Let's agree that your success in designing a professional logo may make a quantum leap for your company among the target audience. The right choice of colors, the type and nature of the logo, and other factors have an irreparable impact on the minds of customers who receive it every day. You may think that designing logos is an easy process that can be implemented in a few minutes, but the truth is quite the opposite.


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Designing a distinctive logo takes a lot of time, as the designer responsible for the preparation process spends most of his time studying competitors and analyzing goals and expectations, in addition to a comprehensive study of the nature of the business and the possibilities of modifying or upgrading it with more services in the future, and then proceeds to implement more than one model, putting in Considering that there are many options related to the size, color, and type of logo font...etc.

Therefore, focusing on designing a logo at the beginning of your business is something that should not be seen as a marginal step or that you may take it right later. Rather, give yourself enough time to understand how to design a logo that suits you, looking forward to extracting smooth artwork that is easy for customers to remember.

Why do you care about designing a distinctive logo from the start?

Before talking about the practical steps when designing a professional logo, let me stress the importance of this step and the extent of its impact on your brand later on. And because a logo is just a graphic, symbol, or word that expresses your business, you may be wondering: Can this simple symbol affect my brand in any way? And will customers leave my wonderful products and go to criticize and evaluate my logo?

In fact, this is what always happens. Think of it in terms of the audience; Curious if you were looking for men's activewear and then found a brand whose name is written in a bubbly font and in pink or orange colors more appropriate for a 10-year-old? In this case, you will feel an inner reluctance to enter the store, and this is just an example of failing to create a good first impression if you design a logo that does not suit you.

Other features of Logo Design

And do not forget that one of the most important advantages that a professional logo design achieves is encouraging customers to remember your brand without making any effort, and then making it easy to recognize your business among many brands that race every day to attract the public’s eyes and arouse their curiosity about products and services. that they provide. A properly designed logo enriches all the media you incorporate it into.

This means that it will be an aesthetic element on your packaging, business cards, in the interface of your website, and can even be used when designing images for social media platforms while interacting with your audience, as well as in videos on YouTube and more. It is also placed on products regardless of their nature, whether they are:

  • canned products.
  • Women's, men's, or children's clothing.
  • Various foods such as sweets..etc.

However, let me emphasize here that designing a logo is an essential step, but it must be accompanied by your attention to other things, such as: creating a distinctive brand, creating a comprehensive visual identity, maintaining the quality of your services, and paying attention to marketing aspects, whether online or on the ground. The logo can take the place of these elements in any form. Now that we have agreed on the above, let's get to know the steps of designing a logo that the audience will not forget.

5 practical steps to help you design a professional logo

First: Make sure you understand the nature of the business before designing the logo

Do not rush to design the logo because its idea seems good and exciting to you, as this wonderful idea may not be commensurate with the nature of the services you provide, which leads to extracting a distinctive logo, but if it is placed for another brand! So, start studying your business and its competitors, which requires you to comprehensively understand the services and products that you offer, and identify the strengths that you can focus on and take them into account during design.

Remember that designing a professional logo is complex; As you will be competing with many brands that have distinguished their activities with simple and attractive slogans, you must be unique and able to accurately describe what you offer, in a way that suits the nature of your target audience. When you design a logo, you are not designing a symbol that will expire after months or years, but rather an extended process of recognition and familiarity between customers and your project.

So study each product on its own, avoiding duplicating your ideas or imitating other brands. Look at the logo that you design as a long-term investment, it must also be consistent with what you intend to provide and cover in terms of services in the future, so professional logo design must be accompanied by studying the audience, competitors, and services, and joint work with the marketing and design team, to come out in the best possible way.

The following questions will help you design a logo compatible with the nature of your business:

  • Who is my target audience?
  • What do I really want from a logo design?
  • What is the story I want to convey, or the feeling I aim to achieve with a professional logo design?
  • Will the logo contain my Slogan logo?
  • What type of logo do competitors use?
  • How does my target audience interact with competitors' logos?
  • How did the slogan adopted by this competitor (your competitor's name) affect its relationship with the audience and its profits?
  • What are my satisfactory expectations about the final logo shape?
  • What distinguishes my business the most, and is worth focusing on?
  • Where will I use the logo? Is it on my website and communication platforms, in services on the ground, or all of the above?
  • Are there similar examples of distinctive logos that I like that I would like to study?

