You grew up wanting to help animals.

Now, after years of education, training, and work, you’re finally ready to start your own veterinary practice.

But did vet school prepare you for marketing?

Even a medical practice needs good public relations and branding. And it all starts with your most powerful marketing tool: Your logo.

Here are some tips to design a great vet logo.

Look Like a Vet

This first tip may seem obvious, but it’s important to keep in focus.

If you’re making a logo for a vet, it needs to look like a vet logo.

The best thing about good logos is that they can say a lot without saying anything.

You may want to include “Veterinary Clinic” or “Animal Hospital” somewhere on your logo. But when designing it, try to refrain from using these phrases until the end.

Challenge yourself to make a logo that shows rather than tells. Someone should see your icon and think, “That looks like a vet.”

What elements might you include? Well, animals, for one.

Dogs and cats are the most common pets and often both used in vet logos, such as the Marietta Vet Clinic. If you specialize in certain animals, such as horses, you should represent that in your logo.

You might also use some symbols of healthcare. A heart, the red cross, or the Rod of Asclepius are all common icons used to represent health centers.

Your logo should be somewhat playful because your business involves animals. But as a medical clinic, there’s a sense of seriousness as well. Try to balance professionalism with your love of animals in your logo.

Represent Where You’re From

Where is your clinic located? Can you tap into symbols of your region?

Every state and many cities have objects that represent them.

Florida and California are known for sunshine, beaches, and palm trees. Can you include these in your design?

Companies from the Lone Star State, Texas, might want to include a star on their logo.

Every pro sports team in Pittsburgh uses black and gold as colors, reflecting the city’s flag.

Finding a way to connect your brand to your area in your logo is valuable. It lets consumers know where you are without saying so. It also shows pride in your area and creates a special connection with your community.

Consider Usability

Your logo needs to be versatile. You’re going to use it in a variety of ways, and you need to consider all those ways when designing your logo.

Your vet logo appears on your website and social media pages. It’s on the signage outside your clinic and on the paper documents you give to patients. Television ads, billboards, and other marketing materials will feature the same logo that you put on shirts and office pens.

Will your logo work on all those mediums?

Your logo needs to be scalable. It can be blown up to large proportions or made very tiny without losing its substance.

Graphic Design

One key to this is to design it as a vector graphic. Vector graphics create shapes and lines based on algorithms. They thus don’t change in quality when you scale them up or down.

Raster graphics, in contrast, are made with small squares called pixels. They can look good at one size but become grainy and pixelated when scaled up. You want a logo that maintains its quality at all sizes.

Another key to scalability is the amount of detail. Logos with a lot of intricate detail can look amazing at certain sizes, but those details become muddied when shrunk down. Your detail actually works against you.

Material Reproduction

Something you should also consider what materials your logo will be reproduced on.

For example, you might want to put your logo on custom polo shirts for your staff to wear. Fine details and gradients don’t translate well to threading or screen printing.

Your logo might also be printed on documents without color ink. Does your logo design work well in black and white? If not, it’s a good idea to make some adjustments.

Be Strategic with Color

The colors you choose for your branding can have a deep effect on how people perceive your clinic.

Color is a popular area of study for both psychologists and marketers. Seeing certain colors can have a subliminal impact on someone’s emotions.

While personal experiences can adjust how colors impact an individual, analysts have found some general trends.

What colors might be good for your vet logo based on psychology?

• Green – Represents health and growth
• Blue – Represents trust and dependability
• White/Black/Gray – Represents balance and calmness

These aren’t hard and fast rules, but they’re something to keep in mind when designing.

Avoid Temporary Trends

Design trends come and go.

A particular typeface or use of color may become popular for a time. But, like in fashion, you need to be careful to not invest in a trend that won’t last long.

Some trends have a distinct reason for developing and might be more likely to stick around. For example, the minimalist logo design trend is a byproduct of the mobile age. Companies have to think of how their logo looks as a social media avatar or an app icon.

But other trends will pop up almost randomly, be popular for a few months or a year, and then die out.

Your logo needs to last. Changing your logo every few years isn’t ideal. Avoiding trends will make your vet logo more sustainable and enduring.

Represent Something Great

Ultimately, your logo is a mere representation of your vet clinic.

Your logo doesn’t pick up the phones or schedule appointments. Your logo doesn’t do checkups and perform procedures.

The most effective logos are the ones that represent great companies. It’s your work that instills trust in your clients, not your logo.

Start Designing Your Vet Logo

With these helpful tips, you have a great foundation to start building your brand.

Online Logo Maker gives you free digital design tools to make your own logo. Start designing your vet logo today!

Like every company, those in the business of selling cannabis need to set themselves apart from their competition.

The best way to do that is to brand your company. That includes creating a cannabis logo.

