Brand logos are visual identities or images used to describe anything related to a company’s branding and marketing activities. It is usually used as a business marker, and a means to build relevant impressions of the company.
Aside from symbolizing a business, logos are often used to describe character, moment, object and everything that requires a specific depiction to be poured into a visual thing.
The logo is like a “mirror” that reflects the organization’s meaning, vision, and ideology in the business world. A good logo acts as a symbol and message to communicate with customers.
The Importance of Brand Logos for Small Business
The logo is something that you can find in almost every commercial product. It is one of the best methods used to “characterize” and differentiate their products from the competitors. The logo is a brand element, meaning that a logo can be interpreted as a graphic representation or image that provokes the memories of the target market.
Brand logos are the company’s first introduction to consumers. A well-designed logo stimulates public interest and invites them to learn more about the company or the product. This first impression is crucial to deliver the “first impression” of the products you sell or the services you offer.
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The logo functions as an identification point; they are the symbols that customers use to identify your brand. Ideally, you want people to directly relate your logo to memories of what your company offers – and, more importantly, how they felt.
The Challenge of Creating Brand Logos for Designers
The graphic designer is a profession with a vital role in the creative industry. The main task of a graphic designer is to communicate identity and messages in the form of visual images from one party to another.
To produce successful design work, they should not depend on the ability to operate Photoshop, Corel Draw, Illustrator or other software, but also honing their creativity and conceptual thinking. This is especially important when making logos for branding, as your design skills alone are not enough to fulfil the client’s needs.
Since the logo is a visual element, it triggers positive memories of a particular brand. Some people may forget a business name (well, it’s human nature), but they will quickly associate the logo with their memory of a particular brand.
You can only create the appropriate logo if you know the purpose, what is being marketed using the logo, and who is the target market for this logo. As a beginner, it may sound daunting at first; but it is not as complicated as you think.
7 Tips to Create Brand Logos for Small Business
As we previously stated, the logo is the face and identity of a business. If you want to create the ultimate symbol for a small business, here are some tips you might find helpful:
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Keep It Simple
To communicate well, the ideal brand logos must be easily recognizable, simple, flexible, and fit in various spaces, media, and backgrounds without losing the shape and essence of the logo itself. The logo should also leave an inspiring impression and give positive vibes to consumers.
Complicated logo designs will not make it easier for people to remember them. Therefore, you should avoid making designs that are too complex. Remember, sometimes simplicity means more. Overthinking and overcomplicating a logo will only cloud your perspective, making it harder to stay true to your original purpose.
The logo’s shape does not have to strictly follow objects & conditions that are considered relevant to the brand. For example, if the business deals with fresh products, it does not always mean that the logo must use the shape of vegetables or fruits.
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Find a Lot of References and Inspirations
The originality of a logo is an essential aspect of designing a logo. When other people see your logo, they will not remember other products besides your product & brand. That being said, it is not illegal to look at many references to find the right inspiration.
When it comes to creating a logo for a brand, even the most experienced designer sometimes finds it difficult to get ideas. To overcome this, looking at some logos as references while building ideas and honing your creativity might be the best solution since it can act as a suitable stimulus.
To get more references, you should read more books. Look for any written resource that inspires, be it magazines or books written by logo designer experts. As an alternative, if you don’t really like reading books, try coming to some public places to see various designs and logos you can find.
Another thing you can do is looking back at the old files of your work. You might find some new thoughts arise from the old results. Try to disassemble it and make a new design.
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Use the Right Fonts
Fonts are one of the essential elements for designing a logo for a brand or company. If you want your brand to be more recognizable, then you should take your time to select the best font you can find.
Before choosing the right font for a logo design, you need to understand the basic fonts. Here are several other basic font types that you can use while creating brand logos:
- Sans-Serif – Simple font with modern, clean, and geometric shapes
- Slab Serif – Vintage looking fonts with traditional and masculine vibes
- Script – Classic fonts with subtlety, elegance, feminine, and ornate shapes
- Handwritten – Natural fonts with a relaxed, approachable, and neutral impression
- Display – The unorthodox fonts with unique and unusual shapes
It is okay to use various fonts to create a logo. However, it is essential to ensure that you are not using more than two or three types of fonts at once, as it may look overwhelming and challenging to digest.
