Design a Logo Made Easy: Follow This Guide
➞ Hey entrepreneur, founder, freelancer? No matter what your business type or title is: great that you want to design a logo. You’ve definitely made the right choice with this article, because you’ll not only get a step-by-step guide to design a professional logo, but also plenty of expert tips along the way. Buckle up—the rocket is ready for takeoff!
Design a Logo: Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?
Bevor wir uns tiefer in die Anleitung stürzen, wie das mit dem Logo erstellen eigentlich geht, möchte ich dir kurz die Vor- und Nachteile vom “selber machen” oder “Profi engagieren” aufzeigen. Du darfst ganz allein entscheiden, was dir das Liebste wäre:Meiner Erfahrung nach sind das die Unterschiede:
Do It Yourself:
Cost: $0 to low cost, depending on the tool, template, or font you want to use
Time investment: high, including learning curve & adjustments until the final result is good enough
Possible mess-ups: logo idea is too generic, already used by someone else, or doesn’t look professional
Important to note: copyright & usage rights of graphics that are “freely available” online (more on this later)
Hire a Professional:
Cost: higher, usually between $2,000–$5,000 depending on the workload
Time investment: much lower, starting from 8 hours (in my Take Off Day package)
Possible mess-ups: a well-chosen professional will create a great result—as long as your brand positioning is clear and you’re honest about what you like and don’t like
Important to note: factor in the usage rights (more on this below!)
➞ Check out logo design berlin
Hi, I’m Lisa Koch
As a logo design expert, I focus on founders and entrepreneurs. I create high-quality, timeless designs for modern personal and business brands, bringing a wealth of experience to the table. I live and work in Berlin, but I also offer collaboration via Zoom (thanks to Corona, I gave it a try—and it worked perfectly). My design style is clean, organized, and graphic, but I’m also skilled at creating playful, delicate, or technical logos. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design, and by the way, my bachelor’s thesis was on personal branding. Additionally, I’m an IHK-certified business consultant, because clients come to me with more than just design questions. Oh, and I am also a web designer —but you can learn more about that via the button.
Step 1: Prepare to Design a Logo
Let’s assume in this article that you want to design your logo yourself. Great! Contrary to popular belief, a good result doesn’t just need a super creative brain—it mainly requires solid preparation. This means gathering all the information that will be important for your brand. To help you set this foundation, here’s what you need:
Positioning: You need to know who your target audience is. Your positioning doesn’t have to be extremely niche—it’s most important that you choose a target group and can put yourself in their shoes. After all, you want to design a logo that appeals to and convinces your audience, right?
Offer: You should have a fairly clear idea of what you want to offer. You don’t need a finished online program or set prices for all your services, but you should know the general structure of working with you. Will you provide consulting? Only offer online products? Build a platform? Clarify these questions before you start designing your logo!
Logo Functions: Finally, you need to know what functions your logo should serve. Do you want to put it on your car or print it on a T-shirt? Should it work as a profile picture on your social media accounts? Note where you plan to place your logo and think one step further: what requirements arise from that? For example, does the logo need to be recognizable in small sizes, or should it work in a single color (like white) for embroidery? Collect all this information.
Step 2: Design a Logo – Brainstorming
Let’s continue the process of designing a logo! Now it gets concrete and creative. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Brand Research
Start with brand research. I find Pinterest particularly useful for this. There are plenty of images showing logos, colors, and fonts that can inspire you. Begin by collecting what you like. Then review your favorites folder and look for patterns. Which style fits? What appeals to you and why? You’ll see—designing a logo takes more than just creativity. There’s a lot of detailed work involved!
Design Style
Next, use your brand research and mood board to define the design style your brand should have. Consider your target audience and put yourself in their shoes. Will they be attracted to your brand? What does your audience value in your offering? Is that reflected in your brand’s style?
Brand Story
If you want to go one step further, you can develop a brand story and create a full thematic world around your brand. Why do this beyond just designing a logo? The more tangible and narratable your brand becomes (through the brand story), the easier it is to understand and the more memorable it stays in your customers’ minds.
