9 Useful Tips for DIY Logos for Small Business

For many, logo designing is as simple as 1, 2, and 3. I know many people guy who actually created a logo in Microsoft PowerPoint. Remember, there is a big difference between a professionally designed logo and one made by a beginner. If you are trying something like this, think about these factors to save yourself from some headaches and wasting your time as well as money.

1. Color May Cost You

A digital logo is usually in RGB. But for professional printing use, you need to convert it to CMYK. For specialty promotional products, advertising, labels, and the like, you will get a more value when you use spot or PMS or Pantone colors. Save your time and money by ensuring that you have all formats before ordering displays, printing, and the like.

2. Check it for Legibility

Your screen in may possibly be blown up 1000% bigger than a business card. Ensure your design is clear even when it is small enough to clearly fit on a stamp or business card. Always print it at 100 percent to check legibility.

3. Consider aged eyes in your targeted audience

After analyzing who your business is marketing to, you will need to remember that as the people get older; their eyes can and even cannot differentiate several colors on top of same colors. Ensure to keep contrast and balance colors particularly when placing a color on a color.

4. Match Your Font Personalities

If you are thinking as a designer, remember it is no longer a typing.’ Instead, you are sculpting with those fonts. The first caution is to never treat them as shoes. “The more will be the merrier” does not apply here. So limit yourselves. Lots of styles may appear inconsistent. Primarily, select a font which is legible at different distances, yet not boring. The font must have some style that suits your business. A vintage schoolhouse or flowing script font suits more to a bridal shop.  Grungy, edgy or solid bold sans serifs is suitable for manufacturing business.

5. Logo Size Does Matter

A computer screen is 72 DPI. Reproducing a logo that is crisp and clean when printed, it needs to be 300 dpi at least. As a guide for a brochure, business card or pocket folder, it must be 300 dpi and 4 inches tall at least. Do not worry for the width until it is larger or equal than 4”. For small and medium businesses, exhibit design and sign design like vehicle graphics, go as big as possible.  Vehicle wraps cover up a bigger area therefore, you need your logo to be clean and crisp even at 8 inches if needed.

6. Be Careful With Effects

Be cautious with effects that overcome your graphics or fonts. Effects frequently use shadowing procedure that may distort when printed or when enlarged on a screen which is bigger than original. Do not let your logo look as though it is from a horror movie.

7. Never Steal!

Stay away from Google Images! I understand everything looks good there however we just cannot have them. Luckily there are ample of other free and paid resources for clip art and stock photos. Just go through the terms and condition carefully. Never cheap out and pick the same image of stick person from Microsoft Office that many have used since the 80s’. Be different and remember the copyright law.

8. Eye-Catching and Original Graphics

Using graphics is best to make your logo stand out. If your artist resource (kid, wife, people you meet at church) draws it for you, be sure they draw it in a bigger size. When you scan it your computer, go for 100%. An original that is just 1 inch wide will never reproduce well when it is blown up to fit the vehicle wrap. A smaller original may also limit you how and how much you can add colors to it.

9. Admit When You Need Help

Most important of all, when you find you are spending or wasting every weekend for one month or more researching, designing and regenerating a business logo design, rethink rationally about the time, efforts and value you place as a startup small business owner. Intelligently use your capacity, put in some time doing what you are strong at, and pay the money to a professional to design it for you. It is that simple and easy.

This article is written by Misty Jhones. She has a great experience in web designing, logo designing, Crowdsourcing and digital Marketing. Misty Jhones is a dedicated designer and providing professional custom logo design services since 2010. You must checkout new exclusive Business logo designs at TheLogoNow.