But while selling weed is now legalized in many states, it still suffers from an image problem. Here are a few tips to help you brand your cannabis company.

Move Away from the Pot Leaf

44% of marijuana businesses feature a pot leaf as their logo. Branding is about setting yourself apart from everyone else.

Everyone knows what you’re selling, so it’s okay to think outside the box. A cannabis logo featuring a pot leaf is a bit of a cliche.

Instead, sit down with your employees and determine what makes your products so great. Since many of the strains of marijuana come with really unique names, it goes to show there’s a lot of room for creativity in the pot business.

One helpful way to figure out how you’re different from every other pot business is to read Seth Godin’s book, “The Purple Cow”.

Another way is to check out your competition. Note what they’re doing. Take a look at their website.

Look at their cannabis logo. Then read their blog, if they have one. Take a look at their social media presence.

Have a Social Media Presence

Getting social is extremely important to any business. But for those selling cannabis, it’s even more important.

Social media is a great way to find your niche market. It’s also a great way to share your content.

You can also feature any new products or services your marijuana company has. Perhaps you have hemp seeds for sale. Placing an ad on social media or even just a shout out can help you sell much more than you would by placing a sign in the window.

Make sure to post on a regular basis. To save time, set up a drip campaign ahead of time. That way, your messages are always sent out without you having to remember.

Feature your cannabis logo on your social media pages. You want customers to be able to easily recognize you and form a relationship with you.

Know Your Niche Market

By now, 23 states have legalized marijuana use in one form or another. That trend is only going to increase. Not only is it helping patients, states are profiting as a result.

But that doesn’t mean everyone is going to become a raving fan. However, that doesn’t mean that pot smokers don’t come from every socioeconomic background, race, and age.

Know who you’re selling to. Your cannabis logo can reflect your target market.

Newcomers to the Weed Market

The market for those new to weed is also a huge niche. For most adults, we grew up being told about the dangers of marijuana.

Some of us were forced to watch the movie, “Reefer Madness.” Now that new information about the benefits of marijuana is available, there are a lot of ways to capitalize on that.

For newcomers, the packaging and logo should be focused on simplicity. These consumers don’t know a lot about weed. Think of it like branding to kids.

There are no complications. They know what they’re getting.

Make sure your staff is friendly and knowledgeable. That will help new customers feel more comfortable about buying your products. They’ll also be more likely to return and refer their friends.

The Luxury Market

There’s the luxury cannabis market. For high-end connoisseurs of marijuana who appreciate the best that weed has to offer.

A recent survey shows that most marijuana users have high incomes. They are also more outgoing.

There are also now weed critics. Jake Browne, from the Denver Post is one of them.

Appeal to the higher income market by branding your company as the place to get the best chronic. Make your customers feel as though they aren’t just picking up some weed, they are coming to your store for an experience.

It’s the same as a hair salon. One salon might charge $500 for a haircut and another place might only charge $20. Both places will cut your hair, but you’ll only walk away from one feeling as though you had an experience along with the haircut.

Train your employees to treat all customers as if they deserve nothing but the best. Have them dress accordingly as well. This is all part of the branding package.

Go Green

One thing about marijuana is that it’s a natural growing plant. You can make rope, clothing, and milk from this product.

Marijuana also doesn’t destroy the environment around it. It truly is a green product. Your branding can feature weed’s earthy nature. It’s perfect for a cannabis logo.

But don’t stop there. Keep going green. Make sure all your products and packaging are made from sustainable materials.

Promote your earth-loving company. Many consumers will find it extremely appealing.

Healthy Healing

Health benefits are the reason why most states have legalized marijuana. There are many health benefits.

Better sleep, calming PTSD, and helping alleviate symptoms of HIV, cancer, and other serious diseases are just a few. Which is why it’s a great and effective branding tool.

People are more focused on living happier, healthier lives. Marijuana can help with both of those objectives.

Your cannabis logo can feature the myriad benefits weed has to offer.

Be Different With Your Cannabis Logo

Try setting yourself apart from your competition by doing something completely different. Most people know what marijuana is.

If your consumers are fairly well versed in weed, then it’s perfectly acceptable to try something new. Think of the ice cream Haagen Daz.

Their logo has nothing to do with ice cream. Their funny company name has nothing to do with ice cream, either.

Yet, because they branded their company right, everyone knows that Haagen Daz is ice cream. Have fun with your logo. Use colors that promote fun or adventure. Use a design that is simple but memorable.

Be creative with your logo.

Make Your Logo With Us

We’re experts in making logos. We can help you design one that you and your customers will love.

You can add shapes, symbols, and various colors. You can even design your own business cards to help brand your company.

It’s time for you to set yourself apart from the others. Register and create an account with us today.

