As of last year, there were 64,417 firearm dealers nationwide. That directly translates into a lot of competition. 

If you’re looking to stand out from the other guys, then you need one thing: the perfect logo. Creating one yourself can seem daunting at first, but we’re here to help you through the process and show you that you can do it yourself. 

In this article, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about creating a logo for your gun shop. We’ll cover why it’s important, the aspects of creating the perfect logo, and how to design your own. 

Are you ready? Let’s get started. 

The Importance of a Logo

The combination of imagery and text in a logo creates a visual symbol that represents your business. It’s how you build brand recognition and how your customers will recognize you. 

For a person who hasn’t seen your logo before, it often informs them of the name of your business and what kind of business it is. 

A logo is the chance to show off your business’s personality. Design the right logo for your gun shop and come off as relatable and trusting. 

What Makes the Perfect Logo?

The perfect logo is easy to recognize with or without additional text. However, it’s more than just an icon; there’s more than you think when it comes to creating a logo.

It needs to be attention-grabbing, distinct, and unique. Let’s break down what makes the perfect logo. 

Clear and Concise

The most important rule in creating a logo is simplification. All great logos are clear, concise, and low in details–with the exception of Starbucks. 

Imagine your gun shop’s logo on t-shirts, billboards, magazines, posters, and stickers. It should be clear to read and identify at any size if you decide to scale it large or small. 

Consider the Font

To reiterate the point above, you want the text to be bold, clear, and easy to read from any distance.

When choosing a font, the bolder, the better. Avoid script fonts as much as possible and stick to one or two font families. Less is always better when it comes to designing a logo.

Here are some of the best fonts for a logo: 

• Garamond
• Helvetica
• Bodoni
• Proxima Nova
• Futura
• Rockwell
• Univers
• Sassoon
• Modesto

Choose a font family like Sans serif for a look that’s clean and modern or go with Serif for something more tasteful. 

Color Matters 

Color has an impact on buyers and increases brand recognition by up to 80%. With that in mind, we need to carefully decide on the colors used.

A good rule of thumb is to use less than three colors. When in doubt, see what the pros are doing. Big brands like Amazon, Nike, Apple, Facebook, McDonald’s all use less than three colors–you should too. 

For your gun shop, you’ll want to opt for darker earthy colors like brown, black, white, and gray. Brown depicts masculinity, ruggedness, and strength whereas black is usually characterized as modern, sleek, and high-end. 

If you’re looking for a pop of color, we suggest you opt for blue, which signifies trust and maturity–perfect for an arms dealer. For an in-depth explanation of colors and how they affect your customer, check out this guide. 

Context Matters

A logo encapsulates your business and shows others what you stand for. How do you accomplish this? You do it with context.

Incorporating what your business does is one of the most important aspects of your logo. 

Customers who don’t already know your name will be instantly drawn to your business if you add context to your logo. If you’re a gun shop owner, you might want to incorporate bullets or something like AR-15 parts within the logo so it’s instantly recognizable to your audience.

One look at your logo and they know exactly what you’re selling. Avoid mystery at all costs, it’s one of the worst things you can do. Remember why businesses create logo’s in the first place–to be recognizable. 

Want some examples of how context works in a logo? Think about FedEx’s logo. The white space the letters make is an arrow showing the forward movement of deliveries. Check out some of the examples we broke down below.  

How To Design a Logo

When it comes to making a logo you have two choices: paying a professional to do it or trying yourself. Let’s look into both options and see what’s best for you. 

There are a ton of great freelancers and graphic designers on the internet willing to design a logo for you, however, it’s going to cost you. A quality logo may start at $200 and run upwards of $2,500. 

If calling on a professional doesn’t fit within your budget, consider designing it yourself. It’s quite easy to do these days thanks to logo making programs like the Online Logo Maker. Let’s find out how. 

Sketch It Out First

Start by sketching out primary ideas for your logo. You’ll want to map out the text and basic graphics you want the logo to encompass as well as potential color schemes. 

Take your Sketch Online

Once you have a rough draft of the direction you’re going in, it’s time to take it online. It’s much easier to start designing online once you have a sketch to go off of to avoid staring at a blank screen.

