10 Tips To Create A Good Musical Logo Design

Created by Graphéine | https://www.behance.net/gallery/26146543/Saint-Etienne-Opera-House-Brand-design

The music industry is one business, just like other business industries. In order to be successful, you must create a strong brand for yourself. To start doing this is to create a great musical logo for your band. Before this article goes into more detail on how to create a good musical logo design, it's important to determine why you need to get one. 

Here are the main benefits of creating a musical logo design. It can Increase brand awareness. The more attributes your musical brand has to offer, the more visible it will be in your target audience's reach. It also strengthens your brand identity. Creating a logo for your musical brand can give your musical more context and let potential listeners know who you are.

Created by Creative Invention | https://www.behance.net/gallery/88897691/Music-and-Arts-Festival-Identity-Concept

It also can be a fun way to attract your fans. If you have a custom logo design, your fans have something to use to display their musical preferences. So, if there is any question about whether you want to design a musical logo or not, it doesn't matter. Yes! You have to get it as quickly as possible! Here are the ways. 

10 Tips To Create A Good Musical Logo Design

1. Start Looking for Good Inspiration
2. Analyze Other Competitors
3. Understand The Brand & The Audience
4. Let Your Musical Genre Guide You.
5. Create Your Own Elements
6. Experiment With Form & Shapes 
7. Determine The Typeface
8. Choose Your Color Identity
9. Keep It Simple Yet Also Flexible.
10. Ask For Advice & Revise

Created by OTRE ® | https://www.behance.net/gallery/113815199/NOIZE-CLOTHING

1. Start Looking for Good Inspiration

A musical is a self-expression form. Therefore, no doubt that it is creative, spontaneous, and sometimes exaggerated. Your inspiration comes and goes; It was unexpected and powerful. Although design is also an art, it is very different from music.

 When creating a logo for your musical project, you have to follow some rules, organize a process, and take a fair share in the analysis and planning before you have the final product. So, before you start fiddling with your musical logo design options, you need to complete the basics so you can start working further in your chosen direction.

The first thing you need to do is decide what you want to achieve with your logo. Now, all you need to do is to choose which one is more important to you, enhance your brand by enhancing your brand identity, increase your visibility, add more context to your brand, or only attract fans.

Created by Vicent Pascual | https://www.behance.net/gallery/115935707/cridoria-Cultural-music-management

To make sure your musical logo design process is organized, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions:

1. Who sees my logo the most?
2. What is the most used for your musical logo? 
3. Do I already have a business identity to follow?
4. Is there any hidden agenda to create my logo?

We hope that answering these questions will help you define the scope of your business and begin the brainstorming process. Brainstorming is a good way to come up with great ideas for designing logos. However, to get the most out of it, you have to keep brainstorming and writing everything down.

Just like any other design work, you have to follow a path from public to private. To get your mind up, you need to look at the common features used for the logos of musicians in your genre. Some species are more standardized in their logo design than others.

Created by Matheus Morales | https://www.behance.net/gallery/141475489/MEDIA-MUSIC

For example, heavy metal bands tend to use more modern and intense shapes and lines in their logos. At the same time, alternative rock bands are passionate about smooth lines or creative name variations. Once you have defined an outline for your logo style, you can start thinking about the details.

You don't have to be specific and precise in designing your musical logo. If you are a master of impressionism, you can try this technique. Just choose the instrument you're working on, play the musician you've drawn a logo for, and let the inspiration take you far. Just move your hand as you wish and see where it takes you. Perhaps you will create a unique piece of art for a musician that will have a great story behind it! 

Created by HuskyFox | https://www.behance.net/gallery/89254603/KakaoM-1theK-Brand-Identity

2. Analyze Other Competitors

Just like another marketer, you need to have a solid idea of ​​who your competitors are. Do some market research to see what your colleagues have found. In addition to giving you insights, expert analysis can give you insight into what is being overused.

Even though the emblem is not the most important element of a musical brand, you still try to differentiate your brand from other bands. One surefire way to stay creative and unique is to stay away from clichés. Of course, adding musical notations or "musical quintessential" images like a guitar or a set of headphones can be tempting, but it's often overused. No one will notice a logo that does not present any artistic value.

