How I Created My Company’s Logo With No Graphic Design Experience
If you’re reading this, I hope you’re not a *real* designer. And if you are, you can stop now. What comes next can only be described as another Social Media Manager making Canva content. And from what I hear, that might be your worst nightmare (other than a bad font, but don’t worry I hate that too).
I started my own business in 2020 (the best time to start a business). But really, I started it out of necessity. My full-time role in Music Marketing was reduced to part-time, and frankly, I was bored. I needed a creative outlet and something to keep me busy. I always wanted to try the Freelance thing, though I envisioned working on my own time so I could sip wine in the afternoon on an Italian terrace. In the 2020 reality, I was sipping wine with my roommate on our couch.
It started with a client I had worked for previously at his other company. He needed some copy and social media content for his very niche pandemic brand… a jumpsuit with a work shirt on the top and sweatpants on the bottom. If you don’t believe me, you can see my work for them here.
I realized when invoicing him that I had no personal brand of my own. A woman who loves good branding who has no personal brand? Couldn’t be me.
That’s when I attempted something for the first time: creating a logo. As a Social Media Manager + Copywriter, I have always been excitedly aware of good branding. I am constantly making sure content fits in the context of the brand I’m working with; the colors, wording, style, and content must all make sense. However, I am not a designer. I’m usually working with the fonts and logos made for me by someone far more talented in that realm. But the funny thing about working for yourself is… there is no one else. And no budget to hire yet! So, sometimes you have to get scrappy.
Get Inspiration
This is the fun part. Imagine Mr. Miyagi next to you showing you something seemingly unrelated, but in the end, it will all make sense. But instead of waxing a car, you can probably just head to Pinterest. I’m a hoarder of pretty images, so I scrolled through art and graphics I had saved to see what stood out to me. I landed on this image.
Because this is for my personal brand, I wanted it to reflect me and my style. I love bright colors, but I tend to go down rabbit holes and want to include every pretty color I find along the way. That doesn’t work when you’re creating brand guidelines, sadly. Focus and consistency is important, and you really only need 4-5 main colors. Using this image helped me narrow in on that.
2. Identify Your Colors
One of the most helpful tools for identifying your brand’s color palette is the Canva Color Palette Generator. I dropped my inspiration image in and extracted the main colors I liked from it.
Voila! I had my main colors. This gave me a dark option, a light, and two brighter choices. I also added in a creamy white to balance it all out. It’s important to have contrast, so you want to make sure you have a good range of options.
If you don’t have a particular image in mind, check out Canva’s Color Wheel or Coolers. These generate complimentary colors for you, without having to do so much Miyagi-ing.
Coolers Palette Generator Tool
3. Choose a Font
If you haven’t figured it out, I have a flair for the dramatic. I like serif fonts because they come with the fun little extras hanging off the letters. I chose Abril Fatface for my logo font… well, because I’ve always liked it. It’s easy to read, but it still has personality. It exuded what I wanted it to: professional, but with flair. Just like every other decision you’ll make in this process, your choice should reflect what you want your brand to evoke. If you are going for sleek and modern, I’d probably opt out of Curlz, but that’s just me. Actually, please always opt out of Curlz.
There are thousands of free fonts out there, but I opted for one already available on Canva. But if you happen to find one you like that isn’t, try using a free font downloader and uploading it.
4. Create Your Logo
Life is about playing your strengths. While I love bold and creative logos, I am not a designer. I cannot design typography or add a quirky little hidden symbol, so I knew I had to keep it simple. What I did have, though, was a font I liked and some colors that felt very “me.” I decided to utilize three of the main colors and play around with the orientation of the letters.
This is what I landed on for the Cadyn Scott Creative logo! It’s not groundbreaking, but if you’re just starting out, something as simple as this can help you get your start.
5. Create a Website
The most important thing about deciding on your branding is… using it! I made this site with Squarespace, and I haven’t looked back. It’s so easy to use, a fake Canva designer can do it.