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I tend to do a lot of research before I jump into something. I want to know I’m going about it ‘the right way’. Sometimes, I allow this to hold me back from acting on a new idea or project because I’m not sure where to start. If you've ever felt this way, just know you're not alone! When it comes to creating a logo for a business, company, or non profit, a lot of questions can come up.
In this blog post, I’m going to share how you can use Canva to create a logo and how to go about it ‘the right way’. I’ll be covering:
Where Do I Start if I Want to Create a Logo Myself?
Who Do I Hire to Create a Logo?
Can I Use Canva Templates to Create a Logo?
If you’ve been curious about this, I’m going to dive into all the details so you can stop wondering and start doing!
Where Do I Start if I Want to Create a Logo Myself?
A logo is the face of your company. It should represent your business, as well as your brand’s personality. If you’re looking to DIY your logo yourself, the first step is to start brainstorming. Get a blank sheet of paper and write down the business name. Write it in caps, in lowercase, in cursive, write it upside down, write it backwards. Look at the different shapes of the letters. Look at the length of the words. Sketch it out in bubble letters.
Write down some adjectives that describe your brand’s personality. Research other brands that are similar to yours to make sure you’re not creating something that looks the same as other businesses that are similar to yours. Your logo will become a point of recognition for the services/products you provide. Think about the type of feeling you want the logo to evoke in people. Do you want it to be bold and make a statement? Do you want it to be soft and inviting? Who is your target audience? How will it make them feel? What will appeal to them?
The beginning stages of creating a logo is a combination of creative ideas and market research. Once you have all this narrowed down, come up with a few different designs. When I create a logo and branding for a company, I start with a strategy call to discuss all of this with them. Sometimes I come up with 20 different sketches before I start designing. Once I begin the online design process, I make sure I have 3 designs that represent what the client is looking for. I generally don’t start with color so we can focus on the design first, then move into colors!
Who Do I Hire to Create a Logo?
Obviously, this is a loaded question. There are millions of designers out there. The biggest piece of advice I can give you if you’re wanting to hire someone to do it for you is this: find someone that you feel comfortable working with, someone that will listen to your ideas, your vision, and who your company is. A great designer will listen to your vision and come up with options that represent the vision you’ve shared as well as some other creative ideas they think would be a great fit for you and your business/non profit. Be respectful of their time and their talents. Ask about their process before you get started. What is their policy on rounds of edits? What deliverables are they going to send you once you’re finished? How will you access those in the future? Understanding their process will help the whole project run much smoother!
Can I Use Canva to Create a Logo?
When creating a unique logo in Canva from scratch, you can use basic lines and shapes from the free library. Canva’s website also says, you can use all of their fonts! However, you can’t use stock content (e.g. photos and graphics) as they only give you a non-exclusive license to this. Other Canva users are free to use the same content which means that using stock content for your logos isn’t suitable for us in a trademark. Elements in a logo need to be exclusive to you. You can learn more about Canva licenses here in Licensing explained.
You can upload your own logo design to Canva. This might be a logo you design yourself or one you commissioned a graphic designer to create for you. After uploading your logo, you can use Canva to created branded collateral for your business, like social media content, business cards, flyers, and so much more.
Can I Use Canva Templates to Create a Logo?
Why use a logo template if it can’t be trademarked? Using a logo template is a great way to create a logo if you’re just starting out and you’re not worried about having exclusive rights. If you don’t have the time or budget to design a unique logo, it’s a quick and easy way to create basic branding for your products or your services. Just keep in mind, everyone else that uses Canva has access to these templates. So the logo template you may use, has and will continue to be used by thousands, if not millions of other people. Canva doesn’t currently offer purchasing exclusive rights to their graphics, so they recommending reaching out to a local graphic designer or artist for this.
If you do decide to create the logo yourself and you’re thinking about using Canva, click here to get all the Canva Pro tools for free for the first 30 days. Even though I created my own logo and I create logos for clients, I always suggest using Canva for creating other marketing material such as business cards, flyers, proposals, letterhead… the list goes on. Their templates are super helpful because they give you a starting point. Being a creative person, I tend to tweak and change them a lot. If you don’t feel like you’re a creative person, you can still use their templates. Just swap out the colors for your brand’s colors, swap out the fonts for your branded fonts, and include your logo. Even though someone else could be using that template, at least you know it will represent your brand because it’s tweaked with your branding collateral.
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Photo Credit: Kaboompics