Why should you use logo makers? Iconic logos make brands recognisable. Even if you’re not up to date with the latest technologies, I bet you’ll be able to spot which companies the following logos belong to:
Of course, these brands are big businesses, and therefore have a lot of money. So, how do small businesses or start-ups create an awesome logo?
Most people won’t have the graphic design skills required or be able to afford to hire a designer to create a logo. That’s why logo makers are a life-saver! They allow you to create professional logos in a matter of seconds, without the need for design skills.
Many logo makers are free to use, too. With more people using website builders to create their own websites, some of the best website builders have also created logo makers.
Here at UKWebHostReview, we’ve personally used the logo makers outlined in this guide. We’ll give you the lowdown on each of them so you can view our pick of the best logo makers…
Tips for creating the best logo
Before we get started, it’s important to understand some basic logo best practices. Your logo represents your brand, so it’s essential to get it right, as it will likely stick with you forever.
Think back to the logos we saw at the start: Facebook, Nike, and Twitter. Each of these brands is represented by one simple, eye-catching image, that is memorable worldwide. That’s what you want to achieve, so here’s how to do it:
- Simplicity – A simple logo can have a powerful impact. Some of the world’s most recognisable logos include Coca-Cola, Apple, IBM, Marvel, Pinterest, and Uber. All of these logos have one thing in common; they’re simple. Many of them simply use text or one image to showcase their brand.
- Relevance – It might sound obvious, but a logo should be relevant to your brand. For example, if you run a clothing store, don’t use food as your image. You want your image to be simple, not overly complicated with tonnes of layers.
- Versatility – Your logo is used in multiple ways. Many companies will have a website, social media account, and business cards. Your logo should be versatile enough that it will work in multiple formats, and across different devices. If your logo is too complicated or intricate, it could be hard to read or recognised when it’s scaled-down.
According to 1stWebDesigner, here are some of the worst logos:
It’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to creating a logo. But it’s also easy not to by following our guide. It’s important to establish a few things before you get started. Do you know who your target audience is? What do you want to communicate to your customers?
Perhaps it would be a good idea to brainstorm some ideas and sketch out some basic designs before you dive in. Look at some existing logos that you love and ask yourself what you love about them.
How do logo makers work?
Logo makers (or generators) are like having your own graphic designer, in a computer. Often, they’ll ask you to choose some designs, colour themes, and icons that you like the look of. After entering in your brand name and slogan, an automated tool will generate a list of logos from your choices.
Don’t get me wrong, a professional graphic designer will be able to create the best logos, but this doesn’t fall too far short.
Logo makers are great if:
- You’re on a budget and can’t afford a graphic designer
- You aren’t able to design your own logo from scratch
- You don’t have the time to research the best designers
I’m going to show you the process from beginning to end. You’ll see that I’ve signed up to each logo maker and created a logo myself. To confirm this, I’ll be using the brand name “Softside”.
1. Shopify Hatchful
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce store builders around. It recently launched its own logo maker called Hatchful, which is free to use.
In order to create a logo with Hatchful, follow these simple steps:
- Go to the Hatchful website
- Click ‘Get Started’
- Select your industry
- Choose up to three visual styles you like
- Enter your business name and a slogan which is optional
- Choose where you will use your logo, e.g. online, social media, etc.
- View your logo maker results
- Choose your favourite logo
- Edit the colours or shapes
- Download
When you download your Hatchful logo, you’ll get a high-resolution image, as well as multiple versions of the logo including a transparent background. It’s free to use and you won’t need to sign up for any paid subscription to edit it.
Some of the logos presented to you will be paid logos, but the majority are free. The logo maker will ask for a slogan (if you have one), however, it’s worth bearing in mind that not all templates support slogans.
Once you’ve completed your logo, your logo package will be emailed to you. As well as your logo and other versions of it, you’ll also get a favicon included. I think this is a really nice touch and it saves time faffing about later on.
