Logo Brainstorming

There really isn't that much time in my day that I'm not thinking about business tasks. And that isn't because it runs my life, but because I truly love what I do. I believe that having a passion in life is what everyone deserves. It makes you feel like you have a purpose and that is a good feeling. I love our little business, but I also love helping others by telling our story or how we do something. I am not claiming that my way is the correct way, but just telling how we do things. In starting a business or maybe even revamping one, it is important to take some time to think about your logo. I am such a list person that I will make a list of thoughts to remember when creating your logo. Your logo will be on papers, stickers, social media, business cards, flyers, ads, signs, and maybe even clothing. It should be fairly simple, but versatile.

1) Create your Color Palette

Do you like bright colors? A single color? Water colors? Or 2-3 colors? If you know a few items your logo will be on, does color make sense? For example, our logo contains "T+T" which we print on our tees. We want a cohesive look, so we chose a logo in one color, black, keeping it simple during the screen printing process. You can even resort to Pinterest and browse color palates to get a feel for the direction you are heading.

2) Doodle for Weeks

I just suggest just getting old fashioned with it and put pen to paper and just doodle. Play some music. Sit in a nice area that relaxes and inspires you and just start doodling. You could create your logo around your business name or maybe the mission of your business. If you are a jewelry company, you may think of the tools that are used to create jewelry and draw some out. If you are gearing your products towards and certain group of women, you could draw things that make you thing of girl power or femininity. As a working mother, I chose to add an arrow in our logo because we can beat ourselves up, have Mom guilt, and lose ourselves while taking care of so many others. The arrow reminds me to just keep pushing forward and that we are here to teach our children about life, love, values and work ethic.

3) Create a Budget

This can be extremely difficult as you are just starting your business and not sure of how much things cost when outsourcing work. If you know anything about computers, you could very well download a free or fairly cheap design program and create your own! That's what I did and for a nurse to create something that has seemed to work well, I feel like I can totally recommend that now. At first, I was very unsure due to my poor graphic design skills, or lack thereof, but simple is truly best and I knew if I liked it, it would work! Another option would be to ask around your area for local graphic designers. If you do not want to take on the task yourself, have your color and style for an artist and I'm sure you will be able to work together to create your logo. Asking around for pricing first is smart. But know that the cost is WORTH the investment. You could always ask local college students for help if that is more budget-friendly for you.

Taking time to consider all of your options is imperative in this huge decision of creating your logo. Most business advice will recommend to avoid changing your logo too much or at all due to that being confusing for your consumers. So getting it right in the beginning is important. Asking the opinions of friends or family could be beneficial, too. Creating a few logos and putting them on stickers or paper and testing them out would be a great way to put your logo on a test run. Really think about your company, your values, your consumer, your style and your story. This process can be a great story telling moment for you as an entrepreneur. Once you see the logo you are supposed to have, you will know it!