You’ve just taken your first client on and you’re going to begin with your first logo design; you’re excited but you’re also utterly terrified. You hear a lot about designing a logo in the design world and there are often tips and tricks being thrown around without any true advice that will help you when you sit down with starting your first logo design.
- Ready to begin; taking your first logo design project
- Tips to get you started on the right track
- It might be daunting in the beginning, but you’ve got it!
You’ll want to avoid a few mistakes and tips for starting that can make the process easier for you. You can avoid being scoffed at by more experienced graphic designers (and being seen as a failure to a client) if you pay attention to these logo design tips for beginners.
Look Everywhere For Inspiration
Don’t limit your resources for sparking creativity and gaining inspiration. You want to get your creativity flowing and thoroughly pumped for any project, so it’s important that you keep your mind open to any resources available. Although gaining inspiration from looking at other’s graphic designer’s work or similar designs can be a great source of creativity, it isn’t the only one.
Be open to trying anything to spark your creativity, from nature hikes to books. There’s no rule for where your inspiration can come from and you may be pleasantly surprised where you can find inspiration if you keep an open mind and eyes. If you’re truly devoted to a project and the design process, you’ll see that there’s inspiration everywhere, even if you aren’t looking for it.
Sketch It On Paper First
Many young graphic designers have had to learn the hard way that starting with sketching it on paper can save you time and revisions. Before you start on the process and become invested in one specific concept, it’s always a good idea to start with a rough sketch and send it to your client. Keep it simple, only doing a rough sketch without any color.
If they like the option, you can bring it to your tablet and work on it further. If you start with working on the design on your tablet instead of a rough sketch, you may end up with the client turning it down and therefore wasting both time and energy. Any experienced graphic designer will tell you that starting with a sketch first is the wise way to go.
Keep It Simple
It’s easy to feel like you have a lot to prove to the client (and well, yes, to yourself) with your first logo design. After all, it is your first official logo design. However, overdoing it and complicating what could be a clean and simple logo that can do more harm than good. With graphic design, sometimes the best course of action you can take is to simplify.
Simplify your color palette, simplify your type, and simplify the elements you include. It can be tempting, especially once you get going, to just continue adding, but the best decision is to always go with the simpler option. A logo is supposed to be a tool of communication, and so long as the design represents the company and conveys communication clearly, there’s no need to complicate it.
Make It Look Impressive Without Color
You have a logo that looks great and has vibrant colors, but now the real magic comes into play. Often with branding, a company will need to use different versions of a logo, including colorless versions. It’s important that the logo you design not only looks good with color but that it also looks impressive without color.
Try out a few different versions of your logo design, including versions without color, and make sure that it will still awe audiences even without color included. If you think that your design isn’t up to par without color, you may want to rethink it; companies have to use black and white versions of a logo all the time, so the logo must look good either way.
In Conclusion
Starting with logo design is no easy task and for the beginner, it may be a daunting task. But to gain experience and start with a perfect logo design concept the first time around, the tips above can help you. Following these tips will make sure that you’re ahead of the game with your designing skills and that you can create a perfect (or near-perfect!) logo the first time around!
