- Caitlin Pieters
Logo Love: How to Update or Tweak Your Website Logo - Part 2 of 4
Updated: May 6
Welcome to the second part of our Refresh Your Branding series!
Your logo is the face of your brand, a visual symbol or mark that represents your entire business, and it needs to clearly communicate what you do, even when it stands alone.
In this post, we'll guide you through the steps to improve your logo design, from identifying any problems with your current logo to making the necessary tweaks or changes to ensure it's helping you get your message across and attract the right people.
So, let's dive in and make your logo the best it can be!
Step 1: Identify the Problem with Your Current Logo
Before updating your logo, it's important to identify any issues with your current one. Take a closer look at your logo and ask yourself these questions:
Is my logo easily recognisable and memorable?
Does my logo look good on my website and social media profiles?
Is my logo easy to read and understand?
Does my logo look professional and visually appealing?
Is my logo in line with my brand's colours and fonts?
Does my logo include a tagline that says what I do?
Do I have my logo in different formats for various uses (e.g. social media profile picture, website favicon, business cards)?
Is my logo on a transparent background for easy use across different media?
If you're unsure or can't identify any issues, ask others for their opinions. Reach out to friends, family, or customers and ask them what they think of your logo and if it accurately represents your business. Once you've identified the problem with your current logo, you can start working on a new one that better represents your brand and matches your business goals.
Step 2: Define Your Logo Design Brief
Now that you've identified any issues with your current logo, it's time to define what you want for your new logo. This means creating a simple design brief to help guide you or a designer in creating a logo that accurately represents your brand and resonates with your ideal client.
To create your design brief, ask yourself these questions:
What's the name of my business? Write it out as you want it to appear in the logo
Who is my ideal client? Think about their age range and interests
How would I describe my brand in 3 words? For example, fun, professional, eco-friendly (refer to Part 1 of this series!)
What colours do I want in my logo? Choose up to 3 colours
Do I want any symbols or icons in my logo? If yes, describe what you want
Take a look at other logos in your industry for inspiration. This can help you come up with ideas and inspiration for your own design
Once you've answered these questions, use your responses to create a brief that outlines the key requirements for your logo design. This will help you communicate your vision to a designer or use an online logo maker to create a logo that meets your needs and accurately represents your brand.
Step 3: Choose a Design Tool or Designer to work with
When it comes to creating your logo, there are different options available to you depending on your skillset and budget. Here are two main approaches:
Working with a brand designer:
If you're ready for a professional-looking logo and have the budget for it, working with a brand designer to create a custom logo that fits your brand's vision and values would be first choice. A professional logo may help your brand get taken more seriously, but it's not always necessary to go this route when you're just starting out. Once your business is making money (and you have 'proof of concept') then it's a good idea to work with a professional.
Doing it yourself:
If you're on a tight budget or want to create your logo yourself, there are free design tools available that you can use, like Wix Logo Maker or Canva. With these tools, you can create a simple logo by typing your business name in your brand font or using templates provided. Make sure to download your logo with a transparent background for better flexibility.
Wordmark Logo:
Don't let a lack of logo/design skills hold you back. You can simply type out your brand name in a unique font and that can serve as your logo (these types of logos are known as 'wordmark' logos). Patagonia is a good example of a brand that uses a wordmark logo:
Go to your Dashboard, find the Logo Maker, and follow these instructions. Once you're happy with your logo, you'll need to pay to download it so that you can use it on your website and in your marketing.
Canva is a great tool that you're probably already familiar with and know how to use. It's more versatile than the Wix Logo Maker because you can make as many tweaks and changes as you need. You need to be on Canva Pro in order to download your logos on a transparent background. You're allowed to use the fonts provided in Canva in your logo without needing to pay for them.
