Where to Get Logo Design Ideas

Every company and every brand needs a logo in order to promote a well-defined identity on brochures, business cards, flyers and even T-shirts. Logos are some of the most creative graphic art mediums, so there are many ways you can find inspiration for your logo designs. If you don't want to hire a corporate identity firm to craft your image, you can save money by designing your own logo with the following inspirational ideas.

Online logo galleries

Online design portfolios and logo galleries such as Behance.net and LogoFury.com are great places to glean inspiration from other designers. Browse through logos that pertain to your industry, and then through those that do not. You don't want to look like everyone else, so your goal should be to come up with a logo design concept that encompasses who you are, what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for without looking like everyone else out there. Defining a niche and differentiating yourself from the competition is important, so never copy a logo design - just find what you like, and emulate that style in your own design.

Your workspace

Perhaps one of the best places to get logo design inspiration is right under your nose - your everyday work environment. Take stock of your surroundings during a normal workday and try to identify well-recognized shapes that are unique to your job and integral to how it is performed. Many printing companies include a sheet of paper or a four-color (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) element into their design to represent the printing process, for example.

The great outdoors

Sometimes companies want their names to be associated with a universal concept, such as freedom, rather than an industry-specific icon. The best place to develop these concepts is typically the great outdoors. A walk through the woods can reveal plenty of wildlife, waterfalls, plants, rock formations, and other symbols that denote freedom, stability, power, flexibility, trustworthiness, credibility and other concepts. Think about how many companies employ such icons in their logo designs.

Man-made wonders

Mother Nature is no slouch when it comes to amazing symbolism, no doubt; but mankind has given her a run for her money with pyramids, spacecraft and airplanes, monolithic statues, and other grand creations. Look through history to find man-made wonders that symbolize the very things your business stands for, double check that no one else us using your idea (at least, not with your unique look), and you have a powerful and universally recognized logo that will help you easily brand your company.