The best logos are the simplest. But looking at the top you would hardly guess the months of brainstorming behind them. Or perhaps, the sudden genius flash of inspiration. Logos are visual trademarks and one of the most visible faces of branding. It is also perhaps the most difficult to get right.
Designing the perfect logo requires an in-depth understanding of the company, the product, the consumers, and the culture in which all these operate. But what if you are starting out with your own small business and need a logo? Costs come in the way of hiring the best logo designers. The makeshift answer could be to look for some creative logo inspiration and design a logo yourself.
So, if you are short of ideas, let these ten logo design websites spark a few.
Logopond
Logopond features the work of amateur and professional graphic artists from around the world. Nearly 5000 logos are arranged in categories like modern, edgy, classy, corporate, retro, abstract etc. Featured logos have some of the best works. You can use the search box to find the one in the haystack and then use the filters to sift through the results. The site also has a small forum where you can discuss projects and promote your requirements.
Creattica
Creattica is not only about logos but all sorts of inspirational imagery – from 3D graphics to typography. Logo design is a part of all this and you get to view lots of user-submitted designs. The site is free to all and anyone can submit their designs after creating an account. The best designs are “favorited” by users. You can use the ‘Find a Creative’ page to locate a designer if you have a project in mind. You can filter your search by budget, skill, and location.
Logo of The Day
This is a constantly updated site that screens and recognizes the best professional logos and trademarks designed throughout the world. You can use a simple form to suggest logos or participate in the site for some recognition. Most of the logos are actual real-world examples rather than artists’ impressions.
LogoLounge
170,000 logos and counting – the site features logos both famous and the not so well known, from all corners of the world. The logos are meant for design and inspiration. Well known designers and their portfolios are featured here. You can search the extensive database by keyword, designer, client, industry or time frame. As a designer you can upload your own logos, but that comes at a price with an annual membership.
Logo Bliss
A showcase of logo designs. You have to do a bit of work here as the site displays the aggregated logos without any categorization. You can catch the designer and the URL of his portfolio when you click on the thumbnails.
Logogala
This logo website is a bit different as it allows you to select logos by color. If you are a designer (or just an observer), you can submit logo designs for consideration. The site also has a blog, though it’s not well updated.
Deviant Art
Whenever we have spoken on any creative project, Deviant Art has found a mention. The creative design and art community has a full-fledged section on logos and logotypes. You can also download the sample files and tweak it with your own brushstrokes.
Brand New
This is a site with a focus on branding and corporate identity. It is not solely about logo design, though it dominates the discussions here. As logos are a key element of identity design and packaging, an interested reader can get a more complete view of how logos are an integral part of branding. The site has existed in some form since 2006, so it’s a handy place to observe changing trends in the world of logo design. It is mostly focused around the American industry.
Logo Blog
A very neat blog on what else, but logo design and inspiration. Articles that look at how simple symbols can create great logos or the list of the 56 most creative logos make this blog a good read.
Iconic Logo Designers
A simple but informative site that features little bios on the most influential logo designers around the world. Each little profile on the 36 artists also include further resources which you can hyperlink to if you are interested in how this graphic art form has shaped over with time.
If you have read this post from top to bottom, you must be really interested in logos. Go head play the Guess the Logo game to test how well you know some of the popular logos. If you don’t get too many right, then it’s time to head back to class.
How worthwhile are all these sites, especially when there seems to be so many of them? Well, if you consider that creativity needs inspiration, then more the merrier. Also, there’s a chance that a casual browse through the designs could cure even the worst case of creative blocks. If you are a designer, where do you go looking for inspiration? Which is your logo design site of choice? Let us know.
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