I am often asked: “What is the most valuable skill an entrepreneur can have?”
Resilience and risk tolerance both come to mind as strong contenders, however, if I had to choose one, I would land on creativity every time.
As an entrepreneur, you are tasked with occupying a different headspace than most. Every day, you are challenged to transport yourself to a world where the entity you hope to build has yet to exist. You must visualize how the world will look different post your creation.
Even writing it sounds daunting.
With such a tall order, how do you take what is in your head and share it with the world? In my opinion — learn design.
Figma and Sketch are brilliant tools. You can think of them like canvases where you can create anything that you want. Learning the program is like learning an instrument. It is an uphill battle at first and progress seems slow. But as you add skills to your toolkit, your output potential grows exponentially. Then the tool becomes an extension of your brain, equipping you with the ability to share your ideas naturally and effortlessly.
Now that you have your sandbox, let’s play.
Logo design includes two components — your icon and your font. Every decision you make about your logo says something about your brand.
Figuring out what you want to say is your first assignment.
Choosing Your Font
How do you want your brand to sound? Fun? Whimsical? Bold? This is what your font should look like.
Do you opt for a serif font? More traditional in nature, Serif fonts have decorative strokes (also known as feet). Popular serif fonts include Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Garamond, and Didot.
Or do you opt for a sans serif font? “Sans” is a synonym for without — meaning sans serif is a font “without feet”. Popular sans serif fonts include Helvetica, Proxima Nova, and Futura. Sans serif fonts are known for their minimal aesthetic which promotes a more modern feel.
As a technology platform, sans serif seemed more authentic to our brand identity.
Vizer logo using a sans serif font
Once you land on your font, you can use weight, which is the thickness of the font, and kerning, the distance between letters, to add more stylistic definition.
I wanted Vizer to have a more easy-going and approachable nature, so I opted for a lighter weight and added kerning between each letter.
Vizer font with adjusted weight and kerning
Other options to customize your font include adding stylistic changes like italics or manipulating the shapes themselves to design your own vectors. Some brands invest in custom fonts, which is always an option as well.
Choosing Your Icon Shape
Vizer is a community of aligned individuals, communities, and brands. We wanted our icon to signify a stamp that people could proudly share to communicate their alignment with our core value of Democratizing Wellness.
To create the aesthetic of a stamp or a badge, we opted for a circle logo.
Similar to color, there is a psychology to shapes. For example, seeing an octagon automatically generates recall of a stop sign, even if no color or words are used.
The psychology of shapes in perception
Adding Stylistic Details
With our circular shape solidified, we began thinking of what stylistic details would communicate our brand identity well.
First and foremost, we wanted the logo to prominently feature the V of our name.
We also wanted the design to communicate the depth of movement associated with the brand — how as a participant you are moving your body to spark a social movement.
The V is designed to signify the beat of a heart, showcasing movement and progress towards goals, while highlighting the emotional connection created by a strong sense of community.
The upward tick in the bottom of the V sends the eye upwards, showing elevation and movement towards new heights.
Vizer logo featuring a prominent V
Considering Your Color
A major consideration when designing a logo is where will it be displayed? What colors will it take on? What backgrounds may it be displayed against?
To retain the concept of a stamp or a badge, we opted for a white outline which would offer significant contrast against a variety of backdrops, while seamlessly blending into a minimal, white backdrop.
For a detailed breakdown on why we chose our Vizer Sunset Gradient, read my post on How To Choose Your Brand Color.
Are You Ready To Design Your Logo? Take These 3 Steps To Get Started
Think about the voice of your brand and what font communicates that voice best
Consider what shape seems most reminiscent of how you want your brand to show up in the world
Detail 2–3 stylistic elements you believe are key to your brand identity
If you’re not quite ready to jump into Figma and start designing today — don’t fret! There are a ton of quality designers on Fiverr and Upwork who can help you bring your vision to life.
But no matter how quality the designer, the more you can help communicate your vision and ideas, the more empowered the designer will be to help you both succeed.
Equipped with your answers to the questions above, pull out a pen and a piece of paper and mock up some drawings. You may be surprised to find how much easier the design process becomes when you have a clear vision and direction.
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