Where to draw a company logo. Five good online services for creating a logo

Hi all!

Today we’ll figure out how to quickly and easily make a beautiful logo for your website or blog. We will look at several services and programs that will help us with this. This article will provide examples of working with tools and their functionality. And you can choose which method of creating logos suits you best.

Purpose of logo for an Internet resource

The website logo, along with the logo of a company or organization, is a kind of business card, a certain image with which your resource will be associated. The main requirement for a logo is that it must be memorable. Those. on the one hand, it should correspond to the theme of your blog or website, and on the other, it should be concise and understandable.

Logos can be divided into three main types:

• Text;
• Symbolic;
• Combined.

Accordingly, a text logo is created using letters with a certain original font (in our case, the name of the site).

Symbolic includes images (any graphic images), and, as a rule, is better remembered.
Combined is a combination of symbolic and text types.

Additionally, emblems can be highlighted. In emblems, the company name with an artistic frame creates a single composition.

The creation of logos has its own philosophy and rules for the use of certain symbols, letter shapes, etc. All these elements influence the perception and image of your brand. Therefore, if you are determined to create a serious, durable product, you should approach the creation of a logo with due seriousness.

If this is your first attempt at writing, and you are creating a logo for a new blog, follow the basic rules. It is advisable that your logo be unique and original. After all, if the same image is used on ten similar blogs, then its purpose and original meaning are lost. It is important that the logo is recognizable and expresses the essence of your resource (company, organization) and its core values.

The first thing that comes to mind when we're talking about about creating a logo, it's Photoshop. But mastering this program is not quick; it takes time to learn. But what if you need to make a logo quickly? You can turn to specialists for help, but it costs money, but I would like it to be free. There is a solution for this case. Today, many online services have been created that allow you to quickly and freely create a logo for a website. In addition, there are offline programs with a simple and intuitive interface that can be useful for your purposes. Let's test it first online services to create logos for the site.

Websites for creating logos online

We will look at the five most popular resources.

Logaster

This web application, which is available in ten languages ​​(including Russian) – Logaster

Today the service allows you to create a small logo for free. In order to download the created logo in good quality, you will need to pay $9.99.

Select “Create a logo” and fill in the required fields: company (site) name, type of activity, you can also add a slogan, which will be displayed in smaller font. Click “Next”.

We moved directly to creating a logo for the site. There are a large number of options presented here. You can filter images by keywords (“Icon Search”)

You can select pictures by going to different pages of the list. Also under the icons there is a function “Change settings”, where you can set color scheme, add a slogan or change the name. When the logo is selected, go to the next page “Edit Logo”.

Here you can see what the logo looks like on letterheads, business cards (right), as well as different colors and designs. Also, by clicking on the “Edit logo” button, you can make adjustments: change the text font, color, picture, etc.

The next stage is saving the logo. To do this, you will need to enter your email and password (account creation).

After registration, you can download the logo you created for free in a small size:

The size of the free logo for the site in my case is 191×73 pixels with Logaster watermarks in different colors.

The watermark on the right can be easily cropped.

LogoMaker

This is an English-language resource and only supports latin letters when creating a logo (Cyrillic characters are displayed as question marks).

If Latin characters in the name suit you, click “Make a logo” on the main page of the site. We choose the direction of activity and write down the name of the site.

It should be noted that this service has a greater variety and originality of logos than the previous one we reviewed.

The search for the desired pictures here is also carried out using keywords (in English).

The next stage is editing:

Here you can choose the color of the picture, text font, size, etc. Below on the same page you can see how the logo looks on a business card, T-shirt or laptop screen.

After all adjustments have been made, click “Save logo”. To save, you will need to enter your email address and password.

LogotypeMaker

On this online resource you can make a logo for your website for free in 300 dpi resolution in jpg, png format. The interface is available in Russian.

Click “Create a logo” and enter the name of your site. After the update, pictures with the desired name become available:

Select the one you like (for free downloading, select logos with a mark) and start editing:

After adjustment, save the result. To do this, you will also need to create an account.

