The NFL has been in the news a lot lately, even causing people who wouldn’t consider themselves football fans to pay attention.

Football can teach you skills that will provide benefits throughout your adult life. It can help you to be more disciplined, bring you closer to your teammates, improve your fitness level, and boost your leadership skills. All of which are the basis for success in any career.

Perhaps this is why so many people want to create and join their own football teams.

To build teamwork, spread the word about your team, and just to make your weekend games a little more fun, you should design a football logo.

But what elements do you need to make it work?

Read on to find out.

A Defining Image

The most important aspect of your team’s logo?

It’s central image.

It can be tough to choose the one that’s right for you. However, think about what makes your team unique. If you’re all retirees, you could use a tongue-in-cheek image, like two crossed canes that have sharp, dagger points at the end.

Or, you can choose the image based on your town or neighborhood. Is there a statue that everyone stops to look at on your block?

What about a historic symbol or image that’s close to your team’s heart?

The sky’s the limit here.

Bold Colors

Another crucial part of your logo design?

The colors you choose to fill in your image with. In general, it’s a good idea to stick to just two or three. However, don’t be afraid to go bold!

You want your fans to be able to spot your players on the field.

Plus, choosing specific “colors” for your team also helps you to connect with your fans. Now, they know the colors they should wear on game day, or which shades they should use to paint their signs.

Need some inspiration?

Check out the NFL Matchups feature on the UltimateCapper website. This tool allows you to clearly see the chosen colors of some of the most popular teams. You’ll likely notice that when you see these shades, you instantly know which teams are playing.

Wouldn’t it be nice for your team to have that same brand recognition?

A Logo That’s Easy To Resize

Your football logo will have to go a lot of different places. Think team jerseys, signs, your social media accounts, and even on temporary tattoos fans can wear on game day!

You want to ensure that your design can fit everywhere it needs to go, without becoming muddled.

When creating your logo, make sure that you’ve selected an image that’s easy to resize.

Ready To Design Your Football Logo?

Thanks to this post, you have some great ideas to get you started on the process of designing your own football logo.

In fact, you probably have more than a few ideas floating around in your mind.

Talk to your team, vote on your favorite colors and images, and then use our free online logo maker tool to draw a few mock-ups.

Need more design tips? Check out our website and blog for more advice about how to take your logo to the next level.

Have you been asked to design a basketball logo?

With basketball increasing its share in the sports market each year, it’s no surprise new teams are popping up all over the place.

As a result, older teams are looking to refresh their image.

A creative basketball logo helps a team to stand out. Not to mention, it can seriously increase merchandise sales. Here are the top tips for creating a perfect logo for your team, or for refreshing that old logo.

3 Tips for Creating a Fun Basketball Logo

1. Color

It’s key to have colors that stand out. High contrast and distinct color combinations will help the logo pop out on merchandise.

For example, if you visit this site about basketball hoop installation, you’ll see their logo uses yellow and green. The contrast of colors draws in your eye right away.

Try contrasting colors or simple black and white. The logo should also match the team’s uniforms, so it’s easily associated with them.

2. Get Inspired by the Game

Just like these classic NFL logos, you want your basketball logo to be inspired by the game itself.

Think about the classic NBA logo.

It’s a silhouette image of a player, in the dynamic movement of the game, running down the court, ball in hand. The image captures the excitement of the game — but is also clearly about basketball.

Gather inspiration from the game of basketball itself. The ball, the hoop, the players… all these elements can be used to capture the essence of the sport.

Keep in mind the icons you choose don’t need to be an exact depiction. Logos are known for being interpretive in their design. The image can be manipulated and stylized as long as it’s recognizable.

3. Think Simple

While it’s important to use imagery that speaks to the game, it’s equally important to keep it simple.

Choose one basic image and work off its premise. Don’t combine too many elements. The logo will be hard to remember and too crowded.

The most classic logos are extremely basic. Think of the golden arches, Nike swoosh, and classic Apple icon. They all have two things in common — simplicity and memorability.

Words also can be a part of the logo. But when it’s on merchandise or in the fine print, the words need to be easily read. Make sure your logo is recognizable no matter what size it is.

Many amazing logos in the NBA have the name of the team or town incorporated into them.

For example, the team logos for the Lakers, the Nicks, and the Raptors all incorporate their names into their logos.

Their logo, however, is still recognizable without the words. This is great for merchandising purposes.

Make Your Logo

You’re ready to make an awesome basketball logo. Just remember to:

• Think about color
• Get inspired by the game
• Keep it simple

If you use these three logo tips in your design, you’ll be sure to make a logo that resonates with basketball fans.

Need some more inspiration? Check out these sports logo ideas to get the ball rolling.

If you’ve opened a bike shop or any business, chances are you’ve had to deal with the most important decision outside the business model. The logo.

Easy in theory, difficult in execution.

It goes without saying that in 2017 the words “Bike Shop” with a stock image bicycle centered underneath does not cut it.

Think of McDonald’s, Apple, and Coca-Cola.

These logos are engrained in people’s minds. They have transcended the business and hold a place in pop-culture. There is a reason for this.

