Developing a Logo For Your Company

As marketing professionals, developing a logo is not something we take lightly. A logo is the face of your business, and one of the first things customers notice about your company, so it’s essential that your logo represents the values and mission of your brand.

Here, we’ll discuss different aspects of logo development, the considerations that go into every aspect of a logo design, and how to create a logo for your brand that resonates with your customers.

The Function of a Logo

A good logo tells people a lot about who you are and what you do. It should be memorable, simple, timeless, versatile, and relevant. Intentionality is also key for a powerful logo.

The White Claw logo is a circular logo, executed in a monochrome color palette, and it represents style, progressiveness, and freedom. The intention of this logo was to reflect the spirit of the brand and its purpose — to make people relaxed and have fun.  If you closely look at the White Claw logo, it is composed of a three-wave image executed in smooth arched lines of black and gray colors, a wordmark placed around the image, and an arched underline, framing the emblem and adding a sense of professionalism and wholeness to the picture.

The waves have their peaks curved and pointed, just like the claws of a tiger. Their sharpness stands for free and rebellious spirit, self-expression, and creativity, while the strict straight lettering balances it and adds stability and confidence.

A great logo does all that and evokes an emotional response. For example, a great logo can become so recognizable that people don’t even need to see the text or a name.

Just picture golden arches, a swoosh, or an apple with a bite taken out of it. Most people would instantly know these simple pictures represent McDonald's, Nike, and Apple respectively. That's the power of a timeless logo design.

First Steps in Logo Development

The first step in any logo design process is to gather as much information about the client and their business as possible. Here are some questions commonly asked during logo development:

• What are the core values you want to convey? 
• What is your target market?
• How do you want your audience to perceive your brand?
• Where do your desired customers hang out online and offline?
• Who are your competitors? What do their logos look like?
• What adjectives would you use to describe the tone of your brand?
• Are there any colors that must or must not be used in the logo design?
• Does the creation of your logo affect your product design or product placement?
• Does your brand have a tagline or slogan that needs to go with the logo? (e.g., “Just do it” for Nike)
• Do you prefer a symbol-based logo or a logotype (wordmark)?
• Do you have any specific ideas for the logo design?

Types of Logos

When developing a logo for your business, it’s also a good idea to think about the types of logos that appeal to you and more importantly, your target audience. For instance, Minimalistic logos can be reduced to their most basic form while still maintaining their meaning. Their essence is distilled down to an icon that usually contains few colors or concepts. These are perfect for companies with simple approaches, like clean energy providers or meditation apps. 

Wordmarks are logos primarily made up of text in some variation of a custom typeface (think Coca-Cola). They're great when you want people to associate your name with the product itself (Apple). Lettermarks are stylized versions of single letters or initials (FedEx). This works well when you have a long company name that's hard to say or spell out (Intel), and also if you want your products and services to stand out more than the actual brand name (IKEA).

How Will the Logo Be Used?

Consider how the new logo will be used across media. A couple of things worth considering include: whether it appears on signage outside or inside your business; how it looks on stationary; how it will look when printed on products; if its colors can be changed depending on where it's being displayed at the time (e.g., text on top of image vs. image alone); if its shapes can be altered for use in different sizes without compromising its appearance; if any parts need to be able to stand alone without losing their meaning; etc.

You can also become creative and utilize your logo in a fun and outstanding way.

Color Theory

Another essential aspect of logo development is color theory. This is key to telling your brand story and relating to consumers. For instance, orange is cheerful, fun, and confident — think Nickelodeon, Orange Crush, Amazon. Red is bold and strong — think Target, CNN, Coca-Cola, and Nintendo. Brown is rugged and dependable like UPS, and works well for outdoors and woodsy, or natural and organic products. If you have a brand that is young and vibrant, a brown logo would send a very different message to your audience as opposed to one with bright, vibrant colors. 

Explore Design Variations

An aspect often overlooked in logo designing: make sure the logo works in a variety of settings and looks good in both color and monochrome versions. Creating multiple versions of a design before moving forward allows for playing with color combinations, and use in different contexts, like for print or digital marketing campaigns. By the time it’s finished, the logo will look good in smaller sizes and on different backgrounds.

Finally, remember that your brand is a lot more than just your logo. It's also your company name, taglines, color scheme, customer experience, and so on. Make sure all of your branding and elements are cohesive and consistent.

If you’re still not sure how to create a logo for your brand or don’t know where to begin, give us a call or send an email. We’ll be happy to help!