Logo design has five steps: the brief, research, concepts, refinement and file handover. A good logo is simple, legible at small sizes and in one colour, and works where customers actually see it: on the website, on a phone, on a van or on an invoice. With me it takes 7-10 days and starts at €320.
So approve a logo in real use. A large mark in a presentation may look great yet disappear on a phone or work jacket. The goal is a recognisable element for real applications, not just an attractive image.
Logo, wordmark or symbol: what is the difference
Logo is the umbrella term for a company's graphic mark. A wordmark is its typographic form: a customised name without a picture, such as Coca-Cola or Google. A symbol is the pictorial part, which over time can work on its own, like Apple's apple or the Nike swoosh. Most companies use a symbol combined with the name, plus simplified variants for small spaces.
Start with the brief
Describe the business, its customers, exact name and optional descriptor. List three important applications. A bicycle workshop might need a sign, website and job-sheet sticker. Record the smallest size and surroundings for each.
Show competitors you must not resemble and explain your references: do you like their restrained typography or their colour? A reference without an explanation can send the designer in the wrong direction.
Choose a useful type of mark
| Type | Well-known example | Suits | What to test |
|---|---|---|---|
Wordmark |
Coca-Cola, Google |
A short, distinctive name |
Name length and letter legibility |
Symbol and name |
Mastercard, Adidas |
Most new companies |
Combined use and a separate small symbol |
Standalone symbol |
Apple, Nike |
Brands people already know |
Whether the symbol makes sense without the name |
Monogram |
IBM, Louis Vuitton |
A long or multi-word name |
Whether unfamiliar viewers understand the initials |
Emblem |
Harley-Davidson, Porsche |
Traditional crafts, food, clubs |
Whether its border and small lettering survive reduction |
Mascot |
Michelin |
Family and children's brands, food |
A simple version for small spaces |
No type is universally best. A new company is not yet recognisable by a symbol alone, so it usually needs its name as well. A long wordmark gets a compact variant for the icon and favicon.
What makes a good logo: 6 qualities
- Simplicity. You remember it after one look and could roughly draw it.
- Legibility at small sizes. It works as a favicon in a browser tab, on a stamp and in an email footer.
- Works in one colour. Black-and-white print, embroidery, laser engraving or a negative on a dark photo do not break it.
- Sets you apart from competitors. In a sector where everyone has a blue circle, another blue circle gets lost.
- Fits the sector and price level. A law firm and a children's play centre need a different tone.
- Lasts for years. Fashionable effects age quickly; a logo should survive several website redesigns.
Colours and type
Colours: one main and one secondary colour are enough, plus black and white. Check contrast on white and dark backgrounds. For the web, colours are specified in RGB (HEX), for print in CMYK and for exact shades on packaging or vehicle wraps in Pantone. A good set handed over with the logo contains all three.
Type: in a wordmark the lettering is often customised by hand; for supporting text (website, business cards) you choose a family you will use everywhere. Check the licence: Google Fonts typefaces have open licences, mostly the SIL Open Font License, which allow commercial use (Google Fonts licence overview). Paid fonts are often licensed by number of devices, web views or app use.
What to avoid when designing a logo
- Sector clichés: a light bulb for ideas, a globe for an international company, a roof for real estate, a tooth for a dentist, a shopping cart for an e-shop. They do not set you apart.
- Too much detail: fine lines and small lettering merge at small sizes.
- A logo only as a gradient or with effects: you always need a solid colour and a single-colour version too.
- Imitating a competitor or a famous brand: it makes differentiation harder and can block trademark registration.
- A logo from a template or stock library: anyone can have the same template and the licence often forbids using it as a mark. For example, Canva's licence terms explicitly forbid using its content as part of a trademark or business name, except fonts (Canva Content License Agreement).
The design process
1. Research and direction. Compare identities in the sector and establish a character appropriate to the offer. A moodboard explains direction; it is not a template to copy.
2. Concepts. My Logo package includes three different concepts, not one shape in three colours. Look at the concepts at a small size and on a dark background too, not just in a large presentation.
3. Selection. Assess recognition, legibility and fit with the agreed applications. Give concrete feedback: "the name merges at this size" is more actionable than "more energy".
4. Refinement. Adjust proportions, spacing and variants. My package includes two revision rounds on the selected direction. A changed brief or additional concept is agreed separately.
