Logo design. Essay on logos. Logo creation stages

Hello regular readers and guests of my blog! Today I propose to talk about a small symbol, which is one of the most important attributes of any company, website and blog. The creators of these drawings and emblems set themselves the task of displaying in one discreet label what the company or firm does. As a rule, this logo reflects the direction of the company and the type of its main activity. How to create a company logo yourself, or a beautiful logo for a website?

A logo is one of the important details of the website’s appearance. This is the company’s brand, and at the same time its business card. To the extent that your logo looks solid and unique, visitors to any resource evaluate your company.

By the appearance of this symbolic drawing, the quality and usefulness of any page on the Internet is perceived. Even if you use one of the free WordPress themes, you should still definitely change the logo - this is an important task in optimizing your resource.

But many of you, friends, will have a legitimate question: “How can I change the logo if I don’t really know how to draw?” I hasten to reassure you: it is not at all necessary to be an artist yourself. The sketch can be ordered from design studios or freelance exchanges.

And if you want to do it yourself, then know that a logo can also be made in free online Internet services. Of course, your first sketch for a website or company will not turn out to be a masterpiece of web design, but you can enjoy your own creation, and you can simply save a small amount. For some of the most persistent of you, this process may unexpectedly become an additional source of earnings on the Internet. After this argument, I think you will want to read this article to the end?

Now let's talk about each of these services in more detail.

Leading the list of the most popular services Logaster.ru– a convenient and easy way to create a logo online.

This service supports the Cyrillic alphabet, and another advantage is the fact that here you can automatically generate any number of ready-made projects on any topic. You can then edit them at your discretion, and then download them in the desired format to your computer.

Here you can create mailing envelopes with logos, letterheads of any organizations, as well as beautiful and stylish business cards.

I would recommend Logaster, but there are a bunch of other services where you can make yourself a logo for the first time. When creating a logo, start with an idea. First, think about everything and most importantly, don’t do the following:

Logo Creator

Try and this site. It is interesting because sketches are created here in the web 2.0 style. This service is absolutely free, and another interesting feature of this resource is that here you can create elegant, modern buttons for any thematic blogs.

Free Logo Maker

This service kindly provides the opportunity to choose from a huge personal gallery an icon that will best suit the thematic focus of your resource. Right there on the website you can add the desired thematic text to the image. Such online services are very useful for those who do not want to pay for expensive specialist services; and save some money.

Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator

On this service, as its name implies, you can draw web 2.0 type sketches as much as you like, in which you need to add text insertion.

Cool Text

This site may surprise you with the largest catalog of typing text in drawing, and another interesting feature is the ability to create luxurious animated logos. For example: you want your text to blink or be illuminated by flames. No problem! You can do it here. Unfortunately, this function is only possible for the Latin alphabet.

Sketching software for free

If you don't feel like searching for online services on the Internet, you can download a free program to create your own drawing. I would like to add that mastering such a program is much easier than poking around in Photoshop, and understanding it will be quite simple. Three programs stand out in this niche, I will show them and consider one in detail, the other two are similar, look for yourself - everything is intuitive.

Portable AAA Logo

You shouldn’t start drawing a logo in expensive and paid programs used by professionals. You are still beginners, and some inexpensive service will suit you. You can try your hand at it and decide whether you like this activity. So, first, let's get acquainted with the simple and free Portable AAA Logo program, which is very convenient for creating an individual logo. Moreover, this can be a project of any complexity. The program does everything quickly and professionally. In just a few minutes you can see concrete results. To do this, you don’t need to be a designer or even read specialized literature. The result is guaranteed. You can choose about a hundred templates to your liking. Therefore, you will not need to think about the design and sketch. The program is easy to download on the Internet here.

How to work with Portable AAA Logo

To launch the program, simply click its shortcut and in the next window we see a simple interface. First, select a topic and then logo development begins.
In the top row there is a toolbar where you can choose any style that suits you. You can experiment with styles:

  • Remove and change elements and inscriptions;
  • Add icons from the gallery;
  • Change colors and locations of objects;
  • Change the length of sentences;
  • Compress drawings and inscriptions;
  • Move in any direction;
  • Add your own objects for processing to the program;
  • And much more...

