How to create a business logo

A well-designed logo helps people to notice you and builds trust.

It tells potential clients who you are, what you do, and how that benefits them. A good logo communicates to people who have never heard of your business that you do excellent work.

In this article, we will explain how to create a business, including:

• What makes a good logo
• Create a logo without graphic design experience
• Online programs for creating your logo

A small business logo needs to be straightforward, easy to interpret and connect with your audience. It’s essential to keep your logo simple to work across multiple media platforms and is effective at any size. 

Compared to large companies, most small brands do not have years of brand recognition that people associate with your business or a huge marketing budget to help consumers understand what you do. Therefore, your logo must instantly communicate to the viewer who you are and what you do.

There’s a lot to consider when boiling your brand down to a single image. Luckily, a great small business logo only needs a few elements.

1.  Simplicity

It’s easy to get off-track and try incorporating all your great ideas into one image, but simple will always be better.

Overly complex logos do not convey professionalism or confidence, and they often leave the audience feeling confused.

A streamlined and straightforward logo communicates strength, provides assurance to the audience and is more memorable.

2. Relevance

A relevant logo is targeted and purposeful. Remember what matters to your customers and create a design that speaks to them. 

Think about what your audience needs from your brand. Take colours, for example; yellow radiates enthusiasm and happiness, red is associated with youth and excitement, and blue conveys trust, strength, and dependability. How do these qualities relate to your customers?

3. Versatility

Your logo will likely be used in a variety of ways. It could be on your website, brochures, business cards, and even t-shirts. Keep in mind that various platforms or applications won’t always offer the ideal scenario, and your logo will need to adapt.

It is crucial to design logos to be large (think billboards and trucks) or very small (like on a pen or pencil) while still retaining their integrity. The logo should be able to be viewed in black and white along with changing background colours.

Certain design elements like script fonts don’t always lend themselves to being scaled down for a social media profile. Learn more about why social media is important for small businesses here. Be sure to keep versatility in mind when designing your logo.

4. Uniqueness

Researching other logos for inspiration is a great idea. Just be careful not to design your logo to be too much like everything else out there.

Your logo should set you apart, be recognisable as distinctively yours, and not allow you to be confused with another brand.

5. Memorable

A great starting point for creating a memorable logo is to stick to the “simplicity principle.”. Your audience should be able to identify some aspects of your logo in just a few seconds.

It is possible for your logo only to be seen for a few seconds depending upon the channel or platform. But would that be enough to convey a sense of your brand?

Simple logos are easier to remember and recall. On the other hand, if your logo is overly complex, it will be easily forgotten.

Although having a designer in your back pocket is helpful, it’s not necessary for a great logo or visual brand. We have so many valuable resources at our fingertips that we don’t necessarily need a designer in this day and age. Here’s how to get started on your logo:

1. Consider your ideal customer

A pretty design isn’t worth much without the intention, purpose and function behind it. 

Start by researching the visual preferences of your ideal customers. Stepping inside their world and seeing what they see is the best place to get started. What brands, products, and companies do your ideal customer surround themselves with?

This isn’t about copying another brand, but you can use them as inspiration. Combine your ideal customers’ preferences to adapt to your visual brand. Then, with intentional research, you can design a logo that attracts your ideal customer and excites them about your brand.

2. Choose font and colours

Colour and font are the two components of visual branding that make up a logo.

You probably already have a business plan. But when designing your logo, you should also consider a plan for the entire visual appearance of your brand. This can give you direction so you aren’t pulling random fonts and colours out of thin air.

Your logo, as well as all other marketing materials produced by your brand, should be consistent. Creating a brand style guide will be the perfect foundation for your brand. Learn more about how to create a small business marketing strategy here.

A font palette can be two or three fonts. They will consist of your header, accent, and body font. Your colour palette can be two to six colours. 

Stay practical when you choose elements for either palette. You want to make sure each font is legible and that the colours work cohesively together to create a unique mood for your brand.

Choose colours and fonts that effectively reflect what your business wants to convey. You can change the palettes you create at any time. It’s okay to change them as you go along, so don’t feel pressured to get it perfect right away.

3. Create a mood board

If you’re not sure where to start choosing these fonts and colours, you can try pulling inspiration from online spaces, places your ideal customer loves, blogs you or your ideal customer follow, or anywhere in the world around you.

Pinterest can be an excellent place to start pulling inspiration for your logo and brand design. It’s ideal for collecting all of your visual inspiration in one place. 

There are plenty of free tools available online for creating your logo. They’re easy to use, and you don’t need to have the design experience to use them. Consider trying a hand at one of the following:

• GraphicSprings Free Online Logo Maker
• Logomaker.com
• Zyro
• Hatchful
• Canva

Thousands of business owners are using the Countingup app to save time on their financial admin and focus on growing their business. 

Countingup is the business current account and accounting software in one app. It automates time-consuming bookkeeping admin for self-employed people across the UK.

With automatic expense categorisation, receipt capture tools and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances and save yourself hours of accounting admin, so you can focus on doing what you do best. Find out more here.