(AI was also used to generate this image – because I have no idea how to make pasta from scratch)
Creating a logo can often feel like a daunting task, especially if you’re not a professional designer. But with the help of AI tools like ChatGPT and design platforms like Canva, transforming your brand’s vision into a professional-looking logo is becoming increasingly accessible to non-designers.
We’re even seeing big-name influencers like Chris Williamson, utilising AI during the design process for the iconic Neutonic drink brand logo. You can see the brand and logo creation process here.
In this post, I’ll share how I sketched out an initial concept, then utilised AI to bring that vision to life, and refined it in Canva to create a logo for my fictional brand.
Step 1: Sketching the logo concept (optional)
For more creative control, you might want to start with a sketch. This gives ChatGPT a clearer idea of what you envision, allowing for greater customisation beyond text-based prompts. Personally, I often use this approach with my daughter, turning her imaginative drawings into photorealistic images—it’s a fun and inspiring process! In your case, sketching can be an excellent way to start the journey of designing a logo.
For my experiment, I decided to create a pasta brand, because who doesn’t love pasta? I named it “Pasta La Vista” (because I love puns almost as much as pasta!).
My prompt was as follows: “Create a logo for a brand called “Pasta La Vista” with the pasta waving from the bowl. Make it look like a 1 colour illustration.”
If you decide to sketch, always accompany it with a detailed text description to ensure you get closer to your desired design. Make sure to specify the style, in this case, I requested an illustrative style to guide the AI towards the right aesthetic.
Step 2: Generating the first logo with ChatGPT
Here’s the first iteration of my logo.
I had visualised a pasta bowl with hands waving, and this was just wavy spaghetti, it wasn’t cutting it, so now we dive into the iteration process.
Step 3: Refining the logo with AI
Version 2 – I went back to ChatGPT and added more instructions, requesting that the pasta have actual hands waving goodbye. Looking back, I realised that a logo featuring pasta saying “see you later” might not be the best branding choice for a restaurant, but I was committed to the pun at this point!
Version 3 – I wasn’t happy there were blurry lines and they needed sharpening up, I also wanted to see what other ideas it had, so we went for another attempt at refining the logo.
Version 4 – I liked this new version, but there was still some blurred lines that needed cleaning up. Using ChatGPT’s selection tool I highlighted the problematic areas and got them cleaned up pretty effectively. Finally, I had something close to what I wanted, although there were still some minor imperfections.
Step 4: Polishing the final AI Generated logo in Canva
Now it was time to take matters into my own hands. While I liked the overall visual from the AI-generated design, I preferred the text from an earlier iteration. I also needed to remove the stone-white background that clashed with the cheerful vibes of the brand. So, I imported the design elements I liked into Canva.
Once imported, I needed to remove the backgrounds, fortunately, if you have a premium Canva account there is a button you can click, and it’ll get rid of that pesky background in a simple click (most effective on simple backgrounds/designs).
Now ChatGPT and most AI design tools have trouble with letters and text, we won’t get into the reasons behind this, but it does mean that smaller elements like the ‘R’ for registered trademark have ended up pretty blurry. So we’re going to get rid of that using Canva’s magic eraser.
The final step is to add a bit of colour to my logo to spice it up, as the black and white, just isn’t reflecting the happy go lucky style I was after. So we’ve added in a nice cheery yellow to finish it off.
And there you have it, my logo is complete. Now I can quickly and easily export my new logo in an array of formats, allowing me to use it on business cards, printed T-shirts, custom hoodies, mugs and anything else I need.
Limitations of using ChatGPT for logo design
Loss of creative freedom: One of the biggest limitations is the fact you have very little control over the design it produces. While you can give it guidance, it’s a lot harder to get the design exactly as you want it.
Lack of design expertise: A professional designer does more than just create a pretty picture. For example, my pasta logo looked fun but wouldn’t translate well to smaller items like pens, where the intricate details would be lost. A designer would have warned me about that upfront, before I’d spent all my budget on branded merch with a waving bowl of spaghetti on.
Need a premium account: If you want the luxury of having lots of attempts at changing the design, you’ll need a premium ChatGPT account. If you’re just using the free version there are daily limits when it comes to image creation.
Struggles with text: AI struggles with text rendering. It’s often better to handle the text part of the logo separately in a tool like Canva to avoid the blurry, inaccurate letters.
Blurring: AI struggles with finer details and blurring, elements like hands on people are notoriously problematic at current, so this is something to factor in when creating design work.
Should you use AI to create your logo?
Using AI to create a logo was an enjoyable and streamlined experience, making the design process far less intimidating for non-designers. Compared to more advanced design tools like Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer, which come with steep learning curves, AI offers a much simpler and more budget-friendly option.
That said, while AI is an excellent choice for those with limited resources or a desire to try their hand at logo design, hiring a professional designer remains the best option if you can afford it. Not only will you get a more refined and polished design, but you’ll also benefit from their expertise in all aspects of brand design, ensuring your logo is functional across various mediums and products.
To round it off I had ChatGPT create some images of someone making pasta in my fictitious restaurant, I thought I’d share all of the images it created to give you a feel for what it can do. To be fair I think it did a great job, and it looks a lot better than the mess I would have created trying to make pasta from scratch. Note, I had to add the logo using Photoshop (you can use Canva), for the branded T-shirt.