As we can see, on the top panel there are as many as six buttons in which you can see tips on creating your own project. There are many different styles out there that will give you ideas for creating a unique style.

The end result is quite professional drawings that look no worse than branded logos that you would pay a lot of money for.

You can upload ready-made drawings into the program and then modify them. This is done like this:


You can select a ready-made sketch from the website gallery. You just need to get creative and remove something from it: for example, replace the inscription or some details of the picture, or add new icons to the image: arrows, stars, men, inscriptions, and so on.

Using these techniques, you can create a new image that will be identified by search engines as absolutely unique. It is enough to change the shape a little or add a few unimportant elements. For a search robot, this is quite enough so that it does not recognize it.

Look here: every element can be changed.

But if you are determined, then try to create something of your own. It's not nearly as difficult as it seems. For a new project, enter the program and click the “File” button, and then “New Project Form”.

A blank checkered sheet will open in front of you. The cells play the role of a vertical-horizontal ruler in the program. To have a place to select sizes; place objects on the same line; and, in general, navigate the sketch.

As you can see, under the drop-down menu there is a large collection of icons that may be useful to you for drawing. Each element of the selected pattern can be changed.
If their number seems insufficient, they can be downloaded on the Internet. Fortunately there are enough drawings there.

Let's move on to the next step, creating a composition from one or several pictures and inserting text.

Let's say we selected the icon of a man at a computer. It can be increased or decreased, changed color. To do this, select the Image button. If you don’t like the color of these scales, then click on them and go to the Colors button. In this field you can select the color of the object or text. You can expand it vertically or horizontally. Or drag it to any place in our picture.

Creating a new object

The program has one drawback. It is not entirely clear how new objects can be added. When you select some interesting icon to complement the sketch with a new character, for some reason the old icon is deleted.

At first I had problems with this. And then I realized some tricks and adapted to do everything without difficulty. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I liked it.

This is the technique. Go to the toolbar, click “Object”, In the submenu select “Duplicate object”, after which a copy of this picture pops up. Then you click any icon you need - and please, it has replaced the duplicate.

That is, you can change any object by creating a duplicate of the drawing. Then click “Image”: after which you can rotate the object in a circle, enlarge, reduce the icon or change the color. In general, you can do whatever you want with the image. After the goal is achieved, delete the extra icon, or by clicking another picture, replace the old one with a new one. Delete – “Object”, then “Delete object”. And this can be done ad infinitum. This way, you create entire compositions from pictures and can supplement them with text.

How to add text

To add text, go to the top panel, click "Object", then select "New Text". A window will pop up containing the letters “New Text”; remove them; choose the font, font color and stroke.

By the way, it looks good when red or orange letters are outlined with a black border. You can also experiment successfully with letter length, spacing, and size. The inscription can be easily extended and reduced in length and height. This also changes the spacing between letters.

Composition background

After the project is created, you can add a background. Or create a background right away and then add images to it. It is important not to make it too dark, and if you really want to make it brighter. Let's say, make the background richly colored, but then the letters should be in the same or contrasting colors, very dark.

A good combination is an orange background with dark blue letters. Or a yellow background with dark purple letters. But, in order to make the letters better readable, make the background paler and the inscriptions very dark.

How to change labels

To change the inscriptions, click the “Transform” button, and a window will appear in front of you in which you will be asked to change the angle of rotation, the bend of the inscription, and the bend radius. The rotation angle can be changed to the left or right. The bending radius of the inscription can be from small to a real circle. The bend can be either external or internal.

Object Gradient

This concept means that an object can change color from light tones to the darkest. Let's say it might look like the picture. As you can see, there is a transition from yellow to blue. But gradients can consist of solid colors. For example: from a pale gray tone to completely black.