2. Wix Logo Maker
Wix’s logo maker is as simple as its website builder. That’s what makes Wix great in my opinion, offering an easy choice for beginners and a professional-looking logo as the result.
To create a logo with Wix’s logo maker, follow the steps below:
- Go to Wix’s Logo Maker page
- Click ‘Start Now’
- Enter your brand name
- Enter a tagline if you have one (this is optional)
- Click ‘Let’s Go’
- Fill in details outlining what kind of business or industry your logo is for
- Select a few keywords about how your logo should look and feel
- Select your preference between two images or skip
- Choose where you want to use your logo
- Select your logo from the options presented
- You can customise your logo including text, icon, shapes, colours, etc.
- When you’re ready, click ‘Next’ and choose your pricing plan
Wix’s logo maker is very similar to Shopify, however, you will need an account to get started with Wix, which is free to sign up for. With Wix, everything is simple, but if you do need help, you’ll notice the question mark during the creation process which you can click on to go to Wix’s help center.
What I love about Wix’s logo maker is that the customisation is very in-depth. You can change colours of fonts, shapes, backgrounds, etc. as well as sizes, design and lots more. In fact, the logo maker is quite similar to the website builder, where you can drag and drop elements.
Once you’ve designed your logo, you can download a free sample. However, if you want to use your logo, you will have to sign up to one of Wix’s logo pricing plans. If you just want your logo, you can pay £13 (one payment) for full commercial rights and standard logo files, or £34.74 for resizable files and social media files.
3. Tailor Brands
Tailor Brands is a little different to Shopify and Wix. They use an algorithm to design your log for you, after answering a few questions. It’s really simple and easy to use.
To get started with Tailor Brands, follow these steps:
- Go to the Tailor Brands website
- Enter a name for your logo and click ‘Design’
- Select your industry and fill out more information regarding your business
- Choose your type of logo (icon based, name based, or initial based)
- Answer the rest of the questions and choose your preferences
- Sign up for free to view your logos (you can sign up via Facebook or Google)
- You can view your logos on the side and see what they would look like on a website, labels, books, etc.
Once you’ve decided on a logo design, you can customise it. There’s plenty of options including changing the font, size, text, colour, etc. I really love how you can view your logo on a variety of objects including bottles, cups, business cards and more. This is a sweet touch!
When you’re ready to proceed with your logo, you’ll be taken to Tailor Brands pricing plans. There are options for monthly, yearly and 2-yearly, where you’ll save more money by signing up for longer. Monthly plans start from £6.99 and give you your logo files, full ownership, resize tool, watermark tool, seasonal logo generator and online brand guidelines.
The standard and premium packages offer lots more, including vector files, business card tool, 500,000+ free images and icon, and lots more. I’d recommend the more expensive packages if you’re a business and want to advertise your brand on social media.
4. SquareSpace
SquareSpace’s logo maker is slick and professional just like its website builder. It’s super easy to use, just like all of the logo makers I’ve mentioned in this article.
To get started with SquareSpace’s logo maker, follow the steps below:
- Go to SquareSpace’s logo maker website
- Enter your company name and click the arrow to proceed
- You can search for symbols that you like using the search bar
- If you want to include a tagline, click in the tagline box
- To update font type, colour, and size, click the text on the logo maker
- Click save logo
- Log in or create a SquareSpace account for free
Out of the logo makers mentioned, SquareSpace is definitely the most simple, however, I feel it lacks a lot of customisation. The logo maker is more of a tool for you to design your own logo, rather than have one generated for you.
However, even with a very simple tool, SquareSpace’s logo maker has resulted in a professional-looking logo with a modern touch, very much like its templates. If you get stuck, SquareSpace’s help tool is available throughout, however, I didn’t encounter any issues myself.
If you want to use the logo you’ve created, you’ll need to sign up to SquareSpace, which is free to do. Already have a Squarespace account? Regardless of pricing plan, you can download and use logo absolutely free.