Online LogoMaker

Here you can select the interface language “Russian” and start creating a logo for the site by clicking “Launch LogoMaker”. Next, in the control panel on the left, click “Add symbol” and select the picture we like. To do this, you can select the appropriate category:

You can also change the text font, size, color, etc. Also, by clicking on the picture, you can change its colors and size. Already at this stage, to download the logo for free, you can take a screenshot, and then edit it in a program (Paint, Photoshop, Word, etc.), removing everything unnecessary. Or click “Download” in the upper right corner and select free or paid download. In the free version, we download the file in png format with a resolution of 300 px.

CoolText

The following online service is used to create text logos.

We select the font we need from the entire variety and click on it.

Next, write down the name of our site, change the text size if necessary. Click “Create Logo” and download the logo, in my case in gif format.

CoolText also supports Cyrillic text input. Here you can save files in jpg, png, gif formats. In addition to logos, here you can create buttons for the site and download interesting fonts completely free of charge.

Logo creation software

In addition to the previously mentioned Photoshop program, which is undoubtedly one of the best professional design tools, webmasters should also pay attention to more simple ways creating a logo for your website offline.

This program has quite a wide functionality and a library of ready-made solutions that can be edited beyond recognition.

Let's look at the basic steps of working with the Sothink Logo Maker program.

Once you have downloaded and installed the program, you will be given a 30-day trial period.

In the trial version, your saved files will contain a watermark.

This program allows you to save logos in jpg, png, bmp, tif and svg formats.

AAA Logo

The program works on a similar principle to Sothink Logo Maker:

• select a template;
• make adjustments to text and objects;
• save the finished logo.

You can export files in various formats (jpg, png, psd), including vector ones (eps, svg).

Export is only possible in full version programs.

An example of creating a logo in the AAA Logo program can be seen in the video:

How to upload a logo to your WordPress blog?

There are themes with the ability to replace the base logo, and without a logo at all. Therefore, the approach to adding a logo to a WordPress site can be done in three different ways.

If it is possible to replace the logo, just go to the admin panel and in the theme settings replace the base logo with the one you created.

If the template already has a logo, but there is no replacement support, you need to go to the folder with your theme’s images: /wp-content/themes/template name/images/

In this folder you need to find the theme file (usually logo.jpg). We adjust our new logo according to the dimensions of this logo. We name it the same as the theme file and replace the old logo with a new one.

The next option is that your theme does not support logos. In this case, you will need to add the necessary code to the template files. First, select the place where we will place the logo, edit it under required sizes, give it a name, for example, logo.jpg. After that, we place it in the theme folder with images (/wp-content/themes/template name/images/).

Most often, the logo is placed in the header of the page, and therefore we will make changes to the header.php file. After < div id="header"> enter the following code:

In the style description, you can change the indents for moving the image (top, left).

This is all the information for today. See you again!

What to do if you want to make a cool logo for your project, but don’t have the money for it? I've been designing for the last ten years, so I could always make a logo for my projects myself. How can you make a cool logo if you are not a designer?

Most turn to the nephew of a distant relative, who seems to know how to use Photoshop or is simply good at drawing. But I advise you to take this issue into your own hands, and even if this is your first and perhaps last logo, it will be on a par with Sony and Facebook! You will be proud to put it on your website, and no one on the Internet will guess that you are not a designer.

Here are two simple rules I came up with. They will help you make a million-dollar logo yourself:

1. Start your path to success with font logo
2. Focus on corporate style, especially on color combinations

Let's go in order. What is a font logo? This means that only the font part is used in the logo, without an emblem or symbol. Like Google:

Why a font logo? What about the icon? It looks a little poor, won’t they laugh at me? Maybe add some squiggle?

Don't panic! Using a font logo is like wearing a shirt and jacket to a business meeting. You can, of course, try to match a sweater with jeans or come in a polo and moccasins, but you need to have impeccable taste, otherwise you will look like a clown. It’s the same with the logo - if you don’t have a professional identity designer at hand, it’s better not to try to jump over your head. Just look at these pretty serious guys - they all use logos based on the same font, Helvetica:

Maybe only large companies that already know everything can afford this? I don’t think so - in my opinion, the main thing in a logo is high-quality graphics and the overall impression. For example, Jeep and Lufthansa have emblems, but the font version of the logo also looks solid. I sincerely believe in this and I myself used this approach at the start of my project. This is the logo we started with and it didn’t stop us from getting our first orders:

How to choose the right font? You can go to wordmark.it and write the name of your project in the field - the site will show it in all the fonts that are on your computer. If that's not enough, fontfabric.com has many free typefaces, including ones with Cyrillic support. What's wrong with free fonts? Nothing, use it for your health.

