For your blog to stand out, you have to make a great first impression and position yourself as an authority worth reading.

And that's before anyone reads a single word you've written!

It's why an on-brand logo design for your blog that engages with your audience and differentiates you from all the other writers is so crucially important.

One you can use across all your platforms to build brand unison and recognition.

But designing such a logo requires an understanding of design, knowledge of which elements to use, and experience to bring them together in harmonious union.

Or you can skip all of that, fast forward, and follow these seven rules to create an on-brand logo design for your blog.

1. Design with your audience in mind

The number one rule in logo design is to think about your audience as it's they who'll determine every choice you make when implementing the following six steps in this post.

Why I hear you ask?

Your blog has a niche audience who've unique tastes and emotionally relate to specific design strategies more than others. And your logo has to connect with those tastes and emotions if it's to stand any chance of engaging their attention long enough for them to read your title, intro, and hopefully your content.

So, before you sketch your first logo design, know your subject matter, understand who it appeals to, and create your target audience persona to identify their demographics, likes/dislikes, and pain points.

Next, the second most important rule in On-brand logo design:

2. Simplicity is the key

To put it another way, K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Stupid).

Think Nike and their monochrome swoosh or their Air Jordon logo. Apple and, well, an Apple with a bite out of it, so it doesn't look like a cherry. And Coca Cola Spencerian script font, designed in 1887 and still in use today.

That's the power of simplicity.

If you implement this simple rule from the beginning, you'll save yourself a ton of time, possibly money, and end up with a logo that's balanced, scalable, and versatile. All of these are essential steps for logo creation and are, of course, discussed in this post.

When we first begin designing our logo, we often overcomplicate it; if that happens, retain the core design elements and cut the rest. The only parts your logo needs are the ones that convey your brand message and connect with your target audience; anything else is a waste of space.

3. Create the right balance

Balance and proportion come next because your logo will never look right or work as it should without them. We naturally recognise a balanced design as beautiful, pleasing to the eye, and appealing. It just looks and feels right, and that's all your logo has to do to become a memorable one.

You create balance by using the correct proportions for each element making up your logo and using the white space between them effectively. These proportions don't have to match, but they must complement one another.

For example, asymmetrical logos (Volkswagen, Audi, Starbucks) use equally weighted elements on either side of the centreline. While asymmetrical logos obtain balance using opposite weights, like that of YouTube, Nike, and Facebook

The weight of graphics such as images, fonts, and colours also play their part in creating balance. And they, in turn, affect your logo's scalability; allow me to explain.

4. Scalability is essential

Size matters in logo design because a logo has to retain its functionality and remain legible wherever you use it.

First up, always download your online logo in Vector file format. These come in A.I (Adobe Illustrator Artwork), EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic), as it allows you to scale your graphics to any size without losing quality.

You should check the scalability of the logo throughout the design process. Start with your largest advertisements, such as poster-sized versions, and scale your logo down to the smallest, such as your social media avatar or email signature.

A quick word about versatility:

A logo's versatility is defined by all the locations it can be used. Fortunately, by designing a simple, balanced, scalable logo, you instantly make your logo more versatile.

But another excellent way to achieve logo versatility is with responsive logo design.

Responsive logos can be adapted to suit all environments without losing their identity. And used in any colour, on any background, and as all logotypes, such as combination, wordmark, and icon. Nike, Walt Disney, and Coca-Cola are all responsive logos.

You create yours by striping your logo back to the bare essentials, then using your core design elements to build it up again, using different backgrounds, colours, and logotypes.

If it retains its message throughout the process, you've got a responsive logo.

5. Choose a colour palette and create cohesion

Clever use of colour can determine a logo's ability to connect with your target audience and create a cohesive branding strategy throughout all your marketing platforms.

If you already have a website, your choice of logo colour should match its colour palette; if not, you're free to experiment.

Colours convey and evoke certain emotions with your audience, so you must carefully select ones that connect and leave them feeling or thinking exactly how you intend. For example, Orange inspires youthfulness and vitality, green health and well-being, white calmness and purity.

Colour combinations:

The colours you use must complement one another; this doesn't mean you have to only use ones from the same palette as contrasting colours can work but require careful research and selection.

When deciding on your logo colours, use no more than three. Some of the very best logos often use two or less; it all comes back to simplicity.

Tips for choosing colours:

• Try and use colours close to one another on the colour wheel.
• Don't use overly bright colours that are hard to look at.
• Your logo must look just as good in black and white, two colours, and greyscale. Think versatility!

6. Pick fonts that speak your audience's language

Typography matters for numerous reasons, none more so than connecting with your target audience. But with the vast choice available, choosing the right ones can overwhelm those new to design.

Just as with colour, fonts send emotional messaging to the viewer, and as with all markets, your niche audience uses a specific language. If your logo includes text, as most do, or if you're using a tagline/slogan, you have an opportunity to speak that language and connect.

To find inspiration for your font choice, look at your niche market and the competition; you'll often see the same fonts used because they're proven to work. Blog posts often use script fonts with custom typefaces to add creativity.

But also try serif fonts, sans-serif fonts, and italics, script, and bold to see which work well together. And if you want to stand out, consider using a custom font in your logo, as the more original your font is, the better it will distinguish your brand.

7. Dare to be different

While all six rules thus far are crucial for creating an on-brand logo for your blog, it can pay to dare to be different.

Now I'm not saying you should forget everything we've told you, far from it, but I am saying you can use them and still be uniquely original. Think of some logos that always seem to appear in your mind when you think of logos. Some memorable ones are McDonald's, Starbucks, and of course Apple. All dared to be a little different, and all were original and memorable.

And if your logo is going to stand out from the other 600million out there, it has to attract at first glance and stay in the viewer's mind. And that's where being different might be the best strategy.