Ninety percent of data transmitted to the human brain is visual content.

This is why designing a top-notch logo could very well be the most important thing you do for your brand.

A well-crafted logo should be memorable without hitting you over the head with its message.

This is simple in concept, but much less easy to execute than one might think.

Creating an effective logo requires a combination of artistic instincts and marketing know-how, plus a whole lot of hard work.

Here, we’ll provide you with a step-by-step guide on how you can design a creative logo to make your brand stand out from the competition.

First, let’s look at some of the basics about choosing a logo.

What a Creative Logo Should Be

Simple

Simple is always better when it comes to logo design. An intricate logo can be confusing and runs the risk of conveying a different message than intended. Give your customers something easy to recall.

Goodman Creatives has a great example of this.

Timeless

Avoid using trendy fonts and pop culture images in your logo design. It’s perfectly fine to touch up your logo every few years, but the main image should remain consistent and relevant.

Unique

Among the sea of designs out there, your creative logo needs to stand out from the crowd. Don’t stress about choosing a logo that directly relates to your product or services.

Instead, go with something your customers are likely to remember.

How To Design One

The details will vary based on your individual needs, but the process for designing a logo remains pretty streamlined. Here’s what to do.

Research

Gather info about what your logo needs to set itself apart in your industry. This is the time to check out the competition and figure out what is and isn’t working elsewhere.

If you’re creating a logo for a client, get some background info on what they’re looking for. Know ahead of time if there are any must-haves for the design. That’ll save you potential headaches down the road.

If the design is for you, do some soul-searching. Figure out what you want to convey.

Your logo is the first opportunity you’ll have to make an impression on potential customers. Knowing what you want that impression to be will help make sure your message hits home.

Ask as many questions as possible before sitting down to conceptualize your design. You’ll create a clearer picture of what your end result should look like.

Brainstorm

In this stage of planning, there are no bad ideas. Get every word, image, or concept related to your logo out of your brain and onto a sheet of paper.

Some basic keyword research can point you down the right path if you hit a creative wall. Enter any word you can think of that’s related to your company or niche, and see what comes up.

Try doing a brain dump.

Write down absolutely everything you can think of that’s relevant to your logo. Get keywords, phrases, and ideas on paper and out of your head. You can lead yourself to the perfect creative logo without even realizing it.

Writing down words and ideas can organically lead to images. Feel free to sketch any visuals that stand out, but don’t stress over it.

This stage is about getting an accurate feel for the nuances of your brand’s mood.

Your logo needs to convey it.

Draft

This is the part where your ideas will begin to take shape.

There are four different styles of design you can choose from:

• Lettermark logos are based on the company’s initials, like a monogram (examples include HP, CNN, and McDonald’s)
• Wordmark logos incorporate an entire word into their logo (Google, Subway, or Disney)
• Mascot logos heavily include the brand’s mascot in its design (Frosted Flakes, Pillsbury, or Wendys)
• Pictorial marks are icons or images used as logos (Target, Apple, and Starbucks)

Try creating drafts in multiple styles to see what works. Even if you intended to start with one type of design, you’ll never know what will be the most impactful.

Start sketching in whatever medium feels most natural. If you’re more productive using a pen and paper instead of a whiteboard or graphic design software, pick up that pen. There’s no wrong way to start.

Create several different designs. Feel free to mix and match components that you particularly like about each one. Figure out what you like about each one, and assess what feels right for your brand.

When you’ve found a design you love, make sure to give a lot of consideration to the colors you’ll be using.

Psychology tells us that colors are directly linked to emotion, which is the strongest component of brand loyalty.

If you want to convey optimism or friendliness, go with yellow or orange. If trust or peace is your goal, blue or green should be featured.

Choosing the right colors can be an easy way to hack into the science behind brand perceptions.

Hold on to your drafts, even after you think you’ve settled on a logo. You might be able to use them in a future design or for another project entirely.

Take a Break

Put some space between yourself and your new design. We tend to miss details when we’ve been staring at them for too long. Give your eyes a break from your work.

When you come back to it with a fresh perspective, you’ll be able to better identify any potential issues.

Create Your Final Draft

The hard part of your creative logo design is done!

