Many small businesses have this misconception that branding is only meant for large enterprises that generate massive revenue. Others believe that branding is a luxury that only well-established and multinational businesses can afford. However, that’s not true.

Small businesses require branding as much as the top brands do. Since a professional logo sits at the core of branding, we will shed light on how to take the best approach for designing a logo for a start-up.

1. Research

One of the most important steps of designing a logo for any kind of business is research. This is because it lays the foundation for the design itself, and the more time you spend on this step, the better is the logo that you can create.

There are various aspects of logo research. However, you want to start with your competition, i.e. the kind of logos that their brands are using. The idea is to get inspiration from their designs and learn about the things that they are doing right.

Here is the thing- when you design your own logo, then you can use the features of other logos but you must ensure that your design is 100% unique. Mimicking famous brands will only hurt your reputation and come in the way of building a unique brand identity.

Apart from studying your competition, you can also check out the logos ideas from different industries. There are many logo designing communities on the Internet that you can find easily.

2. Sketching

Once you have come up with the basic idea for the logo design, then you start to draw some rough sketches. Remember, creating the perfect logo requires a lot of rough work. You are unlikely to come across the perfect design in your first attempt, or even in the first few attempts. However, you can speed up the process by taking help from your team. The more ideas that are bounced off of each other, the faster will be the results. Of course, there are also many mobile apps and web services that allow you to sketch with ease, which you can use as well. 

3. Following the Rules

Creativity is always encouraged in a domain like graphic design. So, you are free to explore different ideas for your logo. However, you would still want to stick with the basic rules of logo designing. These are:

Simplicity: The best logos are always simple. You can check out brands like Nike, Adidas, Apple, etc. Their logos are both simple and clear, but that’s also on purpose. This is because when a design is simple, then it leaves no room for confusion or miscommunication. That’s exactly what strong branding is all about.

Original: A brand is always based on a unique identity. So, it’s really important that the logo you create is unlike anything else out there. It should be fresh, attractive, and grab the attention of a customer instantly.

Versatile: Whatever logo you are designing, chances are that you will use it in various places- website, business card, billboards, etc. So, it should look good when it’s scaled up or scaled down. It should be legible and look attractive in all sizes.

Memorable: If your logo is memorable, then it will do wonders for your brand and also help in achieving the marketing goals. 

4. Creativity

We live in a world that is increasingly becoming automated, virtual, and AI-powered. In fact, there are ways automation can help startups to succeed and grow. But does that mean we should forget about the “human touch” that makes a business unique? No!

When it comes to graphics design or logo, then you can get the best results only when you wear your thinking cap. So, feel free to use online logo maker tools if you are on a tight budget. But even if you do use them, make sure that you analyze the designs from a creative mind’s point of view.

Conclusion

If you read this blog from start to finish, then you know that designing a great logo for a startup isn’t that complicated as long as you know what you are doing. The key is maintaining a focused approach and being clear about the fundamentals of your brand that include your mission statement, target demographics, and unique selling points. Of course, the more you study the existing brands, the more ideas you can come up with. So, good luck and have fun!

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