Looking to Design Your Company’s Logo?

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We’ve always been saying this: logos can make or break brand images; a logo is typically the first thing that consumers would associate a brand with; think Nike and its signature ‘swoosh’ or ‘tick’ comes to mind; think Starbucks and there’s the topless mermaid; think Twitter and in flies the little bird icon.

The point is—you want your brand’s logo to be memorable enough that it imprints itself onto the minds of your consumers; that can only be achieved through careful considerations and smart designs. But before we can even get to the nitty-gritty of designing a logo, first ask yourself if you already have the answers to the following questions:

1.    What is my industry type?

2.    What is my company focus and goals?

3.    What products or services does my company provide?

4.    Who are my competitors / market leaders?

5.    What is unique about my company?

6.    Who is my primary target audience?

If your answer is yes, then we’re ready to rock and roll. If not, you might want to take some time to think about the answers—because the first step to creating anything—a website, logo, brochures etc.—for your business is to know what your business is all about. You don’t want to end up with a corporate identity that doesn’t reflect who you are and what it is you do.

And now on to the fun part…

Types of Logo

1. WORDMARKS logos are comprised of freestanding word or multi-letter abbreviation groupings.

(L to R: eBay, CNN, Kleenex, Google)

2. LETTERFORM logos are comprised of a single letter.

(L to R: Beats, Uber, Honda, McDonalds)

3. PICTORIAL logos are illustrated symbols of recognizable things.

(L to R: Playboy, WWF, Starbucks, Twitter)

4. ABSTRACT logos, much like abstract art, don’t represent anything otherwise recognizable..

(L to R: Nike, Astoria, Pepsi, CNBC)

Now we’re sure you’re on to the million-dollar question on your mind: “Which logo type would best suit my company?”

The answer to this question is not as straightforward as you might think, as  there is simply no hard and fast rule here. According to Alina Wheeler, a Philadelphia-based branding expert, deciding on which logo best fits your company “depends a lot on your name and what you provide or make.” For instance, a long company name might work better with letterform logos, while a short company name might work better with wordforms logo.

Messages in Logo

Perhaps the most important thing about any logo is this: it should represent your brand personality and succinctly convey the message within the symbols. Think about the key points of your business that you want to tell people, so that when they look at your logo, they’ll be able to get an immediate sense of what your company is all about.

Colours in Logo

Colours are extremely powerful tools in the world of design—we rely on colours to convey and evoke different characteristics, emotions, and attitudes in our logos.

Make sure you avoid colours similar to that of your competitors, or else you’re going to have a hard time establishing your own identity.

Fonts in Logo

Like colours, the type of font you use in your logo will evoke and inspire different attitudes and emotions. Different font types would work best for different businesses. For instance, a banking firm should use fonts that convey professionalism, reliability, and security; whereas a pet store can use fonts that are more fun, warm, and friendly.

Hire A Designer

Yes, we understand that as a start-up company, you don’t always have the budget to hire professional graphic designers—and so you try to do achieve everything by yourself. But here’s our advice: hire a designer. In the words of Wheeler: “Working with a skilled graphic designer is really critical. They understand what a good logo is and how it needs to scale and function across different media and marketing channels, like on your website, within an app or on a storefront sign, all key things that shouldn’t be left to chance or guessed at on the fly.”

Cost of Logo Design

The cost of logo design varies—depending on who you engage, the price can range from anywhere between $4,000 to $15,000 for professional design firms (super pricey, we know!), or between $35 and $150 per hour should you decide to contract freelance designers. We know that the latter is a more affordable option for most, but you don’t want to hire someone just because they are the cheaper option. At the end of the day, you want a designer who is experienced and “familiar with your field and your competition.” (Wheeler).

That said, there are also many web design companies out there that provides  logo design packages at a reasonable price—and that includes us! Our logo design package includes unlimited logo design concepts and revisions that starts from as low as $299 to $599.

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Whew, we bet that was a lot of information to take in for something as “simple” as logo design. But remember, those are all important pointers that you should take note of when thinking about designing your company’s logo. The more you understand about the elements of logo design, the more you’ll know what to look out for in your logo!