Remember, the use of the font is essential to ensure that your logo is recognizable and memorable. Try to find out the one that’s the best fit for the company’s mood. Is it serious or casual? Cheerful or chaotic? Are you trying to convey something new or sticking to conservative ideas? Different industries hold different values, which are communicated through different fonts. Try to think about the product or service you want to offer and find out what business attributes you wish to highlight.
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Using Logotype and Logomark
The logotype is a logo created using text, letters, company name, initials or even somebody’s signature. Logotype is used to promote brand recognition and build the product association with a more conservative and old-school approach to branding. Google is one of the best examples of a successful logotype.
The real challenge of using logotype lies within your skills to determine the best typographic style that matches the company’s identity. Darker tones with bold-shaped letters often represent a solid and rigid branding, while lighter tones with cursive letters represent a more flexible and relaxed mood. While it looks simple, creating a logotype sometimes can be time-consuming since the designer needs to get good composition, size, and colour and deal with typographical choices.
On the other hand, logomark depicts a particular concept or idea through a simple logo. A logomark is a powerful tool and can reverse the way people perceive a company’s brand recognition. Both logotypes and Logomark have the power of conveying the message via visual communication. Twitter’s “blue bird” is an excellent example of a successful logomark.
While creating a logomark, you must understand that all shapes have different meanings. Circle often be seen as jolly and casual , while square promotes solidity and faith. You can also deconstruct some shapes, making new, unique visuals.
According to the experts, both logotype and logo mark design are suitable for those of you who want to create a company logo since they can immediately associate the brand name with the visual identity of the logo without confusing customers.
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Make It Relevant and Timeless
The logo that you make must be relevant to the purpose of the brand or product. You have to pick the best tone that matches the industry in which the company operates. For example, when designing a logo for a women’s clothing brand, the colours used tend to be softer and more feminine, while the choice of fonts typically has subtle and flexible shapes.
It is essential to understand that brand logos do not have to show what products and services you sell. For example, a car logo that doesn’t have to be car-shaped and a cellphone logo that doesn’t have to be similar to a cell phone or cellular symbol.
In many cases, creating a unique (easy to remember) logo design is the best way to go when it comes to brand a small business. Many people will undoubtedly easily recognize this kind of logo and will not be eroded by the times.
One good example is the Coca-Cola logo which has been around since 1885. Compared to its rival brand ‘Pepsi’, which changes its logo quite often, Coca-Cola remains consistent with its red logo and distinctive font type. This might be a perfect example of the result you want to achieve.
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Pick The Right Color Scheme
Humans have different responses to colour; blue often induces calm and comfort while red can convey intensity and desire. Based on this, you must carefully pick the colours of the logo you create and customize it according to the characteristics of your target market.
Aside from adjusting the colour according to the target market’s characteristics, you must also pay close attention to the cultural context of your call. This is very important for those who plan to expand their business to various sectors and regions.
As an example, light pink or pink in general in Japan is synonymous with pornography. Thus, it might be risky to use a bright pink colour in your logo if you plan to expand your business to Japan.
In addition, try picking the colours that show the impression you want to convey to your business. For instance, if you’re going to create a logo for a brand that sells luxurious and expensive stuff, you can use dark and elegant colours like black, silver, or gold.
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Be Bold and Be Different
Most companies use their logo as a way to attract attention. Thus, it might be better to push your creativity to the limit to create a unique logo. A bold and striking logo is good to attract attention since it entices the curiosity of the people.
That being said, you need to make sure that the logo has a meaningful philosophy. It can be taken from the company’s values, principles, or anything that can represent the brand as a whole. You can embed it in various ways, including colour, fonts, images, and others.
You can try using a combination of different images to find the one that fits the best. Use different colour combinations until you get a design that you think is the most original and engaging. Do not hesitate to play and have fun with the various concepts and keep experimenting with your plans until you get the results you are satisfied with.
Final Words
In terms of a brand identity, brand logos may just be one of the other visual identity attributes. Therefore, it is essential to know that creating a logo is not enough to build perception and brand awareness in the community.
That being said, a logo is not just a random image you print on a business card. This symbol has a function that goes beyond that. After all, a logo represents a brand with a unique story and meaning behind it.
Finally, we hope this article is useful to develop your overall skills as a designer. While it may feel daunting at first, you actually just need a lot of practice to hone your skill and create the ultimate logo for small business. Good luck!