Definitive Guide To Designing A Logo

26/10/2020 Definitive Guide to Designing a Logo
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The Definitive Guide to Designing a Logo

10 Tips for Making Your Logo the Stand Out Like a Big Brand
Brainstorm Ideas and Getting Started

Creating a logo for your business can feel overwhelming. This first impression is supposed to communicate your business’s purpose,
expertise, and mission.
How can an image convey everything you want in a 3x3 inch design?
What exactly makes certain logos stand out among the rest?
The best way to tackle your logo is to break it down into more manageable steps.
Table of Contents
1. Getting Started
2. Your Story
3. Your Audience
4. Shape
5. Colors
6. Timeless
7. Originality
8. Fonts
9. Symmetry & Movement
10. Versatility
11. Simplicity
12. Mood Board
13. Sketches
1. Keep Your Story in Mind

What do you want everyone to know most about your business? That you’re trustworthy? That you’re professional? Maybe that you are a
ton of fun to work with! It’s important to think about what is most important to convey because believe it or not, people will have
preconceived notions about your business based on your logo. Think of it as a first impression.
Here’s a good logo to examine:
https://www.coreldraw.com/en/pages/logo-design/ 1/17
Take a second and reflect - What did you think when you saw this logo?
It conveys professionalism and innovation. It is effective and timeless. Its simplicity will allow it to be used effortlessly across various
mediums. These are all benefits to this logo – let’s keep these in mind as we examine the elements of a memorable logo.
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2. Audience
Remember to consider not only what your business provides, but your audience as well. You could be a non-profit that helps children, but
your audience wouldn’t be children. Your audience would be adults who have an interest in the wellbeing of children. So be sure to make it
appeals to adults but also clearly says, “We help children.”
The colors in this example are playful and reminiscent of children. The wrapping arm clearly shows someone with more stability offering
support and balance. Finally, the clear font expresses professionalism and trustworthiness. This would be a great logo for a non-profit whose
mission is helping children but whose audience are adults interested in children.
Who is your audience? Be sure to keep this separate from those you serve or who your clients are – they might be the same or they might
be two completely different groups of people.
3. Shape
Did you realize that there are actually psychological influences behind different shapes and what they communicate to the mind? This can be
a powerful tool in choosing a shape for your logo.
Here’s the quick guide to shapes and what they communicate subconsciously:
Circles and Ovals: Security & Balance

Ellipse: Modernization & Innovation
Interlocking Circles: Community & Cooperation
Triangles: Strength & Stability
Squares and Rectangles: Professionalism & Capability
Horizontal Lines: Harmony & Equity
Vertical Lines: Technology & Elegance
Diagonal or Angled Lines: Energy & Progress
Here is a great article on the meaning of shapes in design (http://www.whiteriverdesign.com/meaning-shapes-design/) if you are interested
in learning more.
The Olympic Rings are a world famous logo where the interlocking circles imply community and cooperation – perfect for the largest global
sporting event. (Of course the Olympic logo hasn’t always been (http://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/08/olympic-games-logo-designs-london-
rio-tokyo/) as beautiful as it is now)
4. Colors
Similar to shapes, colors also subconsciously communicate and unspoken message to your audience. Check out the list of colors below and
pick some that are congruent with the message you want your logo to convey.
Red: Passion, love, excitement, warmth, anger

Orange: Energy, change, success, transformation
Yellow: Happiness, optimism, hunger, cheer
Green: Money, nature, growth, envy
Blue: Harmony, focus, loyalty, honesty
Purple: Royalty, wealth, wisdom, spirituality
Gray: Timelessness, practicality, neutrality
Black: Intellect, power, authority, sinfulness
White: Cleanliness, purity, neutrality, innocence
Brown: Nature, organics, stability, comfort
Metallics: Luxury, wealth, quality, prestige
Metallics like gold are powerful when done right but look cheap and terrible when not done well. If you use a metallic like the logo below,
be careful that it looks good in both gold but is still interesting in black and white.
Like most of what we’ve discussed so far, there is a lot more info out there that you can dive into. Here is a deeper dive into color theory for
design (https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/color-theory-for-designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/).

5. Timeless
Trends come and go and you do NOT want someone to look at your logo and think, “That is so 2016.” Be careful to avoid trendy designs,
fonts, or colors. Vintage designs and watercolor are very trendy right now and should be used carefully if at all.
Here are a couple of trendy logos and styles that are should not be emulated if you want your design to stand the test of time.
6. Be Original
What makes your business different than the rest? Think of your product, your mission, and your company to stick with concepts that are
uniquely yours. You can be original and still keep all other elements listed here in mind to keep your ideas in check. Think of the process of
using your product, how it makes someone feel, or even consider the end remnants of what’s left after your product has been used.
This logo is created to look like wine stains from the bottoms of glasses or bottles that are clustered together to form a bunch of grapes. The
logo is a creative way to incorporate the act of drinking wine with the origin of the wine itself. It has been formed in a way that it is enjoyable
to look at as a work of art.
7. Choose Your Fonts Carefully

You will want to choose a timeless font, but you also want to stand out from the crowd – consider a custom font. Coca-Cola’s logo is a
perfect example of this – it is simply their brand name in a custom font. Now anytime someone uses those characteristic “C’s” the viewer
immediately thinks, ”Coca-Cola.”

