Business logo designs: How to design your own

Following on from how to get the business logo designs you want, here are some tips if you want to by-pass the graphic designer altogether and design your own logo.

While I generally recommend enlisting the help of a professional for something as important as business logo designs, you might just want to make small adjustments to your existing logo. Or maybe you have a very clear vision of what you want and don’t want to go to the expense of hiring a designer.

First, go to my previous articles on how to make an effective logo, briefing a designer and getting the business logo designs you want and write down the list of things to consider. This will help to ensure that your design is actually workable from a technical, legal and marketing perspective. And remember to KISS it - keep it simple.

1. Approach your printer

Most printers have a graphic designer. I recommend paying yours a visit and ask if you can buy an hour with the graphic designer to set a new logo, i.e. turn it into a beautiful, high resolution file that can be used for all your promotional needs. Go with a sketch of what you want and a list of ways you think the logo might be used - letterhead, billboard, television, t-shirts, pens and ink stamp, etc.

Be sure to receive permission to sit next to the designer while they are setting your logo so you will be sure it will look like it is supposed to. If the printer has the job of printing your corporate material, they will probably have the nous to agree to the arrangement.

2. Be sure not to leave without:

A black and white version;

an inverse black and white version;

an inverse colour version, if your logo is one colour on white or white on one colour;

a watermark version of your graphic, if you have a graphic/symbolic image next to your business name so you can use it behind text in promotional material;

both high resolution and low resolution versions for everything; and

the colour code(s) used for the logo (the CMYK break-up) so you can tell other printers and graphic designers down the track what the colour(s) should be.

3. Test your logo

Before launching your new logo officially, test the business logo designs on your target market. As mentioned before, don’t test your logo on your spouse or your friends, but on your target market – the people you want to reach.

Again, encourage honest answers, and perhaps offer a discount or special deal for a response if you are emailing out to a decent-sized sample group. Use the research process to ask other questions about your business. Provide simple response options: yes/no, scales (i.e. from 1-10), etc with an option for further comments.

I hope these series of articles have helped in smoothing the path of business logo design – sometimes a rather rocky road. If you have any logo experiences to share, we’d love to hear about them.

Megan Hills is a freelance writer and editor who enjoys helping others be engaging and understood. Through her marketing, publicity and graphic design nous, she can maximise the power of what you want to communicate to the people you want to reach.

19 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 | Next» View all»

Being an escapee from the world of design - as a 'suit' not a designer - I'd have to agree with your opening comments Megan. Enlisting the support of a professional designer gets my vote every time. It's always enlightening to see business cards at networking events...the ones that are professionally created stand out massively from the others. Robert Gerrish from Flying Solo | Read my articles
I also suggest while you are at the LOCAL printers to see examples of his work. You can very quickly see what your LOCAL competitors are doing, and also get some ideas. Heather Smith from BRISBANE | Read my articles
AND check out major corporates' logos - that way you get to see the work of ultra-expensive designers for free! Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Ducking in to your local printer can be a great start but also take a look for small business design and marketing studios. You can get more bang for your buck, free advice and ideas that may take you beyond the scope of just a logo. Garth Walker from Adelaide Australia
Being a designer myself with a design business I agree with Robert, enlisting a professional is by far the safest bet. It will actually save you money in the long run.
Not everyone who will design their own logo will have access to the software needed to create print quality and print friendly artwork. Programs such as Word and Paintbrush are the thorn in the designers side and will actually cost the client to have it converted (usually redrawn) into a print ready file. By all means design your own, especially if you have a very clear idea of what you want. Some designers will add one or two variations to your logo for you to see in the same price, some you may not have thought of but it may also concrete your thoughts on the logo you initially wanted.
It is after all the visual identity of your business, and people will remember the good ones... Kiralie from Helensburgh
As a designer it worries me to see someone recommending a designer attached to a printer to design such a major representation of your company as your logo. Printers tend to have designers as it is something they HAVE to offer rather than something they have a passion and a creative aptitude for. Those designers tend to be pushed into quick is better than quality. A printed brochure can be pulped if you sadly miss the mark but your company logo rides the bumpy road with you the whole trip. Be careful in treating its creation too lightly. It may well be the best business money you will spend. Jana from Sydney

19 comments | Add your own 1 2 3 4 | Next» View all»

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