How to design a logo that builds trust, captures your values and draws attention

Introduction

We say never judge a book by its cover, but we definitely judge a brand by its logo. With 60% of customers telling us they’d avoid a company based on a logo’s appearance, brands need to create memorable logos that represent their values and, most importantly, are attractive to their audience.

Take Apple, for example. The apple logo is simple, powerful and timeless, only undergoing subtle changes since its creation in 1977. This Apple with a bite removed has provided the company with an instantly recognizable identity, allowing Apple’s fortunes to grow to  $2504 billion. 

In this article, we’ll give you a primer on how to create a great logo, from logo design principles and tips, to an introduction to Canva, a free web-based design app you can use to create your own memorable, business-building logo.

To avoid staring at a blank canvas when beginning your design process, consider our 5 design principles. These are often considered building blocks of many logos.

Aim for Balance

A cluttered logo with messages will lose meaning and confuse the viewer. By concentrating on alignment, spacing and symmetry, a well-balanced design can be achieved with a clean aesthetic.

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Aim for balance

See Repetition

Repetition can help lift a logo and lead the viewer to important information. However, one key thing to remember when using repetition is to have small changes in each pattern. The best example of this is Mastercard:

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See repetition

Try a Hierarchy

If you want to highlight key information in your logo – follow a visual hierarchy. This essentially means you guide the viewer through the information in a clear, well-considered and strong visual way.

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Try a hierarchy

Use Contrast

Try putting two different elements together for an effect that will catch attention – colors, lines, patterns -anything that creates a visual impact.

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Use contrast

Go Bold

Make one of your visual elements the most recognisable element of the logo – normally your name. This grabs the viewer’s attention and focuses on a specific aspect of your company.

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Go bold

 

Our 7 design tips to help your logo stand out

Here are 7 design tips to help you understand why certain logo designs work better than others.

Choose your color scheme wisely

There are basically two color palettes logos can be chosen from:

Analogous Color Palette

Two colors are used that are side by side or close to each other on the color wheel. This presents a peaceful, calm and relaxing image.

Complementary Colors 

These are colors chosen on the opposite side of the color wheel to create an image that contrasts, attracts, and stands out.

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The color wheel

Try white space in your logo

Rather than add to your logo, why not take away? Negative or blank space can provide an artistic balance.

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White space in a logo

Use readable typography

Make it easy for the viewer to understand any text in your logo – don’t create something messy and hard to understand. Check out this great article by Adobe to find out more about the best fonts.

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New Balance

Pay attention to measurements & symmetry

Balance your logo by ensuring the text is equally spaced and that all visual elements are symmetrical. This will help your logo look more professional and provide a sense of harmony.

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The North Face

Create contrast with shapes and lines

Create visual interest by layering shapes, colors, and lines, drawing the viewer’s attention to different parts of the logo.

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Patagonia

Icons must be memorable

If a company uses a symbol in their branding, it needs to be instantly recognizable. Apple has the apple, Nike has its swoosh, and Starbucks has a two-tailed mermaid. Each icon presents identifiable imagery, and the image reflects the company’s values.

 

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The symbol of Nike

Surprise your audience

Use an element of surprise or a rule break in your designs to catch your audience’s attention and have your logo design stand out, but try not to go overboard with the rule breaks.

What is Canva?

Canva is a free graphics design software that helps users create professional-looking designs without any prior experience. The program can make posters, flyers, social media posts and more – all while easily adding text or images.

 

Our step-by-step guide to designing your logo on Canva

Step 1: Open Canva 

Open up Canva and search ‘logo’ to begin building on the right format.

Step 2: Choose your template 

Canva has a huge free library of templates for you to choose from and for any industry.

Step 3: Begin to customize your logo 

Use the advice in this article and start trying out different ideas.

Step 4: Take advantage of the design features 

Search through the many additional design features to create a more imaginative logo.

Step 5: Download and build your brand identity 

When you’re happy with the final design, download and start to build your brand identity.

Our word of advice with Canva

Although Canva is an excellent piece of free design software, we highly recommend you consider professional advice when designing your company logo.

At The Color Club, we offer companies a special design package. Our marketing experts will guide you through the design process as part of your corporate visual identity – understanding your market, customers, and future aspirations – before designing your logo and helping you build your global brand identity.

 

Our final thoughts on logo design

Logos are the most recognizable brand identifier: if a company has a great logo, the chances of market success are higher. With this kind of impact, companies should work with a marketing specialist to design a memorable logo that reflects a company’s core values – done rightand there’s a chance your logo could be part of our culture forever.

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