A brand story is a narrative representation of your brand, explaining why it exists, the values it represents, and what it aims to achieve for its customers. This builds a strong emotional connection.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
Why did I start my brand?
What do I believe in that I want my brand to convey?
What do you want to change in the world with your work?
Develop a hero’s journey.
What personality does your brand have, reflected in its tone, style, and attitude?
Step 3: Design Your Logo Yourself
Let’s continue the process of designing a logo! Now it gets concrete and creative. Are you ready? Let’s go!
So, how do you create a logo that really works? That’s probably the core question of this article and the magic that non-designers admire. I can’t work magic for you from afar (unless you have me design your logo), but I’m happy to share my creative process and experience:
First, I gather all the ideas I have for the logo: Which symbols would best represent the brand? What core message should be conveyed, and through which design elements can I communicate it effectively? I make a list from this and start sketching. The real art is then creatively combining these ideas to create a unique, standout brand. Here you can see some logo examples:
By the way, I create all my designs using Adobe Illustrator, and I’d also recommend a program that works with vector paths. Important: don’t use pre-made icons or graphics you find online. These graphics are created by artists and are therefore protected by copyright. That means they cannot be used by someone else without explicit usage rights. Additionally, these graphics are available to anyone with internet access. So literally anyone could use your brand’s design, and you wouldn’t be able to protect it, because you don’t hold the copyright or usage rights.
Inspiring Logo Examples
These logos were created for my clients—in just 8 hours at a fixed price!
Experiences and Design Tips for Creating a Logo
Less Is More
The same principle applies when designing a logo and building a brand: less is often more. Coco Chanel once said, “Remove the last piece you’ve put on to create a great outfit,” and you can take the same approach: more elements don’t create more impact. Good design works the opposite way: how much can you reduce without losing tension and message?
Do a Competitor Analysis
This helps you avoid unintentionally adopting a design similar to your peers. You want to stand out in the market, so make sure your brand doesn’t remain in the shadow of another.
Opposites Often Attract
…and can work harmoniously: an ornate letter on a simple circle, or a creative frame around a very geometric font—looks great! Create visual tension by combining different styles. Warning: stick to no more than two, or it might become tacky!
Beware of Trends
I know, there are so many beautiful designs that suddenly “everyone” seems to have, and they look so stylish… But trends fade, and your brand is meant to last. Try to find your very own style and focus on refining, maintaining, and developing it independently of trends.
Step 4: Finalizing Your Logo Design
Choose Your Colors
Now that you’re likely well along in the process of designing your logo, it’s time to select your brand colors. You need at least three colors:
A dark color for text, such as dark blue, dark green, dark gray, or black.
An accent color to create highlights, like gold (as I use), a vibrant red, or a bright blue. The key is that the color draws attention. It can also be muted if that fits your brand style.
A light color for backgrounds and subtle accents.
I recommend using certain platforms for color inspiration. Once you’ve chosen your colors, create a style guide where you record the following values for each color: hexadecimal code, RGB, and CMYK.
Choosing Fonts
This part can be tricky for non-designers, as fonts often don’t look very different at first glance. I’ll keep it short and simple for you:
You need one font for headings and one font for body text. The heading font should be more prominent and clearly visible, while the body text can take a more background role. Ideally, the heading and body font come from the same font family—using a Bold version for headings and a Regular version for body text.
You can also use fonts from different families, but make sure they don’t look too similar. The more distinct the fonts are in style, the better they usually work together. Always ensure both fonts are easily readable. Check before selecting that all necessary characters and punctuation are included, like ä, ö, ü, ß, !?… etc.
By the way, if you find it challenging to choose suitable colors and fonts for your brand, I’d be happy to advise you in a 3-hour 1:1 workshop.
By the way, if you find it difficult to choose the right colors and fonts for your brand, I’d be happy to guide you in a 3-hour 1:1 workshop.
Step 4: Legal Considerations
Please note that I am not a lawyer and therefore cannot provide you with legal advice.