8. Consider Symmetry & Movement

Consider the shape of your logo and how you want the eye of the viewer to move across the design. More symmetrical or balanced logos
convey stability and trustworthiness. Logos that have curves or are weighted to pull the eye a particular direction imply energy and
innovation.
Take these two bird logos for example:
This bird is vertical, balanced, and does not imply movement. It would be best used for a company that wants to make its clients
feel secure, like a financial or law firm.
This bird is facing right, unbalanced, and suggests movement. It would be a great logo for a start-up or technology company
because it conveys innovation and progress.
9. Versatility
Make a list of all the places this logo will be used, some examples include:
Website
Advertisements
Blog
Business cards (/en/pages/business-cards-design/)
Letterheads
Social media posts
Printed materials
When you are designing your logo keep the variety of uses in mind. Your logo should look fantastic in color, black & white, and gray scale.
Instagram is a great example of a logo that is versatile and can be used in a number of situations. It looks great in both color and in black
and white. They also redesigned (https://www.bustle.com/articles/161386-what-is-the-instagram-font-a-brief-history-of-the-photo-sharing-
apps-typographical-design) the already famous Billabong font, allowing them to have their brand name in a custom font with a nod to the
1970’s.
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/instagram-refreshes-logo-becoming-instagram-instead-gnstagram-149127
(http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/instagram-refreshes-logo-becoming-instagram-instead-gnstagram-149127)
10. Simplicity
Keep your logo simple. Overcomplicating design can lead to confusion and negatively affect the other elements discussed. For example, a
complex logo is likely less versatile and more likely to go out of style – this is a good rule of thumb but not a rule. It can be tempting to
chase after flowery fonts and elaborate designs, but examining some of the most famous logos today, we can see that simplicity outshines
the rest.
Google Chrome, Apple, FedEx, and McDonald's are some of the most recognizable logos today and yet they are all incredibly simple.
Create a Mood Board

Now that you have a couple key components in mind, explore the Internet for logos that communicate elements similar to your concepts.
Jot down your list of components you think will be appropriate for you logo such as audience, shape, color, and movement and keep these
in mind when you design. This guideline should be a great starting place and help keep you from getting overwhelmed.
We recommend browsing the vast sea of logos after you’ve brainstormed the various elements above. There are so many different logos out
there and different messages they convey, you can easily overwhelm yourself if you start your mood board without outlining your concept.
Once you are ready, here are a couple places you can get started browsing logo examples. Keep in mind that not all these are great
examples of the concepts we are discussing:
http://www.awwwards.com/99-creative-logo-designs-for-inspiration.html (http://www.awwwards.com/99-creative-logo-designs-for-
inspiration.html)
http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/typographic-3132206 (http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/typographic-3132206)
https://colorlib.com/wp/flat-logo-design-inspiration (https://colorlib.com/wp/flat-logo-design-inspiration/)
http://webneel.com/webneel/blog/60-creative-and-brilliant-logo-designs-your-inspiration (http://webneel.com/webneel/blog/60-
creative-and-brilliant-logo-designs-your-inspiration)
Start with a Couple Sketches

Even if you aren’t great at drawing, sketching ideas helps you visualize different elements in your design and will help you come up with a
basic layout. It will also help you in organizing your thoughts. Try a few sketches, walk away from your work for a bit, and come back to them
to see how you feel about your initial designs. You can use these sketches to stay on track and for inspiration.
Graphic Design Software

With graphic design software like CorelDRAW (/en/product/coreldraw/) available today, designing your own custom logo has never been
easier. There are tutorials galore out there to help you with logo design. You can create custom vector drawings based your concepts that
can be used on all the different medias representing your business.
Keep these tips in mind and who knows - you might create the next Nike Swoosh.

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26/10/2020 Definitive Guide to Designing a Logo

The Definitive Guide to Designing a Logo

Brainstorm Ideas and Getting Started

1. Keep Your Story in Mind

Here’s a good logo to examine:

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Circles and Ovals: Security & Balance

Red: Passion, love, excitement, warmth, anger

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7. Choose Your Fonts Carefully

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8. Consider Symmetry & Movement

Take these two bird logos for example:

Create a Mood Board

Start with a Couple Sketches

Graphic Design Software

Need to Download CorelDRAW?

DOWNLOAD TRIAL (HTTPS://WWW.COREL.COM/AKDLM/6763/DOWNLOADS/FREE/TRIALS/GRAPHICSSUITE/2020/F4G6TT98/CDGS2020.EXE)

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for Windows (/en/product/coreldraw/?ft)

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for Mac (/en/product/coreldraw/mac/?ft)

CorelDRAW Technical Suite (/en/product/technical-suite/?ft)

Special Offers (/en/special-offers/?ft)

Free Trials (/en/free-trials/?ft)

All products (/en/all-products/?ft)

Discovery Center (https://learn.corel.com/graphics/home)

CorelDRAW Community (https://community.coreldraw.com/)

Beta Programs (https://www.corel.com/beta/)

Register your product (https://account.corel.com/accounts/user/registerProduct?sso-brandId=cdgs&ftr=en)

Patches & Updates (/en/support/updates/?ft)

Returns & Refunds (https://www.corel.com/en/support/orders/?ft)

Uninstall instructions (https://support.corel.com/hc/en-us/articles/215822078)

Company information (https://www.corel.com/our-story/)

Partner Program (https://www.corel.com/partners/)

Legal Information (https://www.corel.com/legal/)

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