Jan 30 2009
Steps on How to Create a Web 2.0 Logo
So you want to use a logo for your website. Or maybe take your designing skills and use them as part of a possible business. Either way, you’re better off designing logos for Web 2.0 technologies. Not only are they generally better looking, they’re also more relevant and quite easy to use with many of the sites currently active today. Here are steps you can take to create a Web 2.0 logo you can use with any website:
Know what a Web 2.0 logo looks like.
Design evolves. Sometimes, it does so out of necessity, as when a certain object has changed or become obsolete or when a certain sentiment has faded or shifted. If you wish to create a Web 2.0 logo, you must know their characteristics.
To learn, go to Web 2.0 sites or read articles about how to recognize Web 2.0 logos. Breadline Design has a useful design guide for creating logos that will be of help or check out designs by other artists from sites such as LogoPond. You can just try to take note of design elements you have observed from other logos to guide you.
It’s essential that you are familiar with the styles used for Web 2.0 logos. Once your design is done, remember that it will be competing with hundreds of other logos in the industry you’re in. If you can’t deliver, it will be easy for your log to get lost in the bigger design of a website. Or if you tried too hard, your logo could be the stuff of legends – but only for the wrong reasons.
Integrate elements from the website into the logo.
No matter how impressive your logo is, it will get lost in translation if viewers cannot relate it to the website it’s being used with. Study the website first and take into account design elements that are already in place such as fonts, colors, graphics, etc.
You should also consider other factors, such as the nature of the business, the personality of the site owner, the purpose or objective of the site and the target audience. If you’re designing for a website catering to mothers and home owners, for example, integrating goth elements in the logo will prove disastrous.
Begin your design.
Now that you have an idea of how your design will look like, begin with a few preliminary sketches. This will help you define the logo’s measurements and shape. You can also experiment with the colors by this time. When you’re sketching, by the way, you can either do it by hand or use a computer. The idea here is to be able to come up with a few simple sketches so you can compare styles, design and adaptability.
Once the preliminary sketches are done, simply decide on which one will fit the website best. You can also use your notes as reference, just to make sure you have all the elements down.
Complete the design.
There are numerous software you can use to create a Web 2.0 logo, so simply use one that works for you. At this point, you can begin integrating other elements in your design, including special effects. Don’t be afraid to tweak your design a little bit because at this point, what you’re trying to do is to create the best results. Keep the logo clean and easy to understand but representative of the site or person you want to use it with.
Test your design.
Once you’re absolutely done with creating a Web 2.0 logo, test it. Save it in the appropriate format and upload it onto the website. Have people take a look at it and comment on its appearance. This is how you’ll see whether or not it’s effective and does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Here is where this lesson ends for today. We really hope you enjoyed this lesson too.
You will receive the next lesson in 7 days. Next week’s lesson will have the following title:
“Simple Steps on How to Create and Design a Web 2.0 Header”
Copyright(C) 2009 by John Delavera & Reimund Lube