Do you run an agency that creates content for others?

If you do, you know that there's more to the job than writing blog posts and filling up web pages. Every small business needs a visual identity too. Branding starts there, after all.

You also need to create a good logo for your clients.

Don't panic if you don't know where to begin. Check out this list below to learn several crucial tips and tricks to make amazing business logos:

Building Semantics

Crafting a beautiful and marketable logo is a graphic design task but don't hesitate to think outside the box. Remember that a logo embodies a business's brand, vision, and mission in one image. To achieve that, you'll need to break down all of that into a semantics kernel.

For example, a cafe could list down words associated with drinking coffee. Start with words like coffee, mug, beans, and hot drinks. Expand to lesser used terms such as French coffee press, espresso machine, and espresso glass.

Design a logo that encapsulates those terms. This keeps the logo related to the business. Avoid a logo that requires too much thinking before a customer can associate it with their products or services.

Design in Monochrome

Never design a logo in color. Keep in mind that you may have to shrink that logo for a business card. You may have to enlarge it for billboard ads.

One problem of designing in color is that you won't immediately see the effects of altering the size of the logo.

There may also come a time when you'll have to print the logo in black and white. Altering the colors for a specific celebration or event may also come in handy one day. You limit yourself to such possibilities if you designed in color.

Ready to add color? Incorporate color psychology into your design. Red, for example, is a very striking and aggressive color while blue is a corporate, formal choice.

Use colors associated with the brand too.

Scale It Down

Before finalizing the logo design, scale it down. This refers to two different steps: shrinking the logo and cutting out any unnecessary fluff. We already discussed why shrinking a logo matters: you want to make sure people can identify it even when printed small.

Take a moment to look at the most iconic logos.

Consider the logos for Nike, Apple, Samsung, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Toyota. All of them are relatively simple and easy to redraw. Very few logos get away with complex designs, such as the one used by Starbucks.

Remove anything in the design that doesn't leave a significant impact. If it makes a logo difficult to remember, alter or remove that element.

Double Entendre

One of the sneakiest but ingenious marketing strategies is to create a logo with hidden images or meanings. There are a ton of companies that incorporate this logo technique because it helps their design stand out.

Look at the logo for Amazon. It's the word "Amazon" and an arrow underneath. However, keen observers will notice that the arrow goes from A to Z, embodying the shop's motto that they sell pretty much everything.

FedEx has another double entendre logo. The company uses a special font that sticks the letters tightly together. This creates a space between the letters E and X, forming an arrow.

That arrow represents the courier company's services of forwarding packages to any location in the world.

Use Professional Tools

When designing a logo, don't use free tools that only run on a browser. Yes, those tools can come in handy when making a browser or a business card, but you'll want more power to craft a good logo.

The most recommended tool is still Adobe Photoshop. Illustrator is also a good choice, as well as Apple's Procreate. All of these professional apps give designers the tools they need to make a logo as complex as desired.

Incorporate the Brand

Keep in mind that a logo's main purpose is to help market the brand. When someone sees the logo, they should immediately be able to recall the business using it. Consider how people can instantly identify McDonald's even from afar simply by spotting the logo.

Recall the first tip listed: semantics kernel. This time, however, don't simply list down words associated with the kind of business the client runs. List down terms that embody their vision, mission, tone, and theme.

You have to take their brand and boil it down to a few words. Now take those words and see if you can encapsulate them in a single image. A good example is the logo for Windows: it looks like a window, making it easy to remember, but it also uses a sleek, digital-era art style.

Work With Professional Designers

When designing a logo, it's always best to work in tandem with a digital agency that specializes in this field. Hiring a digital designing crew not only guarantees good results but also ensures you can focus on what you're good at — creating content for your clients.

Now you don't have to worry about training a separate department of employees. You won't have to spend on hardware and software to get the job done. Working with professional designers takes all this out of your hands.

Test Every Design

Don't settle with the first design you came up with. As much as possible, take some time to test the top choices. Run an A/B split test with different audiences to get feedback.

Make sure to spend time studying the data afterward. Which logos did they respond to positively and why? What were their reasons for not choosing the other available logo designs?

Design the Best Small Business Logo Today

Now you know how to make a good logo for your small business clients. Design in monochrome, scale down and always work with a professional to get the best possible results.

Fortunately, you don't have to scout far and wide for an expert team. This is where we can aid you. Contact us right here and let us help you make the best logo for any small business!