How to Create a Logo That Adds Value to Your Brand

It is no secret that in today’s highly competitive and dynamic landscape, a logo can help your brand get recognized in the minds of your target audience.

Besides this, a well-designed logo sets your business apart from other players in the market. This is because your logo serves as the face of your business and is everywhere – may it be on your ads, brochures, products, or website.

Think about it yourself! What appears in your mind when you see the golden arches, McDonald’s, and its delicious menu, right?

This is because your target audience recognizes your brand with your company’s logo. 

And this is why even small companies have started investing in professional logo designs for branding purposes. According to Finances Online, small businesses would spend over $1000 for a new logo.

However, it is crucial to note that you need a professional logo design that adds value to your brand. According to Forbes’s research, you and your business have 7 seconds to make a first impression. If you create a poorly designed logo, that might deteriorate your brand image and turn your customers away altogether. 

Still, wondering how to create a logo that adds value to your brand? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are the 6 tried and tested steps for creating a professional logo design:

Step #1: Define What Your Brand Stands For

The first and foremost step is to understand what does your brand represents. This involves understanding the feelings that your brand conveys. For example, do you want your brand to be light-hearted, upbeat, or a serious one?

Other than this, this step involves identifying your brand values because that is what your logo should represent. For example, Apple’s logo clearly exhibits its distinct brand values that are innovation and class.

Step #2 Research and Study the Best Logo Designs

By now, we know that designing the perfect logo requires a considerable amount of time and effort. Thus it is best to research and look for some logo inspirations as your starting point.

However, while gathering logo inspirations, it is best to study competitors’ logos as well so that you can ensure a unique and memorable design. Moreover, this will help you understand what is working for your target audience, what is not.

Once you’ve shortlisted some of the best logo designs, the next step is to brainstorm and create a detailed creative brief for your logo design. This brief can involve color details, typography, logotype, etc. 

Step #3 Select Your Logo Colors  

If you are a marketer, you’d know that colors play a vital role in your company’s branding. Therefore, while designing your corporate logo, you need to pay special attention to your chosen colors. This is because colors give out different branding messages to your target audience.

For example, logos that are red in color evoke excitement, passion, and anger. If you have a more mature and classy brand, you shouldn’t add more of red to your corporate logo design.  

Apart from this, it is not necessary to limit your logo to one color only. You can experiment with 2-3 colors for highlighting the different aspects of your brand. According to a study, around 2 – 3 colors are commonly used to create brand logo designs.

Not sure which colors to choose for a perfect logo design? Here is an infographic that can help you understand color psychology in logo design.

Step #4 Select Your Logo Style

Once you’ve decided upon the color palette for your corporate logo, the next step is to choose your logo’s style. Below are a few ways in which logos can be categorized:

Monogram Logos

Monogram logos, also called letter marks, are logos that involve letters, typically brand initials. For example, IBM’s logo consists of its brand name’s initials.

Pictorial Logos

Pictorial logos, also known as a brand mark or logo symbols, are generally icon-based. A good example of such a logotype could be Twitter. This is because the bluebird icon represents Twitter’s brand identity effectively on a global level.

Abstract Logos

Such logos involve pictorial representation, but they aren’t in the form of recognizable images, like a bird or an apple. Instead, these are abstract images that represent your brand identity and business offerings. A famous example of an abstract logo could be the logo of Adidas.

Mascots

Such type of logos includes an illustrated character to represent the brand identity. For instance, one of the logos that fall in this category is none other than the KFC logo. The KFC logo is not only famous among kids but adults too.

Step #5 Define Your Logo Design Budget

It is a known fact that budget plays a critical role in any design project. This is because it helps you decide which options are open for you and which aren’t. You can either hire a freelance graphic designer, a professional logo design company or leverage a free logo maker on your own, depending on your budget.

The best way out is to weigh the cost of logo design against the benefit and value you will gain out of it in terms of branding.   

Step #6 Hire a Professional Logo Designer

Once you have decided on your logo design budget, the next step is to hire a professional and known logo design firm, like logo design valley, to create a timeless and classy logo design.

However, the key is to communicate your requirements effectively to the designer to avoid rework. Not sure which factors to consider while hiring a professional logo designer? Here are a few tips and tricks that can help:

• Study the designer’s portfolio, and ask them for samples for a better idea.
• Be very specific about your logo design requirements.
• Provide details regarding your brand and target audience.
• Discuss and set a realistic project timeline.
• Inquire the designer about the logo design process.

The Bottom Line   

The final takeaway is that you should have a clear plan of action along with a detailed creative brief to convey your logo design requirements well. The best way forward is to consider hiring a logo design expert because you cannot guarantee a professional design if you plan to design a logo on your own. And as mentioned above, your target audience pays a lot of attention to your brand’s visual elements, including your corporate logo.

So, if you want your business logo to take your branding to the next level, try the steps mentioned above.