"The strongest logos tell simple stories: A logo should identify a company, but it shouldn't tell the whole story of the company's history, beliefs, or mission statement."
In my case, the logo for Digital Frontline was created to portray just that, creativity! It was not made using a generator or AI, and the same goes for any other logo or thumbnail I have ever come up with, even if it has only ever been out of sheer boredom! Graphic design is a process I very much enjoy and is a wonderful outlet for the artistic since I have never had the best hands for drawing or painting. It is also something I am very thoughtful with, and you can do the same thing for your own business, so keep reading to find out how!
This guide likely will not work for everyone, and that's okay because we are all different and have different views on things; welcome to being human! Either way, I hope you enjoy the advice.
Tip #1 - Legible Logo Design Fonts
The font is one of the major building blocks when it comes to logo design because if a visitor cannot read it, they will likely not be interested in your business at all. The reason I like using cursive fonts is because they are often classy without being hard to read or overbearing, but normal print is nice too as long as it is not too thick or blurred.
Tip #2 - Nice Contrast
The contrast comes into play with two different scenarios for logo design. The first is contrast between the logo and icon colors, and the second is the contrast between the logo and background colors. One is just as important as the other one here, and my strong suggestion is doing some research on color pairing, or trendy color combinations in use today, because like anything else they change with the seasons!
Tip #3 - Size Matters
Websites
For a vertical layout, the ideal logo size is 160 x 160 pixels. For a horizontal layout, the ideal logo size is 400 x 100 pixels, but it can also be 250 x 150 pixels or 350 x 75 pixels. For favicons, the ideal size is 16 x 16 pixels, 32 x 32 pixels, or 48 x 48 pixels.
Social media
For Facebook, the profile picture size is 170 x 170 pixels, and the cover image size is 851 x 315 pixels. For Instagram, the profile photo size is 110 x 110 pixels.
Print
For mugs, the standard print size is 8.5 x 3 inches. For business cards, the size is 3.5 x 2 inches. For t-shirts, the size depends on the placement of the logo.
Email signatures
The general rule is to make the signature image no larger than 320 pixels wide and 70 to 100 pixels high.
*** Keep in mind, pixels and inches are NOT the same measurement! ***
Tip #4 - Relevant Icons
Let's look at my logo pictured here, the reason for the cubes is because I consider logos a base building block for graphic and web design which makes the icons very relevant, and the color variation adds a nice little pop to the logo without making it too much. It is vital that the icons you choose have relevance to your business, because otherwise it just will not make sense.
Tip #5 - Pull it all together!
When pulling the factors of your new logo together ask yourself these questions:
Can the chosen font be easily read on a mobile device as well as a desktop or laptop?
Is there a nice balance to both factors of the logo's contrast?
Is the logo's size relevant to the platform or product on which it will be seen?
Finally, does the chose icon effectively represent my business?
If you answered YES to every question then you have created a strong, and suitable logo for your business! CONGRATULATIONS!
