Marketing Services
Logo Design
Prepare a practical logo design brief covering audience, usage, colours, formats, and brand protection checks.
Overview
Logo Design explained
A logo is the visual signature of your business — the mark people recognise on your website, signage, invoices, and social pages. Good logo design starts with a clear brief, so the result works at every size and in every place you use it.
A strong brief covers who your audience is, where the logo will appear, the colours and feel you want, and the file formats you will need. Cockatoo helps you prepare this brief so a designer or tool can deliver a logo that fits the business now and as it grows.
Simple, legible logos almost always outlast clever, complicated ones.
What to check
Key points
- A clear brief leads to a logo that works across every size and surface.
- You need several formats, including a version that reads well when tiny.
- Simplicity and legibility beat detail that disappears at small sizes.
Before you start
What you'll need
- A short description of your business and the customers it serves.
- A sense of the feeling you want — modern, friendly, premium, or trusted.
- Where the logo will appear, from a phone screen to a shopfront sign.
- Colour preferences and any colours to avoid.
- The file formats you will need, including a scalable vector version.
Process
How it works
- Describe your audience and the impression you want to give.
- List every place the logo will appear, large and small.
- Choose a colour direction and a simple style to aim for.
- Brief a designer or tool, then review options at real sizes.
- Collect the final files in the formats you will actually use.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Packing in too much detail that turns to mush at small sizes.
- Forgetting to test the logo in black and white, not just colour.
- Only receiving one file type and lacking a scalable version later.
- Copying another brand too closely and risking confusion or disputes.
Common questions
Logo Design FAQs
What should a good logo design brief include?
It should cover your audience, where the logo will appear, the feeling you want, colour preferences, and the file formats you need. A clear brief saves rounds of revisions and helps a designer or tool deliver something usable the first time.
What file formats do I need for my logo?
Aim for a scalable vector version for print and signage, plus standard image files for web and social use. A plain black-and-white version is handy too. Having the right formats means your logo stays sharp everywhere, from a favicon to a banner.
Why does my logo need to work at small sizes?
Your logo often appears tiny — as a profile picture, a browser tab icon, or on a card. If it relies on fine detail, it turns into a blur at those sizes. Testing it small during design keeps it legible wherever customers see it.
How do I avoid copying another business’s logo?
Gather inspiration broadly rather than mimicking one brand, and check that your final mark is not too close to a competitor’s. A quick search for similar logos and registered marks reduces the risk of confusion or a later dispute.
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