How to Make a Logo for Free with 5 Online Tools for a Logo
How to make a logo for free is more fun and more important than you think. Not only does a logo raise brand awareness, but 78% of consumers think that logos are works of art (Study Finds, 2020) and trust brands that have one a lot more than those that don’t have a logo.
A logo is a graphic symbol or sigil for a person, place, or company that aids in brand recognizability and trust. It usually consists of a familiar shape or object with vivid colors to catch consumer’s and potential business partner’s eye.
There are 7 main steps to how to make a logo for free:
- Think about your/company’s values,
- Think about your main audience,
- Pick a simple symbolic shape or object,
- Pick colors that will be used across your brand,
- Put it all together,
- Refine and revise – make multiple versions of the logo,
- Pick the best version.
What is a Logo
The first part of how to make a logo for free is understanding what a logo is.
Overview
A logo raises brand awareness, recognition, and trust for consumers. A brand’s logo is usually on their signs, business cards, website’s top right corner, letterheads, thumbnails for any apps, etc. Each logo should be unique, representative of what the brand does and stands for, and simple enough to be easy to get the ideas in the logo in 2-5 seconds.
Rules for a logo
There are a few rules a logo should follow. It should be:
- Bright and clear to look at and understand.
- Scalable (both up for signs and down for business cards).
- Unique yet recognizable (don’t just copy other people’s designs with a slight twist).
- Easy enough to draw (by an nonartist’s hand).
- Using 2 complementary colors with 1 neutral color.
Benefits of having a logo
The main benefit of having a logo is for branding. It makes your brand stand out from your competition and builds brand identity. For marketing purposes, it makes it easier to tell what you do, what your values are, why consumers should favor your brand, etc. It helps distinguish your posts and other content on social media from other brands. As well as making your brand more recognizable, having a logo makes you/the brand seem more professional and trustworthy to consumers.
How to Make a Logo for Free
There are 8 steps for how to make a logo for free.
1. Pick a drawing/designing tool:
The first part of how to make a logo for free is to start with picking a drawing/designing tool:
- Canva
- MS Paint (there’s a 3D version as well, but I recommend keeping logos flat; it makes them easier to scale up and down)
- Sketchpad
- GIMP (GNU/Linux Image Manipulation Program) (works on Mac and Windows, too)
- Vectr
- Paper and a pen or pencil (a classic that is simple to use and doesn’t need power or internet connection to work, which can be a issue in some places)
2. Think about your/brand’s values
The second part of how to make a logo for free is to figure out your core values. Values include what you stand for and what is most important to you in your production, marketing, customer service, employee treatment, etc. If you never thought about it, here is a list of possible core-brand values to get you started:
- Intense Integrity,
- Strong work ethic,
- Excellent quality,
- Compassion/empathy (with customers, employees, brand partners, etc.),
- Innovative,
- Creative,
- Teamwork focused,
- Humility,
- Eco-friendly,
- Respectful,
- Honest,
- Friendly.
3. Think about main audience
You might think that your potential consumers are everyone everywhere, but they are not. There are specific groups that have specific needs and wants and live a specific way. Identify them. (making a customer persona will help with this.) Make sure you have a good idea of who your main audience/consumers are and what they care about in your brand (preferably in regards to your competition). Think about what values your consumers are looking for in a brand (see list in precious step).
4. Pick a simple symbolic shape or object
Keeping in mind the values from the previous steps, look at symbolic shapes and objects that represent what you do and what you want to be known for. The object should represent both your values and your customer’s wants and/or needs as well.
5. Pick colors that will be used across your brand
If you already have colors for your brand, use those for or in the logo to support brand consistency. If you don’t have brand colors yet, pick two complementary colors that suit your brand’s tone and values and use those for the logo (for more about colors click here). If you need somewhere to start, 40% of Fortune 500 companies use blue as a color in their logo (Website Planet, 2021).
6. Put it together
Using the ideas and parts you have, design a first draft. It does not have to be fancy; just put something down on a page. Keep in mind a few questions:
- Which parts of the object are highlighted?
- How will the object be oriented?
- Will there be mini objects (remember to keep it simple)?
- Is there a shadow behind the object?
7. Refine – make multiple versions of the logo
Nothing is perfect, so review, redesign, and make multiple versions of the logo. Ask others (users if possible) for their opinions on the different versions (A/B test if possible). Be ready to receive constructive criticism, to let go of parts and colors, and to add new ones to the logo.
8. Pick the best version
Be aware that further versions and revisions will likely happen as the brand grows, so the best version does not have to be perfect or long lasting. Just pick the version that seems best for your brand right now.
Summary
A logo is a graphic symbol or sigil for a person, place, or company that aids in brand recognizability and trust. It usually consists of a familiar shape or object with vivid colors to catch consumer’s and potential business partner’s eye. There are 7 main steps to to how to make a logo for free:
- Think about your/company’s values,
- Think about your main audience,
- Pick a simple symbolic shape or object,
- Pick colors that will be used across your brand,
- Put it all together,
- Refine and revise – make multiple versions of the logo,
- Pick the best version.
