Are you wanting a new logo? Sometimes you know exactly what you want and we can design it quickly from there. However if you find yourself saying, “I’ll know it when I see it“, we need to start a brainstorming process to generate ideas and find some direction.
Its hard to know where to start. These are some of the techniques we work through with our clients who are not yet sure what they want.
As you go through these 10 steps, start making some notes of words and images that resonate with you for your brand. Some of the words will help you later on with messaging. The images can give you ideas for other marketing pieces and your website, so its a good exercise for a lot of your marketing down the road.
1. Branding always starts with understand your customer. Describe your main customer. What is their persona? What brands do they like? What images and colors would resonate with them. What words come to mind when they would be looking for your product or service?
2. Google search your company name under images. Good to find out if there’s another company using the same name and brand. This will also help you decide if you have an copyright issues to consider.
3. Google search image with keywords for your service with the word logo or icon for example “marketing logo”, “Web design icon”. Make a list of images that resonate with you brand.
4. Look up some of the logos used by you competitors. Make notes of what you like and don’t like.
5. Look up images on Stock photography sites. Look for icons as they are more simple. We use www.123rf.com. Make a list of icons you like. Also pick out images that resonate. This can help translate to your logo designer a look and feel that you want to convey to your audience. These also may make good images to use on your website banner or blogs.
6. Look up your business name and service keywords on Pinterest. The goal here is to research what imagery is being used for your industry.
7. Be open to something out of the box too. Check out other design resources such as Logo Gala, Logo Moose, dribbble.com, deviantart.com and others.
8. Test and get feedback. Ask your clients what they like and don’t like from your research. Ask them for ideas too. Sometimes your client can surprise you and will know more about what they are looking for than you do.
9. Research colours and what they mean for your brand.
Here’s a good resource on choosing logo colours: http://www.thelogofactory.com/choosing-great-logo-colors-help-brand-selection/
Other colour resources:
- Color names: http://digitalsynopsis.com/design/color-thesaurus-correct-names-of-shades/
- Web safe colours: http://html-color-codes.info/web-safe-colors/
- Colour pickers: get colours from image http://html-color-codes.info/colors-from-image/
- Find code and colour scheme: http://www.colorpicker.com/
10. Look for fonts that match your brand. Do you want a wordmark only or are you going to use an icon and wordmark? Do you want sans (without) or serif (with feet). How do you want to use caps?
- See your company name in various font styles to test http://wordmark.it/
- Google Fonts https://www.google.com/fonts
- Strategies for letter based logo designs http://www.graphics.com/article-old/strategies-letter-based-logo-design
After you have completed this research you should have a good idea of what you are looking for.
This will help speed up the process of your logo design.
