Finally, you get into entrepreneurship! Well done! You do not already have many questions in mind and among which: how to create a logo? Making a logo is indeed an essential step in starting a business. Your logo is your brand image, the visual that will make your business recognizable and hopefully unforgettable.
In fact, this is not a step to be taken lightly, but how do you create a logo exactly? In this article, I will give you the keys to take charge of the complete realization of your company logo and the different ways to proceed.
- How to create your logo?
- Create a logo with a generator
- Order a logo from a graphic designer or an agency
It’s up to you to choose according to your preferences and your budget, the method of creation that suits you best to create a logo.
How to create a logo yourself?
Find ideas for your logo
As we said, the role of this logo is to represent your company, its style, and its values. That’s why the first thing to do before you start creating a logo is to analyze your own brand. It’s about doing a little branding work. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:
- What are you selling?
- What do your products/services bring to your customers?
- What aspects of your product/service do you want to communicate?
- What type of person are your products/services for?
- If your business were one person, what gender would it be? What would she look like? In character?
- What colors does your brand inspire you?
Take the time to write down this branding work, which will serve as a framework throughout the development of your business. From the answers to these questions, you should start to have a few leads in mind. For example, if you sell products intended for the practice of Yoga, your brand, therefore, proposes to bring a little serenity and well-being in the lives of your customers. We can therefore imagine that your logo represents something soft and calm, which does not prevent it from also having a strong style.
Study what is happening in your business niche
This is a step that you may have already taken in your business plan, but market research is also an important step in creating a logo. Indeed, it is important to understand the needs and expectations of your customers in your sector and the values that are naturally associated with it. For example, if you sell security-related items, you want to convey a reassuring image of trust and seriousness. So your logo probably won’t be flashy or funny.
Moreover, each industry has its own trends and it is important to know them. In decoration or lifestyle, we have seen a big trend for handwritten fonts, like Arabella or Mightype, while today the trend is minimal, with fonts such as Dilem or Nickainley. That said, while taking inspiration from current graphic trends, don’t follow them to the letter unless you’re prepared to give your logo regular facelifts.
Observe the competition
Once you have a good idea of what is happening in your niche, take a tour of your competitors and compare their logos. In any case, this is a step that you have already had to pass when designing your business project. The goal of the exercise is both to make sure you make a logo that stands out from the competition, but also to see what works and what does not work well, what you like and what you don’t.
Take the opportunity to study the graphic charter of competing companies in your sector. The logo is the central element, but there can also be variations, a different use on social networks or on promotional items. Take notes and screenshots of all your research and store them in a folder, as you will find that you will come back to them often.
The creative process
Now that you’ve taken a look at the graphics trends in your industry, it’s time to get started. We are going to see, in concrete terms, how to make a logo.
Seek inspiration
Knowing what exists is good, but now you have to do it differently. To help you out, there are many sites where you can find real gold mines of logo ideas.
Pinterest is of course the most popular source of inspiration on the web, whatever the subject, as long as it is visual: gastronomy, decoration, art, fashion… and logos. Just type “logo” in the search bar to discover thousands of logo designs of all kinds.
You can refine your search using the keywords: vintage, modern, original… it’s endless. You will even find visual tutorials there that show you how to make a logo, step by step.
Behance
Behance is a professional platform owned by Adobe and dedicated to visual artists, from illustrators to graphic designers, including videographers. Again, you just have to type logo in the search bar to see hundreds of logos and graphic charters created by freelancers.
It is also possible to refine your search with a particular industry, for example, gastronomy. It’s also a good place to find freelance graphic designers for your logo, but we’ll get to that.
Logo creation sites
The logo generators can also be a good source of inspiration, thanks to important databases. We will also talk about these sites, which you can use to create your logo, but in the meantime, they also allow you to find ideas by area of activity.
With these sources of inspiration, you can get a little more specific idea of what types of logo you like. Rather exuberant or minimalist, in color or black and white, round or square shape, etc. In short, it’s about finding your style.
Obviously the company name can influence your logo. You have to think about this when looking for visuals. A long or short name, which works with initials or not… all of these things matter. Finally, the customization options also allow you to understand how to create a logo from a generic form.
Don’t hesitate to draw
Even if you think you are drawing very badly, it doesn’t matter. The purpose of the maneuver is to help you find the final shape, it is not the final drawing. The creative process is a phenomenon that takes time. Don’t hesitate to doodle, to try different things, different colors. On the basis of ideas already accumulated, play with the elements, change their place, etc.