5. Handover. Inspect the actual files, not merely their pictures in a presentation.
Test before approval
Place the logo on an actual mobile page, invoice and print item. Test light and dark backgrounds and single-colour printing. A small favicon does not need to contain the full name. Ask the relevant manufacturer to confirm embroidery, stamp or vehicle-wrap requirements.
My logo handover includes SVG, PNG, PDF and AI, colour, mono and negative variants, and favicons. SVG and AI support further vector work; PNG is useful in everyday documents. A PDF is not necessarily vector artwork: check its contents.
Licensing and trademark protection differ
Under Czech copyright law, an author's moral and economic rights are not transferred in the same way as ownership of an object. Permission to use a work is addressed through a licence; receiving the source file does not replace that agreement. The Copyright Act published by the Ministry of Culture sets out the basis.
Confirm uses, duration, territory, exclusivity, modifications and use by other suppliers. Check separate terms for fonts, icons and photographs. Not every simple mark necessarily qualifies for copyright protection.
A trademark protects a designation separately. Registration depends on factors including distinctiveness and earlier rights, not on whether a human or AI made the image. A national application at the Czech Industrial Property Office costs CZK 5,000 for up to 3 classes of goods and services, CZK 500 for each further class, and a registered mark is valid for 10 years with the option to renew. Before a large packaging or vehicle-wrap run, a search for similar marks pays off. Registration is not the only form of protection, but it is the clearest and easiest to prove.
Using AI in the process
AI can explore directions or produce a prototype. Assess the specific tool: some use templates, others generate images or vectors. Check its terms, similarity to existing marks and exports. A commercial-use licence alone does not guarantee exclusivity or trademark eligibility.
An attractive result still needs small variants, typography, legibility testing, handover and consistent applications before it functions as an identity.
Where to get a logo made
| Route | What you get | Watch out for | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
Generator or template |
A finished image within minutes |
Anyone can have the same base, the licence often rules out a trademark, variants are missing |
A temporary mark, testing an idea |
Contest (crowdsourcing) |
Many designs from different authors |
Little time for the brief, risk of borrowed motifs, unclear licences |
Rarely a company that wants to build a brand |
Freelance designer |
Personal cooperation and an original design |
Agree the scope of handed-over files and the licence in writing |
Sole traders and smaller companies |
Studio or agency |
Strategy, a team and a wider identity |
Higher budget, longer approvals |
Rebranding and larger companies |
I sit between a freelance designer and a studio: I design the logo as one specialist who also builds websites and e-shops, so from the start I think about use on the website, in the e-shop and at small sizes.
Price and the next steps
My logo starts at €320: three concepts, two refinement rounds and the listed files, normally 7-10 days under an agreed schedule. Brand Identity from €720 adds colours, type, a manual and templates. Full Package from €1,600 extends the materials and system. The standalone logo does not automatically include the full manual.
Use the pricing guide and service scope to compare offers. After handover, designate one asset location and an owner. This helps prevent an outdated version returning to the website a month later.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a logo and a wordmark?
A logo is the general term for a graphic mark. A wordmark is a logo made only of the customised company name, without a pictorial symbol. A logo can therefore be a wordmark, a symbol or a combination of both.
How long does logo design take?
With me 7-10 days from the brief to the file handover, if you give feedback along the way. Choosing a concept and comments usually take the most time; with a clear brief and one person who decides, everything goes faster.
How much does a logo cost?
A logo with three concepts, two revision rounds and a complete file set costs from €320 with me, a full identity with a manual from €720. A comparison of prices for different routes is in the article how much a logo costs.
Can I make a logo myself in Canva or Word?
To start with, yes, but expect limitations. Office programs are not built for precise vector graphics, so the logo tends to be hard to enlarge for a wrap or prepare for embroidery. Under Canva's terms, elements from its templates must not be used as a trademark. For a vector logo you need a program such as Adobe Illustrator, Figma or the free Inkscape.
How much does trademark registration cost?
A Czech national application at the Industrial Property Office costs CZK 5,000 for up to 3 classes of goods and services and CZK 500 for each further class. A registered mark is valid for 10 years. Add a search and an attorney's fee if you do not file yourself.
Who owns the rights to a logo?
Under Czech law the copyright stays with the author and you receive a licence to use the work. That is why the contract should confirm its scope: exclusivity, duration, territory, the right to modify and the handover of source files. Receiving the files alone is not enough.