Which font is better to choose? Here I also advise you to adhere to the rule “modesty is decorative.” Look at all the options and try to get a feel for which one best captures the spirit and style of your project. Don't look towards unusual display fonts - they stand out from the rest, but most often look out of place, like feathers from the Rio carnival on your morning jog.

Resist the temptation to write the project name in CAPITAL. At first glance, this writing looks neater than lowercase, like a stable rectangle. But in reality, capital letters are perceived worse. If you still want to use only capital letters, increase the letter spacing - this will increase the readability of your logo, especially in a small format.

Second important point for the design of any project I called corporate identity . I’ll tell you next time what it is and how it will help your project become noticeable and recognizable. I will only say that the logo is not the main thing and by itself it will give little. No matter what marketers say, the formula for a successful logo that will attract a crowd of customers by its very appearance has not yet been invented.

I described a simple approach that will help you make a solid and neat logo and avoid vulgarity. Of course, to make a high-quality font logo, you also need a designer, but at the start of the project you can do without one - then you can play with fonts and come up with an emblem. And if you think that the font logo is somehow poor and the kids from the neighborhood won’t understand, look at the logo of the Accenture company, which invests millions of dollars in its corporate identity:

Good luck with your design projects and don’t forget to subscribe to Logomachine - there’s a lot of interesting things ahead!

Simple instructions on how to create a logo yourself without help. The price for implementation and execution now varies from 300 to 5,000 rubles. For 300 you will get a stock one, downloaded and corrected. Let's figure out what types of logos and emblems there are.

Step by step instructions

Logo impact

I’ll tell you how logos influence and why any company needs them.

1. The company's brand will begin to be recognized and remembered; most people have visual memory.
2. Marketing component, people know about quality from the logo. The person himself may not know the name Mercedes, but when he sees three rays in a circle, he knows about the quality of the product.
3. A corporate logo gives you the opportunity to get ahead (of course this is indirect). Without it, it will be difficult to create your own style.
4. Increased loyalty. I am a fan of the Renault brand, seeing Logan on the street, positive thoughts remain. The next time I choose a car, I will lean towards this brand.
5. Branding or ownership. Any product you produce can be easily patented.

Step 1. Choose a type.

There are many types, but there are five main ones.

We figured it out and decided on the concept.

Step 2. Elements and shapes of logos and how they are perceived

Any curve will help the person himself create an idea of ​​you. The figure below shows examples of elements and what they mean in the subconscious.

We know which type to choose and the approximate shape. You can already draw a rough sketch, on paper or in one of the programs, for example Photoshop. Next we move on to theory.

Having skills in Photoshop, you can make a logo on top level according to all the rules.

Step 3. How to create a logo yourself and what it should include

The answer to creating a logo yourself is to simply order it and not worry about it. But there may not be any semantic load. Below are the basic principles of creation.

The remaining points are secondary, a consequence of the above.

Step 4. Analyze for free

Before you create and draw, you need to conduct an analysis.

Application

The scope of activity determines the use of the logo. Let's return to the example with cars, they do not use text, but only simple symbols or emblems on the rear and front bumpers.

Analysis of your case

You need to bring out the main points yourself and what you are providing to the market. A table about shapes and lines will help. Write down the main points, just don’t sculpt everything.

Look at competitors

No need for plagiarism. Remember or search the Internet for your main competitors. Look at the logos and write down your favorites. This method will help you draw approximate picture.

Step 4. If the text format and fonts are online

If you have chosen a text format, then you need to look for fonts. There are many types, italic, serif, sans serif, typescript, plain and the like. Search the Internet for sites, my online services distribute images for free in Russian.

• www.urbanfonts.com
• webfont.ru
• www.dafont.com
• fonts.google.com
• www.typetype.ru/free-fonts

I repeat once again, simplicity and recognition will help create uniqueness and recognition; do not use complex and hard to read fonts.