The result will be an ashy color with tints. It turns out very beautiful and prestigious. As you can see in the picture, I first selected the black icon and pressed the key labeled "Gradient". After the window appeared, the “Gradient overlay” checkbox was checked, then by clicking on the gradient color window, I called up the next window in which the color scheme appears. For gradient color #1 I chose dark blue, and for gradient #2 I chose yellow.

As a result of mixing, a greenish-blue color appeared with a tonal transition from dark to light. Thus, knowing the basic colors, you can achieve mixing of different colors. Let's say you wanted to get the color purple.

Take bright red and dark blue gradients and get a red-violet inscription. If desired, it can be enhanced by the effect of a cast shadow. You can add a shadow to the letters, and make it dense or translucent. Change the shadow angle and distance. If you make a shadow, then do not forget that it should not be dull and black. It's better to make it bluish-gray.
Program features

For fun, let’s look at what kind of picture you can create in this program. The picture is, of course, a joke, but it shows the possibilities of curved inscriptions on the phrase “Law and Order”; gradient transitions on the scales of justice; the circled letters in the phrase “Saving Drowning People” and the shadow cast by this phrase. The number of icons can be any.

Just remember that overloading the sketch with pictures is also not welcome. To understand the essence of logos, you can look at samples in this program itself, or on the Internet. Pictures are drawn simplified, in the form of silhouettes, often on a white background. Based on the principle of images on road signs. Therefore, when creating your drawings, be guided by the same signs, trying not to overload your symbol with unnecessary signs and inscriptions.

Mirror effect

The program has an interesting effect. You can add a gradient shadow to images of objects from below, as if they are reflected on a mirror surface.

It also creates the illusion that objects are on the same surface. To get this opportunity, you need to go to the toolbar in “Object” and in the submenu that appears, check the box “Reflection. After this, it will be much easier to adjust the placement of objects on the same line.

Saving drawings

When you are completely satisfied with the created image, you need to save it and do what you need with it further. It can be sent over the Internet, printed on a printer, or simply saved on a computer. To do this, click on the “File” inscription on the toolbar and select the desired action.

  • save logo – for transferring to a computer in different formats;
  • save the project as - only in program format for subsequent processing;
  • Export logo for the Web – send by email (different formats);
  • Export logo for printing – saving in many formats for printing on a printer;
  • Import images – in different formats for any purpose.

GreenBox Logo Maker

This program is paid, but its functionality justifies the price. Even professionals can use it. It provides the opportunity to design and create not only amateur symbols for your website, but also professional custom signs, and any logos for commercial companies and various brands.

The trial version provides users with incomplete features that limit their experience. And her big disadvantage is that she does not want to work with the Cyrillic alphabet.

The Logo Creator

The next option will be a little more complicated than the samples described above. But it is better than them in that there are more than five hundred templates that will help you create a truly original drawing.

Many of the online services and programs that I have listed will give you the opportunity to professionally design logos and branding for customers or for the personal needs of your blog. And I looked at 11 more services for creating a logo.

If you still doubt where it is better to create a logo, then look at this service - logaster.ru. This site has Russian-language support and a huge collection of variations of various logo images on any topic, so you can easily make a logo online.

And this is totally kick-ass:

Today we’ll talk about logos: importance, types and stages of creation. Let's find out why the site needs it and what requirements need to be taken into account when developing it.


The largest players in the world market agree to invest multimillion-dollar budgets in the creation of the main emblem of the company, its trademark. It is difficult for a business without a logo to promote its product, receive high consumer appreciation, and create an image of a successful and prosperous enterprise. According to the results of marketing research, a modern person receives more than 10,000 advertising messages every day. In conditions of such high competition, the effectiveness of advertising depends, first of all, on brand recognition and popularity.

A logo is the name of a company, presented in the form of a text, text-graphic or graphic symbol. The word itself appeared in the 19th century and denoted text cliches used by printing houses. Only in the twentieth century. the term began to be used as a designation of a symbol symbolizing a specific brand, organization or product.

Why does a brand need a logo?

