1. Define Your Brand Identity
Before jumping into the design process, you need to have a good understanding of your brand and what it stands for. What is your brand’s story? Who is your target audience? What values do you want to communicate? How will the logo be used?
By considering these factors, you should be able to create a logo that resonates with the right audience.
2. Check Out the Competition
Next you will want to do some research! Look at companies that are successful in your niche and note down any design trends you can identify. What works well and what doesn’t? What kind of fonts, shapes and colours do they use and are they effective?
Minimal and geometric logo designs have risen in popularity for clothing brands, but bold typography and intricate illustrations are also gaining popularity in certain clothing sub-cultures like streetwear.
Take inspiration from your competitors but always strive to make your logo unique so that it will stand out in the market. A good logo should be memorable and distinct.
3. Choose a Logo Style
There are several different types of logos to choose from for your company, here is a quick overview:
- Abstract: An abstract logo uses shapes and symbols to represent the brand.
- Wordmark: This is a logo that uses only your brand name, styled in a unique font – think Coca-Cola or Google! This is an ideal logo style to choose if you have a strong, memorable brand name.
- Lettermark: This is a logo that uses initials or abbreviations to represent the brand. This style works well for brands with longer names or if you’re aiming for a more minimalist look.
- Combination Mark: This is a logo that combines both text and imagery – think Puma or Reebok.
- Emblem: Emblems usually combine text with a shape or badge for a more traditional and vintage feel – think Harley Davidson or Starbucks!
- Mascot: This type of logo features a mascot or character to represent the brand.
4. Choose Your Colour Palette
Colour can play an important role in brand identity and so you should make sure that the colour palette you choose is cohesive and relevant to your brand and target audience.
Plain black or white logos tend to give off a more luxury or minimalist vibe, whereas red logos can be more bold and exciting. Green colour palettes are often popular with eco-conscious brands and blue colour palettes are said to invoke trust and professionalism.
5. Choose Your Typography
You will want to select a font that aligns with your brand’s personality and complements the logo style and colour palette you have chosen.
If you’re trying to stick to a more traditional and classic style, try using a neat and elegant serif font. If you’re looking for a more modern and contemporary vibe, go for a more minimal sans serif font. And if you want your logo to be truly unique and noticeable, you can try out making your very own custom font!
It is crucial that when choosing your font, you make sure that it is legible across all sizes and formats. If once you shrink your font and logo to a clothing label size and it becomes illegible, it may be time to try out some other designs.
6. Test Your Logo
Before finalising your logo, try see what it looks like in different real-world situations. You can create mock-ups of your logo on T-shirts or hats and try it out on digital formats by uploading it to your website or social media. You will want to make sure your logo is versatile and looks good both on fabric and on screen. Asking for feedback helps too!
7. Finalise Your Logo
Once you have made all necessary adjustments to your design and your finally happy with what your logo looks like across all formats, it’s time to finalise!
Choose a file format that is suitable for your needs (e.g. SVG, EPS or PNG) and you should be good to go.
