The title of this article is self-explanatory. We are going to tell you how to create not a simple logo, but a far beyond the average one. Thousands of examples of successful logos can be found on the Internet, many of which are well recognized all around the world. There is no doubt that logo design is a top priority, which is highly important for building a brand identity.
The history of the brand can be rendered through it, as well as other important concepts and values. The logo is undoubtedly the visit card of any brand, as people get the first impression out of it. Here are some essentials of the process of creating an impressive logo.
Learn from Others
You can improve your chances of getting a spotless image by seeing more work examples and other portfolios. For instance, you can find these ideas on Behance, Dribble, Logo Gala, and Deviant Art. Improve your taste, watch different works to learn how to notice important details and develop your taste. This way, you will be one step ahead of your opponents.
Study the Brand
Designers don’t work in an isolated place. You can always ask your clients to provide information about the target audience, main competitors, product niche, and global marketing business strategy. You need to know what clients appreciate in brand history and learn more about the brand conventions in their industry.
Make Drafts
After learning all the details about the brand, you can start drawing as many drafts and sketches as you can, but prior brainstorming is also needed. Don’t be in a hurry! You can try various styles and versions. The clients will provide you with feedback and will give recommendations of how to bring it to perfection.
Strive for Perfection
After finishing with the previous step, it comes to experimenting with colors, types, and forms. You can select the image the clients approved and make it more balanced. The logos need to speak to our basic emotions to be remembered, being catchy and simple is sometimes not enough.
The modern tendencies in logo designs can be described as follows:
- Ruined and warped forms
- Gradients, shadows, and fades
- Combinations of thick, micro and double lines
- Scattered or minimalistic geometry
- Multicentric shapes and overlays
- Monograms
- Layers, patterns, and negative space typography
- Grids and mosaics
- Messy and chaotic typography
- Deep metaphors and thoughtfulness
- Full of color and sketchy
- Inspiration taken from mechanics and architecture
- Layout adaptability
- Deeply contextualized
- Responsive designs to look perfect on any screens
The logo consists of several elements, such as color, layout, typography, and symbols, the last is optional.
Color
Every color has a deep meaning. For example, it is proved that the combination of red and yellow makes people hungry, exactly these colors you can see on many fast-food café logos. The combination of black and yellow transmits the feeling of danger. Use the colors wise to attract your target audience. Here you can see the symbolism of some colors:
- Red: energy, romance, love, passion.
- Orange: excitement, energy, playfulness, change.
- Yellow: cheerful, friendly, happiness, youthful, positivity.
- Green: health, nature, harmony, tranquility, fertility.
- Blue: loyalty, wisdom, spirituality, respectability, sophistication.
- Purple: spirituality, authenticity, truthfulness, introspection.
- Brown: reliability, nature, seriousness, confidence.
- Black: strength, power, glamour, intelligence, modernity, luxury.
- White: purity, hygiene, innocence, youth, clarity.
The logos don’t need to be monochromatic, for instance, most of the logos aren’t. A combination of 2-3 colors is also possible. You can combine the ideas each color transmits, but make sure the colors are appropriate for the business. More than 3 colors can be more than enough and sometimes spoil the design’s message.
Layout
Talking about layout, think about where will the logo be used? You can create a responsive, clean layout that will look great on labels and websites. You may also need variations of the logo to adapt to various mediums. When the business begins to use the logo, it will appear everywhere the business stretches to. The design needs to be clear and professional, from business cards to the internet. It is always a good idea to test it by seeing how it looks in real life. You can print it out or add it to an unpublished website.
Font
If you want to produce a creative logo, think about making a unique or custom type font to attract people. The font reflects your work style and the target audience. Also, you need to be sure that the font is legible for all devices. Every font is unique and transmits a special idea; there are several types of fonts like sans serifs, serifs, slab serifs, and scripts.
Sans fonts are luxurious, elegant, and sophisticated, they express reliability and affluence. They are widely used by well-known companies, such as Giorgio Armani, Burberry, and Tiffany & Co. Sans serif fonts are modern, they are characterized by innovation, clarity, and readability. Such companies as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft use them too.
Slab serif fonts are a mixture between these two fonts, they are loud, bold and confident, dependable and creative. The logos of Honda, Volvo and Sony are made with these fonts. Script fonts represent femininity, personality, freedom, elegance, and emotion. Such companies as Ford, Instagram, Pinterest, and Coca-cola use them.
Symbol
If you want to use a symbol in your logo, check that it can be scaled well. Also, match the symbol to the service or product you are planning to offer and see if it complements with other design elements. Logos with an image are easily memorable, they are based on a single image that leaves an impression. An ideal image of a logo represents the business’s name or its services or products, Apple is a clear example.
So, take into account all these tips that can help you to create your own customized logo. There are many online services that offer you the service of logo creation, you can rely on them in this task, but it is always better to create it yourself.