First of all, for recognition. The image function of a good logo is difficult to overestimate. Being more than just a picture, the emblem performs a number of marketing tasks:

  • Distinctive– sets the brand apart from the competitive environment.
  • Protective– protects the brand product from copying and counterfeiting.
  • Warranty– when placed on a product, it confirms the declared quality.
  • Aesthetic– becomes one of the elements in the design of product packaging.
  • Advertising– recognition works, builds trust, increases loyalty.

What is a company logo? This is the basis of the corporate identity, the embodiment of the philosophy and principles of the brand. And also a symbol that you will have to come up with after reading this article.

An example of an excellent logo is the Formula 1 sign, which immerses you in the world of high speeds and frantic drive.

How to come up with your own symbol

There are only three main types of logos:

Symbolic (graphic or symbolic)

It is an abstract image. The advantage of such logos is that they are easily perceived and quickly remembered, creating stable associative connections in the brain.

Text

Usually it is a stylized combination of letters or numbers, made using corporate fonts. To create a text logo, it is not necessary to use the company name. These can be abbreviations, abbreviations, artificially created words.

Combined

The most common type of logo, which combines text and symbolic components. It is considered universal, allowing elements to be used separately for placement on different media.

Principles and important rules

In order for the company logo to look organically on the website, business cards, packaging, etc., it is necessary to take into account and follow the rules for logo development:

Originality

Everyone knows that plagiarism is punishable. Therefore, we strongly recommend being creative and inventing. Moreover, such a solution will set you apart from competitors, such as, for example, the Mercedes company:

Three rays enclosed in a circle are a symbol of the production of engines for the three elements: earth, water and air.

Simplicity and conciseness

The lightweight design is not only quickly remembered, but also looks great on small media. A great example is the NIKE badge:

The swoosh symbol represents the sound of air being cut as it moves.

Versatility

Think in advance about how the logo will look on an office sign, employee business cards, a website page, an advertising flyer, or a branded T-shirt. Regardless of the area of ​​the advertising plane and the compression percentage, the image quality should not suffer.

At Gazprom, everything is thought through to the smallest detail.

Symbolism

For all its simplicity, the logo must necessarily reflect the specifics of your company’s work and evoke appropriate associations. For example, as a sign of the Russian State Library:

Logo creation stages

Now let's talk about how to come up with and draw an emblem for your company or personal brand from scratch. To do this, you can use special graphics programs (Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator) or one of the online designers (ool Text, Logo Snap, Logo Yes, Simwebsol, etc.).

In order for a hand-made sign to fully reflect the company’s philosophy and the author’s idea, you will have to try. As inspiration, you can use association services (association.org), brainstorming and the work of foreign colleagues.

Stage 1. Analytical

Before you start drawing, you need to think through the concept of the future logo. To do this, you will have to study the logos of competitors, formulate the competitive advantages of your brand, and highlight your target audience. Such detailed work is not only useful for business, but also a great help in the next step.

Stage 2. Sketch

Display on paper the symbols that you think reflect the specifics of your brand. Be inspired by the work of others, but never plagiarize. Remember that each trademark must be unique, and copyright infringement is punishable by law.

At this stage, detailed drawing is not needed. Play with accents and color schemes. If necessary, involve colleagues or friends in the work, brainstorm or discuss.

Important: it is impossible to patent a logo if there are identical or similar versions. This means that commercial use of such an emblem is not possible.

Stage 3. Trial

Are there a few options left? Show them to clients, employees, and representatives of the target audience. Listen to reviews. Pay attention to the associative series and such characteristics as memorability, symbolism, etc. Make changes to the option you like and present it to the world as a new emblem of your business.

Stage 4. Presentation

After all modifications and error corrections, your logo is ready for legal registration.

Your brand color

In this article, we have not yet touched upon another important aspect of creating a logo – the choice of color scheme. While it is color (according to American studies) that becomes the formative factor stimulating purchase in 60% of cases. Psychologists confirm that certain shades evoke similar associations in people, causing similar reactions and stereotypes.

