Learn how to design an outstanding logo from scratch with this practical step-by-step guide—including common mistakes to avoid.
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If you’ve been tasked with designing a logo, you might be tempted to open up your chosen design software and…just start designing. But that’s not actually where the logo design process begins.
Before you can create an effective logo, you first need to spend time really getting to know the brand—and thinking about how you’ll accurately capture and convey it to the target audience. Then there’s the research phase, followed by ideation, design, and testing…
But we’re not here to overwhelm you! We’re actually here to guide you through the process step by step and make sure you’re ticking every box, resulting in a memorable, versatile, and meaningful logo.
Here’s what you’ll find in our actionable guide to logo design:
- What is logo design and why does it matter?
- How to design a logo: your 7-step guide
- What NOT to do when designing a logo: 3 common mistakes to avoid
- Your logo design checklist
- Learn more about graphic design
Ready to design a remarkable logo? Let’s begin.
1. What is logo design and why does it matter?
Consider your favourite brands. They’ve all got memorable logos, right? The Nike ‘swoosh’; the iconic three stripes you instantly recognise as Adidas; the Apple apple; the unmistakable McDonald’s ‘M’...
An effective logo serves as a visual representation of the brand—using imagery, typography, and colour to communicate the brand’s personality and connect with the target audience. As such, logo design is an essential part of building a brand identity.
And the process isn’t just about creating the logo itself. It also involves building a deep understanding of the brand, conducting extensive research, ideating and iterating, testing, and getting stakeholder approval.
It’s undeniably one of the trickiest tasks a designer will face, and that’s because getting it right is so important. But, with the help of our step-by-step guide, you can master the logo design process from start to finish.
So without further ado, let’s get to it!
2. 7 Essential Steps to Professional Logo Design
i. Understand the brand
A logo is the visual embodiment of the brand’s overall identity. It should aptly convey what the brand stands for and evoke certain associations or emotions within the target audience.
That’s a lot to achieve with limited space—and that’s why this first step in the process is absolutely critical. Before you put pen to paper (or start getting creative on the computer), make sure you fully and deeply understand the brand.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What’s the story behind the brand? Who started the company and why?
- What core values and beliefs define the brand? What is the company’s mission and purpose?
- What words best describe the brand? (Try to narrow it down to three-five)
- Who is the target audience? What kind of people are you appealing to?
- How do you want the target audience to feel when they think of the brand?
- What makes the brand different? What sets it apart from the competition?
Conduct your own research and draw insights from key stakeholders—i.e. those who know the brand best, such as the founder(s), the CEO, and people in the marketing team.
The more vivid a picture you can paint of the brand, the easier it will be to capture and represent it in logo form.
ii. Conduct research and gather inspiration
With a solid understanding of the brand, it’s time to consider how you’ll translate the brand personality into something visual. The next step in the process is to conduct competitor research and gather inspiration for your logo.
The goal of competitor research is to gauge what seems to be common or standard practice in your target market. Logos for fintech brands will differ greatly from luxury cosmetics logos, for example. Looking at competitors will give you insight into what your target audience is already familiar with—and, therefore, what logo design choices might help them to recognise and understand your brand.
Besides looking at competitors, it’s worth exploring popular logo design trends. This will show you what’s possible and spark your own creative process. Compile your research and inspiration into a central location for easy reference—be it a physical moodboard, a digital moodboard, or a simple document or slide deck.
We guarantee that, during this phase in the process, you’ll already start forming some great ideas for your logo.
iii. Decide on a logo type and style
Next, you’re going to decide what type of logo you’ll create. There are 7 different types of logos, each with their pros and cons. You can learn about the main logo types and when to use them in this guide—and here they are at a glance:
Wordmark logos: A typographic logo featuring text only, usually the brand name (for example, the Coca-Cola logo).
Lettermark (or monogram) logos: A typographic logo based on the brand’s initials or some kind of acronym or abbreviation (for example, the Louis Vuitton ‘LV’ monogram).
Pictorial mark logos: A single image, icon, or graphic that represents the brand (like the Twitter bird before it was rebranded to X, or the WWF panda).
