’ll know it — in just a glance.
Give our free logo maker and logo design tool a whirl!
