Logos are a brand’s face. You can judge that by the fact that all popular brands and companies are known because of their logo. Have a look at Apple, Samsung, Toyota and the countless other brands of the world. In a second you can recognize any of them. Judging from that you can imagine how important a brand logo is. Therefore, companies look for logo designers that can make unique, catchy and attractive logos. These logos are easily indented into a person’s mind and the critical thing is that they are not easily changed. Once it is made no matter how bad or good it is, it stays like that forever. Thus, the job of a logo designer is not an easy one. It’s a job that requires a lot of skill, creativity, and open-mindedness.
For your help, we have compiled a list of 10 tips that will help you design a logo like a pro.
First off, you need to research and understand the brand or company that is assigning you the job. It is important to learn about your client’s needs. What are they trying to achieve? Is it a new brand or is it an existing brand joining the big leagues? The quicker you understand, the quicker you can start sketching a rough idea. The next step with research is to search for similar brands and their logos. Sometimes it can happen that you subconsciously look at another brand’s logo and design something similar. And looking how logos are copyright protected, you can get in big trouble if you breach another company’s patent.
2. Think Out of The Box
Designing in general and logo designing, in particular, is a work of art. And art is all about thinking out of the box. Therefore, never think literally when it comes to designing. For example, Apple was a company about computers and technology but its logo does not look anything related to technology or computers. It’s based on a fruit. Similarly, Toyota is a company that sells automobiles, but its logo is not of a car. You get the idea. Take the example of other designers that have played with a company’s name, their initials or their colors. Apply those concepts in your designing and work hard.
3. Practice and Practice Hard
Let’s face it, no one is perfect. All famous people tried a thousand times before they achieved greatness. Look at the story of Edison. He failed so many times before he was able to create the light bulb. That guy is known as one of the pioneers in electrical technology. Einstein has rejected admission in Harvard, even though he was perhaps the most genius person on the planet at that time. You are human as well, therefore you need to try hard and not lose hope. Fill all your sketchbooks, buy new ones until you get a breakthrough logo. Perhaps, you become the designer of a world-famous logo, who knows?
4. Play with The Color Palette
Color choice for your logo depends on your brand’s personality. Psychologists have shown that color affects a person’s mood. Bright and flashy colors attract people, for example, look at the McDonald’s logo. It’s simple, it has a bright yellow color and people love it. Yellow stands for optimism. Similarly, red shows sexiness and boldness. Orange shows friendliness and so on. Learn about your client’s mission and then work accordingly. Just for fun, you can even play with different colors and themes. You never know what your client would like.
5. Learn from Online Resources
There are tons of websites online such as Pinterest where random people post random ideas. You can take some inspiration from there and make something of your own. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration so far as you don’t completely copy someone else’s idea.
6. Master Illustrator
In today’s world Illustrator is a major resource for designers and artists. In earlier days, designers had to be skilled and had to avoid mistakes. Nowadays, you can easily make adjustments in minutes with the click of a button. If you don’t like Adobe Illustrator, master any other image editing software like Photoshop.
7. Avoid Clichés
Abstain from making something that is very common and ordinary. Lightbulbs, for example, have been used to show an idea. Avoid that. You are intelligent. You can do better than that. Sometimes, there are hints in the brand’s name itself, you just have to be open-minded and look for clues.
8. Symmetry Is Key
Science has proven that symmetry attracts the human eye. There is symmetry everywhere. You can find it in simple circular patterns or geometric patterns. If you have any knowledge of mathematics, you might have heard of the Fibonacci sequence. So many things in this world follow this sequence. Why shouldn’t you? It is proven that anything based on the Fibonacci sequence look symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing.
9. Accept Critique
Being a designer in this modern world is not easy. There are so many of you out there. Competition is fierce and you need to stand out. The best way to survive in this competitive world is to accept criticism. When criticism is constructive you can learn from your mistakes, polish your good side and wipe out your bad points. Voila! You are on your way to being successful
10. Make Your Logo Meaningful
Every great logo has some hidden meaning inside. The Twitter logo shows flight upwards, the DHL logo has motion lines showing fast movement. You can use such information, learn about your client’s brand and make something intuitive. Who knows your design gets world recognition?
Conclusion
Keeping all these tips in mind, you can create a great logo while satisfying your client. One happy client means more clients in the future. Slowly down the drain, it means fame and fortune for you. Remember, creativity has no barriers. The day you remove all barriers and think different you will excel in this field.