When it comes to representing your business to potential and current clients, few things are more important than your company’s logo.

Your logo is responsible for a huge amount of your company’s branding, including elements like establishing recognition and trust with clients, as well as amping up your company’s financial value in general.

So, does it feel as though your company’s logo has been pulling its weight?

If not, it may have something to do with factors like how long it’s been since the logo was last update, or whether it was professionally designed in the first place.

Your logo could be detracting from your company’s success and relevance in clients’ minds–and if so, a fresh logo change may be just what you need to get back on top!

But how can you tell if your logo is due for a change? Here are 5 of the biggest signs it’s time to freshen that little guy up!

1. Your Logo Looks Out-of-Date

One of the easiest ways to tell you’re in desperate need of a new logo is to look at your current one with a critical eye and decide whether or not it looks…well…old. If your logo was super trendy at the time it was made, it’s likely it hasn’t withstood the test of time. If your logo looks cheesy or tacky on second glance…it’s time for a new logo.

Some logo designs are simple and classic enough that they’re really pretty timeless and aren’t easily subject to poor aging–but, unfortunately, logos like this are pretty few and far between. Your logo should always appear as cutting-edge and customer-based as your services are.

Sometimes, when it comes to logos that feel a little outdated, a simple-but-modern revision is enough to kick your design into gear again. Either way, though, if your logo has started to look old, something’s gotta change!

2. You’ve Evolved…But Your Logo Hasn’t

Businesses change. They become more complex, their missions become different, and the clients they serve evolve. As startups, Apple and Microsoft had no idea what they’d evolve into! But over time, as they did change, their logos changed along with them.

Chances are, if your company has been around for a while, it’s done some significant changing over the course of its existence. If your company is still sporting the same logo from its startup marketing materials, there’s a good chance it’s outgrown its logo.

This is a really important consideration to recognize, since you’ll want to be sure your clients know you’re staying flexible and on top of things, rather than getting lazy and set in out-of-date old ways.

3. Your Logo isn’t Attracting Clients

Your logo’s #1 responsibility is to represent your company and to attract new clients to your services. Current and potential clients should see your logo and immediately be interested in your services and what it is your company is about. If your logo isn’t managing this, it’s definitely time for a new one.

The reason your logo is failing when it comes to attracting new clients could be any number of things–an evolved audience or changed demographic–or just good old fashioned ugly logo design.

Whatever the exact reason may be, if your logo isn’t attracting traffic, it’s time for a change. A really sleek, cutting edge logo may be just what you need to drive the clients to your page! A logo is a small-but-mighty tool. Be sure to take full advantage of its potential power.

4. Your Logo Blends in with the Competition

One of the other main goals of a logo should be to help your company stand out against all other logos in the world, and against the logos of your company’s competition. If your logo is too cookie-cutter or trendy-driven to do that…you might just need a whole new logo!

Just because the services you offer are similar to other similar companies’ services doesn’t mean it’s alright to blend in when it comes to your company’s branding. Other companies offer similar services–but yours are the best, right? Your logo should help prove this.

If it’s not working to set your company apart from the rest, you logo isn’t working! A brand new logo may be the perfect refresh-button your company needs to make your services stand out from others. Plus, a fresh look can work wonders for sparking clients’ interest in your company for the first time or all over again!

5. Your Logo is Just…Well…Bad

Even if your logo is new and different, there’s a chance it’s still…uh…not great. If you have a hunch that your logo isn’t working as well as it should be, it’s probably not.

Good logo design is super hard to accomplish. The principles of good design and other marketing concepts are what ultimately determines the success of your logo. If your logo designer isn’t versed in these things or in the technologies used to make most logos, there’s a good chance your logo isn’t as good as it should be.

Your logo might have a poor color scheme or lack of balance. Maybe it doesn’t agree with the tone of your company, doesn’t look professional or polished enough, or just feels “off” somehow. It might be all-around too-busy or…well, ugly.

If it seems like your logo could benefit from enlisting some more professional logo design services, chances are, you should definitely, absolutely seek these out and nab a new logo as soon as possible!

So…Ready for a Logo Change?

The bottom line is that, if you’ve got a feeling you might maybe possibly be due for a logo change–you probably are.

Whether it’s been a while since your last update, or you’ve just got the feeling it’s time for a logo reset, go for it.

If you’ve determined that your logo is, in fact, a no-go, start your revamp with us! Check out our awesome online logo maker and other services to amp your logo up so it’s as awesome as everything else about your company.