Launching a medical business isn’t much different than launching any other kind of business. The players look a little different, perhaps, and the terminology isn’t quite the same. But at its core, business is business no matter the practice or industry.

Which means that, even if you are providing life-saving services, you still have to think about branding and logo design.

Because health care in America exists in a competition-based market, you have to look at medical logo design as an investment. Something that sets you apart from other medical professionals offering the same services.

How can you make sure your logo design is the best t can be? Let’s take a look at 8 key tips to creating the best logo design

Why Is Medical Logo Design Necessary?

Branding is vital to building a successful medical practice.

The human brain processes images thousands of times faster than it processes words. Your logo is the first thing potential patients will see when they come in contact with your business, and it will either draw them in or turn them away.

And while marketing may seem trivial when you are in an industry that works in saving literal lives, it is still vital if you want to have any patients to save.

So how can you create that perfect logo? Let’s take a look.

Do Your Research

The first thing you need to look at is your potential competition.

Take a look at local practices similar to your own. Check out their logos. What are they doing that draws you in? What turns you off?

This initial research will not only give you a look at what is successful (or not) in terms of a logo, but it will also give you the chance to develop something unique for your own practice.

The last thing you want to do is create something that is too close to what another practice is doing.

So take the time to make sure that your medical logo design isn’t too close or derivative of a competing practice. You want to be unique, to stand out in the sea of competing practices.

Keep It Simple

It’s easy to be tempted to make your logo ornate, adding in a ton of elements so that it stands out from the crowd.

And while you should be working to keep your medical logo design unique, you should also keep it simple.

A logo isn’t meant to tell a story. Logos are supposed to be a snapshot that immediately calls your business to mind.

You also want your logo to be easy to remember.

Consider this. Think of a red bullseye. Do you have a sudden urge to run to Target and buy $200 of things you don’t need? Of course, you do, because the red bullseye is unmistakable.

It’s a simple logo, easy to remember, and sticks in the head of the consumer. You want your logo to achieve the same. For it to do that, it has to be simple enough to be instantly recognizable.

Consider the Iconography

The medical business has tons of icons associated with it. The bowl of Hygeia and the Rod of Asclepius are the two most well-known examples. And while graphic design changes fast, symbols like these stay constant.

But looking further, hearts, hands, even the tools for the medical profession can be incorporated into an effective logo.

Using these well-known symbols and adding a new twist to them immediately identifies your business as “medical” before your audience has a chance to learn more. It captures the attention of potential patients and communicates who you are without any words being said.

This is more powerful than you might think.

The more quickly your logo gets your message across, the more effective it will be at drawing in clientele.

Color Psychology

Color may seem like purely an issue of aesthetics, but don’t fall into that trap.

Color is closely related to our psychology, and it affects how we perceive things around us. Choose your colors carefully based on the types of emotions you want to elicit.

Let’s take a look at the rainbow and talk about the messages each color sends.

Red – Bold, Aggressive, Heat. May stimulate appetite, but can also symbolize danger or anger

Orange – Fun, Optimism, Happy Energy

Yellow – Happy and energetic, but may also call to mind warning signs.

Green – Growth, Life, Vitality

Blue – Peace, Serenity, Trust

Purple – Creativity, Royalty, Imagination

Know Your Audience

Just like with any part of a marketing scheme, your medical logo design is going to depend on who your target clientele is.

If you work in pediatrics, for instance, you can get away with a logo that is more fun and less buttoned-up. Cardiology, however, works with mature individuals who will expect a mature, clean logo.

This is another opportunity to look at the logos of your competition to see what is working and what is not in your market.

Consider a Wordmark

Wordmarks are a logo design that incorporates the name of a company into the logo. Think Disney, CNN, or Budweiser.

All these companies use their name as their logo, and it works well for them.

This only works, however, is your name is distinct.

If you are using your name or the names of you and your partners, you may want to rethink the wordmark. But if you’ve created a unique name for your practice, it may be a good option.

Crowdsource

Gather a group of people you trust, and run your ideas by them. Call it a friends and family focus group. Choose people that match your target demographic, and who aren’t going to say it’s wonderful just because they love you.

Let them take a look at your logo designs and offer their comments and criticism. See what they react well to, and what was a flop.

Use that information to tweak and improve your medical logo design.

Utilize All Your Resources

Just because this is your practice doesn’t mean you are expected to draw up a logo from scratch. Utilize online tools and experts to make sure your logo is the best it can be.

If you’re feeling nervous about this, or if it feels like cheating, consider this.

With all the advances in management and medical technology, you wouldn’t try to sort patient files by hand or do billing yourself, would you? Of course not. You would hire someone who specializes in that sort of thing, or invest in a program to make the job more efficient.

The same goes for medical logo design. Utilize websites that can help you design and amazing logo for your amazing practice.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to creating an amazing logo, simplicity is key.

