Your logo is the face of your brand—in many cases, even more so than your own face. Creating the perfect logo for your blog shouldn’t be taken lightly. Elements such as color, shape, font, and relevance to target audience play a large role in the success or failure of a logo.
We spoke with some logo design experts to find out what elements work best and what you should stay away from. After all, you don’t want to waste time and money creating something that will do you no good.
Audience
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you probably already have a good idea about your audience. This puts you a step ahead when creating a logo. Keep all of your knowledge of your customers in mind.
Include elements that you know your audience values. For instance, if your readers appreciate your cheerful, chipper tone, that’s something you’ll want to come across in your logo. Remember, this is a representation of you and your brand, so be sure to include features that are important to you, too. Above all, make it simple and unique.
Color
Your favorite color doesn’t matter when creating your logo; it’s about what you want to convey about your brand.
Research shows colors evoke various emotions in people. If you want to bring on a calm feeling, then you should go with blue. However, if you’re looking for a sense of urgency, use red. Yellow reflects optimism, while green reminds people of nature. For a royal look, go with purple, but you’ll want to use black for a timeless, sophisticated design. There’s also no law that says you can’t use more than one color. In fact, multi-colored images evoke feelings of fun.
Shape
Like colors, shapes also stir up feelings. It can be as simple as those kindergarten days when a heart meant love and a successful job well done earned you a gold star.
Or it could be a bit more complex. For feelings of stability, use a square or a rectangle. Circles represent unity or community. Triangles can go one of two ways: if it’s a typical triangle, it will evoke feelings of power, but an upside-down triangle signifies trouble or instability. Along with other pointed shapes, triangles also have the power to draw customers’ eyes to specific elements. They create movement, and our eyes naturally follow them to the tip.
Font
Even your font choice has meaning. First, you’ll need to decide if you want to use a serif or sans serif font. Serif fonts represent tradition and respect, but can be associated with being old. Sans serif fonts are easier to read – especially on a screen – and are associated with feelings of reliability and honesty.
Then, you have to decide if you’ll use a modern, script or novelty font. Modern fonts are dependable and add a hint of sophistication. Script fonts sometimes can be difficult to read, but can convey elegance. They also typically are associated with feminine items. Novelty fonts can be fun, but shouldn’t be used for large amounts of text. If you’re still stuck, you could always create a custom font to really get your message out.
With everything having hidden meanings, you can see how important it is to know your audience. Your logo is a big part of your marketing plan. Be sure all of your marketing materials are consistent with your message and brand.
Your logo has the potential to show up on any post or graphic associated with your blog, so ensure that it looks great no matter what size it is. Your blog is one of your most important assets for establishing your expertise and generating leads, so make sure your logo doesn’t contradict what you are trying to do.