How to create a logo if you are not a designer

Every entrepreneur sooner or later comes to the need to develop a company logo. This usually means that your business has overcome its initial difficulties and now needs to gain a stronger foothold in the market. 

To do this, you need to send letters to customers, conduct promotions, and introduce yourself to a wide audience. 

However, both a commercial offer and an advertising leaflet without a company logo will look faded and inexpressive. You and your message simply will not be noticed among others, because visual perception is primary. And in a competitive environment, being faceless is the same as not existing at all.

So it's time to get down to business logo production. 

It is important to remember: a successful brand name will tell more about your business than a thousand words. And an unsuccessful one will make you look like an amateur and alienate buyers. 

Therefore, let’s approach the task responsibly and consider options on how to make a company logo as economically as possible. 

What should the logo be?

First of all, simple. This is not a knight’s coat of arms, which needs to contain the entire history of the family. The logo should be easy to remember and recognizable at first sight. The fewer details and decorations, the better. Remember, the client will be able to draw a successful logo from memory. 

Secondly, it is appropriate. Symbolism taken out of thin air or too abstract an image do not work here. It is important to match the theme of the business area in which your company operates. 

Thirdly, universal and easily scalable. The brand name should look equally good on a business card, billboard or company employee uniform. 

Fourthly, unique. You need make a logo, which will not be similar to those used by competitors. Otherwise, the chances of brand recognition will be minimal. 

What should a logo not be like?

First of all, banal. For example, the trademark of an IT company does not necessarily contain an image of a computer. It is important to show the unique features of the brand, not its activities.

Similar to clipart. A logo is not an icon chosen for its meaning. It is designed to express the idea of ​​your business, to inspire trust and openness among people. 

Expressive. They say that all genres are good, except boring ones. This fully applies to our question.

Where does logo development begin?

It is unlikely that your business is so unique that it has no competitors. Therefore, first of all, we study their attributes and draw conclusions. 

Open the Yandex search page and find companies that operate in the same niche in your region. Go to their websites and analyze their branding. Ask yourself what unites them and what makes the most interesting ones stand out. 

Creating a logo should take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the visual image of competitors. Ideally, your logo should be more original and memorable.

And now, in order to more specifically imagine your future logo or the impression it should evoke, you need to answer a dozen questions. Designers call this “fill out the brief». 

Fill out the brief for yourself

In a professional studio, the client is offered a brief not only to take into account his wishes when creating sketches. 

Detailed answers help to correctly identify the audience, the right style, and lay out the right target message. Then the development of a company logo has maximum effect.

This is called marketing elaboration. 

But in our case we will have to do everything ourselves. No need to come up with questions, take them on the website of one of the design companies. By the way, the Veonix studio team developed an easy-to-work brief. You can fill it out here. 

By answering the brief's questions, you will better understand what you expect from your brand name, what color scheme you would like to see it in and what meaning it should carry.

Now let's move on to the logo design process. To do this you will have to choose one of the following methods. 

By answering the brief's questions, you will better understand what you expect from your brand name, what color scheme you would like to see it in and what meaning it should carry.

Now let's move on to the logo design process. To do this you will have to choose one of the following methods.

Making a logo without an emblem

This is the simplest option for a person who does not have designer skills and for some reason cannot order a logo from specialists. In this case, the text of your company name serves as a brand name.

By the way, this option is quite popular among global brands. Trademarks of electronics manufacturers Nikon, Canon and Sony are remembered by the world thanks to the stylish style of their names. 

Play around with fonts, choosing the one that best suits the style of your business. The main thing is to avoid overly pretentious handwritten fonts with lots of decorations. 

Choose from simple classic options. Then making a logo will be effective.

It is worth noting that selecting fonts is an activity that requires artistic taste and certain skills. Without this, your chances of successfully solving the problem are slim.

Finding free templates

You can find ready-made logo models in free online repositories and stocks. You simply set a topic, and the system returns the most suitable options. At first glance, this is a real solution. But there are nuances.

Hundreds of other people besides you could use the image you liked. The sad thing is that they most likely work in the same field as you. Want an experiment? 

Open the “pictures” tab on Yandex search and check the appropriate template for uniqueness. The result will show how many users have already used this logo when they needed a company logo made. Usually these are dozens or even hundreds of companies.