Know your audience and your competition to ensure you stay ahead of the curve, and stay true to your brand and message. Keep those things in mind, and you’ll have an amazing medical logo design in no time.

Everything old is new again, and that’s especially true in the world of logo design. Retro designs are back in, adding a nostalgic je ne sais quois to even the most mundane brands.

Here, take a look at our five top tips for exploring, planning, and creating a retro logo design that works for your brand.

1. Pick a Decade and Industry

First, do your research.

If you’re loving a certain a modern retro logo design, find out which decade it belongs to and try to identify if the design was typical of a certain industry or area.

The reason for this being that you want a logo that is exactly like what you like already without being a carbon copy. After all, the whole point of branding is to stand out, even if you’re reaching into the past for inspiration.

Alternately, look at the classic design on a decade by decade basis to find a place in the past that that suits your particular aesthetic. You can even create something new by fusing the aesthetics of different time periods.

Before you look at logos themselves start with the absolute basics, like this explainer of design trends in the 20th century from Complex.

2. Focus on Typography

Now that you’ve explored design by the decade, decide on the typography you want to use. (If you’re not planning on incorporating typography into your logo, feel free to move to the next section!)

Font and typography is an incredibly important part of your overall retro logo design, so much so that certain logo design are all typography. Look no further than the logo of the Atari classic PONG.

You don’t have to restrict yourself to fonts made in the decade you’re drawing logo inspiration from. After all, fonts like Futura are still used today, despite originating in the 1920s.

This exercise is more about finding the typography that complements your overall design and feels like it fits the aesthetic.

In other words, Comics Sans on an industrial logo probably won’t work.

3. Explore a Reduced Color Palette

One important aspect of retro logo design to remember is that people in the past didn’t have access to as wide a range of colors as they do today.

Whether technological limitation, expense concern, or simply aesthetic difference, much of historical design relies on a stripped down color palette. Keep a keen eye on that as you comb through potential designs.

We’d even go so far as to say that a limited color range is part of what makes retro designs both appealing and lends them their suggestive power.

It’s usually smart to stick to a handful of colors at most and take cues from the most successful logos of the era you’re aiming for.

Then again, you might just settle on a fusion of newer color gradients or design touches to help your retro logo stand out. But it’s best to start with a simple beginning and iterate from there.

4. Consider Badges and Borders

One common theme of retro logo design is an interest in badge-style iconography and the inclusion of thick, defined borders.

Badges have a cool cachet that evokes motorcycle clubs and the space program. In an “everything old is new again” sort of way, the merging of retro badges and modern sensibilities are well-aligned with the badge-like style of social media icons. Ditto for the mobile web experience in general.

(Incidentally, if you need a web host to make sure your logo design loads at lightning fast speeds, click here.)

In fact, you might just find yourself developing a brand logo and a badge for your brand that follows a decade-appropriate design aesthetic just to increase synergy across your platforms while maintaining the retro cool.

Thick border lines, while less glamorous, are a staple of retro designs. Thick sticks and helps your new logo pop amid the competition.

5. Keep It Simple

Coming up with a vintage logo is a lot of fun, but in imitating older designs it can be tempting to overdo it.

Yes, you need a professional brand logo design and it needs to stand out, but don’t let that be an excuse for overdesigning your look. Here a few common pitfalls to avoid on your journey to the iconic:

Too Much Texture and Noise

When you’re aping the look of a previous era, that’s often going to include some kind of texture. After all, in a pre-digital age, wear and tear, misprinting, fuzzy ink, and other touches were everyday occurrences.

Now, those added details of texture and noise become design touches.

Unfortunately, they also can affect readability or lean too far into the past. The beautiful thing about retro design in the present day is that you can choose not to include these elements, keeping the design grounded in the present while echoing the past.

That’s not to say don’t use texture and noise. Just evaluate all your options.

Illustration Compromising Clarity

Large hand-drawn illustrations find their way into retro logo design all the time. That makes sense because they’re also a hallmark of many retro logos.

It’s a great element to commission, but make sure you don’t get so enamored of giant elephant illustration that the user misses the brand name. (Well, unless your brand is Elephant).

Too Many Graphical Bells and Whistles

Again, clarity is key here. One temptation when creating a retro logo design is to put too many period touches and graphics in your logo. It’s exciting and fun to work with these vintage design, but always mind the clutter.

This is especially true with early 20th century designs, which are more cluttered by nature thanks to the printing and style of the time (take these union labels, for instance).

Get Started on Your Retro Logo Design Today

Even if you decide to hire a professional to create your final logo design, it helps to play around with some different looks to give that professional guidance. That’ll save you time and money, too.

Try your hand at a few logo designs of your own with our online logo maker app. It’s free to use, though there’s a premium version as well, offering a few more bells and whistles. Check it out.