How To Create Custom Logos – (Expert Tips)
Artists and graphic designers are often in charge of creating custom logos for their clients. This mission may seem simple from the outside, but it is a long and complex process.
Do you want to create custom logos, but don’t know where to start?
Take a look at all the necessary steps in the creative process and what you have to avoid to create a custom logo that makes a difference!
Custom logos must not only be beautiful, it must make sense and be recognizable. The design of a professional logo should not be left to chance!
What are custom logos?
Custom Logos are a visual identity of the company, the image that connects the company with its objective. Without words, only thanks to this small symbol, the consumer identifies not only the name of the company, but also its culture, its products, its image …
A good custom logo design must convey a message. It is the basis of all visual communication.
Their colors should be chosen so that they fit well in all marketing material related to the brand (business cards, letterheads, brochures, website, product catalogs et al).
The form also serves as a reminder for communication campaigns.
In summary, custom business logos are essential in marketing and communication plans. It allows the public to identify at a glance the company and its characteristics and connect it with all the values it has.
The logo has a great impact on the public. So much so that there is even a board game that is dedicated to him. And that game is very good for children, which shows that the image has a great impact and is fixed in the collective subconscious from an early age.
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The characteristics of good custom logos
Good custom logos must meet several key criteria. Before launching and creating an image that faithfully represents a company, it is important to take them into account when making the first sketch.
- A custom made logo must be unique
Obviously, this is essential. The logo must be a new creation. If it looks like another, it will be confusing and you may be accused of plagiarism. So be original when creating custom logos.
- A custom logo must be timeless
Beware of fashions that pass quickly. A logo must be designed to last a long time. Although it may be subject to change if necessary as the business grows, the corporate identity must be preserved. When an image is created, it should last through the years.
- A custom logo should be simple
A logo should be easy to remember, because it will be seen very quickly. The idea is to identify the company at a glance. A logo that is too complicated, with too many readings or details will not do its job.
- A custom logo must be legible in black and white
Because a company logo does not always reproduce in full color, it is important that it remains legible even in black and white or bichrome. Beware of fades or color nuances that can make the logo useless in black and white.
- A custom logo should draw attention
A custom logo design should not go unnoticed but should attract attention. It is one of the great difficulties when creating a logo. Finding the colors and the design so that they have an impact on the public is the central point of the reflection phase.
- A custom logo must fit all supports
A custom logo must be visible and legible, regardless of the medium in which it is integrated. Have you noticed the small logos printed on the bottom of the posters? Some stand out and are easily identifiable while others are not even visible.
How to create custom logos
Before embarking on the creation phase, you have to seriously consider the main elements that should characterize the logo.
Next, make several versions of the drawing and compare them.
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The reflection phase to design a logo
There are certain important elements. In any case, it is important to take into account the essential characteristics of the company. It is also useful to take stock of the competition to stand out, without departing from the visual codes related to the sector, for example.
Among the important points to keep in mind to create a new visual identity are:
- The color palette: each color has a meaning. Therefore, the choice represents the sector in which the company operates (green is often used for ecology and nature, for example). Color is also a great way to get attention and get a message across;
- The integration of the company name in the logo: you have to choose whether to do it or not. Some brands have been able to transmit, through the logo, their identity and the brand name without mentioning it (such as the Apple apple);
- The inclusion or not of text in the logo: several versions of the same design are often made with or without a baseline, depending on its use. In any case, the coherence of the whole must be respected;
- The letter format: length, height, round or square …
- Typeface : Original, even unique and well-chosen typeface conveys essential information about the company.
In communication agencies, brainstorming never hurts to ask yourself the right questions, identify key work points and make the first decisions.
To inspire you, it is also important to search and dive into the universe of graphic design.
First sketches of the logo
If we talk about first sketches, it is obviously because the creation phase begins with freehand drawing the design to place the first elements and work on them making several sketches.
When creating a logo, keep in mind that the first general idea is usually not the good one. Why? Because the first idea is usually too conditioned, it is not usually entirely original and is far from unique, as an original logo should be.
The first ideas that come to mind are the same ones that occur to most people. So it is important to get away and work the design with perspective to be original and unique.
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Transmitting one or more messages in a single image is far from evident. Every detail counts. And that is what makes a custom logo strong. Colors, typography, shapes, text, negative spaces … Each element must convey a common message and best reflect the image of the company.
Harmony in graphic design is mainly about the study of curves, proportions and symmetry. Some logos are directly inspired by the Fibonacci sequence or the famous golden number or the divine proportion . This is the case of the logos of Apple, BP, Pepsi or National Geographic.
During the creation phase, it is important to see things from another perspective from time to time; leave the design aside and return to it with different eyes. Thus, the project will mature naturally and new ideas will emerge.
Logo completion
What gives quality to a logo, apart from all the elements that we have mentioned, is its general harmony.
Graphic designers know this well. The details that will be evident to a professional will surely escape a normal person, but if the logo is not in perfect harmony, it will not attract attention.
Whether you use an advertising agency, a graphic studio or a freelance graphic designer to create a custom logo, one thing is certain: a professional will know how to explain the logo you have created and justify your decisions.
In any case, a custom logo design must be seen by several people before being validated. Each one will have a different perception, which will serve to make the necessary adjustments.
What programs exist to create custom logos?
The design of a logo is not done overnight. Obviously, you will be able to find web pages dedicated to creating custom logos online that offer the possibility of easily creating a logo in a few clicks without requiring any specific knowledge about graphic design, or even using a logo generator.
Is it really the correct solution?
As we have said, the logo of a company must be durable and easy to remember. Therefore, it is essential to create a professional logo to differentiate yourself from the competition. It is not enough to search the image libraries and add a name.
As for programs to create logos, designers often use Adobe Illustrator, a vector drawing program, or Inkscape, a professional program.
If you want to create custom logos for free, Gimp will be ideal for you. It’s a free & open-source image editor.
For its part, Photoshop is an image editing software that works with a grid and pixelated system that does not offer the same opportunities. Vector drawing programs can reduce and enlarge high definition images without losing quality.