Second: Know the specifications of a successful logo before designing the logo

For your expectations about the final shape of the logo to be correct, you must know the most important specifications that make the designed logo successful, we mention the most important of them here, which are:

  • Simplicity.
  • relevant to your activity.
  • No matter how long it is used.
  • Versatile.

As I mentioned, the first specification that achieves a distinctive logo design is simplicity, which you must set as a prerequisite that cannot be neglected for a professional logo design. Let us confirm this by looking at the logos of famous shoe companies, such as Nike and Adidas, as their logos are very clear and direct, and are devoid of any inscriptions or design complications.

Nike shoes company logo - distinctive logo design

And if you think carefully, you will find that simplicity is consistent with the main purpose of the logo design process. You want the audience to remember your brand, so the easier it is for them to recognize the logo, the more it will be imprinted in their memory quickly and without making an effort that many of the audience will spare, especially with the lifestyle. rapid at the present time. A simple logo design means presenting the most important information or feeling you want to imprint in the customer's memory.

The second characteristic that must be adhered to when designing a logo is that it be related to your business, that is, the recipient can find a relationship and a story behind using this logo specifically to express the nature of your activity, and the importance of this character appears in logos that usually consist of a symbol. And it does not stop there, the fonts and colors used in the logo must also express the spirit of your brand.

To succeed in designing a professional logo, you must create a timeless logo, that is, you can use it all the time, even with the development of new services or the introduction of new products other than those that you provide during logo design. This is a very important part, as the purpose of the logo is to imprint your brand in the audience’s memory, and the longer they receive and see your distinctive logo, the more your brand will be built in their minds, and it will increase its presence on various occasions.

Therefore, you must delete any dispensable elements during the design of the logo, and completely strip it of any excesses that distract these basic characteristics of its success. Also, pay attention to making the logo versatile and multifaceted, that is, it is not correct to design a fixed-size logo that cannot be enlarged or reduced, or is not suitable for printing or spoiled by the appearance in image files or even the PowerPoint slides that you design.

Third: Find the right type for you before designing a new logo

The methods that you may use while designing a new logo vary, as we see hundreds of brands every day, and you may think that they all follow the same method, but if you think about it a little, you will see a huge diversity in every logo that you see, and yet the types of logos can be divided into three The main types of simplification, which are as follows:

1. The script logo

If you go this way, your logo will be letters or words. Usually, these letters are an abbreviation for the brand name, such as the logo of the famous news channels BBC and CNN, in this case, it is called the letter mark. This method of logo design may suit you if your business name is long, and you want to have a short logo that has immediate significance.

The distinction in this case is by choosing a new font that has not been used by competitors and choosing colors that elegantly and uniquely express your brand. Some designers may put the full brand name, as is the case when designing the Google or Yahoo logo, to be called the Wordmark Logo. This type is used for names that we want to stick with the audience or that are easy for the audience to remember.

This means that you will combine the characteristics of an easy-to-remember name, with your desire to have a logo that is also easy to remember, and we can divide this type into two types as well: what is written in computer fonts such as the logo of Facebook, NetFlix and the independent platform, and the second type is what is written by hand, such as the famous logo of a company coca cola.

2. The iconic logo

In this type, you will express your business idea with the help of a specific symbol or shape, which may be the shape of a bird, as is the case in the Twitter platform logo, or even the shape of a fruit, such as the Apple company logo. If you used a previously publicly known symbol, the type name here would be the Symbol logo, and all of the previous examples apply to it. We may also include here logos similar to the Starbucks logo with a distinctive face, or the KFC logo, and others.

And if we want to single out logos designed by adding faces or animal graphics, then its type in this case is called the Mascots Logo, and this method is very suitable for brands that want to target children and adolescents, because it is visually attractive and rich, as I see it also suitable for games and other virtual activities or Those that require a measure of imagination, and are effective in creating an emotional connection between the character and the audience.

In general, the iconic type in its various variations is very suitable if you want to achieve rapid spread and instant familiarity in the minds of customers using a symbol that they easily recognize in their daily lives. Your creativity here depends on changing the familiar shape and presenting it in a smart and new way. The clearest example is the simplicity of the Apple logo, the strength of its expression of elegance and individuality, and its intensification of the element of simplicity, or what is called in art minimalism.

