A logo has one job: to identify the brand. Not to explain it.

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By Sofiane Addamine · Updated September 2026

A good logo only has 1 goal: to identify the brand, so being memorable and different from the competition is a must. Based on my experience working with multiple clients, it doesn't need to explain what your business does, trying to do that is actually one of the most common reasons logos end up looking generic.

Note: This guide focuses specifically on designing the logo mark: the symbol or icon. Typography, color, and the full brand system are a separate process. If you want the whole system, see what a brand identity package includes.

Step 1: Start with brand strategy

Before touching any tool, you need a brand strategy in place. Having a strategy behind your design dramatically increases its chances of succeeding in the market.

A complete brand strategy covers many elements: purpose, mission, vision, values, positioning, competition, personality, identity, and the tone of voice the brand uses to express itself.

That's a lot of work. At the start, the most important elements are your audience, your competition, your purpose, your positioning, and your values. That already gives you a strong base to work from.

Here are some questions that help you get to know a brand before designing anything:

• What is the product?
• What problem does it solve?
• How is it better than competitors?
• Who is the target audience?
• What are their pain points?
• What does their profile look like?
• What is the brand's mission?
• What are your values?
• If the brand were a person, what would their personality and characteristics be?
• Are there colors you particularly like or feel connected to?
• Are there colors you hate?
• Do you have a specific idea in mind?
• What logos do you like?

Still deciding on the name itself? Work through how to name your brand first, the name and the mark are easier to build together.

Step 2: Research and gather inspiration

Surrounding yourself with the right references gives you ideas and helps you make creative connections. The references you use should always align with your brand strategy.

It's also important to study your competitors visual identities, so you can stand apart and create something different. If every brand in your space uses the same colors, that's your signal to go somewhere else entirely.

For good references, I recommend Cosmos, Pinterest, Brand Archive, and Logobook.

Step 3: Sketch before you open any software

Based on my experience designing multiple logos, one of the most intuitive ways to start is with a keyword exercise.

Write a list of words that belong to the brand, then create connections to other words. This opens up your thinking and surfaces ideas you wouldn't have found otherwise.

From there, grab a pen and paper and draw whatever comes to mind.

No judgment, no fear. In the beginning it's completely normal to sketch things that already exist or don't look great, that's not the point. The goal is to relax and let your imagination lead you to places you didn't expect.

A great way to push toward something unique is to pick 2 or 3 keywords from your list that represent an object or concept you can draw. Here are two examples.

Example 1: rocket, aim upward, speed

With these three words you already have multiple directions.

For "rocket" you could draw a rocket, more or less abstract. For "aim upward" you could use an upward arrow. For "speed" you could use a lightning bolt, or if you're working with typography, italic lettering to suggest motion.

The ideas might seem basic at first, but they're a solid starting point to build from. You can also mix concepts: a rocket built from an arrow, an arrow that becomes a lightning bolt. That's where distinctive logos start to emerge.

Example 2: mythical creature, sleep

When you think of mythical creatures, most people go straight to dragons, phoenixes, unicorns. And sleep brings to mind words like relaxing, restorative, comforting.

But combine the two and you start moving in a more unexpected direction. Are there mythological figures connected to sleep? Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. Somnus, his Roman counterpart. A winged god, wings! They suggest freedom, floating, the feeling of drifting in a dream, etc.

From there the associations keep building. A winged creature carrying the cycle of the sun and moon. The celestial rhythm of sleep and waking. You could imagine a brand mark, a winged figure holding the sun and moon, that also works dynamically in an app, switching between sun and moon depending on the time of day.

After spending time with this, and it can take several hours, you should have a few interesting directions to work with. The next step is to refine them, first on paper or similar (I use an iPad with the app Procreate), then inside a vector tool.

Once your logo is clean in the vector software, test it across different contexts. You can drop it into my own logo preview tool to see it on a real screen, or use symbl.space, which renders your SVG or PNG across multiple real-world applications.

How I do it with clients

The steps above are the core of it. Here's what that looks like when a client hires me.

The questionnaire. After picking a package, the client fills in a form that gives me enough to start. It includes around 30 logos to sort into ones you like, ones you don't, and ones you're not sure about.

Under that, there's space to explain why, and to add your own references. That part tells me more than any list of adjectives.

Research before design. I don't start designing right away. First I dig into the brief: what you're looking for, and how you want to position yourself against your competitors.

The goal is to make decisions based on real data and what's best for the company. Not on what I prefer, or what your uncle prefers.

First concepts in 24 to 48 hours. I send back all the research along with the first concepts built from it. If one of them clicks, we can refine it, explore a few variations around it, or go with it as is.

Mark first, then the system. I focus on the logo and the brand icon first. Once that's settled, I move to the rest of the identity: colors, typography, illustration, and photography.

Conclusion

Designing a logomark can seem simple, it's just a mark, after all. But a logo that stands the test of time needs to be built on strategy, research, and intentional decisions.

If you want to design your logo yourself, now you have the process. Weighing whether to pay someone instead? See how much a startup logo should cost and how AI logo generators compare to a designer. If you'd rather have it done for you, let's talk about a brand identity built from scratch around your business.