How to Design a School Logo

Logos are intended to be visual representations of their rights holders and therefore, a school logo is usually designed to convey an educational establishment's traditions of excellence in academia, sports and leadership, among other things. This can be done through the use of a school mascot or by going so far as to create a family crest or shield with the school's name in place of a family name as a logo.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer
• Design Software (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Paint, etc.)

Instructions

1. The first step is to create thumbnails or small sketches of what you think the school logo should look like based on what you want students, parents, teachers and administrators to feel when they see it. Once you've created as many as your mind can conjure up, ask a group of peers from your school for their input. If it all possible, the person from your school tasked with making the final decision on a school logo should be included. From their input and yours combined, pick a select few as your favorites to work with.

2. The school logo will need to be used in school letterhead and business cards at some point and to incorporate it you'll need to make use of some computer software. You can redraw your ideas in programs like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, which are just a couple of programs used by the pros. You can use Microsoft Paint, but it isn't recommended as it's not as advanced and will likely consume more time. If you do not wish to do double work using a mouse or even a tablet stylus to draw your ideas again, you can scan your sketches onto the hard drive and open the files using the design software.

3. Now it's time to begin working with color. If you've decided to scan your sketches onto the hard drive, you can use the design software's color palettes and virtual paint brushes to fill in the empty spaces, as well as other tools to smooth out the rough elements of your sketches. An important aspect to consider when designing any logo is the placement of the colors. You may want the school's colors to be balanced evenly, or you may want one color to completely dominate the other(s). In any case, the logo should have as few elements/pictures in it as possible. You don't want it to be a busy design because too many elements interrupt the flow of a person's eye and will make the logo unappealing. You want it to look clean and make a positive, accurate statement about the school.

4. Once you believe that you have achieved this, write down what each part of the logo means and how it represents the school as a whole. A good logo is presentable on more than just the aesthetic level. Its appearance alone is not enough to give a sense of pride to the parents, teachers, students and administrators that are involved with your school; it has to have meaning behind it.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult with professionals in the advertising and marketing industries Ask for as many objective opinions as possible Conduct a survey throughout the school to see which logo everyone most likes and why