So, you’ve finally set your sights on creating a travel blog. Chances are you have incredible content just waiting to be seen. You might even have a great blog layout up and running. But, there’s one more thing you’ll need to really make your travel blog take off: a logo.
While travel blogs themselves can be memorable and inspiring, a great logo design can help make your content stick that much further into the minds of visitors. Not only that, but a great logo also attracts more visitors, potentially giving your blog a wider audience.
Not every travel blogger is a designer and even the most adept among us can use a little help at times. Fortunately, we’re here with a few pointers on how to design a great travel blog logo.
1. Check Out Other Travel Blogs
Inspiration is what often drives the design process, whether you’re designing a logo or embarking on any other creative venture. Some of the best ideas for a logo design come from seeing others in the wild. Looking at logos used by other, similar blogs can help jump-start your own creative process.
Taking inspiration from other travel blogs gives you a base upon where you can build your own logo ideas. As you do so, look carefully and see what makes other travel blog logos work – or not. Pay attention to any current trends as well as other aspects of their logos, including color and font usage.
Don’t forget to look at the logos of other mainstream companies, especially those that align with your travel interests. You’d be amazed at where you find your next flash of inspiration.
2. Consider What Makes Your Blog Unique
No one sets out to be a copycat when making their own blog. Chances are there’s something about your travel blog that sets it apart from others. Perhaps it’s a unique take on your adventures as a whole or the places you choose to go. Whatever those distinguishing traits are, you’ll want to consider those as you design your new travel logo.
Think about all of the unique aspects that make your blog distinct from others on the Internet. Consider working those elements into your broader logo design. This can be represented by a symbol of some sort, as we’ll go more in depth about below.
By taking inspiration from your own uniqueness, you can create an equally unique logo that speaks to your audience loud and clear.
3. Think About Symbolism
Countless travel blogs incorporate symbolism and metaphors into their logo designs. For instance, a travel blog devoted to hiking may feature hiking books or a backpack as part of their logo. Others use compasses, mountains or even directional signposts to symbolize what their blog’s all about.
As you incorporate symbolism into your travel blog logo, be sure your chosen symbol reflects what your travel blog is all about. A city skyline works for urban travel blogs whereas something as simple as a wave or a seashell works perfectly for beach-focused travel blogs.
Adding visual puns and double entendres (within reason, of course) to your logo also works to liven things up. In other words, don’t be afraid to have fun with your symbolism. Not only does it help your blog stand out, but it’s also fun for everyone.
4. Choose Your Typography Carefully
Just as the right font can make or break a travel blog layout, it can do the same for your logo. When done right, typography can help attract positive attention not just to your logo, but to the rest of your blog, as well. When done wrong, it can turn your logo into a dud and spell disaster for attractive blog visitors.
The key is finding a font that showcases your blog’s personality while remaining clean and professional. Sounds like a challenge, right? Here are a few things to keep in mind as you look for an ideal font for your logo:
- Make legibility a priority. Any font you choose must be easy for visitors to read.
- Keep your font choices simple. Overly ornate fonts can distract from the rest of your logo, for instance.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. For instance, adding two complementary fonts can help add some visual oomph to your blog logo.
- Make sure your chosen logo font fits the tone and character of your blog.
Avoid using more than two fonts in your logo. The last thing you need is to clutter your logo by introducing a mish-mash of typography. Even when using complementary fonts, you’ll want to avoid any clashing elements in your overall design.
5. Use Colors That Show Your Personality
Colors are a big part of our lives and as visual creatures, we rely on colors to provide warnings, advice and even deeper spiritual and psychological meaning. It’s no surprise that color psychology plays a big role in how designers of all stripes chose colors for their logos.
Different colors can have different impacts on how a person perceives your logo and your brand overall. For instance, the color red invokes passion, but it can also invoke aggression and provocativeness. Yellow and orange are playful colors with certain shades adding warmth or lightness. Some shades of green signify wealth and prestige, while others symbolize eco-friendliness.
Take a closer look at your blog and consider which colors speak to its personality. You may be able to incorporate those colors into your logo design or use contrasting colors to help it stand out. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing logo colors:
- Limit your color choices to two or three, the fewer the better. Too many colors can confuse viewers and clash with the rest of your travel blog layout.
- Don’t hesitate to experiment with different color schemes. You never know what you’ll come up with while playing around with your color palettes.
- Consult the color wheel for ideas. Color wheels take advantage of color theory by offering a palette of workable color schemes, including complementary, monochromatic, analogous and tetradic colors.
6. Element Spacing is Key
There’s a good reason why most professional logos look…well…professional. The best logos currently in existence take element spacing into consideration. Many logos end up looking amateurish simply because they’re not spaced properly or because certain elements have the wrong proportions or poor placement.
One thing to keep in mind is the amount of clear space that’s around your logo. Having both a minimum and recommended amount of clear space ensures your logo looks clean and proportionate to the rest of your blog’s design elements. Maintaining clear space also helps reduce visual clutter.
Many logos also take advantage of negative space. The FedEx logo is a famous example with its hidden arrow crafted from negative space. Be sure to manage the amount of negative space your logo uses and how that space impacts other logo elements.
7. Test in Different Sizes
Your blog isn’t the only place you’ll likely use your brand-spanking-new travel logo. Chances are you’ll also use your blog on social media profiles, newsletters, emails and the like. Your branding may even extend to areas outside of your blog, like business cards and merchandise.
At any rate, you’ll want to make sure your logo works no matter where you put it. That means testing your logo in a wide variety of sizes and against a broad range of backgrounds. The key is ensuring your logo remains clearly legible
In some cases, you may have to create a simplified version of your logo. A simplified logo retains the essence of the original, but subtracts certain elements that aren’t necessary for the application at hand. For instance, a simplified logo may ditch its typeface, leaving only the actual logo shape. Simplified logos also work well for monochrome printing and displays. In this case, you can use resize logo and icons tool.
How Much Will It Cost to Design a Travel Logo?
Today you have Different and varied ways to create a logo. The popular way is to hire the services of a graphic designer. In this case the price is very varied and flexible – It depends on the level of the designer, his experience and skills. The cost can be by hourly vs. per project and can cost between $300-$800 or even $800-$2,000 for a high level designer. When working with a design it’s important to create a detailed brief that will help them deliver on our vision.
If you are in a short in budget, you can use an AI-driven logo design tool that can help you create logo for about $30. The difference with this approach is that you have less input on the design process, and the logos are usually not as unique. However, you do have the option to customize the logo.
Conclusion
Anything worth doing takes a little time and effort. That includes making an eye-catching logo for your travel blog. The above pointers can help make the process go a bit smoother and give you better results when it comes to your logo.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a professional’s help, if you need it. There are also other avenues you can take when it comes to logo design!
