Adding a customized logo to your blog is arguably one of the best ways to add some flare and professionalism to your site. In fact, it is a great way to project a brand that will help you stand out of the crowd.
With that said, I’m pleased to introduce the New Media Review logo, which is the handiwork of graphic design rock star Bonnie Centauro. While I had a few suggestions about what themes I wanted it to convey, she was the mastermind that helped me transform these ideas into a clear, compelling image that accurately embodies the content of the blog. But, rather than dwell on my own logo, I thought I’d offer a few guidelines to consider when conceiving of a logo for your site.
While some of you have the savvy to design a logo of your own, many (like me) will need some help. If so, you’ll probably want to commission a friend with design expertise, as these services otherwise tend to be costly.
Even if you won’t be the architect of your own logo, that doesn’t mean you can’t be an integral part of the creative process. In fact, it is in your best interest to think long and hard about the content of your site, your audience and what the image should say about you. Once you have a better sense of your mission, it’s important to convey these ideas to the designer.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself:
- What is my blog about?
- What topics and themes do I regularly cover?
- Who reads my blog? Why?
- What is the tone of my site? Is it light and humorous or serious and academic?
- What do I want my logo to say about me and my site?
- What images and fonts come to mind when I answer these questions?
Once you begin to imagine various visual representations of these ideas, it’s helpful to sketch them in a notebook. Not only will this help you preserve your ideas, but for those who are not graphic designers, it will make it a lot easier to demonstrate to others what you have in mind.
When I, with Bonnie’s help, began conceiving the New Media Review logo, there were many ideas I wanted it to convey. This site is about online marketing and PR. It covers new and social media and, more generally, it focuses on the evolution of communication. Major themes include community, social networking and the juxtaposition of new and old, especially as this concept relates to journalism.
From these ideas came the image of the speech balloon representing community and communication. But I also wanted the font to depict the contrast between new and old, so Bonnie created a techie font for “New Media.” She then changed the lettering of “Review” to Times New Roman to evoke the font you might find in a newspaper. Even the color green is intended to play off of this theme.
While you may have many different ideas that you want to convey, it’s important to choose an image that communicates these ideas in the most clear and concise way possible. The idea is to give the reader a sense of what she’ll find on your blog in a fraction of a second. You’ll want to avoid clutter, confusion or anything that might distract from your content. Rather, the image should be an introduction and an invitation to the rest of your site.
Hopefully, you’ll find these suggestions helpful when considering a logo for your site. For those of you who have already created a logo, what were your challenges during the creative process? What worked well for you?
Disclaimer: Please note, these suggestions are intended for novice bloggers who may not have the resources of large companies.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
love the new logo!
Thanks very much! Most of the credit goes to Bonnie.
Where’s my credit for helping you get it added to your header
But yes, a very nice logo indeed.
Thanks, Rowan! Much appreciated. That’s true. It would not be visible on the site today had it not been for your help.
I can see that this is going to be a successful blog because you understand the importance of content, design, usability and being optimized for search results. That is all immediately obvious because you’re using Thesis, had a distinctive logo created and make it easy to find your Twitter account.
You and your logo designer may be very interested in what I shared about the difference between $50 and $1500-$2000 logos and what the very best logos have in common. It would be interesting to see how many of the factors mentioned was met in YOUR new design.
That would be an excellent post for Bonnie to leave a dofollow comment with best anchor text in. Have you considered joining the dofollow movement? Since time is our most important asset focusing on blogs using CommentLuv and ideally KeywordLuv has become a priority with many serious bloggers.
There is a post about Dofollow in my Most Popular section that explains what it is and where to get these plugins.