One thing you probably know as an entrepreneur is that having a great logo is extremely important.

Seeing your logo is often people’s first impression of your business.

But, having someone design a logo for you can get really expensive. Luckily, there are other options.

You can do it yourself!

That might sound scary – you own an outdoor adventure travel company, you’re not a graphic designer. However, there are some basic rules of logo design that anyone can learn and use themselves.

For outdoor adventurists, you need to create a logo that is bold and exciting. Here’s how to create a killer logo for your outdoor adventure travel company.

Identify Your Audience

Sure, your consumers and clients love adventure and the outdoors. What else?

Are they millennials running to the US passport renewal office to get their documents rushed? They may make it just in time for their spontaneous Mexican surf vacation!

Are they middle-aged men who like white water rafting in Montana?

Maybe they’re couples visiting Costa Rica to go zip-lining through the jungle on their honeymoon.

Designing with those specifics in mind will change how your logo looks. For example, you might not use the same color scheme for one group as you would for another.

Put Thought into the Color Scheme

Color choice is an important part of any logo design.

You want a bold and exciting logo to match your company. That means skip boring black and white!

Research shows that marketing materials using color are read 42% more often than those in black and white.

Why is that? Many experts believe that there’s a psychology to colors and how they affect people.

You can pick certain colors based on how you want your intended consumer to feel.

Orange conveys high energy. It also gives the feeling of warmth. Consider using that color if your company operates in a hot climate.

Does your company cater to people who enjoy water adventures? Using blue in your logo is an obvious choice.

Yellow is often used by retail stores to grab the attention of window shoppers. If your logo will be used on a storefront, that might be a good color to go with.

The right use of color gives your logo a more active, energetic feel. An outdoor adventure travel company needs an active logo!

Active is Always Better Than Passive

As an adventurer yourself, no one should know this better than you!

You know how to be active in life. But, how do you make a static, two-dimensional design move on the screen?

Designs that don’t move can still give the feeling of movement. Any icons or graphics should be in motion.

Originally, the Twitter logo depicted a perched bird. That’s a passive illustration.

Later on, Twitter redesigned their logo to be a bird in flight. That’s much more engaging to look at.

But, what about logos that only use words?

Using spirals, flicks, and forward movement in font choice looks more active. The Coca-Cola logo is a great example of an active font.

Not so fast! Don’t try using the Coke font as your own. It’s crucial that your logo is different from everyone else’s.

Your Logo Should Be One-of-a-Kind

The whole point of having a logo is to create brand recognition. To earn that recognition, your branding can’t look like another business’s.

It’s fine to take a little inspiration from other logos you like. In fact, you can compile a list of a few logos that have the look you’re going for.

Study what it is that you like about these logos. Think about what you would do differently. But, be honest with yourself that you’re not just copying their design.

Steer clear of iconic color schemes. You might love the color pairing of purple and orange. Just make sure you’re not using the same exact shades as the FedEx logo.

One misconception in logo design is the more elements you add, the more unique it becomes. Don’t fall into that trap!

Don’t Overdo Your Design

Adding too much to your design is a common pitfall when designing a logo. You might think that more complicated additions will make it look more professional.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite!

Think of some of the most famous logos. Most, if not all, are very simplistic.

There shouldn’t be too many colors or too many pictures. If you’re worried that you’ve done too much with your design, you have!

Fix your mistake by removing an element and then reassessing. You might find that eliminating a flashy border or graphic makes all the difference.

Another problem with overdoing your design is it makes it less timeless. Simple designs rarely go out of style.

Design trends that you might try to incorporate could look dated in a few years. Keeping your design more simple will make it more versatile.

Versatility is Key

You’ll probably be using your outdoor adventure travel logo across different marketing materials. That’s something you have to take into consideration during the design process.

For example, a logo with smaller details might look great on a trade show booth. But, what about when it’s shrunken down on a business card?

All those little details could be unrecognizable.

When you’re designing your logo, think about all the ways you will use it. Make the logo versatile enough that it will look good at any size.

You can also consider designing multiple free logos. That way you have a logo for every marketing need you have.

Outdoor Adventure Travel Logo: The Takeaway

There are lots of other travel companies out there. One way to stand out is to have a logo that pops. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to designing just that.

Still not confident that you can design a logo on your own? Check out this tutorial for more tips! Plus, with a free logo maker, there’s no pressure to get it perfect on the first try.