Professional logo design - Apple company template

But if you start designing a logo by creating an unfamiliar shape for the client, here you follow the type of abstract design, and the most familiar examples we have are the Pepsi soft drink company logo and the Mercedes company logo. And when designing a logo in this way, you are free to express any connotations you see, which gives you strength and space to graft the logo with any ideas or forms that suit your vision, no matter how strange or incomprehensible at first sight.

However, following the abstract method when designing a new logo is a step that must be carefully considered because it is a bold type and requires time and high marketing effort to be imprinted in the public’s imagination, but rest assured that once customers recognize it and distinguish you with it, it will be difficult for any other competitor to compete with you in this.

3. Mixed type

You can follow this method while designing a new logo, if you see the inability of the previous two types to achieve your purposes, start merging their style at the same time, such as placing a distinctive symbol and writing the name of the company below it or the letters of its abbreviation, or even entering a specific number or shape in the word itself. An example of this is the Burger King logo, as the company's name was placed between the two burgers to confirm the intended meaning.

This method is not restricted to a specific template, because it can be adapted in a very innovative and simple way, as in the case of the Volkswagen car company logo, in which the letter V was placed above the letter W, and the two letters merged together to form a distinctive symbol, with a choice of colors compatible with the vision of the company, and so on. Volkswagen has masterfully blended the two styles.

The new Volkswagen logo - professional logo design

In the mixed type, you can write a whole word with a separate symbol, which makes it easier for you to separate them after the audience learns about your activity, and then present the professional symbol-only logo in the future, instead of repeating the whole form in simplification and abbreviation, like the old Nike logo that was Composed of the Nike brand name with Nike's signature Swoosh logo, only the Swoosh symbol is now retained.

The Khamsat platform also follows the mixed type. It is sufficient to look now at the top of the page to see the logo in which the number five is placed in the place of the letter “M” in the word “Khamsat”, and this confirms the nature of the actor's interest in providing services that start for $ 5, which proves the meaning of the name and the nature of the activity in the minds of customers Quick and easy to remember.

This type includes logos that are required to be designed in a closed form such as a circle or square Emblem Logo, such as the logos of sports clubs, universities, or large local and international institutions. The reason for using it in this way is to generate an immediate sense of antiquity, originality, and complexity. This type of logo is usually filled with a lot of detail, so it is difficult to control its size or versatility.

Sports Club Logo Mockup - Professional and Distinguished Logo Design

Fourth: Choose the elements that are compatible with you to design an expressive logo

1. Khat al-Lojo

After settling on the purpose and type of logo design that is compatible with your services, it is time to work on the design. In this step, you must choose the appropriate font for the nature of your activity, and let me give you an example of the importance of choosing the appropriate font when designing a new logo. If your company specializes in selling elaborate jewelry, it is nice to choose a smooth font with some aesthetic movements, as if it was written by hand!

But if your company specializes in building materials or heavy equipment, it is illogical to use a simple line or one with drawings and artistic overlaps. Rather, the expression of that is completed with a clear, strong, and straight line, which expresses at first sight the nature and spirit of the project. You should also pay attention to the size of the distance between the letters of the logo and the dimensions of the logo in general, as they contain deep connotations that affect the way the audience receives it.

There is no need to be bound by the font options available on design software, but rather you can leave it to your creativity and create a custom font only for your company, but be careful to generalize it and make it a comprehensive font for your brand as a whole, as it is not recommended to change the font from time to time.

2. Logo colors

Each color that you will use affects customers to one degree or another, and here you must think clearly about your imagination of the impression you give to the public about your business; Do you want to present an image of reassurance, depth, abundance, and calmness? So using shades of blue. Do you want a vibrant color that catches the eye and excites them with energy and passion? Then the red color is what suits you.

Here are some impressions of the most important colors that you can use during a new logo design:

  • green color

It is suitable for activities that aim to suggest energy, freshness, renewal, and balance, so it is compatible with personal care and cosmetic products, as well as institutions that care about environmental issues.

  • the yellow color

It expresses positivity and will, and if used correctly without exaggeration, it will help you distinguish your logo from competitors' slogans, so you may use it if your activity is sporting, such as a gym.

  • the color grey

The gray color appears in the design with an elegant and ancient look, and suggests seriousness and formality, so it can be used in clothing brands that specialize in presenting the official character or products that you want to show in an elegant and wise spirit.

  • pink color

It imparts a lively, harmonious spirit, and encourages renewal. It is suitable for slogans that care about women's health or women's products in general.