Red

Symbolizes activity, energy, activity. Actively used in auto industries, fast foods, and the film industry:

Blue

Calm and reliable, speaks of trust, protection and responsibility. Popular in energy, medicine, insurance, banking:

Green

A symbol of wealth, prestige, environmental friendliness and naturalness. Rich is associated with abundance, and light is associated with serenity, which is used by representatives of eco-food, construction and repair:

Yellow

The brighter the shade, the more positive it carries. Liveliness, brightness, joy and fun - all these associations are used by youth brands, fast foods and companies involved in the sale of gadgets and equipment:

Black

Respectable and “elite”, emphasizes prestige and exclusivity. Therefore, it works great in the “expensive” areas of branded clothing and accessories, perfume:

Don't turn your logo into a rainbow. Two to four colors will be enough to create an effective, memorable symbol. Otherwise, if significantly reduced (on a business card, as a favicon on a website), it can turn into an incomprehensible blur.

As you can see, creating a logo for a website or company is quite simple. If you have the desire, time, perseverance and basic PC skills, you can do this yourself. Try your hand, develop creativity, don’t be afraid to embody the most daring ideas - and your logo will actively work to develop and popularize your business.

What should the logo be? How to make it as effective and memorable as possible? After all, a logo is a very important element of style and identification of a company or brand. All the most outstanding and memorable logos have one thing in common - they are simple, concise and informative. So how to achieve such harmony so that the logo is like a work of art? Below are 10 basic principles needed to create the right logo. You need to not only know about these principles, but also constantly check them in the process of creating a logo. Then, as a result, you can get a really small design masterpiece, as the examples given in the article clearly demonstrate.

1. Simplicity
Almost all well-made logos are simple and clear. The expression “less is more” is very suitable here. You need to use only the bare minimum so that the logo does not look overloaded.

2. Attractiveness
The name of this principle speaks for itself. The logo should attract people. It is important that attention is paid to it. It must somehow catch a person, evoke certain emotions and a response in his soul.

3. Readability
Surely each of us has encountered logos that, despite their external originality, were practically unreadable or misleading about the meaning of the text. There is no need to force people to decipher texts into logos.

4. Memorability
This principle implies that a person who has seen the logo once will say the second time: “I’ve already seen this logo!” That is, a successful combination of visuals and inscriptions helps a person to recognize and identify the logo in the future.

5. Versatility
We must always remember that current fashion is changeable. Sometimes the pursuit of ultra-modernity can result in the rapid obsolescence of a logo. Therefore, it is better to use universal design techniques and tools.

6. Originality
The natural desire of any designer is to make the logo original. However, it is very important not to get carried away with originality at the expense of simplicity. Therefore, it is better not to burden the logo design with numerous pretentious elements.

7. Associativity
The visual component of the logo, its font and color should evoke extremely relevant associations and create a correct and accurate image that corresponds to the overall theme of the logo as a whole.

8. Functionality
When creating a logo, you should immediately imagine how it will be scaled, where it will be located, and how it will look in a single color design. Therefore, it is optimal for the logo to be made in vector format.

9. Uniqueness
When creating a logo, colors, fonts, visual elements and their spatial arrangement are involved. And it is the unique, author’s combination of these components that makes up the individuality and uniqueness of your logo.

10. Creativity
This implies the presence of some zest, hidden meaning or message in the logo. Moreover, this message should be simple and understandable. Because if a person sees this highlight, he will probably appreciate it and remember your logo.

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A logo is usually called the name of a company, firm, website, presented in graphic form. Logos are widely used as a trademark and emblem in advertising, notices, product packaging, etc.

Together with other marketing tools, a logo attracts consumer attention, increases brand recall, strengthens brand loyalty and increases trust, which allows a company to stand out in a competitive environment. It is the logo that in most cases plays a huge role in shaping the visitor’s first impression of the site.

Why is a logo needed?

A professionally designed logo can make or break a business, it is the heart of a company's recognition. In some cases, a poorly executed logo can be the difference between systematically attracting customers and not getting any at all.

