Last week we discussed the creation of our own visual universe, from our color palette to our choice of font. This week we will focus on another important point of visual identity, the logo.
How to create a good logo?
1) Understand your target audience
You should think of your logo as the suit you will wear at a party for your clients, investors, and co-workers. This suit must be well cut, and clean, but if you want to make a good impression, it must also appeal to the people you will meet.
Since your logo is the first image your potential customers will have of your brand, it needs to speak to the right people. Your logo is meant to connect with your audience, but to do that, you need to know what your audience likes and dislikes. So, before you set out to create your logo, you need to know your target audience.
For example, if someone is looking for an investment fund, they probably won’t turn to one that displays bright colors and fancy fonts.
To do this, don’t hesitate to research your direct and indirect competitors and collect their logos in a file to analyze them. The goal of this logo analysis is to bring out the typical characteristics of the logos and then create your own difference.
2) Make the right choice of typography to create a logo
The font of your logo is not a trivial choice, it also contributes to your brand image. Sans serif, serif, or handwritten, each one evokes different values, it’s up to you to choose the one most adapted to your brand.
Current trends in typography can also provide arguments in favor of one or the other. Finally, don’t mix more than 2 typefaces for the sake of clarity.
3) Create your logo in black and white
A surefire way to get started on a logo design is to design it in black and white, then add the color later. Don’t get distracted by color effects too early in the process. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to develop the form while making the most of negative and positive space.
Creating a monochrome logo keeps your brain focused on the shape of your logo. Plus, the best (and most versatile) logos should also be able to be displayed in black and white if necessary. Once your monochrome version is finalized, you can finally think about the colors of your logo.
4) Create several variations
When you think you’ve found the perfect design, create several variations. Play around with fonts from the same family, find similar icons, and test different colors.
For example, if you’ve chosen a combination of image and text for your logo, change the positioning of the elements: place an icon above your company name, then move it to the left. Which solution seems best to you? What if you make the icon bigger?
Try creating at least five versions of your logo, then ask your team, friends, and family for feedback. You’ll quickly see if one variant stands out.
Conclusion
Once you’ve done that, all you have to do is AB testing to find out which variant of your logo works best and where. Indeed you will also need different variations if you want to post in several places, a logo for the website will not be the same as for your Twitter page.
Good luck to you!
