To design a killer logo for your website you must first familiarize yourself with the importance of a logo. A logo is not just a piece of artwork but your identity that will be seen everywhere on your products and web pages. The logo is one of those things that distinguish your website and brand from others. In simple words, a logo is your identity and you should make sure that you display it in the best manner possible so you can achieve a good reputation.
If you are on the way to launch your own website or already launched it and looking to design a perfect logo for it then take help of these 5 best practices for designing a killer website logo.
1. Start by collecting basic information
Before directly getting your hands on the design process it is important that you first consider the things that are necessary to give your logo more value. Start by collecting some basic information including:
- What you are
- What you are offering
- What you think you have unique
- What is your target market
Once you get to know some basic information about yourself, you will have a clear idea that what you are going to design.
Another important thing is finding inspiration. Finding inspiration is one of the major steps in logo design process because this is where you get to know what design options you have. Here are two best ways to find inspiration:
- Brainstorming– Using the power of creativity
Brainstorming ideas for logo design is the best practice to draw out all the creative ideas that come into your mind. It doesn’t matter how bad your ideas are, just write/draw them on a rough piece of paper as fast as you can because even a horrible idea can spark a conversation that may turn out to be a great design. If you have team members then you can bring them into the brainstorming process too. The more diversity, the more perspectives there will be.
- Internet– Search engines
Internet is the best source of getting design inspirations from around the globe. If you know what your niche is then you can start searching for your competitors that what they are offering and how well their designs are. You can then try to make something similar but with the addition of your own creativity so you can distinguish from them. Make sure you don’t get too obsessive with someone’s design that you end up copying it.
2. Choose an appropriate design style
Second best practice for designing a killer website logo is to choose an appropriate design style according to your products and services. There is no single perfect logo design that can accommodate everyone so make sure the aesthetic design you choose perfectly aligns with your brand.
Here are 5 types of design aesthetics to choose from:
- Classic
Unlike those trendy designs that tend to out-date quickly, the classic designs stay there for a long period of time. They have better-staying power and potential to reach a broader audience without being restricted by any boundaries. This aesthetic keeps everything simple and makes sure that your logo represents a positive and reliable image.
- Retro or vintage
As the name refers, this design aesthetic goes way back into the old era where logos were represented in badges with big sharp fonts. A vintage/retro design tells your customer that you believe in historical terms which make your brand mature and stand out among others. If you want to design a retro or vintage logo, choose brown and beige color palette to make your logo look aesthetically beautiful.
- Modern and minimalist
A modern and minimalist logo is opposite to a vintage logo in looks and design. It shows that your brand is modern and fresh. Such logos are simple, have a lot of whitespaces, and minimal details that result in a sleek design. If your website is about modern products and services, and you want to convey an up-to-date, cool and unique message to your customers then this is the style to go for.
- Handcrafted
A handcrafted style in logos represents that your brand is unconventional and you offer handmade quality that really attracts buyers. Script fonts with a combination of modern or vintage style can be used to make a hand-crafted logo. This style gives a youthful and fresh look.
3. Using the right colors
A beginner might end up adding too many colors or inappropriate colors in the logo that won’t have a strong impact on the viewers. Using the right colors can change the overall impression and look of your design in a positive way. Different colors have different abilities to spark up various emotions in human beings.
Here are some colors and emotions associated with them:
- Red: Use red if you want to show passion and anger. It can present that your brand is loud, bold and youthful.
- Yellow: It can make your brand look friendly and cheerful. Yellow also shows that what you offer is affordable.
- Green: Green is a color that can go with any brand no matter what it offers. It is extremely versatile and can work great in presenting a natural look.
- Blue: Blue is one of the coolest colors that can present calmness and trustworthiness.
- Pink: If you want a feminine and not-so-ordinary looking logo then go for the shades of pink such as pastel rose, neon magenta or millennial pink. You will certainly like it a lot!
- Black: Black is a color that can go with anything. If you want to show a bold, modern and sleek look then you can go for black without having any second thought.
- White: If you want your logo to look clean and minimalist then use a lot of whites in the design. It is a neutral color that works with many colors. You can use it in combination with the black color to make your logo look unique and simple. It adds clean and economical touch to the overall design.
To make an excellent color scheme you can go for any of these color harmonies.
- Analogous colors
These are the colors that are side by side to each other on the color wheel. If you want your logo design to look harmonious in colors then you can go for analogous colors.
- Complementary colors
These are the colors that lie directly across to each other on the color wheel. If you want to create a versatile and dynamic looking design then go for complementary colors.
- Triadic colors
These are the colors that are selected from all three different sides of the color wheel (similar to the three sides of a triangle). To create a bold and strong logo design, use triadic colors.
4. Adding up the right typography
After choosing the design style, collecting information and selecting colors, it is time to make a logo. When making a logo, you should choose appropriate fonts that can complement your overall design. For instance, if you decide to make a minimalist logo then you need modern and sleek fonts that can perfectly align with your style. Always remember that whatever font you select, it must be clearly visible because a logo is used in many areas and it needs to look perfect in every size.
Here are some fonts that you can incorporate in your logo design and make it look professional.
- Brandon Grotesque
- Proxima Nova
- Gilroy
- Mont
- Museo Sans
- Qanelas Soft
- Fibre (for some vintage-style look)
- Andis
- Havania
- Raph Lanok
Go for versatility and scalability
Making your logo versatile means that it can be used anywhere on your website without being restricted to a specific set of colors. A killer logo design is the one that is free from any kind of limitation. For example, there are some logos that might look wonderful in color but absolutely terrible in black and white. When designing a logo for a website, it should be ensured that the design is simple and versatile enough to accommodate any kind of background or webpage. For the same reason, you should go with a scalable logo so it can be incorporated in different sizes at different locations of your website.
The identity of a well-designed logo is that it looks great no matter what color or size it is distributed in.
Bonus Tip– Recognition
One of the best logos is the one that is easily recognized no matter wherever it is seen. If you want your website to get a lot of positive exposure then design a logo that is simple and recognizable. It can be achieved by following the K.I.S.S rule (Keep It Simple and Stupid), and the name tells it all. Just look at the logos of Apple and Nike, how simple yet impactful they are. Rather than starting complex and ending up recreating everything, go for a simpler version, which you will like a lot!
Conclusion
There are so many professional graphic designing tools available in which you can design a professional logo without needing a professional designer by your side. For smaller companies and individuals, designing their own logo can be cost-effective. No doubt that a professional designer will make a great logo for you but you can also achieve a magnificent logo by just following the above-mentioned practices. Best of luck with the logo!