There are three main types of logos:

  • Text . The essence of a brand, website or company is expressed through some text, font and color in which the brand name is used;
  • Iconic. Often expressed by a specific abstract graphic element, an abbreviation, or a single capital letter;
  • Combined. This type of logo is the most common, universal and memorable. Represents a combination of text, symbol, or sign.

Each logo must meet the following basic requirements:

  • Creativity and originality. A unique sign will be the business card of your site;
  • Associativity. If the logo reflects the theme of your activity, this will be a big plus;
  • Conciseness. " Everything ingenious is simple" Figures that are difficult to perceive are much more difficult to remember.

As practice shows, obtaining high-quality and original symbols requires both competent implementation and a creative approach.

Self-generation of logo ideas

The answer to the question " how to design a logo?“First of all, it involves creating the concept and content of the final product: website address, picture, slogan, symbol, etc. Also, you need to choose a suitable image for an example or basis and decide on the characteristics.

Most often, the logo size is not too large - 250 pixels wide and 100 pixels high, but if you want to use a different size, everything is in your hands. You can draw a logo yourself, buy a ready-made version on the Internet, or order it from a designer.

It is important that the basis for the logo is not “exposed” on the vastness of the World Wide Web:

  • It is absolutely not necessary to achieve realistic brand symbols: abstract elements in some cases look more expensive and more impressive;
  • If you have any difficulties with an idea, no one forbids you to look at competitors’ websites and analyze the success of their symbols;
  • There are many free services on the Internet for template logo development, however, more on that later.

Programs for creating your own logo

If creating a simple logo from a template for some reason does not suit you, you should think about a more professional approach to the matter.

To do this, you will need a ready-made drawing, approved as a basis or example, and a graphic editor:

  • Adobe Photoshop. This tool for creating and processing raster graphics is a leader among similar programs due to its high speed, efficiency and wide capabilities and multi-functionality. Implemented the ability to work with contours and layers;
  • Adobe Illustrator. Quite a popular program for editing and creating vector graphics. Anyone can download the demo version from the official website and use it for free for 30 days;
  • CorelDRAW. A popular software package for working with vector graphics, supporting a huge number of various formats and having rich functionality.

The advantage of working in the editor over using Internet services is that it does not require Internet access and has a much wider range of capabilities. So, how to create a logo using the program?

Creating a logo in Adobe Photoshop

Let's look at creating a simple logo for a website in Adobe Photoshop, step by step. Our logo may change color depending on the background, and if there is a need to change or modify anything, be sure to save a copy of the final file in .psd format:

The result of the work is a multifunctional image, which, thanks to the use of only two colors, can be placed on any background. In addition, the letter F will look great as a site favicon.

If the face is the mirror of the soul, then the logo is a reflection of the entire essence of your company. You may not even realize it, but sometimes logos say much more about a company than its description.
Any company, any business or startup faces a moment when it needs to clearly decide on a logo. This is a very important, difficult and time-consuming task that can take more than one month. Logical questions arise: how to create a logo, what the logo should be, what color it is and what it is responsible for in various logos. Believe me, many questions will arise, and each of them needs a detailed and reasonable answer.

Article on the topic:


Almost any detail of the logo - its color, shape, font, small details - carries hidden information for the client, and can subconsciously influence certain desires, decisions and preferences. For the development of your company, it is very important that all the details of the future logo are meaningful, have a certain meaning, and meet all specified criteria and topics.
Therefore, if you have wondered how to create a logo, or have been looking for useful information regarding the color of the logo and its influence on the subconscious of buyers for a very long time, then in this article you will find answers to all your questions.
I would like to answer that the article was written not just based on theoretical facts, but is based on my own experience of creating logos for several large companies, as well as on the experience of good friends who have PR and a design studio.