Save all your essays, even the ones you consider to be failed, and let your ideas sit for a day or two before coming back to them. You will find that your ideas will be much clearer and especially in relation to what does not suit you.
Digitize your logo
Once you’ve come up with your logo idea and roughly sketched the outlines, it’s time to get going.
First of all, you should know that vector graphics are the best format for a logo. Vectorial, that is to say, a drawing made of curves and points, unlike Photoshop which uses pixels. Vector drawing allows you to change the size of graphics without ever losing resolution. This is important for a logo since it is an element that you will have to use often with different sizes.
At this point, the ideal is to use Illustrator, but this software is paid and a little difficult to learn. Gimp on the other hand is a free vector design software that will allow you to make your logo for free.
Obviously, the difficulty of the operation depends on the complexity of your drawing. If it is geometric shapes, it will not be complicated. But if it’s a realistically drawn tiger, for example, that’s another story. If your design is really complex, it is better to follow the advice below and contact a professional who will know how to make your logo.
Otherwise, a priori, a logo is made up of geometric shapes that just need to be broken down.
Find help to make your logo
If you are unable to obtain a satisfactory result, several options are available to you:
Hire a freelance
If you’ve come up with a pretty specific logo idea, but don’t know how to make your logo, you can outsource this assignment to a freelancer. Since the design is already done, the budget will be reasonable.
You will find the best freelance platforms in this article. Ask for several quotes before you start because the bill can go up just as quickly, especially if you don’t know anything about it. Freelancers bill either by the day or by the hour. In the second case, the person must give you an estimate of the time they will spend on your logo. Usually one or two returns are included in the price. The indicative price of a freelance graphic designer is around 35 to 40 euros per hour. Specify clearly in the brief the conditions of use of the logo. You should own the original file and be free to use it as you see fit.
Logo generators
Generators are a good way to better understand how to make a logo. We have already written a comprehensive article with the best logo design sites, in which you will find the most interesting. But in a nutshell, these sites offer databases of thousands of logo templates, which you can customize to suit your taste and branding.
To target the results a little, you are asked a few questions about the nature of your activity or the colors that interest you. There are many logos displayed, from which you can choose the model that suits you approximately. From there, it is possible to personalize this logo, changing the colors, dimensions, or fonts.
Many of these logo maker tools are free, but for full use, including download and reproduction, you will need to pay. Honestly, this is a very reasonable budget for a logo design.
As I mentioned above, logo generators can be a good source of inspiration, but be careful not to fall into the common. Your logo should be unique and impactful if you want your customers to remember you.
Order a logo from a graphic designer or an agency
While a self-made logo can be very successful, there are good sides to bringing in professionals. In addition to the time saved, a graphic designer or an agency will take care of all the design, but also the associated research. Of course, this service comes at a cost.
How much does it cost to design a logo
It all depends on the method chosen:
- Make your own logo: free, except perhaps if you use Illustrator-type software. Subscriptions start at € 19.90 per month).
- Have your logo made by a freelance: between 40 and 300 euros depending on the complexity of the design and the experience of the graphic designer.
- Design and production of a logo by a graphic designer: this can range from 500 euros to 2000 euros depending on the agency and the specificity of your request.
Find a graphic design agency for a logo?
Of course, you will have to compare prices, get information from clients of the agency you have spotted and carefully study the content of their offer. For this type of service, you should normally obtain a study of your sector and your products.
In this perspective, it is good to plan a brief for the design agency. What should your brief contain?
- A presentation of your products or services.
- A list of your values
- A description of your target customers
- Your geographical position and your sales area
- Anticipation of the development of your business
- The message you want to express
- The way you want to express this message
Do not hesitate to include photos of your products, your packaging if you already have some in mind, etc.
After studying the documents provided and asking additional questions, the graphic designer will be able to come up with ideas. In principle, he should offer you 2 or 3. Do not hesitate to say honestly what you think about it, but keep in mind that beyond a certain number of returns, you will be charged. This type of detail must be indicated in the contract.
Upon delivery, the graphic designer or agency must provide you with all downloadable documents and original files
You now know all the methods to create a logo. Which do you prefer? Do you have any experience to share in this area? If so, tell us in the comments.