Step 4: Designing Your New Logo
Now that you have identified the problem with your current logo and created a simple design brief, it's time to start designing your new logo! Here are some tips and tricks to ensure that your design is the best it can be:
Keep it simple
A simple logo is often the most effective
Aim for a clean design with minimal elements
Tagline
If your logo doesn't say what you do on it, consider adding a tagline underneath it
Choose your colours wisely
Make sure that the colours you choose align with your brand's personality and message
Use the colour palette you created in Part 2 of this series!
Using colour strategically can help balance the design and create visual interest
Consider using contrasting colours, shapes, or sizes
Always be sure to have logo colour variations for both dark and light backgrounds
Consider your font
Choose a font that is easy to read and complements the rest of the design
In Part 3 of our series, we show you how to choose the best fonts for your brand
Balance your elements
A well-balanced logo will make it more visually appealing
Distribute your design elements evenly and consider symmetry and proportions
Utilising negative space effectively can help create balance and harmony in a logo design
By ensuring that elements are appropriately sized in relation to one another, you can create a sense of balance and harmony in the design
Make it scalable
Your logo needs to look good no matter where it appears
Make sure that it is scalable and looks just as good on a business card as it does on a billboard
Logo variations
Make sure you have your logo in a number of different variations.
You might also want a 'stamp' version of it which you can use in social media and as a website favicon (the little logo that appears in the browser tab).
By following these tips, you can create a logo that accurately represents your brand and resonates with your audience.
Now that you have designed your logo, it's time to get feedback and make any necessary tweaks before finalising it. In the next section, we will discuss how to get feedback and make any necessary changes.
Step 5: Get Feedback and Make Any Tweaks
Congratulations on designing your logo! Now it's time to get some feedback and make any tweaks before finalising it. Here's what you need to do:
Show it to others: Share your logo with friends, family, colleagues, and even your target audience if possible. It's important to get honest feedback, so ask for their opinions, suggestions, and criticisms.
Listen to the feedback: Take note of any feedback you receive and use it to improve your design or feedback to your designer. Remember, your logo represents your brand, so you want it to be the best it can be. Then whoever has designed your logo can make the necessary tweaks.
Finalise your logo: Once you've made any necessary tweaks, it's time to finalise your logo. Make sure you have it in various formats, including high-resolution files for printing, transparent files for digital use, and versions with both light and dark backgrounds.
By following these steps, you'll have a logo that accurately represents your brand and resonates with your audience. Congratulations again on taking this important step for your Wix website! Stay tuned for the next part of our series, where we'll be discussing how to choose the perfect colour scheme for your website.
Step 6: Create Your Own Brand Board on Canva
Now that you've updated your logo, it's time to organise and document all your branding elements in one place.
We recommend using a brand board to keep everything visually consistent and easily accessible.
Here's how to create your own brand board using the Canva template we've provided:
Click the 'get template' button in your email
Customise the template to your liking by adding your logos
Save your brand board in a folder on Canva that you can come back to later
And it's as simple as that! By updating your logo, you're creating a strong and memorable brand identity, and you're playing an intentional role in choosing how your audience perceives your brand.
And there's more to come! In the rest of the series, we dive into colours, fonts, and imagery to complete your brand board. So make sure you've signed up to our mailing list and keep an eye out for our emails.
I'll say it louder for the folks at the back: There's more to come! In the rest of the series, we dive into colours, fonts, and imagery to complete your brand board. So make sure you've signed up to our mailing list and keep an eye out for our emails... you don't want to miss these! 👀
Hi there! I'm Caitlin Pieters, a Wix Website Design & Brand Strategist with over 2 decades of experience working in the creative industry. Originally from South Africa, I'm now based in London, UK.
I'm passionate supporting small business owners and helping them build brilliant Wix websites that connect and convert. In 2017, I started my own journey into self-employment to work with purpose-led business owners and help them create websites that truly reflect who they are. I believe in the power of collaboration and am committed to helping more women to achieve financial security through self-employment.
When I'm not designing websites, I love spending time outdoors. You can connect with me on LinkedIn to learn more.