Take a walk around the city and let your eyes wander over the various brands and logos you see. The most effective logos are instantly recognizable. They are appealing, stand out from their competitors and invoke an immediate memory of the product they represent.

Maybe, if it’s really good, they make you want to buy a product right now.

Your logo needs to do that, too. The most effective logos deliver an image of your brand that people identify without hesitation. It’s instant and effective, a reminder that you do business in this town.

When people see your logo, they know who you are and what you do. And that is exactly what you want!

Effective Logos and Branding

If you want your business to thrive, you market it. To market well, an effective logo is a must.

The logo is a part of the total brand you’re building. It is your image. Consider what you want your brand to be before you even start.

You don’t want just any logo, you want an effective one! But, how do you design a logo that makes an instant impact? Well, you follow some basic rules.

Use the 5 Elements of Effective Logo Design

There are 5 elements that an effective logo must include. We’re not just making this up – it’s a well known a marketing strategy. The best and most famous logo designers swear by them and you should, too.

Keep Your Logo Simple

A simple logo is so much more attractive. It’s clean and designed to flow within the space it lives. You’re going for minimal text, well-chosen colors, and clean lines.

You want it to be recognizable, even if your customer only has seconds to glance at it.

Remember that your logo is printed on a variety of business products. Fine details get lost in smaller images, so just don’t include them. In this case, less really is more.

Like the look of an image that has too much detail? No problem! See if you can make the image more basic by blending the details together.

For example, a tree with many thin branches may be too busy to use as your logo. What might it look like if the branches were filled in and more solid? It’s nearly the same image with the same qualities but has a more clean, simplistic look.

Make The Design Memorable

What images come to mind when you think of certain words like coffee or french fries? Keep that in mind while designing your logo. Try to identify what it is that makes that brand’s logo memorable to you.

Those logos generally include simplicity and bold lines. They are memorable because they are easy to picture in our mind without even seeing them!

When you design an effective logo, it needs to be memorable. A customer sees your logo and they remember your product. It’s that simple.

Give it Timeless Qualities

Will your logo stand the test of time? Is it modern enough to appeal to a younger crowd, but equally appealing to the older generations? How will it hold up in the future?

These are the questions you need to ask in order to have a timelessly effective logo. The big factor to consider about timelessness is this: It costs money to redesign your logo. Not just a graphic designer, but to reprint on all of your marketing materials and products.

Redesigning can be done, but it’s not a simple or cheap task. It’s much better to get your logo right the first time. All you need to do is invest some thought and these 5 elements of effective logo design.

Be Certain It’s Versatile

Think about the size, shape, and color of your logo. Can you print it on a variety of products and materials? What about in gray-scale? Will you be able to blow it up large enough for a billboard or shrink it down for letterhead?

What about using your image on the web? You’ll need to think about your website theme and brand colors.

Versatility means you can use your logo anywhere you need it! Design your logo to be scalable and printable on a variety of materials. You may even consider having a few versions made to transfer between products.

Keep It Appropriate

Align your logo with your overall business brand by keeping it appropriate. This design element is not only about being professional but remembering your audience. Know what is appropriate to the people you are trying to reach.

Your logo will speak to a certain audience, so do some research about what they like and don’t like. Try to identify trends that are appealing within age groups, genders, and even interest groups. The best logo will reach more than one audience but won’t put off others.

Are you providing professional services to business owners? Hot colors and emojis won’t represent your business very well. It may even make you seem unprofessional.

Are you trying to reach children and their parents? Use colors and fonts that are childlike and fun.

Remember that your logo also reflects your organization’s core values and business practices. An effective logo can show strength, loyalty, effort, good ethics and more.

One Last Word of Advice

Be original. Don’t feel like you need to follow the crowd or model your logo after someone else’s image. Trends are good but they come and go. Effective logos are the ones that stand out from the crowd.

Make sure your logo reflects you, your business and your longterm goals. It should be one of a kind, and not just for trademark reasons. Design it to stand on its own, just like your business does.

Ready to Design an Effective Logo?

If you want to design an effective logo, our Logo Maker program is the only tool you’ll ever need. Learn more about how to use Logo Maker with our tutorial.

Now you can put your brand to work! Get started on your new logo, now.

Do you need a blog logo?

That’s a question many beginner bloggers ask themselves.

Here’s how you answer that question. Do you want an easy way to stand out from other bloggers in your niche? Do you plan to promote your blog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest? Do you want people to remember your blog?

