Questions to Ask Before Designing a Logo For Your Business

A logo can be considered as the ‘face’ of your business, upon first glance it needs to make an impression on a potential client and pique their curiosity versus chasing them away. For small businesses it can be costly to hire a professional to take care of designing your logo the correct way. Fortunately, there are free tools on the market that are as good as hiring a professional, but before you start, consider the following questions to ensure you design a logo of high quality. 

Do I need to include my business name and tagline?

Although it is not essential to include a tagline in your logo, using your business name can provide more information about your brand, which is often done by many entrepreneurs. If you do not use a tagline in your logo you can fill up the space with your business name so that it’s not wasted. 

What icon or image do I need to use? 

It can become confusing when deciding what image or icon to use for a logo that will make it appealing. Often new business owners might also use an image that looks exactly like the product or service being offered, but it is recommended to be versatile and creative about what imagery or icons to use. An image does not need to be a literal representation. An image or icon can be viewed more as a symbolic representation of the brand, it needs to be easily noticed and memorable. Using TRUiC’s (The Really Useful Information Company) free logo maker will help you find creative logo ideas before making a final decision. 

Is it better to use uppercase or lowercase letters?

The answer to this is not black-and-white, you can be creative with uppercase and lowercase letters according to your business needs. Uppercase letters can depict more firmness and formality, whereas lowercase letters can be more playful and informal. For example, you can use uppercase letters for your business name and lowercase letters for your tagline. 

How do I need to space my business name and tagline?

It’s important to consider spacing in your logo, if fonts are too big it can make your logo appear cluttered. It’s recommended that your tagline appears shorter, and in a thinner font, than the main title or name, this will be easier to read and have a more balanced effect. 

Can I use a frame around my logo?

Depending on preferences, you can use a frame as it will often add more character to the logo. To avoid a cluttered look ensure there is adequate space between the frame and the logo’s text or icon, increase the size of the frame or decrease the size of the text in the name and tagline. Consider the thickness of the frame, does it compliment the elements (text, images or icons) inside?

How can I make my logo effectively visible?

To ensure adequate visibility of your logo, whether it’s on a billboard, business card, or promotional materials, use a font that will be easy to read and a suitable size. Choosing the right colors will also ensure visibility, for a light-colored text use a darker background to create a contrasting effect, and conversely, for dark-colored texts use a lighter background color. 

How can my logo look more balanced?

Aligning your name, tagline, and icon parallel to one another, either left, center, or right, will give your logo a balanced look. Additionally, icons need to match the height of the text used in the logo name, these can also be larger than the text. A smaller icon will create an imbalanced appearance in the logo.  

Summary

Once you are clear on what your logo will look like, it is important to use a logo maker that offers high resolution downloads in formats like SVG and PNG. This will allow your logo to be scaled for a variety of purposes like social media, business cards, or merchandise. It’s advised to brainstorm and test various logo prototypes before using it for your business. Utilizing the design guidelines above will ensure your logo is not only professional, but easy to engage with.