Day 6 of #100daysmarketingcreatives - Create A Logo?
Ok you are starting a new art or craft business and you have so many other things to do such as creating something to sell - what is the big deal about a logo? Good question. Well your logo is a bit like your business name but it is more visual and makes you instantly recognisable not necessarily with words but through imagery, colours, lines, fonts etc which can be just if not more powerful! It will be seen on headed stationary, business cards, much larger as a backdrop on a show stand but also small on an Etsy shop page, your webpage, Instagram, Facebook etc.
A simple but very effective logo used here by Stitched Ceramics who combine porcelain ceramics with textile lace and stitch. I love how the logo so cleverly shows an oversized stitch over a disc representing a ceramic product, the user of 3 colours and the use of the handwriting font with the more formal uppercase font which gives of an air of handmade professionalism.
If you are consistent with your logo across everything this will create a sense of professionalism. If you design a logo which is simple yet striking you will also be quickly recognisable and stand out from the crowd.
A logo belonging to Garry Lomas, a great landscape photographer here in the Peak District for whom I will be building a website and internet marketing strategy for over the coming weeks. Look out for his new website soon! Again a small number of colours that work together. Shades of green that work well to represent his subject matter, circles to simulate looking through the lens perhaps and all simple and easy to use in many situations.
The important thing at this stage is to create a logo quickly before you go much further. Unlike your name you can change your logo more often. Start with a simple one then as your business grows maybe get a professional to design one for you and use this as an opportunity for a little rebranding. The logo you use at this stage is a great start for creating your first branding so think carefully though as first impressions do count even on a tight budget! What colours do you like, do you use particular shades of colours when you dress your stand at shows, do you have 2 or 3 colour combinations that work well together that you frequently use? Embedding these colours in your logo means that when you go on to design your website, Etsy shop etc you can use similar colour combinations to create that consistent professional feel across your brand. Keep it clear and keep it simple!
Lucy Gell has recently had a new logo designed for her. She uses a specific shade of grey, orange and white throughout her brand online and at shows so she wanted to use these colours. She is a printmaker and wanted an element to the logo that illustrated the print medium and also wanted to incorporate an element of her handwriting relating to the handmade, limited edition signed elements of her products and likes the strong Rockwell Bold font. She is conscious that Etsy and Instagram favour small square or circular logos and so was looking for a logo that works well in that environment. Although she has a strong graphic designer background herself she felt it was time to rebrand starting with a new logo and passed a spec to @mccanndesign and between them they came up with the following and a range of variations which Lucy will introduce into her brand shortly. (The black one incidentally is for use as a stamp. Note how the white lines had to be added around the black to create that definition if it is to be used as a single colour stamp on packaging for example.)
Creating your first logo, however, you might end up doing it yourself unless you know someone who can help you on your very limited budget! There are a number of solutions. Try using www.fiverr.com and typing in 'logo'. This website links you up with freelance businesses that can do things quickly for you on a limited budget. When it started you could buy a simple service for a 'fiver' hence the name but these days it might cost you a little more but things are still competitive.
The key to getting a good logo is giving a clear spec to the designer including but not limited to
- your business name (day 1)
- what you do in a line (day 2)
- your unique selling points (day 3)
- what colours (think 3-4 colours max including white)
- suggest a shape, style or objects to incorporate in the logo
- provide access to a website, Instagram feed, brochures etc that will help the designer get a feel for your style
- consider multiple variations that work on a light background, dark background, landscape background and a portrait background
- ask for your logo in multiple file formats including .jpg (used widely on websites, Instagram etc, .png (if you need certain colours to be transparent so that the background you place them on come through), .eps (vector artwork that can be upscaled without creating jagged edges eg for a banner across your stand at a show)
- supply sample colours that you wish to use or ask for rgb values of colours used in your logo so that you can use the exact same shades everywhere else
Googling obvious phrases like 'what colours to use in a logo' and 'create a logo' will come up with lots of ideas well worth looking at but do take a look at https://99designs.co.uk/logo-design. Here you can submit details of what you do and a number of designers will come up with logo concepts and you choose the winner! Fixed price and great scheme but if you cannot find the fee or want to do it yourself then there is lots of background material about logo design available there to help you.
You might also want to look at www.designevo.com and www.logofury.com, a great free logo design services with lots of good advice. Enter your business name (day 1), slogan (day 2) and industry and it generates several different logos for you to choose from which you can then add to, customise and download!
If you have found this free advice useful, please return the favour by following me on Instagram or Facebook liking my posts and mentioning me to your friends! Thanks.
Let me know what you find and use and why so that I can share it?
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