If you answered yes to these questions, then your blog needs a logo.

Are you ready to learn why a blog logo is important and how to design one?

Let’s get started.

What Does a Logo Do?

Your content and good headlines are critical components of your blog. Even if you have those pieces down pat, do you still need a logo?

Yes, and here’s why.

A logo is the visual identity of your blog. It’s also what your readers will remember. They won’t remember your great headlines or your well-written content.

They’ll remember what they felt about your content and they’ll connect that emotion to your logo.

Almost 93% of communication is visual. In conversation, you process someone’s gestures more than what they’re saying. The same is true with reading. You’ll remember posts with images over the actual content of the post.

Here are a few examples. Can you name any of Nike’s shoes besides Air Jordans? No, but you remember the iconic swoosh.

Same with Adidas. You probably can’t name their product lines, but you know the three stripes.

Types of Logos

As you start thinking about designing a logo for your blog, take a look at the different types of logos.

Wordmark: Google and FedEx are good examples of a wordmark logo. It’s a stylized version of your blog’s name. This is a way to draw attention to the name of your blog and help people remember what it’s called.

A good wordmark logo is clear and readable in small and large image sizes. It’s unique so it’s memorable, but not so unique it detracts from your blog.

Lettermark: This is similar to a wordmark, but uses initials instead of the entire name of the blog.

Symbol: This is a symbol that uses little to no text, like Apple’s logo, the three stripes of Adidas or Nike’s swoosh.

Combination: This is a combination of a watermark and symbol. This is a great option for a blog because you can incorporate your blog’s name and have a symbol to help people remember your blog.

Creating Your Blog Logo

How do you go about creating your logo? Start with your blog and your audience. You want your blog to connect with your audience. You also want your logo to connect with your audience, too.

Your Blog’s Audience

Who do you want to read your blog? You can start with their basic demographic information. Know their age, gender, education, and total household income (THI).

What do they need when they come to your blog? When they discover and visit your blog, what are they looking for? They’re trying to solve a problem or answer a question. You need to uncover what that is.

Are there other brands that they love and trust? Why do they love those brands?

Knowing these basic insights about your reader will make it much easier to create a logo that resonates with them. It will also help you craft your blog content just for your readers and offer solutions.

Does Your Blog Have a Personality?

When you’re creating your blog logo, you’re essentially aligning your blog’s personality with your readers’ personality. The logo visually ties the two together. That’s how you attract the right readers to your blog.

Back to your blog’s personality. If you don’t know the answer or your blog doesn’t have a personality, here’s how you create one.

Would you describe Your blog as fun or serious?

When you approach your blog, is it with a lot of playful energy or are you a bit more cautious?

Do you see your blog being approachable or professional?

Is your blog an upscale or premium brand? Is it an accessible brand?

What are other brands that have a similar personality?

By answering these questions, you’ll have a solid idea as to what your brand’s personality is.

Choosing Typography to Match Your Personality

Remember, you want your font to express your personality and your reader’s personality. If you discovered that your blog and readers have a fun personality, the font should match.

The font also needs to be functional. It has to be legible in different sizes on your site and in your social media images.

You can then go onto sites like Google Fonts to experiment with different fonts. FontSquirrel and FontSpace are other good sources for fonts.

You can experiment and test different fonts to see which ones work best.

Color

Color also matters in creating your logo. People process color and interpret its meaning quickly at an unconscious level.

How a color in processed and interpreted is largely based on an individual’s personal experiences that have shaped their worldview.

Take the color red, for example. In Western culture, it conveys love and passion. Other cultures will tell a different story.

In India, red runs the gamut of emotions. It’s associated with fear, wealth, fire, purity, and seduction for starters.

In South Africa, it’s associated with violence and mourning.

You need to choose a color that best reflects the emotional appeal of your blog to your audience.

Create Your Blog Logo

If you were on the fence about getting a blog logo, you should understand by now why it’s an important piece of your blog.

It reflects the personality of your readers and your blog. It’s also how people remember your blog.

The good news is that it doesn’t take much to design one. You can create a logo is less than 10 minutes with Online Logo Maker. It has plenty of font and symbol options, so you can create a combination logo with no problem.

If you want to give logo design a try, check out our easy to use tool today.

Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than we process words. That means your potential customers are taking in your logo… fast!

It could be your chance at a first impression before they even read any of your content. You’ve got to make that logo count.

But what types of logos are best for your industry and how should you use them?

