How to Design a Blog Logo [DIY Guide for Beginners]

Looking to design a blog logo? You’re in the right place. Your blog logo goes a long way in establishing your brand identity for your WordPress blog and is a must-have for anyone trying to build an online presence.

Why you need a professional logo design

With millions of other blogs out there, you need to make sure your blog and logo stand out above the rest. Here are 3 reasons why your blog needs a professional logo design.

Make a great first impression

Having a high-quality logo adds a professional touch and makes a great first impression. When readers see a logo that’s well thought out and aesthetically pleasing, they’ll trust that your site is legitimate.

Your blog logo is the cornerstone of your brand identity

When you start designing your logo, it’s important to think about what you want your brand to stand for. Your logo is a user’s first experience on your website, so make it a good one!

Your logo differentiates you from the competition

Whether you’re just starting as a new blogger or you’ve been a part of the blogging space for a while, you need to create a quality logo to help you stand out from the competition.

Just something as simple as a nice logo and a clean blog design is enough to make an impact on your readers.

Before you start brainstorming ideas for your blog’s logo, there are a few things to consider.

What makes a good logo

A good blog logo is made up of a few key characteristics.

A simple, minimalist logo design

Creating a simple logo doesn’t mean you have to stick to minimalism to succeed. It just means your logo should be easy to understand and pleasing to the eye. Less is definitely more when deciding on your logo design.

Avoid using too many words or any jarring color schemes. Your blog logo should blend in with your website, not stand out like a sore thumb.

Versatile design

Making sure your logo is versatile will save you from having to make major changes later on.

For example, don’t choose a fancy font because this is the font you’re going to be stuck with for years to come.

You also want to design a blog logo with a transparent background so that it will look good with different background colors.

Is representative of your brand

As mentioned earlier, your logo should be a visual representation of your blog. It’s a way to build your brand so that readers can recognize your work online.

Make sure the logo represents what your work is about and what your blog’s goal is.

Has a timeless design

Let’s face it, over time; your logo will need a fresh update. Brands update their logos all the time. However, you should always design your logo as if it was the last logo you were going to be able to create for your site.

As you start designing your logo, ask yourself if your logo is simple, versatile, representative, and timeless.

Types of blog logos

All logos fall into one of three categories: Icon-based logos, text-based logos, and a combination of the two.

Text-based logos

For example:

For blogs, the best option to choose is a text-based logo that clearly shows the name of your blog. Some blogs may also be successful with a combination logo as long as the symbol clearly connects to what their blog is about.

• Wordmark

These logos are simple in design and approach. They consist of the company’s name written in a specific font that fits their brand image. Custom fonts are popular with this type of font. Coca-Cola is a great example of a wordmark logo.

• Lettermark

Also known as monogram logos, lettermark logos are made using the letters that make up the company’s initials. This fits well with more professional companies, such as NASA.

• Letterform

Letterform logos are made up of a single letter, usually the first letter of the company name. This can be a secondary logo to a larger, more complex logo featuring the company’s whole name.

Icon-based logos

For example:

Icon-based logos may be harder to use because readers may not easily recognize the blog your logo belongs to. The goal is to make a logo that will help visitors immediately recognize the blog as your own.

• Logo symbol

Logo symbols use images of real objects to get their company’s message across. They are usually easily recognizable, such as McDonald’s golden arches.

• Abstract logo

Abstract logos are very similar to logo symbols. However, while logo symbols are usually real objects, abstract logos present an image that poses a metaphor. Some great examples of abstract logos come from Nike and the Olympics.

• Emblems

These types of logos usually look like a badge or crest of some sort. They have a traditional feel and resemble symbols used by universities. This would be a good choice for companies with a more traditional background instead of a more modern brand.

• Mascots

A popular choice, mascots are depictions of characters that are connected to a brand’s identity. People really connect with characters as opposed to a generic logo. Tony the Tiger from Kellogg’s is just one example of this type of logo.

4 steps to help you design a blog logo

Step 1. Choose your color scheme

Picking out a color scheme should be your next step in the design process. Choosing your colors can help you lay the foundation for the rest of your design. You can choose from a monochrome scheme, a simple black, white, or a color combination.

Step 2. Look for inspiration

You see logos around you every single day! There is inspiration at work throughout your daily life. For something more focused, do a Google search for logo examples. This will help get your creative juices flowing for your own logo design.

Step 3. Find a logo design tool

You don’t have to hire out an expensive graphic designer to design your blog logo. You can do it all on your own. Best of all, you don’t need any experience or even expensive software.

While you can design a blog logo using Photoshop, its’ high cost and learning curve make it undesirable for beginners who just want a quick logo for their blog.

Instead, I use and recommend Canva Pro. I have it, and it’s one of the best blogging investments I’ve ever made.

Step 4. Use a template

Similar to writer’s block, you can get designer’s block too. To keep you from staring at a blank screen, start your design using a premade template. Then, let your creativity flow and see what you come up with!

How to design your blog logo for free on Canva

Step 1. Sign up with Canva

Click here to sign up for a free account with Canva. While Canva Pro is not required to create a blog logo, I upgraded and recommend it. Here’s what you get with Canva Pro:

• There’s no need to pay for stock photos anymore because, with Canva Pro you get access to 75+ million premium stock photos, videos, and graphics.
• One-click resize so you can easily create one design and resize it for different social media platforms.
• Create a brand kit, save fonts and colors so your designs easily match your blog’s branding.
• Access to 420K+ templates (and counting) to choose from.
• Schedule your social media content straight from your designs to post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

Step 2. Choose a template

Choose from one of Canva’s logo templates. There are plenty of different designs and logo styles to choose from. Hopefully, this article has helped you find what type of logo you want to create.

Let’s keep the fancy logo designs for eCommerce sites. For the most part, a blog logo should be nothing more than your blog name using your brand font and colors.

Step 3. Make your changes

After you find a template to start with, replace the text with your blog name, switch the font to your brand font, and change the color scheme to match your brand colors.

Step 4. Save the file

You’re going to want to save your logo as a transparent png. This is where having Canva Pro pays off since this is a premium feature.

If you don’t have Canva Pro, you can save your logo as a jpg. But keep in mind, your logo will have a white background, so the website’s header section will also need to be white.

Step 5. Add the logo to your WordPress blog

Back in WordPress, head over to the Customizer to upload your logo. The exact location to upload your logo depends on your blog theme.

If you have Astra as I do, you can change your logo by going to Appearance > Customizer > Header > Site Identity > Logo.

I hope this helps you design your blog logo!