The next disadvantage of a free template is the need to customize it yourself. You need to correct the picture or add the company name. And this, as it turns out, is not easy!

Firstly, a file in the EPS graphic format can only be opened and edited in programs from the Adobe family. At a minimum, you will have to install the Adobe Illustrator application and learn how to work in it. At least at the initial level. 

If you're willing to put in the time, good luck. If not, we are looking for other options on how to make a logo with less effort.

We turn to paid stocks

More interesting brand name models can be found on sites that sell ready-made logos. The technology is simple. Indicate the industry of your business in the search, select the appropriate option and pay. 

But even in this case, you will have to modify the picture manually, although on some services this service is provided by designers for an additional fee. Your task is to send the company name and clarify what changes need to be made to the layout. Within 24 hours you will receive the finished result.

The cost of finalizing the layout for your company will be from $20.

However, even in this case, disappointment cannot be avoided. Checking for uniqueness will also show that many entrepreneurs have already created a logo based on the template you have chosen. 

And if you have to scale your business and launch advertising, your company with a brand name similar to hundreds of others will not look in the best light.

Next, we’ll look at another inexpensive way to create a brand name.

We use the constructor 

Today, this is an actively promoted option on the Internet for those who want logo production without much expense or hassle.

The technology looks simple. On the service, you need to indicate the specifics of the company, the color scheme, enter the name, and also select several of the proposed cliparts. They will become the emblem of your business.

As a result, the system automatically creates a logo based on the specified parameters. From a variety of options, choose the one that seems most suitable to you, make a payment and receive a ready-made layout in the desired graphic format. 

Cost - from one to several thousand rubles. The time spent is no more than 10 minutes. 

As a result, your company will have one of the monotonous, unremarkable and generalized logos. There will be no creativity in it that evokes a sincere human response, nor a share of individuality. 

Does your startup need such a logo or will it only help it get lost in the vast market of offers? It seems the answer is obvious.

If you want the development of a company logo without the participation of specialists to be creative in nature, you can only rely on your own strengths.

Making a logo yourself

In this case, you will still have to learn how to work in Adobe Illustrator or other graphic editors. 

Today on YouTube you can easily find many tutorial videos on how to properly use the application and make a logo yourself. 

If you feel that the knowledge you have acquired is sufficient, and the desire to engage in graphics has not disappeared, start creating a visual image.  

Remember the answers to the questions in the brief that you filled out at the very beginning. Imagine what your company logo should look like - strict or emotional, bright or restrained. 

Play as an association game and draw on a sheet of paper any images in a row that are related to the name and your field of activity. As a result, choose the one that better expresses the essence of the company. 

Logo development is a rather labor-intensive and not easy process, which will be successful only with your diligence and ability for visual thinking. 

If the result is something you really like, don’t rush into ordering promotional items. There is another important stage ahead.

We check the result on others

Creating a logo is only half the battle without receiving feedback. Only the reaction of people will show how your brand name will be perceived by your partners and customers. 

It is most convenient to use friends and colleagues as a focus group. Ask questions and gather feedback about how your logo is perceived as trustworthy, distasteful, or disinterested. 

Next we move on to testing on the target audience. Find a group on social networks that brings together users of relevant products or services and ask participants to express their opinions on your logo. People will be happy to answer. And the results, believe me, will be interesting.

Drawing conclusions

Today, if you have experience and knowledge, you can create a logo yourself or use someone else’s template for a small price. But is the game worth the candle?

In the first case, you will lose a lot of time on training, which you could use to develop your business. And the result will most likely be mediocre. 

The second option will allow you to solve the problem quickly and inexpensively. But a cheap logo will not work for product promotion and business development. See the reasons above.

Therefore, the most effective and reliable option is to order a company logo from specialists.  

Of course, the cost of work will be a little more expensive. But the benefits well outweigh the costs. 

For example, in our studio, illustrators always draw layouts by hand, which means your logo will not even remotely resemble competitors’ trademarks.

You will receive at least five independent logo concepts to choose from, and for the option you like, another 10 different color schemes.

We finalize the project until it is fully agreed with the client, no matter how many edits have to be made, and we promise to return the money if you don’t like the result. 

Want to learn more about how to create a company logo that will work effectively for many years to come?

Call by phone 8 800 222 77 65 or visit our page. 

We will not only answer your questions, but also help you figure out which brand name is ideal for your business.