Arek Dvornechuck
Branding Expert
10 Best Logo Design Tips From An Expert
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As a logo design expert, I know that creating logos requires a lot of knowledge, experience, and skills.
What are the best logo design tips for beginners?
Although there is a logo design process to follow, especially if you’re a beginner, it is also helpful to know what makes a good logo.
That is why, in this article, I will share with you my 10 best logo design tips that you can use as a creative, especially if you are just getting started with logo design.
I learned these things by experience so rest assured that all these tips are proven to be effective.
Although it is a given that every designer has their own unique style, I know that most professionals will agree with these tips that I'm sharing with you.
Most professional logo designers apply these rules when doing their logo design work, which help them to be more efficient.
Regardless of whether you’re a beginner or consider yourself a pro, these expert logo design tips will surely help you to become a better designer.
You can definitely use this as your guide in providing your client with the best logo design possible.
So without further ado, here’s my list of the 10 most useful logo design tips from an expert that you must remember.
If you want to know the step-by-step process in designing a logo, you can also check out my article where I featured the logo design process.
At the start of any design project, the first thing that you must do as a designer is ask your client a lot of questions.
Start your project by interviewing your client first.
Your client's expectations, the competitors, and their identities must be well-understood.
After all the hard work, you don't want to find out at the end of the project that your client's goals don't match up with what you've created, right?
That’s why having a clear understanding of your client’s objectives as well as the project's objectives must guide you throughout your design process.
And because logo design isn't art, we shouldn't just start coming up with logo concepts out of thin air based or purely on designer's preferences.
To sum up—You need to know the business inside and out, then and only then you can start moving forward with the logo design project.
After knowing your client and his business, the next thing that you have to do is do some research and try to analyze their competitors.
Your logo design must be differentiated from your competition.
Actually, the question "What is the competition doing?" is the most important question I ask myself while reviewing logos.
Your competitors have already gone through the process of designing a logo, so you'll need to do your best to stand out from the pack.
You may use your competitors' actions as a series of procedures and adjustments to help you make better decisions and save a lot of money in the process.
Since the main goal in designing a logo is to stand out and not to blend in, observing your clients' competitors will be a huge help for you as a creative.
But take note that analyzing your competitors does not literally mean copying from them.
Creating something that is too close to other people’s work can end you up being sued, so just get an idea from them and create a design in your own unique way.
For your logo design project to be successful, you must know your most specific target market and try to connect with them through your work.
Your logo must be able to resonate with your target audience.
The tone, channel, and message should all reflect the characteristics of the ideal customer base for that company.
Just always remember that the logo design project that you are working on is all about your target audience and not about you.
Take your own preferences and taste out of the design for you to be able to make your logo design relatable to the audience.
It's important to remember that if you identify, target, and appeal to your audience, your logo might be one that people remember for a lifetime.
As a logo designer, I understand that sometimes you might feel that you’re running out of ideas, right?
For inspiration, visit showcase websites like Behance and Dribbble.
That’s why the best thing that you can do to refresh your creativity is to get some inspiration from other designers’ work.
Fortunately, there are a lot of logo design galleries available online, like Behance, Dribbble, Logo Pound, Brand New, Logo of the Day, etc.
These websites are a great place to get fresh ideas and to learn about new logo design styles that you can also use for your own reference.
But remember that you can only get some ideas, but you can’t completely copy other people’s work since you will be sued eventually.
If you want to know where you can find design ideas, you can also check out my other article where I featured the best logo design resources.
If you observe the most famous logos today, like Apple’s, Mercedes’s, and Red Cross’s, you will find that they have something in common.
Focus on one idea instead of including multiple meanings in your logo design work.
And that is, they just focused on only one thing—that’s what made them stand out from their competitors.
For example, Apple’s popular logo is just a simple apple fruit symbol, but when it is designed to have a bite on it, it becomes distinct and creative.
The same thing goes with the three-pointed star in Mercedes’s logo and the red cross symbol in the Red Cross’s logo.
The thing is that you don’t have to stress yourself out about how you can create a logo that is too complicated.
Leaving your client with only one thing to remember about the logo design that you’ve created is already enough for it to be impressive.
Another tip that I can give you as a design expert is that your logo doesn’t have to illustrate the company’s niche.
