HAVING A CLEAR VISION WHEN PLANNING YOUR BRAND LOGO

Without vision, let’s face it, it isn’t easy to see the expected outcome when we plan for any project or goal. When we set ourselves to developing the idea of our brand logo, having a clear vision of what we want is vital to the success of the end result.

The first time I decided to create a logo for my own legit brand, I had no idea where or how to start. I knew I wanted a graphic to represent my identity and my vision of the brand. I knew I wanted my logo to be remembered by, and stand out too, my clients. I wanted it to be a logo letting my clients know who I was and what I offered. Although I knew all of this in my head, I had no idea what steps to take to move my vision from being in my head to paper so I could communicate it to an expert who would then design it for me. This was a process in itself. But more than learning how to express my vision to someone else, I realize now that not having a step-by-step guide to organize my thoughts and ideas of my brand made the process of telling what I wanted to someone else even harder.

I believe many of us are taught to think creating a logo or a brand, for that matter, is easier for the people who have a creative side, for those who quickly know what they want. Still, the truth is to create a brand and a logo, an extension of your message and what you are set to represent in your target market, requires having a road map to provide you with all the details that make up you and your brand.

To map out your brand’s vision and create a logo, I suggest hiring a professional specializing in this area; it will save you time, and you’ll have different options of your logo to choose from (more than you probably want). However, this does not mean this is the only way to go; heck, I was one of those people who had the first few logo ideas sketched out by myself and communicated with the designers what I wanted my logos to look like. So, if you’re going to take on this project and have the time to do so, I’ve shared five steps to follow to successfully communicate the identity and the look and feel of your brand logo.?

FIRST, WHAT IS A LOGO?

According to Investopedia, a logo is a graphic mark, emblem, symbol, or stylized name used to identify a company, an organization, a product, or a brand. A logo is the face of your brand, plain and simple. Your logo must speak a thousand words, represent what your brand does, and convey the company brand all through a single image.

LOGO DESIGN STRATEGY IN FIVE STEPS?

1. THE QUESTION PHASE

Taking this first step is essential. Begin by making lists of your industry, your ideal client, brand values, and company attributes. Here you also want to make a list of the look and feel you have in mind. Perhaps you should look at other brand logos you would like to emulate for inspiration and visual direction of what you would like to see for your logo. Finally, it’s also essential to list must-haves and any special requests.

Think of this as a self-discovery phase. The goal is to understand your personal brand, what you believe clearly, and how you plan to accomplish it. Although you may think you have this clear in your head, writing this down will make things more straightforward than you thought and, of course, easier for you to communicate to a designer to execute it for you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Why do you want or need a new logo??
• Who are your target audiences?
• What are your goals for this new logo? How will you measure “success?”
• Who are the top companies you want to emulate? Are they industry-related or not? What details do you like about each one?
• What do you want your logo to communicate when people see it?
• What emotions or values do you want your brand to communicate?
• What are the characteristics of your brand’s personality?

2. INSPIRATION?

This phase might be the most fun and helpful. In this phase, you will turn your focus outward to encounter other brands and become inspired.

Before focusing on inspiration, let’s first focus on educating yourself; start by Googling basic design principles like color, style, and typography.?

Colors evoke different emotions and behaviors. For example, blue inspires trust, authority, and dependability. It is no coincidence that many lenders stick with blue hues for their brands. Green evokes feelings of peace, growth, and health. Purple is associated with creativity, royalty, and wealth.

Have fun discovering each color and which one(s) fits your brand best.?

Fonts are essential too. For inspiration and direction, check out Google Fonts at https://fonts.google.com/ and other fonts used both for online and in traditional print needs at https://www.fontsquirrel.com/.

Once you have a handle on the basics and have researched industry competitors and non-industry-related companies, make a list of the details you like. Be sure to include which examples caught your attention.?

An excellent resource for logo inspiration is www.graphicriver.com. Another I like is https://99designs.com/discover

Once you’ve taken screenshots and downloaded the images that inspire you, I suggest creating a mood board. You can do this on Pinterest or copy and paste it into a Word, Excel, PowerPoint document.

3. ?SEE THE VISION?

The goal here is clear, no matter your drawing skills. First, start drawing what your logo would look like and let yourself go with no judgment; then, please take a picture of these ideas from your brain and add them to your vision board.

If you plan to create your own logo design, here are logo design tools you can explore:?

• Logomkr – https://logomakr.com/?
• DesignEvo – https://www.designevo.com/logo-maker/?
• Canva Logo Maker – https://www.canva.com/create/logos/?

4. DESIGN?

Whether you outsource the actual design process or create it yourself, now is the time to narrow down your choices.

Here is a list of important questions to ask yourself:

• Is this logo: Simple, Refined, Powerful, or expressive?
• Where will you use this logo? Will this logo look good on your website, social media accounts, and printed material?
• Is this logo timeless? Is this a logo you can use for five to ten years before you rebrand?

5. CONTROL DESIGN INTEGRITY

When it comes to maintaining the integrity of your logo, the look, and the feel, it’s important to create your logo to reflect three primary colors: your original logo color, a white logo, and a black logo. You also want to have access to the different file formats, which include:

• JPEG
• PDF
• PNG?

Since you now have the steps to create your logo strategy, this shouldn’t be a task you continue to avoid. In today’s market, we must brand our personal business to create a visual for those who already support our company and, perhaps even more importantly, to attract those who have not yet made the connection.

Explore and expand your vision, and using the tools in this article, move forward to implement a graphic logo to brand your personal business powerfully. I look forward to seeing more industry professionals taking their careers to new levels with a personal brand to support them.

For a free Brand Analysis connect with me. Schedule a Call