The best free logo maker will make it quick and simple to create a unique design for your business, even if you have no prior experience.
Image is important. Whether you're designing a website, coming up with an aesthetic for your company,or need an emblem for a project, a logo provides and instantly recognizable means of identification. It's something that companies put huge amounts of money, time and resources into getting right, but most people and small businesses are working with tight budgets, so it's just as well that there are so many excellent free logo makers out there.
With a little bit of time and effort, you can create a stunning logo without having to part with a single penny. If you don't fancy the idea of handing a bundle of cash to a professional designer or company, you can use one of the following free logo makers to see what you can come up with on your own. With templates and power image-editor-style controls, you might be surprised just how easy it is.
Image credit: Canva
1. Canva and Canva Logo Maker
A huge choice of designs and a drag-and-drop editor for customizing them
Canva is about more than just logos – you can use the site to design posters, banners, cards, invitations and much more besides.
There's a huge selection of templates and base designs to help get your started, and you can ensure that your creation will meet your needs by specifying the correct dimensions (in pixels, inches or millimeters) at the start.
An online editor makes it easy to add and customize graphics, images and text to your logo – just drag and drop into position, resize as necessary and tweak to your liking. If you're making a logo for a business or group project, you have the option of collaborating so everybody can put their ideas forward – a nice touch.
Most design elements are free (certainly enough for you to create a great looking logo), though a few are only available to premium account holders.
If you're pressed for time and looking for a quick solution to your logo needs, Canva also offers a dedicated logo maker specifically for the purpose. Enter your company name, choose a category (options include schools, sport, music, car and food) and then pick a few logo designs that appeal to you, to give the app an idea of your preferred style. All the logos were made using Canva.
You’ll then be prompted to sign in, if you haven’t already done so, either using your Facebook or Google account, or by creating a new login using an email address. Making an account means you can save your progress and resume work on your logo later, on any device.
Once you’re signed in, Canva will create a logo based on your preferences, which you can tweak and edit to your heart's content.
Image credit: Logaster
2. Logaster
A minimalist free logo maker that produces crisp, modern designs
If your needs are modest, Logaster is a great service. You can create a logo online and download a small version free of charge, though a high-resolution file will cost £9.99 (about US$ 13, AU$ 18), and will be necessary if you need to print it.
A straightforward wizard guides you through the logo-making process and presents you with a number of templates to choose from. Once you've picked a design you can tweak colours and the overall concept, but there are no advanced image editing tools. Depending on your needs, that could be an advantage or a drawback.
Logaster's designs are all fairly simple, with a definite, identifiable look. You're provided with a zip file containing small versions of your design in a range of colour schemes. These are low-resolution, they're fine for using online as long as they're not enlarged.
Image credit: Online Logo Maker
3. Online Logo Maker
A powerful free logo maker full of advanced tools for more confident users
As long as you don’t need a large logo, Online Logo Maker could be just what you've been looking for. It features an impressive online image editor that you can use to create logo and business cards, combining text and images.
There are libraries are images and shapes that can be dropped into place, resized, repositioned and recolored. You can also upload your own graphics, if there are any you want to use.
There's support for layers, so it's simple to combine elements to create something that looks seriously impressive. Layers can be duplicated, and there are undo and redo options so you can try out idea non-destructively. Your logos are saved so you can come back and edit them whenever you want.
Small versions of your creations can be downloaded free of charge for use on websites, social media and email signatures, though there's a fee if you'd like higher resolution versions that can be used on letterheads, T-shirts and other printed materials.
Image credit: The Free Logo Makers
4. The Free Logo Makers
An impressive free logo maker if you need a design to use online only
The Free Logo Makers lets you create logos online for free – but that's not quite the full story. Although it's free to design and download your logo, there's a limited choice of sizes and formats. If you want large or vector versions, you'll have to opt for one if the three paid-for packages.
Whichever route you take, you'll always start with one of the sites' hundreds of logo templates. Browse or search through the massive selection, choose one you like, then begin customizing it. The online editor is very impressive, giving you access to a lot of tools, including layers, to help create the perfect, personalized logo. You can send your finished creation to yourself via email, or use the automatically generated code to add the image to your site.
Image credit: Squarespace
5. Squarespace Logo Maker
A quick way to create your own modern, eye-catching logo designs
Squarespace is a website building service, but it also offers a logo maker that you can use independently. Squarespace Logo Maker has a strong focus on simple, minimalist designs, which is perfect if you're looking for something stark and eye-catching.
After adding the text you want to use (up to two lines, such as a company name and a tagline), you can then add customizable icons. There are relatively few options to play with, but that's not necessarily a drawback, and means you can create an effective logo in just a few moments.
You can only download logos at a relatively low resolution without paying a subscription fee, and the image files are watermarked, but the watermark is so small and faint as to be all but unnoticeable.
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