One of the ways new artists or established artists can make money with their art is in the area of designing business logos for new business owners. You can make simple logos that are attractive within just minutes using a free tool that is available to everyone. You can improve them on the iPad with ProCreate or another drawing app.
See the video for the complete walk-through, or read the sections below. Let’s GO!
My Usual Workflow for Creating Logos
- Ask the owner for the business title and company slogan.
- Does the owner want a simple logo or more involved? This process works best for simple, but you can always add to the simple design to make it more involved if you want to.
- Ask which colors are important for the logo. This is crucial. Get the hex code for the colors you need. Ask whether grey text, black text, or white text will work too.
- You’ll need to know the kinds of fonts the owner wants. Bold? Thick? Light? Fun? Odd? Get a good idea before you start.
- I send screenshots of the color and logo combinations the owner can choose from. I circle my 5 favorites to help them decide because, to be honest, the choices for logos with different colors and font styles can be completely overwhelming.
- I send the owner a few samples they can choose from in a low-resolution format. If you have some ideas about how you could add to or take away from the logo to make it better, let the owner know. Also, ask what they think and whether the logo is good enough or needs more. You can add more with your iPad in ProCreate later.
- You’ll agree on exactly what the logo should be and you’ll create it in ProCreate on your iPad or if you’re lucky, you don’t need to do any more work and they’re happy with the way it looks in the logo tool.
- I send the owner a draft of the final in low-resolution. I ask for any changes. I make the changes.
- I send the owner another draft. There may be a final change or two that is simple, but nothing huge at this point. Let the owner know how many revisions they can make or you might get stuck with someone who can’t decide what they want and they’ll waste a lot of your time.
- I send the owner the final draft.
- The final draft is accepted and they pay me.
- I send them the high-resolution logo.
How To Create a Simple and Free Logo
Go to Namecheap.com’s home page. This is a domain registrar where you can choose domain names. As an extra service (free) they offer the ability to design simple logos with their graphics and fonts collection.
Go to the link at the top – Marketing Tools and choose the Logomaker link from the dropdown menu.
It’s probably better to put this part on video. I’ll screengrab it and do a voice-over to walk you through it. See below.
Video – How to Make a Logo in 5-minutes
Value Adding to Your Logo (Going Beyond 5-Minutes)
On an iPad, you can use ProCreate to edit the logo you made. You may know of a better font and download it to your iPad and create an even better logo. You may have found some better lineart to use on a pay site like Dreamstime.com. You can import that image into ProCreate and edit it, adding or removing portions of it as you wish.
Where Can You Find Logo Jobs to Get Paid For?
There are lots of freelancing places you can use to find a paid project creating a logo for someone. You’ll need to have some sort of portfolio to show potential buyers, but that shouldn’t be too hard with the tools you now have.
If you watch the video above, I show you how we find logo jobs on UpWork.com regularly. There are so many jobs for logo designers. If you’re any good, you can do well here.
Making logos isn’t difficult, but trying to match the company owner’s expectations can make this difficult for some people. The best way to make logo projects as smooth as possible is to very clearly define the objectives, and the final result before you get started.
Ask many questions that will help you get inside the head of the person requesting the logo.
Key Logo Development Ideas
Simplicity is Key
Keep it simple. A logo should be easily recognizable and not overly complicated. Think of Nike’s swoosh or Apple’s apple. They’re iconic yet simple, and that’s what makes them memorable.
Color Matters
Colors evoke emotions and feelings. You’ve got to choose the colors that not only match your brand’s vibe but also resonate with your target audience. But hey, don’t go overboard with the color palette—usually, two or three colors max should do the trick. Always ask the customer for colors first so you don’t waste your time.
Be Unique
The worst thing you can do is to make a logo that makes people go, “Hey, this looks just like XYZ brand!” You want your customer’s logo to stand out in the crowd, not blend into it.
Versatility is a Must
Your logo should look good everywhere: business cards, websites, billboards, you name it. It needs to be scalable and not lose its impact whether it’s small or large. Usually, a minimalistic style solves this.
Timeless Over Trendy
It’s tempting to jump on the latest design trends, but remember that trends come and go. You want a logo that’s going to withstand the test of time.
Know Your Audience
Who are you targeting? Ask your customer. If you’re targeting millennials, a modern, edgy logo might work wonders. But that same logo could fall flat if your audience is older or more traditional. Know who you’re speaking to and design accordingly.
The Font Game
Choosing the right typeface is like choosing the right pair of shoes—it’s got to match the outfit, which in this case, is the logo’s design elements. Serif, sans-serif, or custom typography can make a world of difference. This is one of those ‘Rabbit Hole Variables” that can add days or weeks to your project. Insist on the customer choosing the font(s) before you start.
Message in a Symbol
If you can incorporate some element of what the customer’s business does or stands for, that’s golden. Think of how the Amazon logo has an arrow pointing from A to Z, indicating they have everything from A to Z.
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
Don’t settle for your first draft. Keep tweaking and asking for feedback until you hit that sweet spot. Sometimes the magic happens in the revision stage. Sometimes the tiniest tweak will make the logo stronger.
Considering going from PHOTOGRAPHER to ARTIST? We just wrote a great guide to help!