Article on the topic:

1. Consider the scope of the business

The shape and details of the logo largely depend on the scope of your company. Not even from the field of activity itself, but from clients, their preferences and vision of this field. If you are engaged in a serious business, for example the supply of industrial equipment, then the logo should be made in strict colors, with clear shapes. Looking at such a logo, the client should immediately understand three factors: seriousness, responsibility, solidity. There should not be anything superfluous on such logos.
Conversely, if you sell clothes for young people, then the logo should be bright, with rounded shapes, various curls and fancy images. Focus on what is interesting to your target audience.
Of course, there are also “anti-logos” that work successfully although they do not meet any standard. I don’t deny that you can follow this path and create something unusual, creative, shocking. But, as a rule, choosing such a logo is a risk. Perhaps clients will understand and appreciate your idea, then there will be a super effect, but, most likely, such a logo will not be successful.

Article on the topic:

2. Be clear about what you want

When the question of creating a logo comes up, as a rule, the customer does not know what he wants. The dialogue between the customer and the designers is usually like this: “We don’t know what the logo should be, but we should like it and surprise everyone.” Unfortunately, 99.99% of designers do not have foresight abilities and do not use the services of psychics in their work. Therefore, if you want to get a good logo, then you need to clearly understand what you want and convey your idea to the designer as accurately as possible.
How to do it? Before ordering a logo design, you should search the Internet for images from other companies. Collect 10-20 of the ones you like the most. Find particularly successful details in each and tell the designer about it. The logos you choose do not necessarily have to be from the same field in which your company operates. The main thing is to decide what you liked most.
Also, along with “I like”, select the logos of companies that you think are terrible. Point out what you definitely shouldn’t have. If this is done, the designer will have an initial idea of ​​what the logo should look like, which elements to include, and which ones to avoid. However, it is important here not to fall into outright plagiarism. Especially if you are going to register the resulting masterpiece as a trademark. If it is too reminiscent of the logo of famous brands, you may be denied registration.

3. Use no more than 2 colors

There are certain companies and areas of business where God himself ordered the use of many colors in the logo. For example, innovative companies that bring something new to the world and want to emphasize this with their logo. As a rule, these are large companies with huge investments and prospects. Among the most famous are Google, Microsoft, Apple. Also, multi-colored logos are used by entertainment companies (just remember the logo of the NBC television channel). Well, don’t forget about printing companies, on whose logos it would be a shame not to include the entire palette of colors, thereby emphasizing their field of activity.
But there are not so many companies that can afford to use all the colors of the rainbow in one logo. As a rule, there are no more than 5% of them, and the remaining 95 should adhere to a strict rule - no more than two colors. This will give the logo rigor and allow you to focus on those shades that you consider the most successful in your field.
Using two colors is the best choice not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for practical ones. It often happens that a logo needs to be printed on a black and white printer, and any color logo will look ugly and sloppy. We must not forget that multi-color logos have a number of problems when used in various printing products. They look optimal only on a white background, and if there is any other background, the effect is instantly lost.

The color of the logo plays a very important role

4. Remember that colors have semantics

The top three colors used in company logos are blue (33%), red (29%) and black or gray (28%). Another 13% of companies use yellow. The remaining colors are in demand by an insignificant share of firms - green, purple, pink account for no more than 5%. The explanation here is quite simple: the leading colors are the most noticeable and striking. Moreover, each of them carries its own hidden message to the consumer. Red is energetic and aggressive: it is a common color for the logos of automobile brands (Toyota, Jaguar, Audi). He is loved by brands that emphasize modernity and promote an energetic lifestyle (Canon, Coca Cola, MTV, Red Bull, from Russia - MTS). At the same time, red is often perceived as a youthful color (the combination of red and yellow is even more youthful): it is not suitable for companies whose business wants to emphasize “moderation and accuracy.” Blue is better suited here - it calms and puts you in a pleasant mood. This is the best color for technology companies (Intel, IBM, Samsung, Siemens): it casts metal and glass. Among automobile companies, it is loved by those who emphasize simplicity and reliability rather than energy (Ford, BMW, Volvo). For the same qualities, banks (Deutsche Bank, VTB), payment systems (Visa, PayPal, Webmoney) and postal services (remember the blue eagle on the Russian Post logo) love it. Blue encourages positive communication; it is not without reason that it is the leader among the logos of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, VKontakte). Black is a minimalist and precise color: it must be used with great care, as it can easily add a hint of gloom. It emphasizes quality and representativeness (Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Nike). However, in most cases, black is not used as the main color - it serves mainly to highlight the inscriptions (Renault, Lego). Yellow is the ideal color for companies in the food industry (McDonalds, Burger King, Subway) and the entertainment industry.