Use a quality logo making program to bring your logo to life. With the Online Logo Maker, it’s easy to play around with your colors, fonts, and graphics. This is where the designer in you will start to come out.

Make it a Vector

If you want the best format for your logo, you’ll want to save it as a vector. This is a high-quality format that is easily scalable (both larger and smaller) without skewing the quality. Vector formats can also be easily transferred to any format as needed. 

Examples of Great Logos

Need a little inspiration before you get started? We’ve gathered some of the most ingenious logos for you to take a peek at.

Each one combines brilliance context with streamlined text to easily inform customers of who they are and what they do.

Target

Can you think of a more iconic logo than Target’s target? With or without the text you know exactly what it means. Whatever you need, whatever you’re looking for, just head to Target. Bullseye!

Movers Moving Company

You might have never heard of Movers Moving Company as you have with Target but one glimpse of the logo and you get the idea that it’s a moving company, even without the text. 

Movers Moving Company logo is a great example of context in a logo. The whitespace the hand makes creates a house as if the hand was picking up and moving it easily. Combine that with the simple word “Movers” and you know exactly what the name of the business is and what it does.

Guitar Studio-School of Excellence

This logo may have more text than the others but the visual graphics are bar none. The “I” in guitar and the “S” in studio make up a contemporary guitar. Not only will this grab people’s attention but allow them to take a second look and read into the business.

American Red Cross

Another classic logo that says exactly what it is. American Red Cross’ logo is in fact, a red cross. Easily recognizable anywhere you associate this logo with medicine and the greater good.

For more logo inspiration, click here. 

How to Use Your Logo

Now that you know exactly how to design the perfect logo, you can put it to use. There are some basic rules when it comes to using your logo.

The first rule? Use it consistently and often.

Brand consistency is crucial. Ensure your logo is always used correctly meaning it’s not stretched out of proportion, pixelated, or in the wrong color scheme. 

You’ll want to use your logo everywhere. You might be familiar with the Marketer’s ‘rule of seven‘. It states that a customer needs to hear or see your message seven times before taking an action. 

A good logo sticks in someone’s head. Plaster your logo everywhere like your staff’s t-shirts, your receipts, your webpage, and your packaging to pack the biggest marketing punch. Never let your customers forget where they shopped and how good of an experience you provided them with.

Need Help? Start Here.

Now that you know exactly what the perfect logo looks like, it’s time to get to work. 

We know starting a new task like designing your own logo can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Check out this online tutorial to using our online logo maker. It’ll walk you through making your design step by step regardless of your design or technical experience. 

Our online logo maker makes it possible for everyone to design their logo, without over-priced professionals and over-complicated software.  

Get started today. 

You’re finally living out your dream and starting your own outdoor accessories business!

But before you can really start to sell some products, you need to build up your brand. And one of the most important parts of a company’s image is a logo.

So how do you go about designing your logo? Here are some logo development tips to help get you started.

Understand How Your Logo Will Be Used

One mistake many designers make is thinking of their logo purely in a digital form.

You’ll mainly use your logo on your website or as a social media profile picture, right?

Well, not exactly. You’ll likely also want to put that logo on the outdoor accessories you sell. For example, the brand logo has a prominent place on the latest Adventure Kings release inflatable stand up paddle board!

You might also make polo shirts and office supplies to be used by your employees, plus business cards to help spread the word.

Reproducing logos with high fidelity isn’t easy. Sometimes they’ll be printed, sometimes they’ll be stitched with thread. And they’ll be at both big and small sizes.

A complicated logo with a lot of detail might look good on a computer, but that detail could get lost or ruined in other applications.

When creating a logo, always keep in mind the many ways it will be used.

Pick Some Key Symbols

An important part of developing a logo is choosing the graphical symbols that you’ll incorporate into the design.

Symbols help make your logo iconic. As you build your brand, your symbols will allow customers to identify your product without even seeing a name.

Symbols can come in many forms. Some are a stylized letter, like McDonald’s golden arches. Others are abstract, like the Nike swoosh.

In the case of an outdoor accessory company, you can draw inspiration from nature and realism. The great outdoors has no shortage of possible imagery.

What do you think represents your products? The sun or trees? Flowers, a canoe, or maybe an animal?

Find a symbol that represents your brand and products well, and start drawing up some cool designs.

