Make your own logo

Start small with a favicon icon

You've probably got a few ideas by now about how to make your own logo, starting small with an easy icon using just one letter.

You're now about to progress to an ideogram.

What is an ideogram?

'A graphic symbol representing an object or idea without expressing, as in a phonetic system, the sounds that form its name. A symbol representing an idea rather than a word.' Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

I looked up ideogram on my Palm while reading 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown, a runaway bestseller on the theme of symbology. Symbols are powerful stuff.

If you want to make your own logo using pictures rather than letters, the first thing to do is to take a good look at examples. You won't be short of symbol samples! Your computer breaks out in a rash of icons the minute you turn it on. You can type out symbol fonts you never knew you had. (Take a look at this page of symbol font examples.) Traffic signs, laundry tags, control boards - everywhere you look are pictographs.

Here are some computer icons, for Windows on the left and Mac on the right. (Notice that the first three Mac icons are not ideograms because they include letters. d for Dreamweaver, X for Excel and f for FlashMX.)

This is the famous GUI (Graphical User Interface) that made computer history. Not to mention Steve Jobs's legendary reputation - and Bill Gates's fortune.

The GUI brought desktop computers to everyone. Suddenly, instead of having to type in yards of geeky code, ordinary mortals could just click an icon on computer and make it do what they wanted it to. (Or not, as the case might be...)

Size isn't everything.

Icons are still more important on mobile phones. On a tiny screen they take less space than lettering and are understood at a glance.

When you make your own logo, bear in mind that if possible, it must be understood by everyone. Pictures are language- independent, but they do have boundaries. Down an African gold mine, the sign for danger is a snake. In Europe it's often an exclamation mark. Letter box sizes, shapes and colours vary from country to country. An envelope travels from one box to the other, and makes a better symbol since it's universal.

MAKING YOUR OWN LOGO, HOWEVER SMALL, IS A CREATIVE PROCESS

It's easiest to start off rationally, by making a list of the abstract qualities you and your company stand for. For instance, speed, low cost and reliability for a delivery firm.

When you've made your list, how will you get the best results?

By going away and doing something else!

Sleep on it. Your brain will be working on it in the background, guaranteed. Keep a notepad at hand so you can jot down ideas that come to mind.

If you want your logo NOW, at the very least let go of rationality for a decent interval. Make a cup of coffee and sit back. Then you can speed things up by taking a sheet of paper and scribbling as many symbols as you can for each item on your list. Objects, animals, figures, even abstract shapes. Do this very fast. Don't give yourself time to think. You may be amazed at what your brain comes up with.

Don't be put out if the symbols you've drawn are cliche or old fashioned. This is normal!

Choose the most telling symbol or have another go.
If you prefer you can pencil a few ideas on our favicon drawing pad. Here it is again. (Copy it by right-clicking on a PC or Control-clicking on a Mac, and print out several copies. Each square is a pixel on the tiny favicon icon, aka mini-logo.)

When you've got a rough sketch of what you want, it's time for some mousework. Copy your design from your favicon grid into an art editor. Be sure to use a one-pixel pencil on a 16 x 16 canvas. Use the magnifying glass to see details, but reduce to 100% view to see what your favicon will look like when put into action.