Add any finishing touches you came up with after taking a break from your work. Play with aspects like shadow, perspective, and depth until your design feels right.

Conclusion

Even without a background in professional graphic design, knowing what a great logo looks like can be enough to help you meet your goals. When you take the proper steps, you can create a face for your company that your customers will remember.

Don’t want to do it all yourself? Check out our website to see how we can help.

Working on a logo for a decking company?

Then you’re in luck. Today, more than ever before, it’s easy to create an amazing logo with artistic innovation.

The way to get that done, however, is unknown to some people. While traditional methods of crafting logos still exist, there’s now a wide range of ways to make a quality logo online or with pen and paper.

Unsure how to best use available resources to create that decking company logo? Don’t worry–we’ve got you covered.

Here’s how to do it.

Think in Terms of Brand

The task of creating a logo for a decking company is about more than just the final image. It’s about adding to or crafting a new brand entirely.

Branding is a concept that many people talk about in different ways. The truth is that effective branding can give any company a big push in a positive direction.

A brand creates a reputation for a company that lives a life of its own. That’s not to say it’s out of the control of the company itself, but it can reach farther and faster than a company without a brand can.

Here’s how a logo can contribute to a brand.

With so many decking companies out there, a company must prove itself. A logo can help show that a business can do more, like they do at Decks and Docks Lumber Co.

Think about the biggest brands that are out there today. Whatever comes to your mind, it likely has a logo. That logo isn’t the brand itself, but it’s an integral part of the company’s mission and reputation.

A logo can remind consumers about a company and all the good services they provide, or, more importantly, the great decks they construct. You’re not just constructing an image for a deck company, but a visual slogan.

That logo should say something about the company. It’s possible they already have something in mind, even if they don’t know it quite yet.

That’s why you should reach out to them.

Communication is Key

Getting in contact with your employer or superiors is a key part of the logo creation process.

That’s true for a few reasons. On the one hand, you need to know what kind of logo the company would like.

You don’t need to ask them to create the logo for you–they did hire you, after all. But it’s important to know what kind of decking company they are.

What do they pride themselves on? What kind of products do they offer? Come up with a brief list of questions that can help you keep the company’s identity in mind.

Knowing the brand of the company can help you figure out the kind of logos you’d like to create. Think of your logo as an essential tool in the company’s marketing tactics.

If your logo is successful, it will help build the reputation of the decking company. That will reflect well on your work.

That brings us to the second reason communication is key. If you’re an employee who’s tasked with creating an amazing logo or an outside hire, you’re likely working for somebody.

Creative legal property like logos has been slippery historically. Check out what happened with the Nike Swoosh, maybe the most iconic of all logos in the world.

A graduate student–that’s right, a student–crafted the logo. Given the power structure that exists between students and professors, she didn’t immediately get credit.

In fact, it took a few years for her to be legally recognized as the creator. And, she never got close to the fortune that Nike accumulated in the next decades.

You’re not a graduate student, but you’re still the creator of the logo. Make sure you are able to keep credit for it.

Now it’s time to create.

Assess Your Resources

How are you planning on making the logo? You’ve got many options in 2017.

Pen, paper and a scanning machine have done the trick for a while now, but why not enter into the modern age? Online logos are now possible, and they make your life as a creator more fun and easy.

They allow you to integrate many different styles and kinds of imaging into your logos. That’s an interesting door to go open. Why not go through it?

Consider an Image

To put it lightly, there are a whole lot of images on the internet that you can use for commercials purposes.

The first step in creating an amazing logo might be to find inspiration from one of those images. You’re not limited to just decks when creating a logo for a decking company.

You don’t necessarily need to copy an image you find. Peruse a few hundred scrolling and see if anything peaks your imagination.

Then you can study that image and ponder why it’s so interesting. Is there any way you can mimic that vibe in your logo?

Sooner rather than later you’ll find something that triggers a reaction in you. And then you can think about composition.

Keep Color in Mind

Whether or not you choose an image, color choice will be key to your final logo. Marketing and psychology have often gone hand in hand.

Color is a key component of any psychoanalysis of marketing practices and consumer habits. The color or colors you pick should catch attention without being unsightly.

That’s a surprisingly tough balance to find sometimes. You should consult anything that helps you find it.