Choose the Right Colors

The colors you pick for your logo can have a huge impact on its public perception.

Colors have deep ties to emotion. Different colors evoke thoughts and feelings centered around certain unique characteristics. Because of this, picking the right colors can add an extra, unconscious layer of reputation for your brand.

For an outdoors company, green is an obvious go-to color for its ties to nature and health. Other options include yellow for its warmth and energy, as well as blue for its strength and dependability.

Represent a Great Business

A logo is merely a graphical representation of your business.

While logo development is a key aspect of building your brand, even more important is the business it represents.

Creating high-quality products and providing great customer service gives whatever logo you create even more credibility.

Get Started on Logo Development

Now that you know the keys to logo success, it’s time to start designing.

Online Logo Maker offers a free digital design tool to help you make an awesome logo for your brand.

Do you want to add a marshmallow logo to your camping company?

It’s a clever play on the image of sitting around the campfire while camping, and it can evoke many memories for people.

The camping industry continues to grow with over 3 million new families starting to camp each year since 2014.

That’s a lot of new opportunity to grow your business and reach new audiences. You want to make the right first impression, and it’s important to have a logo that will do just that.

If you’re looking to use a marshmallow in your camping logo, keep reading for five marshmallow logo ideas.

What Does Your Brand Stand For?

There’s a lot of thought that goes into a logo. It’s an important part of your marketing message. It’s so important, large companies have been known to spend millions of dollars just to design a logo.

You may not have that kind of budget, but you can take a similar approach to logo design.

The purpose of the logo is to create an emotional response that connects the buyer to your camping business. You need to get a good idea as to how you want people to think about your business.

The main thing that you want to focus on is who you are designing the logo for. In other words, who is your target audience?

Let’s say you target luxury campers. The fonts, colors, and images are going to need to be modern and sleek to make the connection with that audience.

If you target families, you’ll want to have something that’s more fun and child-like.

You also need to understand what your company stands for. Is your business environmentally friendly? Is it a fun company?

This is important to know because certain colors and fonts have common emotional responses. You want to match the logo with the emotional response you want to create.

What to Think About When Designing a Camping Logo

When you’re designing a logo, you want to make sure you get elements just right.

Whether you’re a camping business or an office equipment company, the core of what makes a good logo is the same.

• Color
• Text
• Message
• Symbols

Each element conveys a message. They work in unison to create one message for your business.

Now that you know what it takes to create a logo that aligns with your business, it’s time to give your logo a personality.

Check out these five ideas for a marshmallow logo.

1. Happy Marshmallow

Camping makes people happy.

The reasons why are varied, but a recent study showed that being disconnected from technology and being out in nature contributes to a better sense of wellbeing.

Add to that the bonds forged with people they’re camping with that create memories that last a lifetime.

How can you create those emotions with your marshmallow logo?

Try making a happy marshmallow. One example is to create an abstract marshmallow and put a big happy face on it.

2. Burning Marshmallow

Not everyone responds to campfires the same way, but many people love the smell and sight of a campfire because it evokes great memories.

There’s something about sitting around a campfire that people love. It’s time to bond, connect and roast marshmallows.

Men also tend to have a primal response to fire. It provided our ancestors with warmth and safety when they were hunter-gatherers.

If your camping business targets men or hunters, consider using a marshmallow roasting over a fire to evoke that primal response.

3. Glamping Marshmallow

Luxury camping has taken off in the last few years. That’s because more and more people are deciding to go on a staycation rather than travel to other countries.

For people that are on staycation and don’t want to ‘rough it’ luxury camping is a great option. It’s become a camping trend all over the world, from California to Italy.

Don’t take our word for it, check out these camping options in Europe on Campsited.

So, how can you incorporate a marshmallow into your camping logo?

If you have an Airstream camping site, you can have a marshmallow that looks like a person just outside of the Airstream.

Another way is to have a marshmallow lounging in a hammock. That can show that your campground is a place to relax, unwind and have fun.

4. Smores, Please!!

You could evoke the homey goodness of a gooey marshmallow s’more dripping throughout your logo.

If you’re targeting parents or older campers who have grown up camping, this can be a great option for a marshmallow logo.

The older people get, the more nostalgic they get.

