Get inspired by some of our favourite logo designs.
A wordmark (or logotype) is a text-only type of logo that is most commonly the brand or company’s name. You can make a wordmark using one font or mixing it up like the font pairings seen here. Some fonts have gained specific meaning over time.
In these examples, we see how imagery becomes a part of the wordmark by replacing a letter with a symbol. Does this approach work well with your logo? If you go this route, try crowdsourcing friends, family and peers to make sure your customised wordmark is legible to the reader. Keep it simple and find ways to match the symbol with the text as much as possible. In Lemonade Apparel, the text’s modern, simplistic mood matches the minimalist, clean lemon icon, creating a cohesive design.
Another way to incorporate text with imagery is to layer it. Allow your imagery to serve as a background layer and create text to place on top that stands out against the design. Keep in mind how the background image creates a silhouette for your overall logo and play with the image’s sizing to change the silhouette’s shape.
An exciting way to create dimension and hierarchy is to overlap layers of text. This effect generally works best when the text in the back is bold and large and the front text is thinner, smaller and a contrasting colour so it can stand out. Make sure the important information is in the front, so it’s easy to read.
One way to enhance your text is to explore opportunities using Generate Text Effect. You can create a background photo fill for your text, as seen here or use drop shadows, beveling or outline strokes to make a statement. Consider the effect that best communicates your branding. Beveling is generally used for athletics or academics, while an image fill, as seen here, is something more playful and modern.
Repetition is a design tool that can be used for style or to communicate a certain message. For instance, PBS and the Olympics use repetition in their logos to represent plurality, diversity and unity. Test out repetition with shapes, text or colour.
You might want to emphasise your brand identity in your logo. As seen here, nothing does a better job of selling a donut than actually seeing one. That certainly makes us interested in a tasty glazed treat. Allow any visuals in your logo to really sell your brand or product.
Icons are a versatile design tool. You can scale them, crop them, colour them, make them into a pattern, mix two to make a whole new design, the list goes on on. There are countless icon options out there these days, so choose one that feels unique to you. Avoid symbols used by other similar brands or your competition.
If you’re going for a more classic, traditional or timeless approach, go with a black and white logo. Think of iconic brands such as Chanel or The New York Times - their logos fare perfectly when printed both in black and white or in color because the black remains the same both ways. Black can also communicate something more edgy or subdued or something that should be taken seriously. You can always design a black logo and add colour to it for a special variation.
