When one is out to design a logo the first thing that comes to the mind is not only where exactly to start but what form, texture, and content to be used. The most difficult part of creating a logo is the start. Do not worry – the rest of this article will guide you through.
20 Tutorials and pro tips for designing amazing logos
1. When starting to make a logo, instead of taking the plunge right away, it would be prudent to first take a deep breath and contemplate two basic things. First, what exactly is being tried to be communicated with the logo and second, who is the target audience.
2. It must first be appreciated that to create a logo one has to first understand the brand and the product intimately. What value does the brand or product promise to deliver, to the viewer of the logo? The logo has to “speak” and “offer” a distinct set of satisfactions and needs fulfillment to the viewer. If the viewer happens to be a customer then the logo must be able to promise a distinct satisfaction offer for their need, wants, and requirements. It must be able to tell a story.
3. Thus to create an awesome logo it will be required to convey the basic aspect of satisfying the perceived need to the target audience. Food gives satisfaction, mouthwashes and toothpaste give the feel of freshness, religious entities provide enlightenment, clothes make one comfortable and presentable and the list goes on. Thus the process of designing a logo starts with firming up WHAT is to be conveyed.
4. Well, the most difficult part, the beginning, is over and the next step to produce a logo will be to ascertain HOW to get across the message effectively to the intended target audience. It may be noted that the logo identifies the product or the brand.
5. The problem with designing a logo is that one gets very little space and opportunity to tell the entire story and thus when one is out to make a logo design it will be necessary to take the help of colors, forms, shapes and shades to make the logo not only “speak” but also be attractive, pleasing and above all appealing to the target audience.
6. The decisions at this level are very vital since logos are not supposed to change unless the identity of the value delivered undergoes a major metamorphosis. This may sound a little high but it is no rocket science. Foods, it is often thought, are meant to satisfy the taste buds. No, certainly not, it is meant to satisfy hunger; there are more conditions to be met. It must be wholesome, tasty, nourishing, and above all highly palatable.
7. Let us get it very clear that the logo has to speak out in the humanitarian language and so despite being a difficult task it is not impossible. The symbols, colors, textures, and expression must “speak” and their speech will be common across the entire civilized world.
8. This lands us facing the big question of how to design a logo satisfying all the aspects involved i.e. conveying all the value proposed and promising fulfillment of all needs. True, in the process of logo design the biggest issue is that the logo gets just a glimpse and that too usually a cursory one, from the target and that one look must convey the value proposed, need fulfillment and promise the much-needed satisfaction.
9. In the next step as you experience the problems, pain, and efforts that go into designing a logo, remember it is an intensely demanding process and your full attention will be needed hereafter. So the task is to convey a host of messages and all you have are a few symbols, colors, textures, and alphabets in your arsenal.
10. Therefore it becomes essential that the color scheme should be such that it draws one’s attention. The color scheme is therefore very vital.
11. Selecting the most appropriate symbol is the most important aspect is the first step. As has been mentioned above there are a series of messages that the logo is supposed to convey and from that huge assortment, identifying the most critical one calls for extensive debate, discussion, and deliberation with the people concerned with this design process.
12. There are plenty of graphics, symbols, shapes, textures and color tones available in the net and these can prove to be worth browsing.
13. Brainstorming sessions at this stage is often the answer but usually, the people are reluctant to air their views openly and in such instances interviewing the concerned people is the best way out.
14. Once the most important aspect is frozen it will be necessary to identify the graphics or symbols that would best convey the message. Different graphics with different color combinations would imply different things. Thus templates of the logo or the first cut of the logo then have to be tested on audiences.
15. Such testing may be done on the conscious sample (i.e. the people who are exposed to the logo know that they are to see it carefully and evaluate) or random sample implying people who are not aware as to whether their views will be sought. The second group may consist of customers in a supermarket and whether they notice and enquire about the logo from the store attendant.
16. The reactions from both groups are important since their feedback will go a very long way in fine-tuning the logo. When trying to design a logo online the second cluster of people is very important since their reactions will indicate whether the logo with its text is found to stand out in the crowd or get mixed up with the mass.
17. These days, firms make a wide variety of products or sell a still wider variety of items. So the design of a company logo will be slightly different since the company as a whole may need to project a more generic value than a specific value to the customer. Automobile makers may want to project their reliability aspect or robustness or trendiness or value for the money aspect. Their logo may have to cover a different spectrum compared to an individual car manufacturer. Individual cars will focus on comfort, style, and convenience while the broad company will try to project reliability, robustness, and consistency.
18. One aspect of the logo is that it is expected to reach out to the customers along with some text. Hence too much information need not be packed into is design for the fear of making it far too complex. While the details can go in the background the most important aspect will have to stand out from the whole. This choosing of what to give priority consists of the most important part of a logo designer’s work.
19. The process of singling out the MOST important aspect of the product or service offered is best evolved and identified with consensus from the firm – which is a slightly knotty assignment.
20. Remaining open to suggestions and incorporating improvements will not undermine your competence but it will build up your knowledge bank and expertise.
Conclusion:
Remember, practice makes perfect and it is very unlikely that you will get it right in the first attempt. Keep trying the logo will get designed before you know.