A logo with a gooey s’more can make people think about the fun they’ve had camping before. If it’s done right, you can have a logo that makes the connection between the wonderful childhood memories of camping and your business.

5. Marshmallow Family

Is your camping business targeted towards families? Then you’re going to want to show that in your logo.

Many families go camping together as a way to connect, recharge and have quality time together.

How can you show that your camping business works with families?

You can get as creative as you like. You can have a marshmallow family around a campfire with a tent in the background.

You can also use your business name and have an outline of a family in the logo.

If you want to get a little cheeky, you could have a marshmallow family just like the popular stickers you see on minivans. That shows that you have a sense of humor and you like to poke fun at popular culture.

Build Your Own Marshmallow Logo

There’s more to creating a camping logo than throwing a marshmallow in front of a fire.

You have to think about your business, your brand, and your target audience. That will make sure your logo looks sharp, is consistent with your business, and you have something that people will positively respond to.

Now that you know how to build a brand and what goes into creating a logo, it’s time to get to it.

Creating your own marshmallow logo can be as easy as roasting s’mores. Just use OnlineLogoMaker. The logo maker has images and templates that you can customize.

You can have your logo done in as little as 10 minutes.

Take this brief tutorial and create your logo today.

Want to harness the power of the sun in your solar energy logo? Of course, you do.

Solar energy use is increasing at a record pace in the U.S. as more people and businesses realize the value, efficiency, and sustainability solar power provides.

The steady growth in this industry means there’s plenty of room for new companies.

But how will you make your company stand out from all the rest?

Although the sun belongs to all of us, there are ways to convey your unique business story through your logo.

Keep reading for help designing your one-of-a-kind logo!

Five Design Tips for a Solar Energy Logo

1. Don’t Make People Guess

Your logo should immediately tell potential customers who you are and what you do.

If you use a picture of a cat sitting in front of the sun, people won’t know you’re a solar energy company. Sure, you love cats, and the cat in your logo is cute, but it’s confusing and unclear.

You want your logo to say solar energy. In fact, you want it to say state-of-the-art, dependable, reliable, and affordable solar energy!

Solar energy is the future. Don’t use old-fashioned fonts or images. Your logo should represent solar energy in a modern way. Consider clean, simple lines and images that complement your company name.

Use images that symbolize your product, but try not to be cliche. In other words, a bright yellow sun with your name across it won’t create the best impression.

Take your time and experiment with different ideas until you find the right balance of stability and modern energy.

2. Tell Your Unique Story

Every logo tells a story. What makes your company different from other solar energy companies?

Draw inspiration from your personal story:

• Why did you decide on a solar energy business?
• Is environmental stewardship important to you?
• Are you an energy efficiency expert?
• Do you want to help people save money?
• Did a certain life event motivate you?
• What’s your training and expertise?

Ask yourself these questions and more to determine your backstory. The answers can influence your design choices.

3. Credibility

Solar power is a major monetary investment. Your solar energy logo should convey stability and reliability to your potential consumers.

You can do this by choosing the right fonts and colors. A frilly, script in bright purple won’t make customers trust you. The font you choose can be modern or traditional, but it should look strong and dependable.

Color studies show that certain colors evoke different emotions. For example, blue reflects stability, red conveys passion, yellow and orange are considered energetic, and green is the color of nature.

Use color as another way to illustrate your credibility as a solar energy company.

4. Versatility

Your solar energy logo should also be versatile. Consider all the places you’ll put your logo.

Will it be on a truck, social media profile, website, business cards, staff shirts, pens, caps, solar panels or packaging?

Design a logo that’s readable and recognizable in a variety of sizes and situations.

5. Personality

Study what other solar energy professionals use for their logos. See which ones you think are appealing, then study the font, style, colors, size, and composition.

What works? What doesn’t work? Don’t copycat another logo. You want your solar energy logo to be different and distinguishable from other companies.

The best way to be unique is to incorporate particular aspects of your company personality. Make it your own!

A tagline helps your logo work harder and adds personality. Add a short tagline to your image. Make it descriptive and concise.

Need Help Designing Your Logo?

Why not test these tips on your own logo ideas? You can make a unique logo fast, easy, and free with Online Logo Maker.