Here are some professional logo design tips to help your business stand out. Learn how to create an impactful professional logo design with Skill Shiksha.
The logo is one of the most important components of corporate design – i.e. the holistic appearance of a company or an organization. It is trend-setting in the design of all publications (such as advertising, brochures, websites, products, and their packaging, etc.) and means of communication (e-mail signature, stationery), as these contain the logo and also pick up on the professional logo design. A professional logo design is extremely important for companies because it has a recognition value and satisfied customers have a positive connotation.
However, creating a professional logo design requires more than just pen and paper. A drawing can serve as a template, but professional logo design ideas are implemented with a suitable image editing program so that you also have your logo in digital form. This is the only way you can use it in different sizes and for a wide variety of applications – for example within websites, videos or PDFs. The following sections on logo design tips explain what else you should pay attention to.
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Professional Logo Design Tips: Basics and Examples
Regardless of whether you want to create a professional logo design for a company or for a product, an event, or a website: you should be aware that a logo determines the perception of a brand in many ways. Many people who have had good experiences with a brand then also associate positive things with the corresponding logo, which makes it easier to market other products with this same logo.
The term brand does not only refer to products or services but can also stand for a company or an organization. People can also be staged as a brand using personal branding. A professional logo design creates recognition and your target group can better remember your brand. Therefore, think about the characteristics of your trademark early enough and what it should ultimately look like. Because at the latest when a new brand is launched, the professional logo design must be created and ready for use.
The principle of professional logo design is simple: A logo should accurately reflect what a brand represents. Whether you’re working on the branding of a large company, a smaller company, or a product line, there are always distinctive traits that can be picked up and incorporated into a logo. This is often done through a combination of letters and visuals. Accordingly, a professional logo design can be made up of one or more alphabetical characters and/or various image elements – the color scheme is also decisive for the recognition value. We explain the individual areas of logo design using the example of successful trademarks.
Image elements (Icons, Shapes, and Patterns)
Symbols and stylized objects are often part of a professional logo design. The Microsoft Windows window, WWF’s panda bear, and Deutsche Post’s post horn are well-known examples of this. Some logos even do without the use of letters or the naming of the brand name. Apple’s logo, for example, has only consisted of the eponymous apple symbol for some time.
However, by far not all brands use image elements from which one can immediately deduce the name of the brand (as with Apple) or the industry (such as the logo of the German soccer league). At first glance, the “Swoosh” tail from the sporting goods manufacturer Nike, which stands for dynamism and speed, is not necessarily a symbol associated with sports clothing and products. However, over time, the logo has grown in popularity and gained international recognition. The Mercedes star has also been associated with the automobile manufacturer for decades.
Of course, the associations did not come up all at once, but gradually spread with the establishment of Nike and Mercedes-Benz as brands. With success, a professional logo design symbol automatically becomes better known – but the other way around, a successful professional logo design can also help a brand to achieve success faster.
Other examples illustrate the freedom that one has when creating the professional logo design: because not every airline uses a stylized airplane in its logo. Neither do all banks make a direct reference to money in their logo. Consequently, abstract logos can also represent a brand (examples are Nike, Mercedes Benz, or Adidas): through the integration of patterns or geometric figures. It is important that the design matches the brand image and the desired corporate professional logo design.
Typography (font type, font size, and character positioning) in professional logo design
Not only image elements can characterize a logo, but you can also create unmistakable logos by means of typography. The most important thing while crafting a professional logo design is the choice of fonts (the digital versions of fonts) – as well as the preparation of the font (font size, character and line spacing, and the arrangement of the characters). You can also combine characters with structuring image elements such as frames or shading, which can be used to accentuate certain areas.
This also allows the design to be more individualized: Good examples of this are the Samsung logo, which has been in use since 1993, in which the advertised brand name is surrounded by an ellipse, and the Volkswagen trademark, in which a circle frames the company abbreviation “VW”. Especially when it comes to the trademarks of food manufacturers, you can see that they often do not illustrate the product itself (their product range is usually too diverse for that), but only visually prepare the brand name (think of Maggi, Iglo, Knorr and Dr. Oetker, for example).
