Logo Reference Materials
By: Robert Johnston
A great logo is key to a great brand. Your logo is a recognizable symbol that represents your company. It reflects your business’s personality. A logo can be your company’s name designed with an artistic flair (eBay), or it can just be a symbol (Target’s bull’s eye). Logos should be simple enough to create a lasting impression that is easy to remember, but at the same time, your logo has to have meaning. It needs to convey your business’s brand message. Your logo is important because it will go on all of your marketing materials, from your postcard marketing pieces to your brochures and flyers.
If you have decided to design your own logo but aren’t sure where to start or if you can’t come up with any ideas, here are some resources that will educate and motivate you.
Books Logo Design for Small Business 2 by Dan Antonelli (SignCraft, $25): This is only one of a few logo books targeted toward small businesses. Antonelli, a graphic designer and author, details why the principles of a small-business logo needs to differ from the principles of a large-business logo. Antonelli also explains the thinking behind 175 logos by top designers.
How to Design Logos, Symbols & Icons by Gregory Thomas (How Design Books, $24.99): This book details case studies from top designers from conception to creation for companies like IBM and Nike. You gain insight by seeing the beginning sketches of now-popular logos and how they came to be.
Logo Design Workbook: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Logos By Noreen Morioka and Sean Adams (Rockport Publishers, $25): Offers a step-by-step guide through the logo development process. It talks about how your long-term goals can affect your logo design, advice on choosing colors and font and how to avoid common mistakes. Some readers have commented that the "Workbook" part is somewhat deceiving, because it is more informative than workbook-like.
Do-It-Yourself Tools Once you know the basics of what you want to do, you’ll need some software or an online tool to get your design rolling. Here area few tools to try.
Logo Design Studio ($30): This software has over 500 pre-designed logo templates and over 2,500 logo objects to help boost your creativity. You can alter these any way you want to create your own unique logo. The software also includes copyright and trademark guidelines. You can also add special effect like blur, shadows and embossing.
Logoeyes.com ($69/$100): This is a Web site which has the tools for you to create your own customized logo without having to download any software. It consists of a three-step process: 1. Pick your industry. 2. Pick your symbol. (You have over 20,000 symbols to choose from.) 3. Add your name and customize your symbol. You get logo files plus matching business cards for $100. For $69 you get just your logo files.
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