A color wheel could do the trick. And if not a color wheel, ask a friend who hasn’t been looking at the different color combos for hours.

Go Create an Amazing Logo

You should look at this creation of a logo not as a one-time job, but as a way to do your client or company a big favor. The right amazing logo won’t just be a drawing.

It can create a whole new perception of the company. It’ll lead to new inroads for them and stronger relationships with their customers.

Plus, it might just get you another gig making a logo. Luckily, we’re here to help you get started.

Check out our online logo maker today to get started on your new drawing or image. What are you waiting for?

Go for it!

As an SEO company, you may be busy helping improve your customer’s businesses and websites. However, you shouldn’t forget to keep up with your own.

A professional, well-designed logo may just be the missing piece that your business needs to establish itself in the industry.

Below we’ll look at the top logo design trends that you need to consider using for your professional business logo.

Importance of a Logo For Professional SEO Services

So why is a great looking logo so important for an SEO agency?

Think about it. Your customers are looking for a company to take control over the SEO for their website. You will be managing aspects of their business that are prominently seen by potential customers.

If your own website isn’t optimized and looking amazing, they may not be willing to trust you with theirs. Unfortunately, far too many business owners underestimate the importance of a professional logo.

A logo is one of the first things a potential client will notice when they visit your website, so it needs to look good. As they say, you only get one chance at a first impression, and truly, that’s what your business logo is. Your logo functions as a “first impression” for potential clients.

So what design trends will help you create an excellent logo? Read on to find out.

1. Minimalism

These days, many companies are opting for less extravagant logo designs and are instead taking a simpler, minimalistic approach.

Instead of having many things to catch a person’s eye, these logos have only the business or company name prominent along with an additional design element or two that don’t attract too much attention.

An excellent logo doesn’t have to be complex to look amazing.

2. Broken Letters

Another common design trend in logos is the use of broken letters. Many startups and businesses are using logos with “incomplete” letters. These letters may not connect fully or may have chunks left out of them.

These designs can be very stylish and memorable. A broken letter design can provide a professional and unique look for any company that provides professional SEO services.

3. Geometric Shapes and Designs

Geometric shapes and designs are becoming hugely popular for businesses of all kinds and can help to add a unique flavor to a design. These shapes can be a tool to very simply let a visitor know what a site or business is all about.

Trologo is one SEO company that makes great use of geometric shapes to create a logo that is incredibly unique, yet easily gets the point across of the services they offer. Read more about Trologo here.

4. Mosaics

Mosaic logos are also popular lately and can be used to express a number of different things about a business. Mosaics may display a sense of inclusion, multicultural acceptance, or a value on growth.

The colors used in a mosaic logo can also make a big difference in the aesthetic of a logo and allows for many options when crafting the perfect design.

5. Color Shading

In addition to colorful mosaics, color shading is often used by companies to a great effect. Not necessarily a new trend, color shades help to create a stunning design that is attractive to the eye and creates a greater sense of depth.

Color shades are a great design element to think about when it comes to creating an elegant and unique logo for your business.

6. Negative Space

Going along with the minimalism element above, negative space is very popular in many types of designs these days whether that be graphics, website pages, or logos. Many popular brands and social media sites make heavy use of negative space.

Generally speaking, negative space helps to reduce clutter and allow a viewer’s eye to go the spot that really matters, which is your brand name.

7. Hand Drawings and Designs

Hand-drawn designs are incredibly popular right now and can be a great choice for a business offering professional SEO services. By its nature, hand-drawn logos are unique and are excellent to use if you really want your business to stand out from competitors.

Hand-drawn logos arguably provide a bit more warmth in appearance and may help if you want to put across an image of being open and inviting to potential clients.

8. Simple Overlays

Simple overlay logos consist of a couple of different logo designs that overlap each other ever so slightly, often using vibrant colors that mesh well. Simple overlapping logos can be a great choice for designing a professional logo.

Overlays help create a stunning design that is really pleasing to the eye and may be a perfect choice for a professional SEO company.

9. Black and White

Another minimalist approach to logo design, black and white logos are also popular. These be very simple or can be more intricate as well. These logos can offer a unique look that, if done correctly, can stand out even more than a design with many vibrant colors.

