In this article we discuss How to Generate Brand Logo Ideas: The Actionable Tips.
Whether youâre a freshly-launched, home-based business or million-budget blockchain game company, creating a logo for your business is a crucial first step in branding. The thing is that itâs not all plain sailing most of the time.
Many established businesses with their brand identity and well-known logos struggled to come up with good ideas when they started. Even for graphic designers, brand logo design remains a challenge. After all, itâs an art requiring specific skills and creativity that not everyone has.
Your logo is the face of your business and serves as an essential tool in establishing brand recognition among customers. It is what customers see when they think of your business. The best logos are simple, memorable, and able to stand the test of time.
While creating a logo isnât always easy, we have put together this helpful guide on how to generate logo design ideas.
Table of Contents
What Makes a Good Brand Logo?
To create a successful logo design, you need to first understand what makes up a great logo and then have ideas ready when you sit down to create it.
A logo is more than a static symbol. It should carry the significance of your brandâs visual identityâ without one; your brand would lose its meaning.
So, a great brand logo will not only look eye-catching or aesthetic, but it will also be distinctive and recognizable. It should be simple enough to remember but also complex enough to be unique.
Again, most importantly, it should reflect your companyâs essence and convey the message you want to send to customers.
When coming up with ideas for your logo, you want to keep all of these factors in mind:
A too-complicated or busy logo will be difficult for customers to remember. Meanwhile, a too-simple logo might be sad-looking, forgettable, or blend in with the competition.
There are a few key characteristics that make up a successful logo. A good logo should be:
- Memorable. The logo should be easy to remember so that customers can think of your business when they see it.
- Distinctive. The logo should be unique and not resemble any other logos in your industry.
- Scalable. The logo should be able to be used in a variety of applications, both digital and print.
- Timeless. The logo should not be trendy but rather classic so that it stands the test of time.
- Versatile. The logo should be able to work in a variety of color schemes and still be recognizable.
How to Generate Logo Design Ideas
When it comes to creating a logo, itâs easy to feel stuck. You may find yourself staring at a blank page for hours or even days without coming up with anything.
When it comes to coming up with good ideas for your logo, creativity plays a big role. But there are also some specific methods and techniques you can use to jumpstart the process.
Before you start sketching out potential logos, itâs helpful to understand a few ways to generate ideas.
Here are some tips on how to generate logo design ideas:
Look at Your Competition
First, familiarize yourself with your industry and the competition. Take a look at your competition and see what kinds of logos they are using.
This will give you an idea of what is already out there and help you to avoid any designs that might be too similar. See what kinds of logos they are using and what you like and donât like about them. This can also give you an idea of what works and what doesnât.
Think About Your Audience
Next, think about who your target audience is and what kind of message you want to send them. Your logo should reflect the values of your business and appeal to your target customer.
For example, if you are targeting a younger audience, you might want a more modern or edgy logo. If you are targeting a more mature audience, you might want a classic and sophisticated logo.
Think About Your Companyâs Identity
Before coming up with a few ideas, you must ensure that you understand what your company is all about- the values, the mission, the vision. This will help you create a logo that aligns with your companyâs identity.
Your companyâs identity should also be reflected in your logo. Fonts, colors, and even your business name can all communicate what you stand for.
For example, if your company is environmentally friendly, you might want to use green in your logo. You might want to use gold or silver if you are a luxury brand.
Your logo should also be appropriate for the type of business you are in. For example, a law firm would want a more traditional and serious logo, while a childrenâs toy company might have a more colorful and playful logo.
Brainstorm with a Team
This is a great way to get different perspectives and ideas. Get together with a group of people inside and outside your company and brainstorm some ideas.
The brainstorming session will help you see the logo from different angles and come up with ideas that you might not have thought of on your own.
Look for Inspiration
Inspiration can come from anywhereâ other logos, nature, art, architecture, etc. You can take some notes from successful or your favorite brandâs logo or even a piece of art that you love.
When looking for inspiration, itâs important to remember the message you want to communicate and the target audience.
Pay Attention to the Scalability
The logo youâre going to create should be suitable for promotional materials, such as social media posts, business cards, posters, and even billboards. Some brands also animate their logos. In other words, the logo needs to work at all these sizes.
As mentioned before, scalability plays an important role here. You need to make sure that you sketch some logo ideas that can be adjusted in different sizes and orientations.
Strive for Minimalism
A unique and eye-catching logo doesnât have to be visually complex. Before you start with some logo ideas, keep in mind that less is often more. Some of the most iconic and successful logos are actually quite simple. For example, the Nike swoosh or the McDonaldâs arches.
While you donât need to aim for simplicity in your logo design, you should definitely avoid overcrowding it with too many elements. So, declutter your logo ideas. Remove any unnecessary design elements and only add or that bring simplicity to your logo design.
Use Prompt Word
If youâre feeling stuck, try using a prompt or prompt word to get the ideas flowing. A prompt word is a word or phrase that you can use to help generate ideas.
For example, if your company is called âThe Green Companyâ, your prompt word could be âleavesâ or ânature.â
Some other example prompts could be:
- If my logo were a person, who would it be?
- What adjectives would describe my logo?
- What kind of feelings do I want my logo to evoke?
The answers to those questions would make it much easier for you to start sketching out some ideas.
Donât Use Logo Generation Tools
If youâre on a budget and canât afford a professional to generate and create a unique logo design for your business. You may be tempted to opt to use an online logo generation tool.
STOP! Donât go there!!! donât let the cheap price tempt you, as thatâs exactly what you will get cheap, unoriginal, rubbish.
Our advice is to have your brand name in a plain font while you save up to invest in a professional, who will work close with you to create a unique brand mark that will represent your brand for years to come.
Ask Professionals
Itâs always best if you involve professionals in the design process to get the best ideas and end results. If you have the budget, consider hiring a graphic designer or branding agency to help you create your logo. They will be able to help you with the entire process, from coming up with ideas to designing and refining your logo.
When working with professionals, be sure to give them a clear idea of your company, your target audience, and the message you want to communicate. This will make it much easier for them to sketch some logo ideas and ensure they align with your brand.
The Bottom Line
You may think of the design process as incredibly difficult and something only those with artistic backgrounds can do well. If this is true, why do so many logos look so similar? The answer is that they all follow the same methods and routines in order to generate ideas.
Those handy best practices help you make the creative juice flow. Once you have a few ideas, you can start refining them until you have a logo that you are happy with. And remember, your logo is not set in stone. As your company grows and evolves, so too can your logo.
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*TIP â Looking to learn logo design? We recommend the Logo Design Online Masterclass, it will teach you how to plan, design and execute logo designs. The course has also had great feedback from the design community.
Author Bio
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).