Copyright
Copyright exists to protect intellectual property, such as texts, music, films, photos and images, as well as software or artworks (graphics, logos, illustrations). Copyright means that only the creator (author) of a work decides what happens with it.
Even if the artistic work is sold or created on commission, copyright remains with the artist for life and cannot be transferred or sold. This is where usage rights come in.
Usage Rights
A logo is a copyrighted artistic work. Therefore, the creator must decide how the work can be used. For clients, a usage rights agreement is created, which specifies the types of usage:
Type of use: Are you the only one allowed to use the logo?
Time of use: Are you allowed to use the logo for a limited time or indefinitely?
Content of use: On which media can you use your logo?
Geographical use: Can you use your logo worldwide?
With the usage rights, I grant you the right to use the logo I create for you in the Take Off Day.
Why it matters for you & me
Usage rights clarify how the artistic work can be used. As the user, you know exactly how you may use your logo. At the same time, copyright law requires that creators are fairly compensated for the use of their work.
If an artistic work is used unlawfully, the creator can demand cessation and compensation. Copyright law ensures that the creator receives fair payment for the usage. The AGD (Allianz deutscher Designer) remuneration agreement serves as a reference. If usage fees are unpaid, the artist can claim them at any time.
Beware of platforms, logo generators, and AI
Now that you know what copyright and usage rights protect, consider platforms like Canva, logo generators, or AI. Copyright is unclear here: Did a machine or a human create the work? Even if a machine created it, copyright likely belongs to the company that developed the AI or generator. Therefore, you can never fully use the design legally for your logo.
Additionally, usage rights on platforms like Canva are usually licensed. Canva has a contract with the creator, but you don’t have a direct contract with the artist. These graphics are also not exclusive, meaning anyone with Canva access can use the same graphic. This makes your brand unprotectable, and modifications are often not allowed.
What to do
The best approach is to create your logo entirely yourself. If you can’t use design software to create an icon, you can have a professional design a logo for you or simply choose a great font to display your brand name. Not every brand necessarily needs a logo icon.
Freequently asked questions
In this section, you’ll find questions I, as an expert, am frequently asked about designing a logo. You might recognize yourself in some of them:
How long will it take to design my logo myself?
That entirely depends on your skill and perseverance, as well as how quickly you are satisfied with a result.
How do I know if my logo is good enough?
For this, two people should give feedback: someone representing your target audience and someone with professional design experience. As a third “person,” you could also listen to your gut feeling. Usually, when you ask this question, you’re not fully satisfied yet.
How much does a logo cost if I hire a professional?
In my case, €2,190 net including a style guide. I charge €175 net per year of usage for the usage rights. Other providers usually charge the full usage rights upfront, typically 2–3 times the design fee. That’s why I created this much more manageable solution for freelancers, where you only pay for the years you actually use the logo.
Do I need a symbol, or is a wordmark enough?
You are free to decide what works best for you!
Will I own the logo then?
If you design it yourself: yes! If you use graphics from a platform, hire AI, or run a generator: no!
How can I use my logo on business cards, stamps, stickers, etc.?
For that, you need to have the correct file of your logo and prepare it according to the printing specifications of the print shop. An easier way: select the print product (for example, business cards) in Canva and order the cards directly through Canva.
Do I need to register or protect my brand?
No, you don’t have to. However, it’s worthwhile if you plan to build a larger business. Feel free to listen to these podcast episodes:
What if I don’t like my logo—but I don’t know why?
In this case, it’s probably wise to consult a professional. Let me briefly present my offer:
Take Off Day Logo & CI
Creative Workshop | 8 Hours | Your Professional Logo & CI
Together, we’ll create your ideal logo design in no time!
You’ll be part of the process live!
- your finished logo in just one day (8 hours)
- custom-designed for you
- Includes selecting your brand colors and fonts
- Workbook for preparation
- Mini-Positioning(Offer, Peer group, brand)
- All file formats you need (PNG, SVG)
- All logos and icons in color, black, and white
- Your color codes for all programs
- Your fonts as installation files
- Usage rights for the logo for €175 net per year
2,190€ net
The consultation is, of course, free and non-binding.