But even the font alone – completely without image elements – can reflect brand characteristics and transport an image: until 1985, the Walt Disney (Pictures) logo was just lettering with very playful typography, which made the viewer think directly of the film studio’s animated films. Other well-known logotypes are those of Google and Coca-Cola. One of the most recognizable logos in the world consists of just one letter: the yellow “M” from McDonald’s. The lettering or letters of such logos often gain recognition value through their coloring.
Color Choice in professional logo design
Associations can be evoked through colors. Some companies have managed to get the target group to think directly of their brands or products when they see certain color combinations. The Deutsche Post logo is black on a yellow background and is by no means the only trademark with this color combination: Other brands with a black and yellow logo are the Borussia Dortmund football club, the UHU adhesive brand, and the non-profit organization Amnesty International. Many people immediately associate one of these brands with the combination of black and yellow (which certainly depends on individual interest and sympathy towards these brands). This phenomenon is mainly due to the fact that the entire corporate design of these brands is based on the color scheme of the respective logo.
Most brands rely on classic colors. Facebook’s logo is dominated by the color blue; on YouTube, on the other hand, it is red. The websites and marketing measures of the two Internet services also pick up on these colors. However, the choice of color for some professional logo designs seems relatively arbitrary at first glance. Because it is not always as understandable as the signal color red for the fire brigade or green for Greenpeace. Often, however, such an obvious link between a color and a specific profession is not even possible and not even necessary. When it comes to choosing a color, you tend to have a wide range to choose from. However, it is always important to ensure that the color scheme matches the image of a brand.
Traditional coloring in professional logo design
Some industries and disciplines are historically closely associated with specific hues. In addition to the already mentioned fire and rescue services (red), the police in most parts of the world claim the color blue for themselves (now also in Germany). In medicine and medical science, white is the color most commonly used, while internationally, the taxi industry is mostly associated with the color yellow.
Accordingly, it would be unusual to set up a taxi company with a green logo or corporate design. This does not have to be problematic in itself, but you should at least be aware that you are breaking common conventions here. If you intend to draw attention and bring a breath of fresh air to the taxi industry, using an eye-catching color that is not common in this industry might even be the right choice. If it is an ecologically sustainable taxi company with a fleet of electric cars, a green design would even be a good idea – after all, green is the color most often used to signal environmental awareness. he himself decides against the classic color design in an area traditionally dominated by one color, but should always have a good reason for doing so.
Sustainable color choice in professional logo design
When choosing a color for a logo, it should usually be a long-term decision. The color design of a brand is only changed in absolutely exceptional cases: on the one hand, because the target group ideally associates a brand with a specific color scheme. On the other hand, “rebranding” is usually expensive and time-consuming. The logo can often be found on almost every means of communication – printed products, in particular, must be reproduced with the new logo as quickly as possible after rebranding.
However, if a company also has to change the entire color scheme of products, their packaging, work clothing, and possibly even vehicles with a new color design, then the associated changes and new acquisitions very quickly become very expensive.
A well-known example is the color change of the McDonalds logo in the European market. Since the introduction of the yellow “M” the fast-food chain has used it in all of its logos – depending on the decade and the market, the logos varied again and again, but the basic logo design remained the same for decades: A yellow M on a red background had a tradition. In Europe, in late 2009, the color change was heralded by changing the background from red to green. A global player like McDonald’s can certainly afford this better than small and medium-sized companies, but even huge corporations are faced with major challenges when it comes to rebranding.
How to craft a professional logo design that fits the brand?
Certainly, it is a long way before a logo gains such notoriety as the examples mentioned above. If you want to create a memorable professional logo design, you will not be able to avoid dealing with the professional logo design of style icons and, above all, that of competitors from your own industry. On the one hand to get inspiration, on the other hand, to avoid too many similarities to the logos of the competition. As tempting as it may be to copy a well-designed design, adapt it, and use it for your own purposes, it’s not just bad style, it’s usually, quite simply, against the law. However, it is perfectly permissible to look for inspiration, as long as you show independence when designing your own logo.
When creating a professional logo design, you must not only focus on an appealing graphic design, because there are other aspects of logo design that should be considered in addition to pure aesthetics. For example, a professional logo design must not appear overloaded. Details that you can only see on closer inspection are allowed but to a limited extent. When it comes to professional logo design, less is usually more: You should design your logo in such a way that it is recognizable right away and even in a small format. Too many details and logo components stand in the way of this principle.
