How to Design Circular Logos

When competing against thousands of other logos for consumer attention, "X" does not always mark the spot. Create your own "circle of life" with a circle-shaped logo for an eye-catching way to brand your business, store or organization. With a couple of clicks in one of a number of different graphics software programs, you will have a logo sure to attract potential customers.

Things You'll Need

• Windows Paint
• Adobe Photoshop
• Microsoft Publisher
• Digital image

Instructions

Using Paint

1. Open Paint, click the Paint button and select "Properties." Type the logo dimensions into the "Width" and "Height" boxes, such as "4" for each. Choose the "Inches" radio button under the "Units" column. Click the "OK" button.

2. Click a small colored square for the circle color in the logo, in the "Colors" section of the ribbon/toolbar. Select the circle from the "Shapes" section of the ribbon/toolbar. Position the cursor in the top left corner of the Paint workspace, press and hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the bottom right corner. A circle appears.

3. Choose a new paint color or keep the same for a monochrome logo. Click the "A" icon for the text tool in the "Tools" section of the ribbon. Click inside the circle and select a font and text size.

4. Type the organization's name or initials, a slogan or another phrase for the logo.

5. Click the Paint button. Select "Save As." Type a name for the logo file. Choose "GIF" from the "Save as type" menu. Save the logo to the computer.

Using Photoshop

1. Open Photoshop, click the "File" menu and select "New." Type "CircularLogo" into the "Name" box. Type dimensions into the "Width" and "Height" boxes, such as "5" and "4" respectively. Select the "inches" button for each. Select "Transparent" from the "Background Contents" drop-down menu. Click the "OK" button.

2. Right-click the shape tool on the bottom of the "Tools" palette. The tool may look like a rectangle, star, line or circle. Choose "Ellipse Tool" from the fly-out menu. Click into the "Color" box on the toolbar at the top of the page and select a color for the circle part of the logo.

3. Click the top left corner of the logo box and drag the cursor to the bottom right corner to form the circular shape.

4. Select the "Type" tool, a "T" icon on the "Tools" palette. Choose a font, color and size for the logo text from the toolbar at the top of the screen. Click inside the circle and type the logo text, such as "Go Bears!" or "2011 Supporter."

5. Click the "File" menu, select "Save As," choose "GIF" from the "Format" menu and save the logo to the computer.

Using Publisher

1. Open Publisher and click the "Blank 11 x 8.5" button. When the Publisher workspace opens, click the "Insert" tab at the top of the screen. Click the "Shapes" button below the tab. Select one of the circle shapes from the drop-down menu. The cursor changes to a plus sign.

2. Draw the circle on the Publisher page. Right-click the circle and select "Format AutoShape." The "Colors and Lines" tab opens as the default.

3. Click the "Fill Effects" button. Click the "Picture" tab. Click the "Select Picture" button.

4. Browse to a digital photo or image to turn circular and use for the logo. Double-click the picture and it appears in the "Fill Effects" window. Click "OK" to close the "Fill Effects" window. Click "OK" to close the "Format AutoShape" window. The photo is now a circular logo.

5. Click the "File" tab. Select "Save As." Type a name for the logo, select "GIF" as the "Save as type" and save the file to the computer.

References

• Windows: Using Paint
• University of Washington: Photoshop Drawing
• Microsoft Office: Publisher 2010 Features and Benefits