How To Create A Logo – Step By Step
Logos are supposed to be deceptively simple to the untrained eye. Although many logos look simple and easy to make the process of creating a logo can be challenging and there are many obstacles to overcome. The experts are so skilled in shape, colour and layout cohesion that they make their work look effortless. Ideally, every company would want to hire a designer to create their logo however that’s not always possible so these tips can help you get to grips with the logo design process.
Brainstorm
Before even touching software, of any kind, get a pen and paper and draw ideas based on the specification your client has given you. You shouldn’t worry about your art skills as this is mainly for you (the designer) to get a firm image of what the client wants. Set your creativity free and doodle away, don’t think too hard at this stage as this is just the basic components of the logo, not all the small details.
Inspiration
Before starting with the design process it is key to create a mood board so the ideas of the theme and style of the logo can be transferred to the logo in a way which will excite them. By seeing the ideas of the logo this will make the vector creation process run much easier since you already have a well thought out plan. Usually, the best way of creating this will be to create a Pinterest board, they are extremely useful and easy to use.
Choose the right software
Your logo image needs to scalable, so you need your logo to look consistent on a webpage, business card and billboards. There’s only one real way to achieve a scalable logo and that’s to make the logo as a vector. Vector software instead of pixels, they’re made up of lines defined by mathematical formulas. Vectors are easier to modify and scale. The main software which is used by professionals is Adobe Illustrator however this doesn’t come cheap, a free alternative is GIMP.
The colour palette
Colour is one of the most important parts of logo design. Colour signifies so much without telling the user anything directly. It is easier to make your logo memorable than colour, for example, the McDonalds logo would work in black and white however just the colours won’t portray the brand as well. Many businesses play it safe and go along with the industry standard such as blue signifying trust and smarts – many banks use blue, however, Monzo is a modern bank which uses coral.
Logo design is a challenge especially if you aren’t experienced with vector software. You will, more than likely, design many more bad designs than good/ useable logos this is just apart of the designing process and something which every designer needs to accept.
Our expert team at Blue Whale Media are more than capable of producing the highest quality logo designs for your business just get in touch and see what we can do for you!