If you are in need of a logo for your website there are a lot of options available these days. You can hire a design agency, a freelancer you find on a site like Fiverr, logo contest sites, logo makers and much more. Whichever route you choose you want to make sure you end up with a logo that looks professional. This article will explore the do-it-yourself path. Follow the tips highlighted here when you create your own logo to ensure you end up with a professional brand for your website.
What Message Do You Want to Convey?
A logo isn’t just an artistic expression of your business name but should capture the essence of what your business does and stands for. Figuring out what you want your brand message to be is your first step. Once you have given this some thought you can make design choices accordingly.
Decide on Logo Style and Layout
The next decision you have to make is whether you are going with a monogram logo, wordmark, combination mark, emblem, etc. This is a difficult decision to make and it’s best to try your logo in different styles and layouts. Once you can compare the different options visually it will be much easier to decide what works best for you and your target audience.
Choose Your Color Palette Carefully
The reason why you needed to figure out your business core values first is so you can choose the appropriate colors. Most business owners simply think of branding colors as a visual factor but don’t consider the psychological aspect. Each color represents something different. You want to make sure you choose a core color that conveys the appropriate message for your business.
Pick the Right Font(s)
Fonts often get overlooked when it comes to the logo design process. Entrepreneurs who design their own logo typically just try a few different fonts and quickly finalize their logo. Most focus falls on the graphic but your font choice is just as important if you want an artistically balanced design. If you are going to incorporate a tagline you’ll also want to consider using a different font. Make sure the two fonts pair well together. Similar to colors, fonts also communicate different messages. Before you finalize your font choice double check to make sure your font is aligned with your business values.
Get the Right Logo Files
Once you have finalized your logo it’s important you get the right file formats. Your logo is only as strong as the implementation. Whether you work with a designer or use a logo design application, make sure you’ll get access to file formats like JPG, PNG and vector files like SVG or EPS. Without these files you’ll run into trouble when trying to implement your logo. For example uploading your new logo to your website will most likely require a PNG file. When dealing with a printer they generally like to work with source files.
Building Out Your Brand Assets
Your logo is your core brand asset. Ideally this is the first branding piece you design for your business, even before your website. With your logo in place you can then have a web designer build a website matching in color or use a template. It’s important your template uses the same color accents as your logo. This will ensure your logo and website will blend together perfectly. With your website in place its time to build out all of your other brand assets. When you design business cards, slides or any other promotional graphic design piece be sure to include your logo and to match the colors appropriately as well. This will ensure your branding will come across as professional and consistent. Use a free graphic design tool like Gimp to create any other graphic design you may need for your business.
A Quick Recap
There are several logo maker applications available that allow you to quickly come up with your own design by editing existing templates. If you are bit more advanced in terms of design skills or the use of software like Illustrator you can even create something from scratch completely. Whichever way you go make sure to follow the tips shared in this article. If you follow these steps and guidelines you’ll be sure to end up with an awesome logo for your web business
