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How to Design and Make a Logo for Youtube

Updated on August 12, 2013
How to Create a Logo for YouTube
How to Create a Logo for YouTube | Source

The first part of creating a logo is brainstorming ideas. What is your video or web series going to be about. You not only want to create a good logo, but also one that makes sense and is a good representation of what your video or show is about.

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Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 1Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 2Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 3
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 1
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 1 | Source
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 2
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 2 | Source
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 3
Rough Sketches for a Logo Design, pg. 3

Brainstorming an Idea

Designing a logo and coming up with the initial design is the hardest part. The easiest way is just simply to start with either the words or a shape that you think would look well and then just sketch up so designs. Don't be discouraged if it takes a couple of pages full of awful sketches to get to anything that is just sort of okay.

If you're stuck and have no idea where to start, looking up logo designs online and growing through images on Google might inspire you. I've found that having a folder full of images I've saved off of various websites to help when I need some inspiration is helpful to have. Whatever inspires you, whether it be taking a walk or listening to music, try to find something that'll help fuel your ideas.

Usually once you get into the design, you'll find one that you sort of like. After you find that design, you can then draw variations of that design until you find one that strikes your fancy.

Rough Design for a Logo
Rough Design for a Logo | Source

Refining Your Design

After you find a design that you like, it's time to refine it and create variations from it. The more variations you create, the more options you have to choose from.

Designing a logo takes time, and once you have a couple of sketches, it's a good idea to show it to a friend. They may have some suggestions that could help your design progress or they may be able to offer you an opinion on what designs are good. This will help narrow done your choices and allow you to work on only the most promising designs.

For this step, I actually used tiny bits of paper and rearranged them.Once I found the layout of the words and the picture, I used packaging tape to stick them in place. (I was away from the computer at the time, and sometimes it's nice to just use your hands and move around the words off of the computer).

In the picture to the right, you can see that the word "DIY" is a separate piece, as well as the character in the middle, and the bottom half with the sign is another.

Adding Color to the Rough Logo Design
Adding Color to the Rough Logo Design | Source

Finalizing Your Design

Once you find something that you like, it's time to start finalizing it - adding color, playing with fonts, tracing it and moving around certain elements.

For me, I took my sketch and took a picture of it with my camera and imported it into Photoshop where I started to play around with adding color and tracing up the outline.

If you don't have Photoshop or prefer to work with your hands, you can use newspapers, scissors, glue, tape, whatever! You can always scan or take a picture of your design so you can easily import it onto video intros, Facebook and any place that you want to use your logo.

At this point, I decided I didn't like the pen outlines that I had drawn so I ended up hiding that layer and instead tracing the outline onto a new layer in Photoshop.

Pro Tip!
Never be afraid to try a new design. Even if you think you have something that you really like, turn different layers on and off, try new color designs, experiment. You never know if you will get a better idea from just playing around with your idea. Your next verison of the logo might be better than the one you're currently working on!
Color Variations of Logo for DIY Nerd-Style
Color Variations of Logo for DIY Nerd-Style | Source

Creating Variations of Your Design

Finally, once you have gotten the outline and a color scheme that you like, it's always a good idea to just experiment around to see if you can create something that you like better. You don't have to stick to just one color design (although if you're trying to brand your product/video it's a good idea to keep them similar and recognizable).

You may find that once you incorporate your design into a background or a video intro, that one color scheme will work better than the other.

Don't be afraid to go too far. If you never try, you'll never know if you could have created a better design.

This is also excellent time to get a second of third opinion on your design. If you're not good with color or are struggling to find something that works together, another pair of eyes and an opinion may help this crucial step in the design process.

Do you enjoy having your own logo for your videos?

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Saving Your Logo and Incorporating it

After you've completed your Logo, it's time to start using it!

If you're working in Photoshop, be sure to save your design out with layers so that you can go back and make changes if you need to. I actually went back and changed the bottom of the "Y" because I didn't like how it was slanting so far to the left.

If your editing software allows it, you can use the .psd file for maximum quality. You can also save out your design as a .png (with a transparent background) to make it easy to lay on top of future videos, channel designs and intros.

Have fun with your logo. It really helps add that extra level of professionalism and sense of personal accomplishment to your work.

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