Designing a Business Logo
Introduction
This article is a very brief guide to get you started designing your own business logo. It may not be important for you to have a logo but they can often put out a powerful image for your business.
“a powerful image for your business”
Many people requiring a logo may choose to use a professional service. However, for those of you with some creative talent, designing a business logo yourself may be a better (cheaper!) option.
Getting Started Designing a Logo
When designing your business logo, consider the following:
- How much will you be using it? (expenses- printing)
- How much detail do you feel is appropriate? (distinctiveness)
- Will it be easily seen at different sizes?
- What colours/shapes will you use (Use colours and shapes that will catch the customers eye without making it too complicated)
- Where will you be using them? (Letterheads, packaging, etc)
For assistance, try looking at existing logos for inspiration. You can combine ideas from a variety of logos to make your own idea. As long as you don’t copy exactly from other logos, you are in no danger of Data Protection & Copyright – Copyright Infringement
After Completing the Design
When you are happy with a design and you feel that you’re ready to put it into use – if you do, then you are moving too quickly ahead. It is important that you find out if your logo will work and make a good impression. Ask people (friends, family, etc) what they think of your design and if they would relate them to what your business is trying to sell/offer. If you are a member of a Small Business Clubs- what other better way to collect opinions of your design!
It is also worth considering who will print your logo as it is a bad idea to print them yourself unless you have a high quality printer.
On-line Logo’s (Web Sites)
Using a logo for website purposes has almost identical issues to those that are generally used for print. You now have to c onsider ideas so that it can be used on screen and on paper. If you do intend to use the logo both ways, it’s best to design your idea on the computer first (it may be hard to reproduce on screen if you make it too detailed and also you need to be aware of the file size- see below).
“design your idea on the computer first”
The idea of designing a logo has the same logic as before but has added restrictions due to the constraints of the computer:
- Limit your logo to a small file size, say, less than 10kb. The bigger the file, the slower the page will download
- If adding animation to your logo, be sure that it is pos itioned away from other animations to avoid distraction. It is generally not good practice to animate your logo
- Use few colours as possible to further minimize file size
- Use colours that are ‘web safe’ (don’t mix) so they will be supported by all browsers, and this will almost ensure everyone sees your logo as it should be
If you are short of ideas for a logo, don’t go searching through clip art to find a solution: this will just show that you can’t think for yourself and are unoriginal. As hundreds of millions of people have access to clipart just about everyone knows the popular ones. Instead, why not try looking at sites offering free images and designs- here’s some to get you started:
- www.freeimages.co.uk (mainly photographs)
- Flickr – almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world
- www.screamdesign.com (graphics, animations and fonts)
- www.urbanfonts.com (fonts)
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