If you are following my guide towards a credible logo, you’ve gone already through Planning and Naming steps. But now, we are going to start building your logo choosing its system and format.

Now, in this third part I’m going to deep into the system options for you to understand which one fits better your company’s brand.  Letters, images, emblems, name, there are so many options when it comes to logo systems that you might be lost. But this article will brighten up your mind to the possibilities when designing your logo. Always focusing on being true to your brand.

System

There are many types of logos and classifications around the Design world. But I’m going to stick with Alina Wheeler’s book Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team that is very well written and composed. She divides logos in 5 categories: wordmark, letterform, emblems, pictorial marks and abstract/symbolic marks. They all include typography and/or image, but each type of logo gives your brand a different feel. So let’s see what Alina says about them.

Wordmark

A wordmark is a strong word (or words) that should be easy to read at the same time presents a very distinctive typeface. Work really well when the name itself is catchy and memorable. And when combined with strong typography, the logo gets a strong brand recognition. Continue Reading

Once you have a logo the next step for many businesses is to put your brand on the web. One of the most important features of a website are the images. If you don’t have your own images you probably are looking for stock photography. They can get quite expensive, but before you purchase it’s worth checking out these 10 sites which offer free stock photos.

Each one has a Creative Commons license which makes it possible to use the images for personal or commercial use. All the images are available for download in high definition.

1) Pexels

Pexels bills itself as the best free stock photography search. They have a great functionality where you can search and browse by popular photos, popular searches, and color. The search by color function is particularly helpful if you are using a specific color palette.

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Following the guide of 5 steps to create a credible logo, today we are going to see some tips and steps on how to name your business. So after the planning part is over and you have defined your objectives, goals and mission, you can start thinking about naming your business. It’s a big deal because they are often the first touchpoint between consumers and your brand.

Some people think that naming a company is some kind of creative moment or insight some genius had. But it’s actually a lot of work, research and steps to follow.

1 – Brainstorm
Let your mind work and write down all the ideas that you and your team come up with. If you take it seriously, this will take you to dozens of names.

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This is a special sequence of 5 posts to explain the 5 steps towards a credible logo for your company. Today is part one and we are getting into planning your branding strategy.

In terms of meaning, a logo represents the values and beliefs of a brand; a brand is the identity of a company and credibility is the quality of being trusted and believed in. So, summing up, a logo is the face, the brand is the personality and you want your logo to be true to your brand so people will believe in your company.

You already know that a logo is crucial. But what you might not know is that the most successful logos are the credible ones. A study from Southern Cross University has shown that credibility based logos make websites from two to four times more effective compared to others.  They get more clicks through action (CTA) which means more purchase decision. 

When you start a company and aim for success (who doesn’t?), you should ask yourself “How to make people’s first impression great about my brand?”. The first impression is the first step to develop and improve communication with customers. So if you speak to your public a trustworthy message based on your defined brand personality they will convert, buy and remember your product or service with no effort. 

Even though there is no magic, I like to follow some steps that guide me through the valley of the credible logo design and now will help you too.

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