How to Design a Logo for Your Business

how to design a logo

Find a logo design that turns your products into winners

Your logo is often one of the first things your customers see. Whether on business cards, product packaging, marketing materials, or your website, your logo should always be front and center. And when you’re ready to design your logo, you need to know that it’s more than just a pretty picture. Creating a logo is also a very big step and one that should be well thought out.

A well-executed logo design will:

  • Make your business more memorable
  • Increase brand and company awareness
  • Create an emotional bond with your customers
  • Separate your business from competitors

When your customers see your logo design, they’ll use it to form an instant opinion about your business. In other words, it’s a serious endeavor – not some whimsical project.

So, let’s look at some basic logo design considerations that can turn your product into a winner.

Know yourself – and your audience

Choose a logo that showcases your brand personality

Effective logo design starts by understanding your business and target audience. Think about what makes your company unique and what captivates your audience.

“A logo is a personalized extension of yourself and your business,” says DeSmet. “But, you need to use that in a way that best entices your audience to buy your products or services.”

Be sure to research your competition to generate possible logo ideas. But don’t be a copycat. Create a logo that stays true to what makes your business special. Remember, separating your company from your rivals is an integral part of intelligent logo design.

Choose your colors wisely

Try your logo in different colors and styles to see which fits your brand and products best

Simplicity rules when it comes to the number of colors in your logo.

Limiting your logo design to two or three colors allows you to easily transfer your logo to a variety of collateral options. Think about how it will look on business cards, postcards, stationery, labels, brochures, websites, banners, clothing, and even mugs. Be aware – using more than two or three limits your applications.

What about color choices? Again, it pays to know your customers. Different customers respond to colors differently. Just because you like it, doesn’t mean it will appeal to your target audience.

Another consideration is how the logo and its colors appear in different environments. There may be a shift between how it appears online, such as on your website or your email, versus on printed materials.

Color combinations also matter in terms of readability. Red and green may look wonderful as a backdrop on a Christmas card, but these contrasting colors on a business card are difficult to read. And unless you have a business that’s associated with a particular time of the year, it’s best to avoid colors with strong seasonal ties.

Consider typeface options

Choose a font or typeface that reflects your brand and engages your audience.

Logos come in three basic types: those with only a symbol, those with only a typeface, and those that contain both. The typeface or font used should reflect the personality of your business and engage your audience.

If you sell quirky products, a fun typeface like Sans Serif could be a good one. However, if you own an accounting firm, a more conservative font like Times New Roman or Garamond could be a better option.

By the way, many use the terms “font” and “typeface” interchangeably. But, there’s a fine distinction.

A “font” is a collection of symbols and letters that make up a type “family.”  While a “typeface” refers to a group of fonts within the same style. For example, you might select a Helvetica typeface for your business card, and use font options in bold and italics.

One final important decision

Should you design your logo yourself or hire someone? If your budget allows it, hiring a professional designer can be a worthwhile option. But if you’re looking for a more affordable route and feel like tapping into your inner designer, there are free and low-cost design tools online. These can help you channel your creativity and develop a logo that captures your uniqueness.

You can also personalize a free design or upload your own artwork in a few simple steps with Avery. Then you can simply order professionally printed products or print your own.

No matter which path you take, a logo can be a critical element of your marketing strategy. And it’s an investment in your business. When you make sound decisions with your logo design, it can pay off in many ways for years to come.

Check out our professional design gallery to give you some more inspiration as you prepare to design your logo. You can even use one of our free templates to create your own logo. We also offer some insight on how to use colors on packaging to make your products pop.

Have questions for our label experts or need help with a project? Call our helpful Customer Care Center which can answer all your label design questions.

Author: Melanie Neff

Melanie has an extensive writing background built on an impressive journalism foundation. As a reporter for USA Today and The Los Angeles Times for almost 20 years, she covered everything from the Los Angeles riots, fires, and floods to LA Lakers, Raiders and Clippers games and movie premieres. She followed her newspaper career with a long tenure covering commercial real estate financing and development. Melanie has been writing about small business marketing and labeling needs for the last 12 years. She thrives on reading, researching and expanding her knowledge of everything going on in today's business world and looks to provide the most valuable information she can to her readers.

8 thoughts on “How to Design a Logo for Your Business”

  1. Hi, can I design logos on this site? It was so easy to use for labels and creating a logo here would make life easy.

    1. Hi McKenzie,
      You definitely can. You can use one of our blank templates and create a design from scratch or use one of our free customizable templates. If you have artwork created in another design platform you can simply upload it into Avery Design & Print and then order professionally printed labels from Avery WePrint or print your labels yourself using our blank labels by the sheet. Check out some of the best design software out there for labels and other printed products.

  2. I need help with designing and choosing the right size logo for my products

    1. Hi!
      Can you tell us what type of products you sell and we can help you out a little better? You can also call our Customer Care center at (800) 942-8379 so we can get a little more information and help you get what you’re looking for. They are based in California and available M-F, 6am-5pm PT. Thank you for your readership.

  3. Hello! I’ve creared a logo on label 22806. How do I save this to be my logo? Can I save this as a jpeg? Or what do I need to do? Thanks!

    1. Hi Hilary,
      Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out. Unfortunately artwork created using our design tool cannot be exported from our software. It can only be used to print from our site or to have us print using our professionally print service Avery WePrint. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Please reach out to our customer care center at (800) 942-8379 if you need any further help.

  4. DO YOU HELP CHOOSE OR DESIGN LOGOS FOR A BUSINESS. I DO CANDLES AND SOAPS. I PRINT MY LABELS USING ONE OF YOUR TEMPLATES BUT I NEED A SPECIFIC LOGO. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU CAN ASSIST WITH

    1. Hi Michelle,

      Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to us. Unfortunately, we do not offer design services here at Avery. However, if you have an image of it or can have someone design the specific logo that you want, you can upload it to our design software. Or you can use one of our blank templates to design the logo and then add it to your labels. Let us know if we can be of further help. One of our representatives will reach out to you by email as well to help you.

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