Launching your own business is exciting. However, there is obviously a lot to take care of. At some point, you will want a logo for your website, as well as your letterheads and other branding materials.
In a world where the barrier to entry for online businesses is low (setting up your eCommerce store and forming an LLC have never been easier), you will want something to help stand out from the crowd.
Your logo and overall business identity is one of many ways to this, and shouldn’t be ignored.
Essentially, designing an attractive and unique logo that conveys a message about your business is important.
In this short guide, we will look into some design tips that will help you do this.
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Table of Contents
Know target your audience
Your branding and logo need to appeal to your target audience. Therefore, you need to know your audience.
Who are they, and what will they be looking for from your online business?
In an eCommerce store, this can be ascertained by your niche and the type of products you are selling. Who are the buyers?
If you are selling professional services, you will likely want to convey an image of professionalism, the style of your logo should represent this.
A good logo will be able to present an image that your customers should be able to relate to.
Get this wrong and they can be deterred by it, or unfairly consider your business to not be the right fit for them.
(An extreme example would be a law firm that decides to use a cartoon female blowing a kiss as a mascot around their logo design; would you take them seriously to look after your legal affairs?)
One way of getting your head inside your customer is to create a typical character profile of your target audience. What is their demographic, age, education, musical tastes, where do they live?
All of these will help you take your logo designs in the right direction.
Choose colors wisely
The colors you use in your logo convey meanings and evoke certain emotions. Red for lust or danger, for instance, greens and blues for calm.
Not only that, but as you think about branding, the colors you choose should run throughout your business.
This could include the color of the boxes you use on your website, or more specifically (if relevant) the colors used for the actual product you are selling.
Cool metallics may suggest a tech-based business, while natural tones might be used for an online health store.
The important issue is to consider these carefully, don’t just opt for yellow because it happens to be your favorite color.
Beyond the thematic choice of colors for your branding, in terms of your logo, you do not want anything that will clash.
Fonts and icons need to stand out and be clear against one another. Do not use too many colors for your logo, opt for 2 or 3 at the most.
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Typography is your friend
The fonts you use also convey meaning. There are so many fonts available these days that it is possible to get overwhelmed.
This is why a little planning will put you in good stead. Will flowery, hand-written style fonts appeal to your audience and convey an appropriate business image?
If not, steer clear of them.
Is a dramatic bold font a suitable style, or should you choose something more understated?
Go back to tip one and think about your audience and the overall brand image that you wish to convey.
Then look for fonts that project this “personality”.
If you are selling products online it can sometimes work to use more elaborate typography (a detailed swirling font for a flower store for instance).
Just ensure that the finished logo works in terms of design and that the text can be clearly read. Too elaborate fonts can sometimes look amateurish. Watch out for this.
The good news is, it is very easy to experiment with fonts within modern design programs and online services.
Once the text for your logo is in place, simply rotate through the various available fonts until you find something that works for you.
One final point on typography, if possible the logo fonts should work with the rest of your website copy so that you have a cohesive brand image that makes sense.
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Icons should be simple
When you opt to use icons and/or graphical motifs in your logo, simplicity rules.
Your online store and therefore logo has to look good on screens of all sizes. If you choose a large and complicated icon how will this look on a small mobile phone screen? Not very good probably.
The details of an intricate logo are lost when scaled down, so it is important you keep them simple so that they look good at all times.
(The same applies if you use your logo for your Facebook page profile or Instagram account for instance.)
I prefer simple shapes or abstract symbols when using icons, as these can convey meaning, look good in all forms, and can complement text without getting in the way.
Hire an expert
Finally, a good design approach when creating a logo is to think about all the above points and then hire an expert to realize your vision.
Not only that, a professional will be able to steer you in directions you may not have had the skills or know-how to go in.
Ultimately, you will get a more polished result if you have had no prior experience creating logos.
The good news is there are plenty of ways of getting a quality logo, without breaking the bank.
Fiverr is possibly my favorite method, and I have used designers on this site for most of my logo designs in the past.
For no more than $100, it is possible to get a well-thought-out design, often with unlimited variations if you request changes.
For those with larger budgets, it is possible to employ full design studios advertised on Fiverr too. These will create brand packages that focus on all aspects of your brand image.
For more details on some of the best logo designers working on Fiverr in 2021, head here.
