🤔 Decide these before you start

Three decisions to make first. Skip these and you'll spend an hour producing variations you hate.

1. Name: 5–10 chars? (long names = wordmark struggles)
2. Vibe: serious or friendly? (drives font choice)
3. 1–2 colors: brand colors locked in?

No colors yet? Start with the Palette tool to pick a base. Pink, blue, or green are safe defaults.

📝 Type 1: Wordmark (name is the logo)

Like Google, Coca-Cola, FedEx: the name IS the logo. Easiest to make and most recognizable. Best for blogs and startups.

Tool combo:

• Gradient Text with the name, Bold Sans font, pink-purple gradient
• Or Text Stroke for thick wordmark (Impact font is classic)
• Export PNG with transparent background

💡 Pro tip: highlight 1–2 letters in a different color. Example: gray "BLOG" + red ".". Looks designed.

⭐ Type 2: Symbol logo (shape + text)

Like Apple, Nike: an iconic symbol. Looks hard but doable with free tools.

Tool combo:

• Starburst SVG for the symbol (4–6 points recommended, one initial in the center)
• Or Blob SVG for a soft symbol + name
• Download as square SVG for scalability

Once you have the SVG, combine symbol + text in free Figma or Google Slides. Takes 30 seconds.

🏆 Type 3: Badge logo (circular stamp)

Coffee shops, breweries, vintage brands love circular badge logos. Looks insanely professional.

Tool combo:

• Curved Text "Circle stamp" preset, with brand name and tagline along the outer ring
• Center star or initial via Starburst
• Color: black-and-white or gold (#b08d57) for that classic feel

Add "EST. 2026" and you've got instant vintage vibes.

🖼 The boring but essential part: favicon + profile pics

Logo done is not "done done". Every platform wants a different size:

• Favicon: 32×32, 16×16 PNG (browser tab)
• Instagram / X profile: square, min 400×400
• GitHub README banner: GitHub Banner tool at 1280×640
• OG image: 1200×630 (see other post)

If your logo is SVG, it scales cleanly to any size. For square profile masks, use the Rounded Corners tool with the "Circle (profile)" preset.

⚠️ Mistakes I actually made

First attempt: 5-color gradient + glow + thick stroke + drop shadow. At thumbnail size it looked like muddy paint. Logos need to read at 32×32 on mobile. So:

• Keep to 2–3 colors max
• Big shapes > tiny details (details disappear at small sizes)
• Test if it still works in pure black-and-white (paste in a screenshot of grayscale)

💰 Cost comparison

For a real corporate brand, hire a designer. For side projects, blogs, MVPs: start free, upgrade once you have traction.