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If you own a restaurant, you will undoubtedly do the best you can to make it the best in the market. You have heavily invested in modern marketing strategies, and you have started reaping the fruits of your hard work and resilience. Congratulations!
But as you focus on everything that will make you build trust and credibility, you are overlooking one critical branding element – creating a logo that everyone will like.
Look – a logo might be a simple image with a few symbols and several words. But it is one of the most powerful branding components that can enhance your brand’s visibility. If you create an attractive and memorable restaurant logo, your prospects will certainly think about your business whenever they want to have a meal.
Even though creating an exceptional restaurant logo design is not a walk in the park, it doesn’t have to be a pain in the neck either. Below are some tips and tricks that will help you create a brand visual design that pop and gain an edge over your competition:
Pick the Right Icon
One of the mistakes that most restaurant owners make when designing their logos is that they pick icons that are not related to their business. For instance, it doesn’t make sense to use a skull or calculator in your restaurant logo. You need to use restaurant-related items such as:
- Kitchen utensils such as spatula, ladle, saucepan, and more
- Chef’s apron or hat
- Stove, oven, microwave
- Tableware such as fork, knife, dish, glass
- Ethnic items related to your cuisine
However, if you don’t use the icons above effectively, they can make your logo seem faceless and too generic. Before you decide which icon to use, ensure you check what other restaurants around the world are using. This will ensure you avoid repetition and create a design that will make your business unique.
If you are not sure of the icons to use to make your restaurant logo outstanding, consider seeking help from a professional logo designer.
Choose the Right Color
After picking the right icons to incorporate in your restaurant logo, the next step is to choose an effective color. Nobody will love your logo if you go with colors that will tire the eyes. The right color makes your logo purpose-oriented and more memorable. Don’t forget that every color has particular connotations. For your restaurant business, avoid working with colors that are too dull. Use natural food colors such as classical black, appetizing colors red and orange, shades of brown and yellow, and more.
Pick the Right Font
Since your restaurant logo must incorporate some text, you need to choose a visible font. Some of the things you should consider when selecting a font include:
- Your font must complement the icon: Regardless of the font you choose to work with, it must match your icon. If you use massive icons, make sure you use massive fonts.
- The font must be legible: Ensure the font you choose is readable even when your logo is in the smallest size.
- Don’t use small details: hand-written fonts and fancy scrolls make the text in your logo difficult to read. Use small and simplistic fonts such as MigistralC and Micra.
Personalize Your Logo
The last thing you want is to create a fantastic logo that will be copied by other restaurants in the neighborhood. To prevent this, add some customization in your logo. Use a unique typeface that cannot be found anywhere else, and build your own icons if you can. Custom lettering and design will result in a unique branding that cannot be copied!
Practice Differentiation
As mentioned earlier in the post, you need to check your competitors’ logos to get some ideas on the fonts and icons to use. However, you need to remember that the greatest restaurant logos have a distinct style and personality that is well reflected in their product packaging and service. Differentiation means that you need to come up with a design that is unique to your business. For instance, you can use a cartoon likeness of your face as an icon. This will send a message to your prospects that you cannot serve food that is not good enough for you. This is a trick used by some renowned restaurants and eateries such as Wendy’s and KFC.
Use Expressive Typeface
One of the most overlooked tricks of creating a restaurant logo that everyone will like is using an expressive typeface. You don’t need to use symbols to make your logo attractive. Look, some popular restaurants such as Subway, Ihop, and Denny’s use letters as their logos, and this hasn’t prevented them from achieving massive success over the years. Create unique lettering that will make your restaurant brand identity pop. Ensure the font you choose reflects the tone of your business.
Be as creative as possible with your lettering, and you will come up with attractive design at the end of the day. Even if you hire a designer to do the job, add a few twerks, and ensure the end result depicts your business’ style.
Use Positive Associations
As a restaurant owner, the worst blunder you can make is to send negative vibes to your prospects. No one wants to have a meal in a place with bad associations. For instance, if you choose to use an animal as your logo’s icon, avoid using animals that are associated with bad omen by some communities. For instance, if you use an owl, most people, including Africans and Native Americans, will associate it with death. Be risqué when you can, but make sure you make decisions that will not hurt your business in the long run.
Finally…If You Can’t Do It Yourself, Get Someone To Do It!
There is no point in spending hours on end trying to create a restaurant logo if you don’t understand a thing about graphic design. The most important thing is to have a design in your head. Determine the colors you want, the message you want to pass across, and the elements to include in the logo. Then, hire a designer to do the job. You can hire an in-house designer, or you can as well hire one from job boards such as Upwork and Fivver. As long as you adopt a simplistic design and follow the tips outlined above, there is no reason why you shouldn’t build a restaurant logo anyone would be proud of.
Author Profile
My name is Alina McCarran, and I work as a freelance content writer and social media marketer. When not working on my projects, I like to read, draw and listen to rock music. My favorite band is Queen.