Abstract logos: Another type of pictorial mark logo, based on an abstract image rather than something instantly recognisable (for example, the Nike ‘swoosh’ or the teardrop-shaped Airbnb symbol).
Emblem logos: Text and/or imagery inside a geometric shape, usually a shield, crest, or badge (e.g. the NFL logo or the iconic Superman shield).
Mascot logos: Logos that include an illustration or drawing of a mascot—a character that represents the brand (like the KFC Colonel).
Combination logos: A combination of different logo types, usually comprising text and an image or symbol.
You may already have an idea of what logo type you’ll go for based on your market research. If you’re designing for a serious brand, for example, you can immediately rule out mascot logos as these typically evoke a sense of fun and playfulness. Equally, if you’ve noticed that most brands in your target market use a combination logo, you may wish to do the same.
Once you’ve settled on a logo type, consider the kind of style you want to achieve. Will you design something retro? Something modern and minimalistic? Something funky and abstract? If you’re creating a text-based logo, pay particular attention to how you’ll style the words and/or letters. Take inspiration from these typography examples, and consider the key elements, rules, and principles of effective typography.
If you’re undecided as to what visual direction your logo should take, refer back to your research and inspiration from step two.
iv. Sketch out initial ideas and concepts
You know what type of logo you want to create, as well as the general feel and aesthetic you want to achieve. Now it’s time to grab a pencil and paper and sketch out your initial ideas.
You might wish to sketch out each element of your logo separately—for example, if you’re creating a combination logo, you may sketch out different typography designs first before sketching out images or symbols. Or you might choose to sketch out the logo in its entirety, letting one element flow into the next.
This stage should be very free and organic, so just see where your drawing takes you. Let the design evolve naturally and don’t get hung up on creating something perfect. This is your chance to experiment, be creative, and ultimately put all of your initial ideas onto paper.
It’s not necessary to think about colour at this point. Focus on the general blueprint for the logo without thinking too much about the finer details. You can fill these in later once the building blocks of your logo are in place.
v. Design the outline of your logo using logo design software
After the sketching phase, select a few designs to take forward—ideally no more than three. You’re now going to create digital mockups of your logo.
Here we recommend using a vector graphics tool such as Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, or something similar. Design each element of your logo within your chosen software and insert any pre-designed graphics or fonts.
Once you’ve created each individual component, consider the overall composition and the relationship between the singular elements. Your logo should be perceived as a harmonious whole, so experiment and adjust until you’ve got the right balance.
Pay special attention to alignment, hierarchy, proportion, proximity, and white space. These are the fundamental principles of graphic design, and they’ll impact the overall aesthetic and legibility of your logo. If you’re not familiar, check out this guide: 12 Fundamental Graphic Design Principles and How to Apply Them.
vi. Choose your logo colours
Colour is everything in logo design, so choose your logo colours wisely.
First, consider what colours best represent the brand and evoke the desired associations and emotions in the target audience. Here you can turn to colour psychology—the study of how different colours impact people’s moods, feelings, and behaviours.
At the same time, refer back to your competitor research. What colours are typically associated with your target industry? Green often denotes nature, for example, while gold may be associated with luxury. Depending on the brand personality you’re trying to convey, you might choose a colour palette that’s instantly meaningful for your target user—or go against the grain with colours that aren’t usually seen in your chosen industry.
Once you’ve chosen your logo colours, think about how you’ll apply them to create contrast, dimension, and harmony within your design. If you’re layering text over imagery, for example, you’ll need to ensure plenty of colour contrast between each element.
Return to your digital logo mock-ups and add colour. Play around with different colour combinations and arrangements to see what works best in terms of contrast, balance, legibility and, ultimately, conveying the brand personality.
vii. Test and refine your logo design(s)
You’re almost there! You should now have one or several logo designs that you’re ready to put to the test.
If you’re designing a logo for a client, present your designs to key stakeholders to get their feedback. Depending on budget and resources, you might also test your logo design(s) on a sample of target users.