5. Picture or text – what is more important?

41% of companies use only text in their logo. You also need to decide what is more important to you – a beautiful graphic picture or a well-written text. On the one hand, the text increases brand awareness, the name will always be heard and will be easy to read. But on the other hand, the absence of a picture minimizes the hidden message to potential clients.
Small companies, in our opinion, should choose the text version of the logo also because they very rarely have a good designer who can successfully draw a picture and correctly position the text. Professional designers who specialize in creating logos charge thousands of dollars for their work. Sometimes these costs are not necessary for small companies.

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The vast majority of small companies choose text. Although if you look at world-famous companies, you can find similar logos here too. For example, YouTube, Skype, Yandex, Yahoo!, Google - they all followed this path.
“For small companies the situation is not so dire. You can act like one of my friends, who drew an incomprehensible “doodle” in Photoshop and wrote the name of the company underneath in a beautiful font,” says the head of the design company. An example is the Nike logo, which was designed by an amateur designer, but became famous throughout the world. And few people know that the Disney logo is just a beautiful painting by Walt Disney, which was taken as a basis.

6. Using the company name is highly desirable, but not required.

About 10% of companies do not use their name when developing a logo. This is very strange, because recognition is deteriorating significantly, but the fact remains. The most famous brand that uses only a picture is Apple from Apple. Back in 1978, a rainbow logo appeared, which seemed to shout to the whole world: “We are a new, but rather unusual company. You can expect a lot from us, and you will see it.”
The image of only a picture on the logo dates back to the Middle Ages, when in front of the craft workshops there was a tin sign with the selected goods produced in this workshop. But then there was a monopoly on manufacturing, and if a buyer saw a shoe in front of a store, he knew that this was where he would buy the shoe, and nowhere else. Nowadays the competition is huge, and the image of a shoe is unlikely to help you tell about yourself fully.
If you still decide to limit yourself to a picture, then follow the path of Apple and take a bright, memorable image. Although our advice will be rational: do not take risks, because Apple is a unique company, and it will be very difficult to repeat their success. Choose a logo option that combines a picture and an image.

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7. Correct font

If you choose a text version of the logo, then the font is an important component. Of course, it is much easier to choose than a color or the right picture, but it also has its own characteristics. The font is also easy to match to the direction of your business, just like the rectangular shapes and curlicues we talked about above.
Try not to use standard fonts that everyone already knows. If you write the name in ordinary Times New Roman or Arial, then many will consider you a lazy person who did not particularly care about the appearance of the logo.
Although there are exceptions. One has only to look at the logo of the social network VKontakte. And when Pavel Durov was asked how long it took them to create the logo, the answer came immediately: “30 seconds. I just typed the name in a standard font and I liked it.”
But again, VKontakte is the exception rather than the rule, and you shouldn’t look up to them in the area of ​​logo creation. Choose unusual fonts that are little known. Yes, you can do something interesting yourself if you slightly modify little recognizable types of writing.

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8. You need to choose the original picture

Choosing the right and successful image for your logo is a whole task. Let’s say right away that the task will be extremely difficult, and don’t despair if you don’t find anything useful the first time. How many of you know what the Apple logo looks like? I am sure that everyone now imagined a bitten apple. Now remember what the very first logo of this company looked like? Do you know? It was a jumble of all sorts of elements: the canvas depicted a landscape, a tree, and Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree, biting an apple. To be honest, the logo was very lousy. As a result, it was simplified to a minimum and only the apple was left.
Believe me, in the process of work, your company’s logo will also change and evolve, acquiring new features and characteristics. This is a normal and integral process of development of any company.