Step 5. Pictures for the company and firm

There are two options: you can create a picture yourself for the company or company, or download it from the Internet. For uniqueness, it is better to draw, but if there is no money, then there are free collections. I advise you to use (this is a collection of icons, they are also suitable for logos):

The above services in Russian are discussed in detail in. You can manually order it yourself on any freelance exchange, there are now enough specialists, or you can order it yourself.

But be careful, there are plenty of hacks as well as scammers. Never agree to pay in full before the work is completed, and set deadlines strictly.

Step 6. Need it urgently

Don’t forget past operations and the analysis done, they will help in creating. There are two ways:

• Online services. I discussed the best ones in the article. about creating logos online.
• Programs, all known presented.

Each method has a huge database of fonts and images, choose for yourself.

We sorted out all the aspects and answered the question of how to create a logo yourself. Preparation is very lengthy and takes more time, and technical part will go faster. Good luck to everyone.

P.S. Found good video, a completely free mini-course.

In this article, we'll look at the basic principles of logo design and share some tips for improving your skills.

Logos surround us on all sides. To the general public, logos provide an instant reminder of a company or product; For entrepreneurs, a logo serves as a visual image, a point of recognition on which branding is based. Therefore, it is not surprising that logo design occupies such an important place in our lives. In an era when every business, be it a large company or a small online store, must have its own style, brand, the demand for a logo has never been greater.

Who will benefit from the article?

Now there are more designers than ever before, and it is very difficult to be different from others and create your own unique style. If you are a beginner designer, you can learn a lot about creating a logo in this article.

If you are an entrepreneur, startuper, blogger and decided to create a logo yourself, this article will also be useful to you. Here you will find all the information you need about logo design. Let's get started.

01. Finding inspiration

Before creating a logo, many people advise looking for inspiration on various sites where the best logos are collected. This great idea. Inspiration can come from anything, anywhere. Obvious resources are sites like Logo Gala and Logo Moose, but if you're a designer or just interested in design, you're probably already familiar with them. Therefore, our advice is to expand your list of sites to include other sites about design and art. For example, such as Dribbble or Deviant Art.

02. Learn the principles of logo creation

The difference between an effective logo and an ineffective one is that it is practical, suitable, simple in form and content, and conveys a targeted message.

In his simplest form The purpose of a logo is to identify, but to do this it must follow the basic principles of logo design:

The logo should be simple. A simple logo is easy to recognize, allowing the logo to be versatile and memorable. Effective logos have something unexpected or unique without being overly detailed. The simpler the logo, the more memorable it is.

The logo must be memorable. An effective logo must be recognizable, and this is achieved through simplicity and relevance.

The logo must be durable. An effective logo must stand the test of time, be “timeless”, which means it must be effective 10, 20, 50+ years from now.

The logo must be universal. The logo should look great in different environments and on different surfaces - on the website, business card, employee clothing, etc.

The logo must be appropriate. The way you position your logo should be consistent with its purpose. For a more detailed explanation, see.

03. Develop your own logo creation process

Every designer has their own process, and it's rarely linear.

But in general, the logo development process looks like this, which, by the way, can become the basis for your own:

Create a brief. Conduct a survey or interview with the client to obtain a brief.

Study. Conduct research on the industry itself, its history and competitors.

Reference. Research successful logos, as well as current styles and trends that are associated with the company's activities.

Sketches and conceptualizations. Develop a logo concept around brief study which you cited above.

Meditate. Take breaks during the design process. This allows your ideas to mature and gives you a chance to see something new. Receive feedback.

Presentation. Choose several logos or an entire collection to present to your client. Get feedback and repeat the process until completion.

04. How much does it cost to create a logo?

"How many?" is one of the most frequently asked questions and not so easy to answer since every company has different needs and expectations. You have to consider a number of factors when developing a logo/brand design, such as the number of concepts to present, how many edits and improvements will be needed, how much research needs to be done, how much big business etc.

Jeff Fisher famous designer and the author, discussed this issue in his article “What price to set”: “The main message I want to convey is that designers must be smarter, no matter what their talents, skills and experience are. They must present the amount to the customer without explanation or apology. Presenting a normal price will allow you to work less and earn more in the future.”.

If you are an entrepreneur, then the picture below will help you decide on the cost of a logo.

05. Learn from others

Understanding what other brands have done well will help you in your own work. As an example, consider the classic Nike swoosh. This logo was created by Caroline Davidson in 1971 and is a great example of a strong, memorable logo that is effective without color or scale.

