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Tips For Creating Your Perfect Logo Design

Business StartUp Tips, Processes & Productivity

In this article:

  • 3 things to consider before you have a logo designed
  • The 4 elements of a logo

After finalising the business name, the logo design is almost ALWAYS the next step. BIG HINT > make sure you have finalised the name and have its registration approved before starting on the logo (well, before having a designer start on the logo at least).

Use this checklist and toolset to help create the perfect logo for your new business.

When giving thought to your logo design consider the following questions:

Who is your target market? (Really define this, the answer cannot be “everyone”. Think about age, gender, location, occupation, interests, income, education…)

How will the logo primarily be used? (will you need embroidery, vehicle signage, wood carvings – this can influence the level of detail the logo takes on)

What type of personality does/will your business have? (Humorous/Serious, Corporate/Casual, Masculine/Feminine, Modern/Old School – this can also impact the design’s visual style)

… as well as the obvious preference of colours or font styles. Your answers to these questions will guide your logo designer in the creation of the initial design concepts.

The more insight you can give a logo designer, the more accurately their design concepts will match your expectations and personal taste. The following key elements of a logo design will help guide you on to Your Perfect Logo.

Next, consider the 4 Elements of a Logo Design

Colour:

The colours you choose now will be used throughout all of your promotional materials through to signage and uniforms – so it is a significant element that needs to be carefully considered. It helps if you use colours that YOU LIKE, as you will be seeing them a LOT. But you should also consider your main target market – will the colours appeal to them too?

For example, is your main target market men (yes) then a pink/purple logo, business card & website might not be the best colour choice. And YES – I’ve seen this happen.

You should also consider the product, service, locale of your business and whether the colours will compliment those.

Stuck on choosing colour? Adobe Colour CC lets you try out, create and save various colour schemes.

choosing colours for logo design

Typography:

The typography or font of the logo is the most important (I think). The style of font says everything about the personality of your business. Some fonts are fee and some require a purchase. Some can be used for logos and others (especially the free ones) can only be used for personal, non-commercial purposes – so do your homework first.

Two of my top tools for typography inspiration as well as buying fonts from are MyFonts.com and Fonts.com

Wondering what the name of that font is that you LOVE? Well you’ll love this WHAT THE FONT tool to help you find out.

Icon/Symbol:

An icon or symbol can be used in your logo design to reflect an aspect of the business or the product/service portrayed. These graphics can be abstract, simplified symbols or an accurate depiction of your product/service.

While there are many pre-designed icons available to you, they can become cliche or overused within your industry so be careful with using those. As they are someone else’s creation, they may also have specific copyright guidelines which require they are not used as logos or trademarks – so do your research if you use something predesigned.

Tag Line:

The tag line is typically the final element of a logo design. Also known as the slogan or the catchphrase, it is a short, memorable description that becomes identified with your business name, product or service. Not every logo incorporates a tagline. If you do have a logo designed with a tagline – make sure to ask for separate files that include and exclude the tagline. Some tips to help you create a tagline:

Keep it simple. It needs to say a lot in a little. Between 3 to 5 words ideally.

Tell a story. What emotion is attached to what you do? Whatever it is, that’s your positioning. Your logo and tagline should communicate that feeling.

Say what?! The best tag lines are those we remember, they become engrained in our heads the first time we are exposed to it. A good example is an air conditioning company that uses controversy for its tagline: “Your wife is hot.” Got it? Be careful though – don’t slip over the edge into tacky or offensive.

 

Need some tag line INSPO? Have a play with Shopify’s Slogan Makeover or try this slogan generator tool from Dukkan

 

There you have it. If you give thought to the top 3 considerations mentioned above (target, usage and personality) and the 4 elements of a logo design, then you will have a very good idea of where you are heading in the logo design. Passing that information on to your logo designer, along with a brief of your products and services, will help them immensely in the design of your perfect logo.

Click here if you are looking for a quote on a logo design only.

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