Once you’ve gathered enough feedback, refine your designs and ultimately whittle it down to one final version. Once everybody is happy, you can deliver the final files and launch your logo into the world!
3. Avoid These 3 Common Logo Design Mistakes
We’ve outlined the key steps you need to follow when designing a logo from scratch. Now let’s consider what not to do. Here are 3 common logo design mistakes to avoid at all costs.
i. Don’t underestimate the importance of legibility and clarity
It’s absolutely essential that your logo is both clearly legible and easy to understand.
In terms of legibility, make sure you use sufficient colour contrast and negative space to distinguish between different elements. And, if you’re incorporating text, use a typeface that’s easy enough to read.
In terms of clarity, the goal is to design something unique yet meaningful. The viewer should be able to look at your logo and form an impression of the brand. If they have to really study your logo to figure out what it says or what it’s conveying, you may lose the opportunity to make an impact and connect with your target audience.
ii. Don’t over-complicate your logo
In your quest to make a logo that’s bursting with meaning and accurately represents the brand, you may fall into the trap of over-complicating the design and incorporating too many different elements. This is detrimental for several reasons.
One: your logo will appear cluttered and visually ‘busy’. This tends to be jarring for the viewer—especially in small designs with limited space, as is the case with logos. And two: if your logo is too complex or elaborate, it’ll be difficult to scale up and down. This will cause problems when it comes to displaying your logo in different contexts.
Design your logo with simplicity in mind. Incorporate just one or two key elements and ensure ample spacing for a clean, clutter-free aesthetic.
iii. Don’t design your logo with just one context in mind
Logo design is especially challenging because you need to create something that looks good almost anywhere. Brands display their logos wherever they want to have a presence—on their website, on social media, in their email signatures, on t-shirts, on physical signage…the list goes on!
Don’t make the mistake of designing your logo for one specific context and then hoping that it’ll work just as well everywhere else. Think about all the different possible channels and use cases from the get-go and design your logo with these in mind.
A top-quality logo is versatile, adaptable, and scalable. It looks great in different sizes and can easily be reproduced for different contexts.
4. Your logo design checklist
Think you’ve nailed the logo design process? Run through this checklist to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes and adhering to the most important logo design principles and best practices:
Is your logo simple? Does it make a powerful statement using just one or two key elements?
Is your logo memorable and unique? Is it distinctive from other brands in your target market?
Is your logo design versatile and scalable? Does it work well in different contexts? Can it be easily scaled up and down?
Is your logo clear and legible? Is there plenty of contrast between the different elements? Is all text easy to read? Is it easy for people to decipher the meaning behind your logo?
Is your logo evergreen? Will it stand the test of time and serve the brand for years to come? Will it outlive fleeting trends?
Does your logo accurately convey the brand? Do your chosen colours, typography, and imagery evoke the right emotions in the target audience and send the right message about the brand’s personality?
If you can answer “yes” to all of those questions, it sounds like you’ve aced the logo design process.
5. Learn more about logo design and graphic design
Logo design is just one of the many tasks that graphic designers take on. If you’d like to learn more about graphic design, check out these guides:
- 21 Graphic Design Books to Add to Your Reading List
- A Complete Guide to Motion Graphic Design
- The 8 Different Types of Graphic Design (With Examples)
Are you reading about graphic design with the goal of becoming a graphic designer? Then consider a graphic design course. A credible program will teach you all the key skills, tools, and processes you need to work as a graphic designer—and, importantly, help you build out your graphic design portfolio. Check out the AND Academy Graphic Design Diploma and see how it compares to other programs in this graphic design course comparison. You can also take a look at student projects like the Brand Identity Project by Abhishek Singh for reference.
If you’re looking for a free graphic design course to better understand what pursuing formal education in the field would look like, here’s a blog you can read: 7 Best Free Graphic Design Courses to Consider in 2024
Next Steps:
You can also consider these additional resources in case of further queries or information:
- Watch this session by design veteran and AND’s Academic Head, Prachi Mittal, and our Course Lead, Soumya Tiwari.
- Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
- Pursue our Graphic Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, and some even offer a Job Guarantee.
- Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.
Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.
