A Peek Into The Professional Logo Design Process

Big corporations and small businesses alike need to inspire brand recognition and loyalty in their customers. While having a memorable company name helps, the most important element of brand identity is the logo (as long as it’s a good logo, of course).

If you’re an established business looking to revitalize your brand identity, or a new business owner looking for the perfect logo design, these are the steps associated with professional logo design services.

The Importance of a High-Quality Logo

A well-designed logo is the most important part of your business’s brand identity.

In fact, it’s the number one way that consumers identify a brand. Your custom logo is the face of your business. You need it to be memorable — and you need that memory to last.

Most professional logos last at least ten years, but some have lasted much much longer. The longer your logo lasts, the more memorable it becomes. This is why you want to make sure that you find the perfect logo to represent your brand image the first time.

Free Logo Maker vs. Professional Logo Design

There are free logo makers and logo generators where you can design a custom logo for a low-to-no price. Many offer templates that you can customize for your logo. It doesn’t take a long time to create a logo using a logo maker, nor a lot of skill.

Many start-ups and small businesses find logo generators appealing for these reasons, however, there are plenty of downsides to consider.

The fact that many small businesses do use online logo templates is one of the biggest downsides of logo generators. The logo designs that come from free logo makers and logo templates aren’t very unique, and they lack the professional look of a custom logo designed by a professional graphic designer. Plus, online logo generators may not supply you with all the logo file formats you need to use your new logo in all the ways that your business needs. For your logo design to be successful, it should be high-quality, unique, and also high-resolution.

If you’re looking for a long-lasting logo design, then it’s a smart investment to hire a professional logo design service and work with a graphic designer. They are more aware of graphic design trends that can boost your logo design’s appeal.

While the process may take a little longer than a few clicks on an online logo maker site, the resulting high-quality professional logo is worth the time it takes.

Professional Logo Design Process

There are six steps crucial to successful custom logo design.

The work, of course, is done by the graphic designer providing the custom logo design service, but the business owner needs to be aware of the process. Many of the steps require the business owner’s approval before the next can begin. This way, the unique logo design matches the brand kit — and the client’s desires.

Step One: Interview Between Graphic Designer and Business Owner

You want your new logo to be your own logo.

A company logo should represent the business owner’s vision of the company’s brand identity. This is why step one in professional logo design is an interview between the graphic designer and the business owner or marketer.

The graphic designer should be asking the following questions:

What is the company’s target audience? What elements and styles appeal to the company’s buying persona?
What sets your company apart from competitors?
Where will the logo be used? Will it be on company letterheads, marketing materials, product packaging, business cards, etc.
Are there previous logos you have used? How similar/different do you want your new logo to be from them?
Are there any fonts or color schemes in your brand style guide you want to incorporate into your custom logo design?

Once the graphic designer has a sense of what the business needs for its logo design, it’s time to move on to step two.

Step Two: Research Competitor Business Logos

The graphic designer will conduct research after the meeting about standards and common design elements that the company’s industry uses.

The graphic designer will look into potential trends used in the industry and by competitors, and what kind of styles resonate with the company’s products.

They’ll also make sure that they become familiar enough with competitor’s logos so that they don’t end up designing a logo that is too similar to an existing logo.

Step Three: Logo Design Examples

Once the graphic designer is familiar with the conventions associated with the client’s industry they’ll begin the initial logo design.

A great logo takes time to develop. Getting the best logo can sometimes take a few revisions, but this process goes faster with proper communication.

The first designs in logo creation will be done in black and white so the business owner will not be distracted by color schemes. The graphic designer will develop several different logo ideas and send the logo files to the client.

Step Four: Logo Design Revision

The graphic designer and the client will then discuss the logo designs. The business owner may select one of the logo ideas from the examples provided.

If they aren’t attracted to any of the potential logo designs, then the logo creator and the client can talk about the options.

During this stage, the business owner provides feedback to the graphic designer, and then the designer takes that feedback and designs new logo ideas. This helps the client find the perfect logo that represents their brand identity.

Step Five: Logo Designs Presented in Color

Once the client selects a logo idea from the black and white examples, the graphic designer will take the selected logo design and add color. Logo ideas are presented in black and white at first so as to not influence the logo decision.

The logo designer will create a few examples using recommended color schemes. Once the colored logo designs have been finished, they’re sent to the business owner for final selection.

Step Six: Finalizing the Professional Logo

After the colored logo design has been selected, the graphic designer will create a vertical or horizontal layout of the custom logo for different uses. The logo creator will export the logo design into different file type formats:

- PNG: PNG images have a transparent background so that the logo can be placed on colored backgrounds.
- SVG: SVG is a vector file that allows for the image to be scaled to any size without losing quality. SVG files can be used for any printed material the business needs.
- EPS: Similar to an SVG file, this file is the “master file” of your logo that can be used if you ever decide to change your logo design.
- PDF: PDFs are a common file type that can be easily viewed by others while maintaining a high-quality look.
- JPG/JPEG: JPEG is a small file size best for social media posts and profile images.
- AI: AI is the main file type for Adobe Illustrator, this is another kind of vector file similar to SVG.

The graphic designer will provide a color copy, a black and white copy, and a grayscale copy of the final company logo. Once the business logo is delivered the business owner can use the different files as the business needs to promote their brand.

Your Own Logo Is Just a Few Steps Away

That’s all it takes to get a beautiful logo for your company!

While you can try your own hand at logo design with an online logo maker, there’s really no beating the polished look of a professional logo crafted by a graphic designer. Graphic designers can make sure that you have the high-resolution images you need of your company logo so that your brand identity doesn’t get lost in pixelation.

If you want to elevate your brand identity with a new logo, we have the professional graphic designers your business needs. Reach out today to start your professional logo design process.