Created by 淡山 DOLOMITE | https://www.behance.net/gallery/64199769/Chord-Bar

3. Understand The Brand & The Audience

An important characteristic of any musical brand is its fans. Just like other business customers, they are the cornerstone of your activities. So, asking your fan base for advice on designing your own musical logo is a good idea.

Ask your fans what they like most about your musical and what they associate with your brand. Your fans have a niche for your musical and have details that keep them interested in your artwork. Try to figure out what makes you unique for them and use that for your logo.

Created by GRÁVITA | https://www.behance.net/gallery/139718179/TEATRO-ESLAVA

4. Let Your Musical Genre Guide You.

The next tip to creating a good musical logo design is to keep in mind the musical genre you have and think about how to create a logo based on it.  If your genre of music is classical, it might not make sense to have a logo that includes different-colored spotlights, raindrops, or neon colors. 

But if you are composing a popular techno song, this design will fit right in! Make sure your design matches the type of music you're playing. Keep in mind that if you've changed your voice recently, it's time to redesign your logo.

Created by Sofia Capó | https://www.behance.net/gallery/109579855/Boogie

After that, get your visuals down. When you have an idea, you have to start implementing it. Some things you need to create and confirm at this point are the visual components of your future musical logo design. Think about brand culture for the silhouette of your logo. 

What do you want to represent in your musical? What are you fighting for? Turn those thoughts and beliefs into a picture and start spinning. Is your musical bold, romantic, rebellious, and dreamy? What does your brand mean? Put it all down on paper.

Created by Graphéine | https://www.behance.net/gallery/94826671/Les-Frivolits-Parisiennes-Brand-design

5. Create Your Own Elements

General advice from the experts is to limit the number of images in your logo and use other design elements, such as colors and fonts. But it doesn't mean you can't get creative and experiment with other elements, for example, images. 

Remember that the images you use do not have to be detailed artwork. Some of the best and most unique musical slogans ever are simple images that anyone can write on the back of a napkin. Or a cool funky design that looks great on a t-shirt or merchandise.

Also, if the image is not legally yours, don't use it unless you want to get involved in a copyright infringement dispute. There are many free photo sites that you can use to gather photo inspiration. Some of our favorites include Pixabay, Unsplash, and Pexels.

Created by HAUS studio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/115571029/National-Music-Therapy-Institute-identity

6. Experiment With Form & Shapes 

Color is an integral part of any logo. It should fit in well with the rest of the brand identity. After all, each color has a certain connotation and usually attracts certain associations. Spend some time and effort researching the psychological aspects of different colors and how they affect people. This will help you select a color scheme for your logo.

The principles of logo creation vary from industry to industry. This means that what may be true for a nonprofit business logo may not necessarily work best for your musical logo. One of the brightest examples to support this statement is the use of images in logos. You probably know that most experts recommend limiting the images used in your logo and choosing other elements instead. However, this is not the case with musical logos.

Created by Abstract Logic | https://www.behance.net/gallery/87240561/Dope-Sound

Since many musical logos function primarily as icons to attach to the singer or band merchandise or to display at concerts on a screen behind a display, displayed in good resolution and on a large scale, they can be much more elaborate and complex than regular logos. Of course, you shouldn't use hyper-realistic images that are hard to read when cropped, but you can certainly allow yourself to be creative and experiment with forms and shapes.

One thing you should really remember not to do is use someone else's art for your logo. Even if you see it matches your musical and perfectly represents your musical brand, it's a violation of the law. To create a good musical logo design, you have to avoid this. 

Created by IGRAPHIC design bureau | https://www.behance.net/gallery/117100039/Tolqyn

7. Determine The Typeface

Since music is a creative field, you don't have to be primary with the fonts you use for your logo. Arguably the most defining part of your musical logo is choosing the font or typography you use. You'll use your own font to incorporate your artist or band's name into the logo.

If you have the device at your disposal, it is better to design your own font rather than using an existing font. Frequently used styles such as "Times New Roman" and "Arial" have semantic risks associated with them. While using Times New Roman can be a harsh statement, unless it is meant to be, it will appear lazy. It is better to design your own font. This will not only accentuate your identity but will also allow for better cohesion and continuity of your brand.

