You may have heard of the nine muses – the Greek goddesses, each possessing artistic talents in dance, theater, or even math. Well, here’s a “tenth muse,” the one that provides you with all the inspiration you need to create your logo.
Whether you’re representing a brand or you’re a graphic designer in need of inspiration, you’ll find everything you need here to create a unique, high-quality logo design.
Why is finding the right logo design so important?
Before diving into the details with examples, let’s talk briefly about the importance of having a logo. Understanding the role a logo plays for the company it represents will help you make the right choices when creating your own.
Generally, a logo design serves two purposes:
- To create a memorable connection with the company and make its brand known.
- To give a face to the brand’s identity and attract its target audience.
The details in a logo impact targeted marketing and how memorable the design is. A logo design typically consists of three main elements: colors, shapes, and typography. Your choices for each will affect the emotions your audience feels, which in turn affects the type of clients you’ll attract. For example, circles give a lighthearted, fun personality, while squares, being much less playful, suggest strength, durability, and power.
For now, it’s enough to know that all logos are made up of these three elements (colors, shapes, typography). You can also check out resources on color psychology to decide which colors are best suited for your logo design.
Logo Design Inspirations
11 Places to Find Inspiration for Your Logo Design
Waiting for inspiration to come naturally is great – until a deadline or launch day approaches. Without a logo, your business feels bare, and the longer you wait, the greater the consequences. Take action and explore the 11 sources below for logo design inspiration.
1. Major Brands
Big brands use top designers (or at least the most expensive ones), so they generally have excellent designs. Big companies also stay aware of the latest logo design trends, so it’s helpful to analyze how their logos evolve over time.
Keep an eye on logos from big organizations. It’s not hard, as they’re everywhere! Check out famous logos or well-known company logos worldwide. Look for elements that work well and those that don’t.
Notice similarities between different logos, like a specific shape or typeface, especially if it’s related to your industry. If the big brand in question is a competitor, chances are your target audience compares your logo design to theirs.
2. Design Platforms
Want access to unique logos made by top designers? Look through various design platforms that showcase work from the design community. You can filter by industry, designer skill level, or concept. With over a million designers worldwide, you’ll find a huge variety of designs – perfect for finding inspiration!
Using the platform’s advanced filters lets you see designs from top designers or filter results based on the languages the designers speak. You can even search by keyword.
3. Your Own Brand’s Story
Looking elsewhere for ideas is a good approach, but looking within can be even more powerful. After all, your logo design should represent you, so why not turn to your brand’s story for inspiration?
Think about your brand’s identity and see if any images come to mind. Here are some questions to help:
- What qualities or characteristics does your brand prioritize? What icons represent these traits? For example, if you want to highlight your wisdom and expertise, you might think of an owl, a book, or a microscope.
- Is there a wordplay or visual pun in your brand’s name or slogan? Puns are great for brand recognition.
- What typography best matches your brand’s identity? Something classic and formal, like a serif font, or something lively and expressive like a cursive font?
- Are there any artists whose work or style aligns with your brand? What elements of their style remind you of your brand?
Dive into your brand’s identity and make a list of all the words, ideas, and colors that represent it. Use this list as a foundation to create a logo design that fits your brand.
4. Competitors
It’s always wise to keep an eye on your competitors to know what to do – or avoid. Generally, your competitors will have the same goals, so the elements in their logos might also work for yours.
For example, look at the prevalence of blue in banking logos. Blue is the color of trust, one of the top priorities for businesses asking customers to entrust them with money.
Analyzing competitors’ logos also helps you find ways to stand out. Sometimes it’s smart to go in the opposite direction, especially if you aim to grab competitors’ customers’ attention.
5. Social Media
If you want tons of ideas on many topics, social media is always helpful. Platforms focused on visuals, like Instagram and Pinterest, are ideal for logo design research since they let you see many examples on one page, making research and comparisons easy. Be sure to refine your search using hashtags and other available tools.
The fact that there’s no limit to the designs available on social media makes it a great resource. But there are also downsides: you’ll need to sift through good and bad designs on your own. Of course, you can find stunning designs from amateur artists, but finding them amid the flood of content can be a challenge.
6. Behance
Behance is a platform where artists and designers showcase their work. While it doesn’t separate beginners from experts like some platforms, Behance offers a broad collection of styles.
Behance covers a broad range of visual art, but you can easily find logo design galleries in the Graphic Design section. Each card corresponds to a gallery of logos, whether created by the same designer or grouped around a shared theme.
7. Image Searches
If you leave out branding, logos are simply images. Take a photo of your dog and give it to a designer – they’ll create a stylized version and add your business name. And there you have it! Inspiration can come from any image, so all you need is a search engine.
If you’ve identified traits or elements that represent your brand, type them into Google Images, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. You can search for any word, whether an abstract concept like fear or something specific like “red logos clothing brand.”
When you need fresh ideas quickly, image searches are always helpful, especially if you’re unsure where to start. Just be prepared to scroll through hundreds of results.
8. Stores
Don’t forget offline research, like exploring store aisles. Every box or package has a logo design, and in a supermarket, you can see them all at once!
If you’re out of logo design ideas, visit a supermarket or store with products similar to yours. You’ll see hundreds of successful logos in these places, in their “natural habitat,” where you can tell which colors and typefaces stand out.
Walking around also helps clear your mind, so a trip to the store can benefit you physically and mentally.
9. Friends, Family, or Colleagues
While it’s great to have a professional designer’s opinion, it’s not necessary. You can always bring in a designer later to refine your ideas. Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected sources, so ask your colleagues and see what they suggest. Ask your family and friends too. There’s nothing to lose, and it might spark something valuable.
Sometimes you can even ask clients for ideas. Launch a contest and get dozens of suggestions! It’s even possible that a ready-made logo design falls into your hands. After all, that’s how Mr. Peanut came to be!
10. Art Museums
While graphic design has only been applied to marketing in recent centuries, the artistic principles it relies on are as old as art itself. The best idea for your logo design might be hidden in a Renaissance painting, a Buddhist statue, or an African prehistoric vase.
In some museums, inspiration is everywhere. You’re surrounded by thousands of years of artistic masterpieces. And like stores, museums also let you move around physically, which can lead to a burst of creativity.
11. Design Blogs and Magazines
Finally, design blogs and magazines understand how hard it is to come up with a great logo design idea. They often publish a lot of content on this topic, with image libraries curated by design experts.
Look at a blog dedicated to logo design ideas organized by theme:
- Restaurant logos
- Colorful logos
- Hair salon and stylist logos
- Luxury logos
- Modern logos
- Square logos
- Feminine logos
- … and much more
A Good Logo Always Begins with a Good Idea
Creative projects like designing a new logo can add excitement to your routine. You have endless options: colors, shapes, fonts, and more.
Gather as much inspiration as you can, then work with a designer to create the new face of your brand.
If you want to learn more about logo design, read an article on logo design guides.
Need help bringing your ideas to life with a stunning logo? Reach out to talented designers for your project.
Are you using Pinterest? Here’s the image to pin
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