  • White color

White expresses everything pure, clear, and transparent and is characterized by its simplicity and devoid of complexity, which gives a smooth and clean look to the designed elements.

  • Black Color

The black color is unique in its strength, so if you use it while designing a logo, the final image will be unique and have a formal and complex character, and it also expresses mystery.

The last point here is that in 2022 the logo is no longer just a fixed form that you will print on your products or personal cards, but you will also add it to all the visual elements that you will use on social media platforms. , your website, YouTube channels, and others. So you have to visualize the way the logo will move, i.e. the way the letters are grouped together, the symbol appears, fuses with the name, and so on.

As technical companies compete every day to develop VR virtual reality technologies, which would visually and mentally immerse the audience in everything they see, so designing a new logo with fixed and moving positions is an important step, and your imagination of how to present the logo in this case and the ability to apply it brilliantly, It will put you ahead of the competition.

Animated Logo - Steps to design a new logo

Fifth: Choose the appropriate logo format

After drawing and planning the new logo, proceed here to determine the appropriate formulas to extract it, as many types can serve your business, based on your purpose for using the logo later. These are the most important logo formats that you can get:

  • AI logo format

It is an abbreviation for Adobe Illustrator, and it is one of the most important and popular programs used in designing a professional logo. Save the file in this format, so you can edit it whenever you want without any impact on its quality.

  • SVG logo format

Use the SVG format if you are going to use the logo on websites, and this format is good for maintaining the quality of the logo and its readability on different browsers.

  • EPS logo format

Save the logo in this format if you want to print it. You can control its size while maintaining its high quality.

  • PNG logo format

You can use this formula when you upload the logo to the web but note that the quality of the design will be affected by enlarging its size, so choose the size that matches your purposes from the start.

  • JPEG logo format

The designs here are loaded at a high speed faster than the PNG format, so many people prefer to upload logos on the web in this format, however, you should pay attention to choosing the appropriate size, and this format does not support a transparent background.

  • PDF logo format

The new logo design can be extracted in the well-known PDF format, as various browsers and devices can read it without the need for special programs. However, it does not support a transparent background as is the case in the JPEG format, and it is difficult to modify except by using specialized programs, such as Adobe Acrobat.

What is the cost of a professional logo design?

As it became clear to you in the previous paragraphs, logo design is a complex process and takes place on many steps related to your visual identity, understanding your business activity and what you aspire for in the future, to create a strong relationship between all these elements, and then express it during the design of the logo in a clear and simple expression, so the cost of the logo depends The designer depends on the size of your business, the time it takes to design, and the software you will use.

You can save yourself a lot of mistakes and money if you hire a professional designer who contributes to creating repeated successes for commercial activities every day, you can request one of the logo design services, at very competitive prices starting from only $ 5. I recommend agreeing with the designer in advance about the most important elements to focus on, copyrights, and the formats in which you will receive the logo.

What should I be sure of before finalizing a professional logo design?

In this final step, you must answer the following questions, before approving the logo or settling on its final form. These questions aim to help you determine the strengths of the logo and its compatibility with your requirements, and whether you succeeded in designing a comprehensive logo or not, as follows:

  • Can the logo size be easily controlled without affecting its quality?
  • Is the logo format suitable for the platform on which you will publish it?
  • Does the logo appear perfectly in black and white?

You must design your logo in black and white versions, as they provide many advantages that are suitable for various uses and suit changing background colors, which gives you more comprehensive control to cope with future challenges that you may face while designing any images or visual elements in which you will use the logo later.

  • Is the logo visible on all websites, mobile applications, print files, and products?
  • Do you have a variety of logo design elements?

What I mean by diversity here is designing different shapes of the logo and its elements, for example, if the logo is mixed, you should design files for the symbol only and others for the font, so that you can use what suits you on various occasions, such as advertising campaigns, emails, cards, and products clothes and animation.

  • Do you have a user guide for the logo?

Usage guides direct you to the correct way your new logo should be represented, so they should include the type of font used, color grading, and usage examples. You will save yourself a lot of time if you use this guide.

Conclusion

In the end, in this article, you learned about the importance of designing a professional and simple logo that expresses the nature of your business, and what are the most important things that must be followed for the logo you design to come out in the best possible way. Find it stressful? Stop worrying and order one of the logo design services, the largest Arab marketplace for buying and selling microservices, to start dazzling the audience with what you can accomplish!