You want to have an internet presence. Now what? A logo is a graphic representation of you, your website and your product. But how do you go about logo design? Should you use a free graphic image as a logo? Do you have to pay a designer? Can you design it yourself?
Define Your Logo
What is your product?
The first part of defining your logo is to decide what your website represents. Is it a product? Is it a service? If it’s a product, have you defined it specifically enough or have you left room for expansion later on? Keep in mind that your website will be used for years, if not decades. For now, maybe you are selling candies online. Perhaps you will expand into other desserts later. Or maybe you will incorporate recipes. A long-term vision will help you decide on your product, and thence your logo.
Where will your logo be used?
First, assume that your logo will be ubiquitous. It should be used on your website main page. The browser window should display your logo as a website icon. Your logo should be used on any correspondence or publications. And lastly, your logo must be on your business card. Who doesn’t want a snazzy business card?
What does your logo represent?
Your logo is your personal style statement. It represents your product or service, your business; it represents you.
Design Your Logo
Use a Stock Image
There are websites that allow you to download icons for free usage. Sometimes, a search can return an icon that may suit your use. For example, I searched flaticon.com for the letters, “RS”. The site returned an image of a roupee containing the letters “RS”. It doesn’t suit me, but maybe it would suit you.
Be careful of using images from free websites. Make sure that you check the licensing requirements. Some sites allow free usage with attribution. Using a logo for a business is considered a commercial application. Just because the website advertises free icons, the “free” part may not apply to commercial applications.
Design Your Logo Yourself
Websites such as Canva or Free Logo Services offer a quick option to create a logo without needing a degree in graphic design or marketing. And they’re free.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can design your logo from scratch yourself. Sketch out some ideas first.
Free software such as Inkscape can be used to create scalable vector graphics.
Pay to Design Your Logo
If you don’t have that graphic design background, you can always pay a designer to do the work for you. A Google search for “design logo consultant” returned 1,890,000,000 search results. Be careful, though. That $25 logo design may be only worth $25.
Free Logo Services also offers an option to work with a logo designer. Seems like they’re a one-stop shop for logo design.
Delight in Your Logo
After you have a logo defined and designed, make sure to enjoy it. Try it out on letterhead. Print it out as large as possible on a sheet of paper. Print it out as small as possible. Does it work as an icon? Does it represent your product, your business, and you?