Having your own font for your musical emblem will allow you to make your identity more visible and build a sense of brand cohesion. Fonts also depend on the genre, and you will consciously or unconsciously send a message to your fans about you and your music.

Created by Rostislav Nezhinsky | https://www.behance.net/gallery/146165717/Soundon-music-Branding-and-corporate-identity

8. Choose Your Color Identity 

Color is one of the most important parts of any logo. Why? According to human psychology, colors elicit an emotional response, which means that different colors can have different effects on different people. So, when thinking about the colors you'll include in your musical logo, you need to spend some time researching what colors that have specific connotations or general associations to your brand identity.

For example, red traditionally represents love, passion, anger, and danger. On the other hand, yellow evokes warmth and happiness. At the same time, green is usually associated with energy, freshness, and youth. One example is "The Red Hot Chili Peppers." They use red throughout their logo not only to reflect their musical identity but also as a direct reference to the "red" chili in their name.

Limiting the use of color can also work in your favor. Monochrome color is very effective in creating a good musical logo design. A simple color scheme can help create an accurate message with highlights and accents.

Created by Monga Design | https://www.behance.net/gallery/125629977/Mansim-Visual-Identity

9. Keep It Simple Yet Also Flexible.

Remember that logos serve many different purposes, as well as a variety of other uses. When designing a musical logo, keep this in mind and create your work in a way that can be modified to suit different occasions.

For example, your social media accounts may require a different logo format to advertise your tour. The one will look good without going into too much detail, while the latter thrives on some intricate markings. It's great for keeping your musical logo design flexible with subtle changes.

Created by Reda El Fennane | https://www.behance.net/gallery/138284287/Untitled-Branding

10. Ask For Advice & Revise

Your musical logo is your brand and identity. For this reason, even if you have your own ideas, it is always best to get help from a professional design expert. This also means that they can create different file format versions of your logo that you can upload using different tools on different platforms. For example, some platforms require a square format, and some require a circular or rectangular format.

In addition, different dimensions or resolutions are required. A professional designer can ensure that you get the exact format you need so that your logo can be displayed professionally and clearly in all the places you want it. If you do not have this skill yourself, it is always worth contacting an expert. You might have to pay more, but this would ensure that you get the highest quality logo design wherever you want to display it.

Created by Aneta Lewandowska | https://www.behance.net/gallery/140934265/The-Krzysztof-Penderecki-Academy-of-Music

Final Words

With the ten tips to create a good musical logo design above, we hope you can find the right inspiration and resources to come up with the right logo for your musical. Remember, it is always better to keep it simple and follow your inspiration in terms of colors, fan art, and music.

It can't be a complicated process, even though it can seem daunting when you first start out. But find your inspiration and gather the ideas first, and when they come together, you can design something you will be proud of.

There are many places on the internet where you can find musical logo ideas or examples not only from former singers and bands but also from websites that have certain musical logo designs as part of their package.

Created by Matheus Ferreira | https://www.behance.net/gallery/142844599/RHINO

Likewise, there are design websites where you can create your own logo for free. Before you decide on a final article, you can play around with different ideas from its templates to see what you think will work best.

Some of these sites also allow you to upload your own photos. It can really help you see if the inspiration you find elsewhere can actually work for you.

There is also software that does not create such templates, but you can easily manipulate fonts and images from devices like tablets or laptops. You may be able to get a free trial of some of these programs before purchasing to reduce costs.

Created by Karol Gadzala | https://www.behance.net/gallery/144695529/SUM-OVER-HISTORIES-BRANDING

Is your name your brand? One of the most popular types of logos among artists, especially individual artists, is to include their name as a logo. This could be your real name or the name of an artist you created. So, if this is the case for you, it may be easier to find the font you want or ask a designer to create one for you. It brings out who you are, and it's a very simple process for singers.

Just like songwriting, your slogan may not be appropriate the first time you see the "final article." but it's okay! As the process goes on, you'll find the parts you like and the parts you don't. This is a work in progress, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out for you. Likewise, don't accept something you don't like because you may regret it more and have to go through the process all over again. Be patient and do what is right for you. You are the singer, so this is ultimately your choice. That is all about tips to create a good musical logo design.