We’ve got you covered. Check out our complete guide with all the types of logos and how to use them.

Types of Logos

There are several different types of logos to choose from for your business. They all have different purposes and attributes.

Here’s a breakdown.

1. Lettermarks

Does your company have a long name? Then this could be the logo for you.

Think CNN, NBC, NFL… see a trend here? They’re all companies or organizations with really long names.

They also turned those long names into acronyms. And made that acronym their logo!

These logos are typography based and comprised generally of the company’s initials. It’s simple, clean, and is attached to the actual name of the business making the long name more memorable.

Also… How much easier is it to say IBM than International Business Machines?

If you’re looking to brand your company in a simple way, this could be for you.

2. Pictorial Mark

These are the logos people will remember when a brand has serious power. Think Apple, Twitter, Target…

You immediately can think of their logo. And they’re all simple symbols that represent multi-million dollar companies.

A true pictorial mark is only an image. Because of this, they can be tricky for brands that are just starting out.

Consider what symbol you want to be associated with your brand if you go this route. It will be attached to your company forever.

Think about:

• Do you want to evoke emotion?
• Create a pun that plays on words?
• Imply a deeper meaning?

Whatever it is, your logo symbol has to do something in order to be memorable. So choose wisely.

3. Emblem Logo

This looks like a badge, seal, or crest. There is typography inside of an icon and both are incorporated into one logo.

Think Starbucks or Harley Davidson.

4. Mascot Logo

Mascots can be great marketing tools. They can also work really well in a logo.

Think Wendy’s or KFC.

Your mascot is simply an illustrated character that represents your brand. Like a pictorial symbol, it needs to have some sort of purpose.

They’re kind of like a business ambassador. And at the end of the day, they’re great for companies looking to create a wholesome sentiment around their brand.

5. Abstract Mark

This is kind of like a pictorial image. But with one major difference.

The logo image is an abstract work of art rather than a purely recognizable symbol, such as a bird.

An abstract mark can make a very attractive marketing logo. It allows you to create something truly unique that no other brand will have anything like.

Think of Pepsi’s interesting spherical logo symbol. Or Adidas’ symbol with three peaks and stripes.

The benefit of choosing abstract imagery is you can create a meaning around it… such as how the Nike swoosh represents movement or freedom.

6. Combination Mark

This is a (you guessed it!) combination of multiple types of logos. For example, there may be a pictorial image with a wordmark.

Or an abstract symbol with a lettermark.

Whatever the combination is, anytime there is more than one style present it’s considered a combination logo.

These are great for companies looking to be a bit more expressive by creating their own unique cocktail of a logo.

Think of a logo like Lacoste which has a gator and the companies name in typography.

7. Wordmark

This is like a lettermark but with the full name of the company. It’s simply typography with the business’ name as the primary focus.

For example, Coca-Cola’s logo is a wordmark type logo.

Any company that has a succinct and notable name can benefit from this type of logo.

The real key when making a logo like this is the typography. It is the visual component at the forefront of the logo’s design.

When to Use Logos

You probably have a good idea by now which type of logo is right for your business and brand needs.

But here are some key points to consider when choosing types of logos.

• Abstract marks should only be done by professionals who understand shape and color. Otherwise, you’ll create some that are not quite memorable.
• The point of an abstract mark is to create something entirely unique.
• Mascot logos are great if you’re trying to create an impression on children or families. A mascot can also be a great tool for social media or marketing event.
• Wordmark logos should only be used if your company’s name is memorable and short.
• Lettermark logos are great if you can easily make a memorable acronym from your company’s long name.
• Typography will be the most important thing in either a watermark or lettermark type design.
• Abstract logos can be difficult to decipher if they are too abstract. Make sure there is a meaning behind them that your consumers can understand.
• A pictorial mark is a great way to represent your brand. But if you’re just starting out, keep in mind the recognition can be trickier to build.

Can’t decide?

That’s okay! There’s always the option to make a combination logo.

Choose the two elements you know you definitely want in your logo. Play with design and see if you can incorporate them both into one.

This is a great way to not compromise and create something entirely unique.

In the end, the number one thing to keep in mind is this:

Your logo needs to have meaning, be memorable, and represent your brand.

Next Steps

Now that you’re all brushed up on the different types of logos and how to use them…

You’re probably ready to get your own!

Many people want to design their own logo. It’s less expensive than hiring a brand designer… Plus you have more control over the finished product.

Sound like what you want? Check out how to make a free logo here.