Not only is it simple, fast and dynamic, but it is also symbolic - it represents the wing of the famous statue of the Greek Goddess of Victory, which is an ideal symbol in the sportswear business. The Nike logo is just one of the great logos, but let's take a look at other famous brands that you know and analyze their logos.

06. Avoid clichés

Light bulbs to create an image of an “idea”, a cloud for “discussion”, globes to denote the concept “international”, etc. These are the ideas that come to mind during brainstorming and for the same reason we should discard them first. How can your design be unique if the same idea is present in other logos? Avoid such visual clichés and come up with an original idea and design.

As stated before, don't steal, copy, or borrow designs from others. Although this happens quite often. The designer sees an idea that he likes, quickly mirrors it, changes the colors, words and calls the idea his own. Not only is it unethical, illegal, and downright stupid, but you're bound to get caught doing it sooner or later. Don't use stock icons or clipart - the whole point of a logo is to be unique.

Preparation

07. Working with the client

A good logo is not only about creating something beautiful so that everyone around will say “wow”, but also conveying the meaning of the company, the brand message and the company philosophy. This is why the first step in creating a logo is research.

08. Immerse yourself in the brand

“Listen to the past,” urges Martin Christie of Logo Design London. Before you start sketching out ideas, spend a little time gathering information about your client (or your company if you're designing a logo for yourself) – who they are, what they do are concerned with who their clients are.

Look at previous versions logo (if there were any) and ask yourself what was wrong or cool about them. This approach can be especially interesting if the company has its own history and has been operating on the market for a very long time. You can go back in time if they want to position themselves as a heritage brand or you can completely change the logo to something fresh and futuristic.

09. Save all logo sketches

“Old sketches can be a source of new inspiration,”- says Martin Christie. “I would imagine that for each logo you create a dozen sketches before you choose which one to work with next,” Martin Christie adds. “Never throw away those early ideas; they form a valuable resource.” Just because one sketch didn't work for one client doesn't mean it won't work for another. Go back to what you created and you will find seeds that can be turned into the logo you want.

10. Look beyond logo galleries for ideas.

Logo Moose and Logo Gala are two great starting points for research and inspiration. However, it is always important to know when to stop. It's better to see what worked and didn't work out of 10 relevant logos than to get lost among 50-100 original logos.

If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, try looking up keywords in a dictionary or thesaurus, or searching for images on Google for inspiration. If you have a sketchbook, you can look at previous drawings - you probably have untapped ideas from previous projects and perhaps you already have the perfect solution, as we talked about earlier.

11. Resist the temptation to imitate

We all have design idols and sometimes we admire them so much that we want to imitate their style. Indeed, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, in real world it's simply the laziest way to solve a creative problem. Ask yourself, will the style you use suit the client? Do they need a logo with the same Saul Bass font that was used in the 70s?

12. Don't let clients dictate

Working with a client does not mean doing everything he tells you. Review the client's brief and start asking questions if you find anything unclear or if more information is needed. “The logo should be iconic and memorable” - these are the most typical clichés that you need to dissuade clients from. A man kicking a chicken in a Santa Claus costume will, of course, be remembered, but most likely for other, unnecessary reasons. So, with all this set of conditions, you need to meet the client's expectations by setting realistic goals and figuring out what exactly your work should convey. Remove information noise, separate the wheat from the chaff. Perhaps the client himself does not know what he wants, so try to be careful about his wishes.

13. Mind maps (associative maps)

Use mind mapping techniques to organize your thoughts into something more coherent. This way you can sort through your thoughts and make them work for you. Play with keywords and synonyms, and gather inspiration from different sources on the same board and see how they fit together.

14. Use a modular grid to create a long-lasting logo

The Shell logo has evolved over the years but still adheres to the same fundamental design principles. When Raymond Lowy sat down to design the Shell oil company logo, he used a modular grid as a way to create an iconic design that has remained unchanged since 1971.

The grid structure for creating a logo can be anything, for example, it can be a combination of horizontal, vertical and inclined guides that interact with circles of different diameters. What the modular grid will be like is decided by the designer himself. If you need to create a strict, simple logo based on the principles of geometric harmony, you cannot do without a modular grid. This is the only way to make a unique logo in which the width of the letters, the radii of curvature of the elements and the distance between characters will obey certain standards. More information.