Additionally, you shouldn’t forget about the importance of psychology for logo design. Prominently using black in your logo can help give your design a feeling of sophistication and luxury. This may be important if you want to provide professional SEO services to high-level companies.

10. Mono Lines and Line Art

“Mono line” designs and line art in logos are also gaining a lot of popularity. Line art in a design helps to create an organized and clear, yet also inviting and laidback look.

Various types of line art can be used in your design and can provide your business with a very simple yet elegant look that may just match your company’s tone perfectly.

11. Cropping

Cropped logos can vary in design but take a unique approach in representing a brand. With cropped logos, designers experiment with just how much (or how little) a logo needs to get across the point of a brand or company.

This may mean using elements that appear to be extending outside of the space of the logo. This may also mean only using certain aspects of a brand name in order to get the message across, such as only part of the business name.

12. Hidden Meanings

Many successful companies use logos that have double or hidden meanings. For a pet store, for example, a logo may include the image of a dog crafted carefully in-between the spaces of the logo’s lettering.

For a business that provides professional SEO services, hidden meanings are also a possible design choice, and can help you to create a design that is very memorable and stands out from competitors.

Final Thoughts

While there are many options for creating the perfect logo, try not to get overwhelmed. Take your time to think about what you want to get across about your business and your services, and plan accordingly.

With a little bit of effort and thought, you may just be able to end up with the perfect logo that serves as the “first impression” for your business for years to come.

Want to make your logo for free online? Click here to learn how to use our online logo maker and create the perfect design for your business.

Are you gearing up to design a logo for your web services company? With one small image and an optional blip of text, you can convey your company’s entire story.

An elegant logo design is one of the first things customers will see. The goal is to make it as eye-catching as possible.

Ironically, this means less is more. And, speaking of less, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a winning logo. Did you know Twitter only paid $15 for its logo?

Let’s take a look at some logo design tips that’ll get you on your way.

1. Define Your Brand In One or Two Words

What does your brand represent? Even if you offer an array of services, which one’s at the heart of it all? Ask yourself these core questions:

• What’s your most important product or service?
• Who’s your intended audience?
• What’s your company’s persona? Buttoned up or laid back?

Before you can even start your market research and see what your competitors are up to, it’s important to define your brand identity in a concise word or two.

2. Avoid Cliches

What might be a cliche?

Simply put, anything super obvious.

For example, if one of your clients is an Italian restaurant, you’d never want to design a logo for them that featured a plate of pasta.

Consider other representatives of Italian food that are still recognizable. Maybe your elegant logo design will include a splash of pasta sauce.

This way, it’s bright, illustrates delicious Italian food, and is less obvious that a plate of pasta.

3. Consider Your Font

Just as your logo design has to be uncluttered, so must your font be legible.

Choose a font that’s clear, easy-to-read, and pops right off the screen. Think of one we see every day: Facebook. Their font is basic, clean, and even all lowercase.

It’s also worth asking yourself if you even need any typeface in your logo.

Think about some of the heavy-hitters like Instagram. Their elegant logo design contains the simple outline of a purple and pink camera.

4. Consider Your Colors

Have you ever thought about color psychology? When you’re trying to tell a story without using your voice, you have to utilize every tool in the box.

If research says blue emotes security and red conveys a message of excitement or passion, why not give it a try?

This ties into knowing your brand and knowing it well. Based on your personality and core product, you can select the right color for your logo.

5. Create an Elegant Logo Design That’s Active

Let’s think about that splash of pasta sauce again. It’s an active logo because it has some sort of movement. That red sauce is splashing through the air.

How about Twitter’s logo? That blue bird is actively flying through the air, spreading tweets throughout the Twitterverse.

This can encourage customers to take action and make their way to your business site or products page.

When you’re ready to go live with your website, consider BlueHosting for all your web hosting needs. They offer several affordable plans to meet your business needs.

Turn Your Vision Into a Reality

Are you ready to make all your logo dreams come true? Here at Online LogoMaker, we can help you take your vision for your company’s logo and turn it into reality.

Our free logo maker is easy to use and will give your web services company the edge it needs.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us anytime throughout your design process.