Your logo is the face of your brand, so it’s vital that it provides a good first impression. With that in mind, the below will provide some insight into how to choose the right logo for your business or brand.
Logo Styles
Before you decide on a logo for your company, it is important to first consider the different logo styles that are available. Before you submit the design brief or choose the right logo for your business, do some research – as you’re reading this, you’re already on the right track!
Combination Mark Logo
The combination mark logo is typically regarded as the champion logo, and the most effective style choice for a memorable brand image.
This logo combination mixes the company name or initials with a great image to create something completely recognizable. This logo not only provides instant recognition, but also represents your brand, your products and your business in all its forms, from your website to your social media accounts. It’s from this you unify everything else, to create your brand image, and brand voice.
Lettermark Logo
A lettermark logo is a typography-based logo that’s just comprised of a few letters or words, as opposed to being image based. Stylish, simplified or both, the typography can be the key to an instantly recognizable logo.
You want your logo designed so the font is stylized in a way that is unique to you and your brand. Ideally it needs to be easily translated into greyscale or colour so it can be used across a variety of mediums; whether it’s a 1 colour print onto screen printed t-shirts, or black and white on a photocopy of a document. It needs to work in as many forms as possible.
Logomark (icon/image logo)
If you are thinking of an icon-based logo, it’s worth looking at the competition and what others are doing in your space, otherwise it might not be the right logo for you. For things like apps it’s fantastic, for a courier company, it may not be a good fit. You need to think about context as well as what looks good.
It’s worth noting that Target has built a reputation by removing its name from its logo, conversely Shell did the opposite and incorporated its company name. If you have a core concept, a simple message and don’t fall into the trap of literally showing what your company is doing, the design of your logo will be unique and memorable.
How to get your company logo designed
When it comes to choosing the best logo for your company, we recommend using a freelance designer, a design agency, or a service like 99 Designs.
The benefit of having a freelancer or agency is having someone who will take the time to understand your brand and requirements, who will then translate that into a visual.
We’d advise against using a free online logo maker tool; with these you’re always at risk of someone else having a similar logo or even the exact same logo. Additionally, you may not get your logo in the format you need it for print.
Free logo design tools sound appealing, but in the same way you’re better hiring a plumber to fix the leak in your bathroom, you’re better having a designer do your design work. This is the face of your company, so let an experienced expert get it right for you; ensuring a logo which will be legible, fit for purpose, aesthetically pleasing & built to last.
That being said, If you’re a start-up, you can certainly benefit from being familiar with design software. This will help ensure that even if you’re not able to design the logo yourself, you are able to apply it to your marketing materials without continually needing the support and expense of a freelancer. We advise using software like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop for creating your marketing materials. We also advise always asking for your logo in Adobe Illustrator format from your logo designer, so you have a logo file that is totally scalable, so you can use it on anything, at any size.
Conclusion
If you have ever tried to design your own logo, you know how complicated it can be, but if you pick the right freelancer or agency, and do plenty of research it’ll likely help you in choosing the right logo for your business.
