How to find logo design inspiration for your brand

It can be challenging to start from scratch when coming up with your own logo. It comes as no surprise that many business owners look for logo inspiration when it comes to crafting their brand identity.

Before tackling a logo design project, there are a few planning steps which can help you assemble the tools you need to create the perfect logo. In addition to thinking about what makes your brand unique and the needs of your business, you can learn about how different logo design elements work together to make a lasting impression. After completing these tasks, you can explore some logo inspiration websites to spark ideas for a creative logo.

Do some research

Imagine that you’re a design agency that has been hired to create a business logo. What’s the first thing you would do to figure out what type of logo fits them best? You’d research the company. Before coming up with logo ideas, you’d first try to learn everything there is to know about the brand so you can use it to inform your design.

The same strategy applies when designing a logo for your own brand. Essentially, you should start by investigating your own brand identity the same way an outside agency would if you were to hire them. Even if you already know your brand inside and out, this is a smart way to make sure your new logo will meet your business needs.

Compile your research in a single document, which will serve as a guide throughout the logo design process. To help you get started, we’ve put together the following list of categories to assist with the research process.

Mission and values

One of the most important things that should affect your logo design is your brand’s mission statement. It provides details on what your company does, how you accomplish it, and why you do it. A mission statement is critical to a brand’s identity, and your logo should reflect the values that it promotes.

For example, if you have a sportswear brand that’s all about helping athletes perform at the highest levels, you may want a logo that conveys power, speed, and strength. On the other hand, a non-profit organization that provides shelter for homeless families needs a logo with a softer approach that feels inviting and safe.

Photo by The DK Photography on Unsplash

Personality and style

If your brand were a person, what would they be like? Maybe they are young and hip or mature and traditional. One brand might be ambitious and innovative, while another is reliable and secure. These kinds of personality traits will help you envision what a great logo for your company might look like.

Once you’ve determined your brand personality, try to visualize your brand’s style. You want the visual identity of your brand to match up with its personality. This is where you’ll start to think about the fonts and colors that make sense for your logo design. We’ll cover these elements in more in the next section on graphic design.

Target audience

Your logo is going to be seen by countless potential customers or clients, so it’s essential that you take their perspective into account when designing it. Think about what your customers would want to see when they are considering the product or service you provide.

Your first priority is to have your company logo grab your target audience’s attention and make a lasting impression. Ultimately, you want a customer to get a sense of what you do and what makes your company unique just from looking at your logo. That’s a tall order, but by putting a lot of thought into the design, you’ll be more likely to achieve this goal.

Goals and objectives

Just like your brand’s web design or advertisements, your logo should be aligned with your company goals. The logo you create should tie in to the achievements you want to accomplish, such as boosting brand awareness, getting more followers on social media, and increasing sales. As you work on the design, returning to a list of business goals can help you stay on track and make sure the end result will help you reach those targets.

If you’re going through a redesign or rebranding process, analyze your current logo to determine what changes need to be made to better suit your business objectives. You may want to appeal to a different type of customer, for instance, and your new logo should align with that goal.

Market analysis

As you research and compile information about your own brand, it’s important to look at your competition as well. A market analysis provides deeper insights into the niche in which you operate, your potential customer base, and other market variables. This can be done on a small scale with local businesses offering similar services or products or on a broader scale for larger companies. The information you gain can be put to use in making your logo as effective as possible within your market.

Promotional needs

It’s important to consider the practical needs of your business in terms of how your logo will be used once it’s designed. Think about all of the possible applications for your logo that you may need, like business cards, social media profiles, print advertisements, a business website, and more.

When working on your logo design, keep these uses in mind to make sure your logo will work in each context. For example, you may want different variations of your logo for different applications, such as a simple, minimalist symbol that can stand on its own as well as a more detailed logo that includes your company name and a tagline.

Learn about 4 graphic design elements

Another way to get inspiration for your logo is to learn about some of the key graphic design elements that go into making one. Understanding more about how each element affects the way customers view your logo can help you make critical decisions about the design.

1. Font

The typeface you select immediately gives potential customers a sense of what your brand is all about. A modern logo typically has a sleek, sans serif font, while those with a timeless and sophisticated look often feature a serif font. Learning about typography’s effects can inspire you when it comes to your font choice.

2. Color

Your logo color palette can bring out the emotions and reference points you wish to associate with your brand. An ‘80s vintage logo might feature retro neon hues, for example. Each color is aligned with certain feelings and values, like yellow for optimism or blue for trust. You can also play with effects like gradient color and negative space. Learn more about color psychology to find inspiration for your own logo colors.

3. Shape

Logo shapes and lines can highlight specific values or features of your brand. For example, squares appear strong, reliable, and secure. Circles can represent community, continuity, and protection. Knowing what logo shapes say about your brand will help you determine which ones belong in your design.

4. Format

There are several different logo formats you can use to represent your brand. For example, you might want a minimalist logo mark similar to brands like Apple or Nike. For letter logos, consider a wordmark with your company’s name (like Coca-Cola) or a monogram (like HBO). Consider which type of format will result in the best logo for your needs.

Where to find logo ideas online

If you still need some help with how to find a logo idea for your brand, it can help to look at real-world examples. This way, you can compare many types of logos to determine which ones appeal to you and might work for your brand.

For example, do you find logo design inspiration in sleek and modern logos like the “T” used for Tesla? Or do you prefer something with a more timeless appearance, like the Starbucks emblem? Searching for “famous logos” on Google will provide lots of examples you can refer to when coming up with your own design.

In addition, consider browsing some of the following logo inspiration sites for more ideas. You’ll find that these websites offer great examples of various logo concepts and design trends that you can draw from.

Namecheap Logo Maker

Namecheap’s Visual Suite is packed with helpful branding resources, including inspirational logos designs. Just type in any category and you’ll get multiple example logos customized to your niche. Whether you’re creating a logo for an accountant, a baseball team, or a real estate business, you’ll find original logo ideas to help inspire your own design.

Behance

On Behance, you can view projects from real graphic designers. This social media site is owned by Adobe, and it allows artists to display their creative work in an online portfolio. It’s easy to browse through to find logo inspiration and build a mood board with ideas you’d like to keep in mind for your own logo design.

Dribbble

Another place to find unique logo designs is Dribbble. Like Behance, this site offers social networking opportunities for graphic designers. However, it’s also free to peruse when you want to see examples of other artists’ work. Simply search for logos and you’ll find countless examples from talented designers.

Pinterest

This image sharing platform is a surprising source of logo inspiration. Most people associate Pinterest with things like interior design and outfit ideas. However, you can also search for logo examples on the site and to see hundreds of designs that users have pinned. In addition, you can save other logos you see online to a Pinterest board.

Logospire

Logospire features a gallery filled with graphic design logo inspiration, which can be a great way to spark ideas for your company logo. The site is very simple, so if you find other graphic design sharing platforms to be a bit overwhelming, you’ll love the minimalist design where you can endlessly scroll to view more logo ideas.

Create a custom logo with Namecheap’s Logo Maker

Namecheap Logo Maker

Namecheap’s Logo Maker is the best place to get a logo design made online for free. Simply follow along with the prompts and in a matter of minutes, you’ll have dozens of custom logo templates to choose from. You can save these designs as-is or make a few tweaks for added personalization.When you make a logo online with Logo Maker, you’ll also be able to easily import your design into Site Maker and Card Maker, both of which offer affordable pricing plans for small businesses. There are no web development or design skills required. Simply create an account, save and download as many logos as you want, and utilize your designs for other branding projects.