You don’t need to show what the company does through your logo.
I think one of the common misconceptions of some logo designers, especially beginners, is the idea of illustrating what the company is all about.
Although there are no such restrictions or rules that stop you from doing such a thing, it is wiser to refrain from doing so.
If you observe some of the most popular logos, most of them are not direct illustrations of what the business is all about.
One of the great examples is Aston Martin; instead of creating a logo design with a car in it, the logo is designed to be a symbol of wings.
The same goes with Virgin Atlantic—although the business is all about airline services, the logo isn’t designed to illustrate an airplane.
So whether you’re a beginner designer or a more advanced one, this tip can be a huge advantage for you because you will think outside the box instead of settling on the basics.
Keep in mind that you don't have to be an artist to appreciate the value of sketching while working on a logo design project.
Before you go on your computer, start by sketching your logo ideas on paper.
Sketching is a technique for connecting an idea to the creation of a logo, and by using a pen and paper, creative ideas flow much more quickly.
That’s why, as a designer myself, I suggest that you carry a sketchbook along with you at all times, because you never know when an idea may come to you.
In my opinion, every logo designer should start their work by hand-sketching because it gives you an immediate sense of how to be a good artist right away.
And because sketching can take a long time, it's crucial to take breaks and allow your thoughts to develop in the back of your mind.
This means that if you come back to your logo design project with a new perspective and a lot of new energy, you will be far more effective.
When designing a logo, it doesn’t matter how gorgeous and extensive your color palettes are for it to be considered a well-designed logo.
A poorly designed logo will not be saved by gradient hues.
Leaving your logo design in black and white till the end of the process allows you and your client to focus on the idea rather than personal preferences.
That is why this tip of starting with black and white will help you determine if your logo design looks creative and attractive even without a colorful touch.
Remember that it is easy to add colors to your design, so you must first focus on the concept alone and don’t think about the colors to include yet.
By this way, you and your client will be able to assess if the logo that you’ve created is a well-designed one or not.
If you have already finished designing a logo, the next thing that you must do is try printing it to see how it looks on paper rather than on a screen.
Your logo design must appear beautifully on both small and large scales.
But remember to not simply print one logo design sample; instead, reproduce your design in a variety of sizes.
If a symbol loses detail at tiny sizes, you can always make smaller versions of larger symbols with fewer and thicker lines.
In short, as a logo designer, you have to make sure that the wordmark that you’ve created is scalable.
It is important that your logo be a vector with the highest resolution possible, so that it can be easily enlarged without losing its clarity or legibility.
With that being said, you can also check out my other article where I featured the difference between raster vs. vector logo.
Before finalizing your logo design, one of the best things that you can do to make sure that you’ve done great work is by asking for other people’s opinions.
Before you show your design to your client, ask for feedback to improve your work.
But take note that it doesn’t mean asking just anyone who doesn’t have any idea about designing a logo.
It is preferable if you can get your client, as well as other designers, to check out your logo design.
I believe that as designers, we also need other people’s criticism since it is possible that we might overlook some important details sometimes.
Having a second pair of eyes to identify things that you might have missed will allow you to improve your logo design and make it better.
So be open to suggestions, especially if they are from your client, because it will make your logo design project even more meaningful and successful.
Learning from an expert is probably the best thing that you can do as a designer to improve your skills and techniques.
Fortunately, since I've been in this industry for years, I’ve learned a lot of things, and that’s why I can share with you the most helpful tips in logo design.
What are the best logo design tips in 2022?
Honestly, it took me some time to learn how to apply these tips—that’s why I want it to become easier for you to include this with your disciplines.
Especially for beginners that don’t have any idea about the rules of logo design, these points to remember that I’ve shared will be useful for your career.
Not all designers know and apply these rules, so if you can do it in the right way, you can make your logo design impressive and attractive to both your clients and audiences.
All these tips have proven effective, so rest assured that you can definitely use them as your guide whenever you’re designing a logo.
So, as a designer, which of these logo design tips do you believe will be most beneficial to you?—Leave a comment below.
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I'm a branding expert and graphic designer based in NY. I specialize in the development of brands: brand strategy, identity & web design. Need help with your project?—Get in touch