15. Use appropriate grid systems and geometric shapes.

A great example of an appropriate grid that turns a logo design into a very successful one is Sagmeister & Walsh's corporate identity for the Jewish Museum in New York.

S&W created an entire corporate line that was based on the Star of David grid system, and the result was cohesive and impressive visual branding. The use of a grid system and geometric shapes worked well in this case from the very beginning, and this good lesson for us when creating a logo.

17. Don't overdo math grids

When rebranding Yahoo in 2013, Marissa Mayer and her design team used the mathematical blue matrix as a guide to create the logo. They also released a video explaining the design process and highlighting what was cool about the math in the design. When it came to the exclamation point, Mayer mentioned that "our final touch was to tilt exclamation mark 9 degrees to add a little playfulness.”

This is a perfect example of an over-rationalized logo and how using a mathematical sequence doesn't always result in a better design.

18. Don’t forget to digitize your sketches

As we already wrote, creating a logo sketch is good way put your ideas on paper and then bring them to life

But Ben Powell recommends resisting the temptation to jump straight to the computer. “Which did you learn to do first—use a computer or use a pencil and paper?” this is a rhetorical question. "Sketches are more quick way creating your first ideas before you even touch Photoshop CC. It doesn’t matter if it looks crooked, what matters is that the idea is conveyed correctly and understood.”

19. Create a logo in vector

After creating a simple sketch, some beginners start drawing a logo in Photoshop. But the most best way Avoiding frustration and frustration when editing your logo in the future is to start creating it straight away in vector format. This is where Adobe Illustrator is your friend, as you can scale and edit your creation without losing quality.

20. Use smart objects

You can copy and paste your logo into Photoshop as a Smart Object (again, without losing quality when scaling) if you need to combine it with other elements. If you're creating a logo for a website, the web, be especially careful with thin lines or very “ light” fonts. It is possible that not all elements will be clearly visible.

Focus on typography

21. Choose your logo font carefully

Typography is very important for a good logo. You have two main options: create your own font or adapt an existing one. When creating your own font, try not to make it too trendy because it can quickly become outdated. Keep it simple and easy to read. Read how to create your own font.

22. Adapt an existing font

There is no rule that you have to create your own font to make your logo stand out or add originality. This is not an easy process and requires a lot of time and resources. So, as an option, consider adapting an existing font.

Removing, extending or adding part of the letters can be enough to make your logo font original and your design unique.

23. Avoid handwritten fonts with curlicues

Don't be tempted to make your logo stand out with complex, curly fonts. They are the equivalent of chintz and that's the reason why most of them are free. Out of pure professionalism, you need to avoid them at all costs. Most curlicue fonts are too frilly, too thin, and are likely used (poorly) on hundreds of different cheap business cards right now. When it comes to logo design, choose a classic and simple font and avoid excessive embellishment.

24. The font should match the brand

There are fonts different forms and styles that resonate differently depending on various characteristics. But when it comes to choosing a font for a logo, it is important not only to choose a beautiful font, but to make sure that the font matches the characteristics of the business. For example, a creative company needs a cheerful, exciting font, while a construction company needs a serious, traditional font that would emphasize the stability and reliability of the company.

Jiyong Li created a text logo for this industrial construction firm. You can also take a simple solution and create a logo using only a font. There are many examples where a logo works great without an icon. Think about it.

26. Think about the space around your logo design

Most brand books will indicate an “exclusion zone” around the logo. This is an area that cannot be occupied by other content in order to protect the integrity of the logo (and brand by extension) and make it easy to read.

27. Use negative space effectively

The FedEx identity is a good example of the effective use of negative space.

Some of the best logo designs have hidden meanings in their negative space. A classic example is the Fed Ex logo, which uses a combination of the letters E and X to form an arrow in negative space. There are many other great examples where a logo looks ordinary at first glance, but reveals interesting and well-thought-out details upon further examination.

28. Don't overdo it

The selection with easy navigation includes everything: online logo generators, designer exchanges, sites with fonts, services for color selection, icon searches, lessons, instructions on how to create a logo, videos and much more.

Adapted translation of article 65 expert logo design tips.