Ideally, a professional logo design is…
1) Understandable (the connection to the product, brand, or company is understandable)
2) Unmistakable (the brand should be associated with it straight away),
3) Memorable (a basic minimal design is usually better than an overly detailed one)
4) Reproducible (a digital logo with a high resolution can be used for different areas and the size can be adjusted quickly)
You can find more about the characteristics of logos, color schemes, and corporate design in general in our article on design and color effects in web design.
Learn How to craft a professional logo design With Skill Shiksha.
Want to create your own professional logo design: Which file format and which software?
If you don’t want to hire an expert for professional logo design, you can also design your own logo with the right software and image editing skills. A fundamental question is whether the logo should be created as a vector graphic or as a pixel or raster graphic. Most users primarily have experience in dealing with raster graphics programs such as the very common Photoshop. This would speak in favor of using a raster graphics program as well. However, raster graphics cannot be scaled without loss and subsequent processing is often more complex than with vector graphics.
The difference: A raster graphic composes the image from individual pixels. If the image is enlarged, the individual pixels often become visible in the enlargement and the image appears blurred. In order for a logo to appear razor-sharp on a large poster, you need a raster graphic with a very high resolution. In the case of vector graphics, on the other hand, the image is not saved in pixels, but rather using mathematical formulas that describe the lines of the graphic. As a result, the image always remains sharp, even when enlarged. In contrast to raster graphics, vector graphics are not suitable for displaying complex image content, but logos should be kept simple anyway. Therefore you should usually create your logo as a vector graphic. Only if you know in advance that you only need the logo in smaller formats can you create it as a raster graphic.
Classic professional logo design development programs include Illustrator (available for Windows and Mac computers) and CorelDraw (for Windows only), both of which allow you to create vector graphics. Photoshop from Adobe is ideal for raster graphics. However, these image editing programs are quite complex – not everyone is able to design a company logo with such a professional image editing program. They are also often difficult for laypeople to understand. In addition, the three programs mentioned are also quite expensive and prices in the high three-digit or even four-digit range are not uncommon.
However, there are some free alternatives to programs like Adobe Illustrator that can also be used to create vector graphics (e.g. Inkscape). And there are also numerous free alternatives to the complex raster graphics program Adobe Photoshop (such as GIMP or Pixlr). However, even for most of these programs, you need more than basic knowledge to create a professional logo design. However, with a little time and leisure and the appropriate tutorials and instructions on the Internet, you can learn how to design a logo even without the relevant professional background and achieve a professional result. If you want to create a professional logo design yourself without the classic image editing software mentioned, you can also use web services with an online logo editor. Web applications such as Logaster, the Online Logo Maker, or Free Logo Services require neither an installation (they can be conveniently operated in the browser) nor prior knowledge of digital image processing. Most of such web applications allow you to download the designed logo in a low resolution for free; however, a high-resolution version of the logo – which is usually essential for professional use – has to be paid for. Even inexperienced designers can use the tools to create their own logo that meets high standards.
Even amateurs can create a professional logo design for free
Every brand needs a trademark. This sign not only increases the recognition value but can also transport the image of the brand. If the target group is convinced of the brand quality, they will associate the logo with positive values from now on. In addition, the design and color of the logo are decisive for the corporate design. If you want to take the elaboration into your own hands, you should first realistically assess your skills in dealing with image processing programs.
Users with experience in dealing with image editing software have the best prerequisites for designing a professional logo themselves. If you have the necessary knowledge but do not have the expensive licenses for Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, you can use free image editing programs such as Inkscape or GIMP (both programs run on Windows, Mac, and Linux), which can also be used to design a professional logo design.
On the other hand, beginners can use free logo editor tools that are easy to use. However, you usually have to pay for a high-resolution version of the self-designed graphic. Compared to the expense of hiring professional designers and the time it would take to learn how to use an image editor, logo editors still represent an inexpensive and good alternative for many design beginners.
Conclusion
By now, you’ve probably realized how important a logo is for establishing a brand. We offer an online graphic design course that will teach you how to design quality logos and other graphics. You can choose to enroll in the course if you are interested in graphic design.
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