How to make a logo design step by step

Ever wondered why some logos stick in your mind? Well, it's not magic. It's good design.

A perfect logo design isn’t just a random symbol. It’s the face of your brand. Your company logo helps customers distinguish you from the competition. And it's what they call to memory when they need your products or services.

This is why your corporate logo is so important when establishing your brand or rebranding. It's what your target audience will see on your website, product packaging, marketing materials, and social media platforms.

This step-by-step tutorial will showcase how to create a well-designed logo using Linearity Curve's powerful vector design tools.

Scroll down for detailed instructions on how to design a logo using Linearity Curve.

Brainstorm and research

Before we get into how to design the logo using Linearity Curve, it’s best to take some time to brainstorm and conduct initial research. This step helps you create a logo that truly represents your brand. Here's what to consider:

Define your brand identity

What are your brand's core values and personality? Brainstorming keywords is a great way to define these aspects of your brand identity. Describe your brand’s ethos:

• Mission: What’s your company's ultimate purpose? (e.g., “We want to achieve X by doing Y because Z”)
• Values: What are your guiding principles? (e.g., innovation, trustworthiness, sustainability, etc.)
• Target audience: Who’s your ideal customer and what are their demographics, interests, and needs? (e.g., youthful, professional, ahead of the curve, etc.)

Develop a brand word list

Create a list of keywords that resonate with your brand identity. This word list will be a reference point throughout the logo design process. Here's a helpful strategy:

1. Brainstorm individually or as a team: Write down any words that come to mind about your brand.
2. Refine your list: Group similar words together and eliminate redundancies.
3. Identify core themes: Look for overarching concepts from your word list. 

Do competitor analysis

Research your competitors' logos. Analyze what works well for them and identify areas where you can differentiate your brand visually. Pay attention to logo styles, color palettes, and their overall brand message.

What color palette they have is particularly important. Colors trigger feelings that influence brand perception. Red screams excitement, while blue whispers trust. Your competitors likely have chosen colors that align with your audience and evoke the right emotions in them.

“Color psychology provides valuable insights to select the most suitable color palette for a specific project. For example, if all veterinary clinics use a dark ocean blue to convey seriousness, professionalism, and calmness, I might opt for an orange (a complementary color on the color circle) to stand out and combine it with a pastel sky blue.”—Nastya Kuliábina, Designer and Marketer

Make sketches

Don't underestimate the power of pen and paper. Sketching logo ideas allows for free exploration before translating them into digital tools. This low-fidelity approach can help you solidify concepts and experiment with various design directions before committing to specific elements.

Here are some tips on how to sketch and ideate effectively for digital design:

• Experiment with shapes and symbols: Don't be afraid to try out different shapes, lines, and symbols to see what resonates with your brand identity.
• Play with typography: Consider different fonts and text layouts to explore the visual impact of your brand name.
• Think outside the box: Don't be afraid to come up with unconventional ideas. Sometimes, the most memorable logos are the most unexpected ones.

Try out different combinations of text and shapes to find one that most resonates with your brand. You can also have logo variations for different applications, such as small icons for apps or full logos for printed brochures.

The different types of logos for you to consider are:

• Emblems (like crests and badges)
• Pictorial marks (or logo symbols)
• Wordmarks (or logotypes)
• Monogram logos (or lettermarks)
• Abstract logo marks (non-pictorial)
• Mascot logos (contain a character)
• Combination marks (any combination of the above)

Set up your Artboard

You'll need a fresh canvas to work on.

Open Linearity Curve on your Mac, iPad, or iPhone and create a new document. We'll use an iPad for this tutorial.

You can choose a template or custom size. We recommend something like 2000 x 2000px for a square logo.

If you'd like to add a colored Artboard background, use the Shape Tool to draw a rectangle over the entire Artboard. Set your Fill Color to Solid or Gradient.

Then, you can go to your Layers tab and lock the background layer by tapping on the open lock icon on the right. This will stop the background shape from accidentally being moved around while you're designing.

The background might be a supporting player, but it can make your logo pop in unexpected ways.

Your canvas is ready, and you're all set to start designing your logo.

Design your logo

Add a new layer in the Layers tab for your logo. With Curve's design software, managing layers is a walk in the park. Add, rearrange, and lock layers with just a few taps or clicks.

Depending on your brand's look and feel, you may start your design with a photo to trace, a wordmark, or a few organic shapes.

If you don't have a graphic designer on your team and have limited design experience, don't fret. Check out our library of 3000+ free design assets you can use to design your logo, like these business card designs:

Our example uses a realistic crab image to create a fish restaurant logo. Here's how we did it:

In Curve, open the Library (+) tab and upload an image or search for a free stock image on the Unsplash Library.

Go to the Style Tab and use Auto Trace to turn the image into a vector shape.

Select your traced shape and add a Fill Color. This is your logo symbol or mascot. Choose a contrasting or complementary color that'll grab the attention of customers.

Choose fonts and add your company name

You need to add some text so potential customers know what your brand is about. We'll add the company name—in this example, it's Holy Crab Seafood Grill & Bar.

Go ahead and select the Text Tool and choose your Fill Color. Drag the Text Tool across the area where you want your logotype to appear and type or paste your text.

Navigate to the Style tab to change the font, size, letter spacing, and other text options. For our Holy Crab logo text, we'll choose the Didot Bold font.

In Linearity Curve, you’ll find a variety of fonts to match any brand personality. Running a tech startup? Go for something sleek and modern. A local bakery? Maybe something more handwritten and friendly. The key is consistency—your font should match the vibe of your image and overall brand.

Drag your text anywhere on the Artboard until you're happy with its placement for your logo. Holding down one finger while moving your artwork ensures it moves in a straight line.

To align two or more items, use the Selection Tool and choose Multi Select Mode. Select all the elements you want to align and tap on the Align item in the Quick Actions toolbar that appears below your selection.

Now, we'll add 'Seafood Grill & Bar' in Didot Italic underneath 'Holy Crab.' Follow the same process as above to add and edit the text. We'll also make the font smaller to create a visual hierarchy.

In the next step, we’ll wrap up our logo design journey with final adjustments and exporting tips.

Make your final adjustments and export

Your logo has shape, color, and character. Now, let's tie everything together.

Add any finishing touches to your logo. Resize and edit elements as needed.

Head over to the File dropdown, tap on Export To, and choose your file format. To optimize it for web, choose a vector file type like SVG or PDF.

You can also play around with the white or negative space in the logo. It's the empty area between and around the logo's design elements. But don't be fooled by the name—effective use of white space is anything but empty and many recent logo designs make use of this.

Bonus step: Animate your logo

Linearity Move is our animation platform for fast and easy marketing motion graphic creation. You can animate your new logo in Move in seconds. Follow our logo animation tutorial for a step-by-step.

Animated logos work great for websites and marketing videos that actually convert viewers into customers. Try one of our animated design templates below to get started. 

Your brand beyond its logo

What's next for your brand? Your logo is just the start.

Linearity Curve's ease of use and efficiency are unmatched, making it a go-to platform for novice and seasoned designers marketers. You can use our software suite to create static and animated brand assets like business cards, online ads, promo videos, and social media announcements.

If you haven’t already, get started for free with Linearity below, or check out our special pricing for professionals and teams.

And we have more handy tutorials where this one came from. Check out the Linearity Academy for free design courses.

We're all about community at Linearity, so we encourage you to share your logo designs with us. We love seeing how our tutorials inspire new creative work.

Frequently asked questions