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Branding

Guide

Design a logo you won't hate in 6 months

The 7-step process to a simple, timeless logo, no design degree needed.

9 min read·8 steps
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  1. Start with 20 logos you admire

    Save 20 logos (competitors, your favourite brands, random brands you like) into a Pinterest board or a folder. Look for patterns, what do they have in common? Usually: simple, mostly one colour, no gradient.

  2. Decide: wordmark, symbol, or combined

    Wordmark = just your name in a nice font (Google, Coca-Cola). Symbol = an icon alone (Apple, Nike). Combined = symbol + name (Adidas). For a new business, start with a wordmark. It's simpler and 90% of iconic brands started this way.

  3. Pick 2–3 fonts to try

    Search Google Fonts. Serif fonts (like Playfair, Cormorant) feel premium and traditional. Sans-serif (Inter, DM Sans) feel modern and tech. Mixing 2 fonts (one bold, one regular) in your wordmark creates visual interest.

  4. Sketch in Figma or Canva

    Both are free. Type your name in your chosen fonts. Try different letter spacing (tracking). Try lowercase and uppercase. Try one letter in a different colour. Make 10 rough versions in 30 minutes.

  5. Pick ONE colour, plus black

    Trendy multi-colour gradients date fast. A logo that works in ONE brand colour + black + white is 100× more usable. You need to print it on invoices, embroider it on shirts, and shrink it to a favicon.

  6. Test at three sizes

    Preview your logo at: 32×32 (favicon), 200px (social media profile), 800px (billboard). If it looks like a smudge at 32×32, simplify. If it looks lost at 800px, add a bit of visual weight.

  7. Get 3 honest opinions, then commit

    Show it to 3 people in your target audience, not friends, not designers. Ask 'what does this business seem to do?' If they guess right, you're done. Don't ask 'do you like it?', everyone says yes.

  8. Export the right files

    Export: SVG (for web), PNG with transparent background (for social), and a black-only PNG (for printing on light or dark backgrounds). Save these to a 'Brand Assets' folder and back it up to Google Drive.

That’s the whole thing.

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