The process of coming up with a logo can be a long and tedious one. However, at the end of it all is a symbol for your business, podcast, non-profit, etc. that will stand the test of time!
One of the best techniques for constructing a dynamite logo is starting with a hand-drawn logo and expanding upon it, piece by piece.
The logo that you sketch up will serve as a starting point for the rest of its details. But it may take a few trials to get it just right.
Here are several pointers on how to create the hand-drawn logo that you can use for the rest of the process.
1. Consider the Tone That Your Logo Needs
Every logo has a tone, whether intentionally or otherwise, that it sets when a customer lays their eyes on it.
For example, the UPS logo has a very professional, no-nonsense tone to it which is exactly what you’re looking for in the shipping services they provide. Target has a balanced tone to its logo, just like the balance of items that their store provides… you get the idea.
In order to achieve the proper tone, you need to be asking yourself a few key questions.
Who is the logo intended to draw in? What vibe are you trying to set? Are there any universal symbols that can support the meaning of your logo (such as a medical cross for a hospital logo or a football for a football team logo)?
Keep in mind, the logo that you draw isn’t the only way to communicate the tone for your brand. Things such as the colors you use can subliminally set the tone for you, so don’t stress too much about this part of the logo design process.
2. Time to Brainstorm
Now that you have a few ideas of the tone for the hand-drawn logo you want to create, it’s time to figure out how to properly capture that.
You probably have a few different ways that you think you could come up with a successful logo design.
Why keep those ideas locked up in your head, start brainstorming by taking a piece of paper and drawing a few different logos. These sketches can be as detailed or as basic as possible, whatever you feel captures your idea the best.
What you’ll notice is that, after lining all your ideas out next to each other, there are a few designs that will stand out above the rest.
Those are the ones that you will want to explore further! If you want to seek a few other opinions (besides your own) then take the brainstorm page to your coworkers or relatives.
Feel free to put them to a vote, tally up which logos get the most votes, and then use those as the stepping stone for your hand-drawn logo.
3. Experiment with the Design
Just because you have a design or two that stood out above the rest doesn’t mean you are finished refining the details of those logos. There are still several ways to make that logo even better than before.
For example, try different font styles with the same logo or layout that you want to use for the final draft. See which one’s are the best fit with the style you’re going for.
Try including a few different shapes into the logo that can complement it without making it too overcomplicated.
For instance, say you’re making a logo for a roofing company. By using a triangle above the name of the company, everyone that sees it will know your company has to do with roofing. Better yet, it maintains the simplistic design you were going for.
Another cool feature to place in your logo is the use of negative space
4. Draw a Final Sketch
Now that you know all the features you want to incorporate into your design, it’s time to draw one final sketch for your logo.
Take all the rough drafts that you’ve created so far and turn them into an all-encompassing version of the brainstorming you’ve done. You may find yourself tossing out a few features at the last moment. There’s nothing wrong with that!
Be sure to make the final sketch a much larger version of every logo you’ve drawn up to this point. The larger you make it, the more detail that you can include in the sketch later on.
Make sure to nail down all the proper sizing and proportions. You want the logo to be as easy on the eyes as possible before adding color to it.
5. Digitize the Sketch
Obviously, that hand-drawn logo won’t do your company a whole lot of good without being converted to a digitized format such as a PDF or JPEG file.
There are several great programs out there that allow you to scan your hand-drawn logo and refine its details on an illustration software.
Be sure to consider all the options at your disposal and choose the software that you think best fits your needs. However many or however few needs you may have for it.
A Hand Drawn Logo Isn’t Your Only Option
For those of you out there that thought a hand-drawn logo was your only option for creating the logo of your dreams, you were wrong!
For any other questions that you may have, feel free to reach out via our contact customer support page and we’ll be happy to help you further.