Every word, angle, color, and shape can evoke an emotion. The key is turning those emotions into conversions.

5 Awesome Bike Shop Logo Tips

1. Color Choice

Humans have a natural reaction to colors, and these reactions play a big role in how businesses brand themselves.

For a bicycle shop, reds and oranges are associated with strength and endurance and have a very high level of readability. This color is ideal in an industry centered around physical activity.

On the other hand, yellow being an unstable color would not be ideal to promote safety. If in the restaurant business it is known that blue suppresses appetite so its use is few and far between.

More logo basics can be found here.

2. Simplicity is Key

The most timeless logos are the most simple.

This is an era of thousands of impressions. With the swipe of a finger, consumers are pulled in a million different directions, each begging for attention.

The simple truth is the busy logos get left in the dust at the expense of those that are user-friendly and easy to understand.

This tip is a by-product of the social media age. The most effective platforms strip it down giving you what you need before wandering to the latest viral cooking video.

3. Something You Can Build Upon

Logos build brands. This is where Nike excels.

The iconic swoosh is found on everything Nike produces and for good reason. This logo represents a standard of excellence and markets the products to every eye it strikes.

For a bike shop, this logo should be able to transition to shirts, stickers, helmets, water bottles, etc. Any way to make your customers brand ambassadors and create conversation.

Try your hand at making something iconic.

4. Synonymous With Your Service

A big mistake in logo design is creating something that doesn’t speak to the service provided.

If your bike shop repairs bikes and doesn’t sell them, think about including a wrench or toolbox. This aids the customer and leaves nothing up to the imagination.

Confusion will often lead to a lost opportunity.

This is also the best opportunity to highlight something that you offer and the competition doesn’t. Say your bike shop offers additional accessories and parts. Give that stock bicycle the works.

5. Tells Your Story

Ultimately, your logo is you. For entrepreneurs, taking that leap of faith to pursue a passion isn’t easy. Everyone’s story is unique.

Passion resonates. People respond to real, and you can deeply connect with people if your logo is indicative of your message.

Intertwining individuality breathes life into a logo, you’ve got 8 children, the rungs of the bike wheel can be their names. Not only is this logo unique, it’s also yours.

Take the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. The Steelers logo represents the three materials used to make steel, the lifeblood of that city. On the other hand, the Browns logo is simply a helmet.

Many times, the quality of a logo speaks directly to the quality of a business. Keep this and the above tips in mind, your bike shop will thank you.

Surfers come from all different walks of life and everyone finds their way to the ocean for different reasons. But there are a few unifying characteristics that connect surfers together.

The surf companies that have tapped into those unifying ideas with their surf shop logo and ad campaigns have made successful surf businesses.

If you run a surfing company then curating the right surf shop logo can make all the difference in your success.

Here are 5 beach brands that should inspire and inform your design choices.

The Critical Slide Society

This Australian surf company is relatively new but is taking the surfing scene by storm.

Critical Slide Society has dialed in on the sunbleached, relaxed, and carefree characteristics of surfers. They focus their style on muted colors that don’t flash or clash.

Their logo is a simple and clean black and white diamond shape that doesn’t include cheesy images or graphics.

Steer clear from silly graphics in your final surf shop logo.

Katin Surf Shop Logo

Katin is an old Califonia company that was started back in 1959. It all began with one pair of surf trunks that were made for a local surfer and the business soared from there.

Katin has evolved over the years and realized that California surfers have many interests. They love longboards, walking the boardwalks and hanging out on any beach. Their style is relaxed without being sloppy.

They also have a simple all black logo that just clearly states their name. Don’t over think it with too many colors or images. Simplicity and font are key.

TwoThirds

TwoThirds is a company based in Spain that combines their love for surfing with their love of the environment.

Their motto is “protect what you love” and they strive to make environmentally sustainable products for surfers who want to protect the ocean they love.

Their products are ultra laid back, like both the Spanish and the surfing culture.

The TwoThirds surf shop logo is all black with a simple and artistic incomplete circle design. This is an example of a successful logo that establishes a strong brand identity without being too obvious.

Insight

Insight is an older more classic surf company that has been influencing the look of youth surf culture for decades.

This Australian surf company makes youthful clothing that is designed to look even cooler after the wear and tear acquired by partying at the beach.

Their surf shop logo is an iconic black and white four-circle design that any surfer would recognize.

Saturdays

Saturdays is a totally original and unique surf company that makes clothing that can be worn in a bar, on a date, or at the beach. Their clothing has a distinctive city vibe that is unique from the mostly beachy and breezy surf culture.

Their logo shows their name “Saturdays New York City” in a minimalist white type.

It’s tempting to try and make a themed logo with waves or boards, but the most successful surf companies have kept things simple and clean. Whether you’re launching your company with a fresh logo or looking to relaunch a new logo, consider what is already working in the market.

If you want a successful surf company, pay attention to the trends and follow suit. The most successful surf companies these days are catering to the cool, calm and understated vibe of the surf community.

Start designing a logo online that will elevate your surf shop to the next level of success.