One of the very first things that people see when they open a website is its logo. If you think about it, the vast majority of websites that you browse every day have a logo. Many templates for various content management systems or e-commerce platforms have a built-in option to add and customize a logo. This website element is quite popular, so if you don’t have a logo on your website yet, you should definitely add one.
Is it difficult to choose a logo? Are there guidelines to create a good logo or any tips and tricks to use it more effectively? You will find the answers to these questions below.
- Why is having a logo important?
- How to come up with a logo…
- … and how to design one?
- A few tips you should have in mind:
- Creating a logo with ICDSoft
- How to add the logo to your website?
- In conclusion
Why is having a logo important?
The logo is one of the important elements of any website. We mentioned it is one of the first things people see, so you should take advantage of that fact. Here are a few reasons why your logo is important:
- It makes your brand recognizable. You can surely recognize popular brands if you see their logo. This is valid not only for branded goods, but also for online platforms such as social media or video sharing portals, for example. Whether you have an online store and sell physical products, or your personal/business project is only online, having a logo will help your visitors to recognize your brand with ease.

- It makes you stand out from competitors. Having a unique logo will make your website stand out from the competition. There are lots of websites out there, and if people have come across your site in the past, they will quickly recognize it when they see your logo. A visually appealing logo can also make them visit your site for the first time if it is listed among other sites (search engine results, web directories, etc.) with more generic logos.
- It helps people navigate your website. The logo is usually a link to the home page, so if you have a lot of pages and people get lost, or they come across the site using a search engine and land on an internal page, they can simply click on your logo to start over. People are used to clicking on the logo for that.
- It will represent your brand. In this article, we focus on the logo you will add on your website, but logos are often used in email signatures, business cards and other print materials. If you add your logo on different materials, it will represent your brand name both online and offline.
A favicon is the small icon that appears in next to the site name in your web browser. It is usually a smaller version of your logo. The favicon appears in search engine results and in browser bookmarks, so if you want to get more brand exposure, you should make sure that you have both a logo and a favicon.
How to come up with a logo…
- Brainstorm. Unless you already have an idea what type of logo you want, this is the first thing you should do. Write down any idea that comes to mind, no matter how bad it may look at first. Think what your logo should represent. Give yourself time after your first brainstorming session and then look at your ideas again, or collect new ideas. Make sure that you are not distracted while you brainstorm.
- Look for inspiration. Look at the things around you or have a walk. Now that you have something to think about, you will notice different aspects of the environment. Some color, shape or font you see can give you an idea about the look of your logo. You may find some ideas in the most surprising places.
- Get others involved. You can ask friends or colleagues to give you some ideas. They will have a different point of view, which can be useful if you cannot choose the logo yourself. This way, you can find out what people expect to see when they hear your brand name.

- Check the competition. You should have an idea of what logos your competitors use. Are they only graphics or do they contain text as well? While there isn’t a standard about the way logos should be designed, you may notice that most logos in the industry share something in common. It is up to you whether you will try to fit in or you will design a logo that is substantially different.
- Choose a style. If you already have a rough idea what the logo should look like, you should consider what style it will have - classic, retro or modern. Based on your preference, you will have to start thinking about the specific elements of the logo. The style is important as it will give your visitors a message. A classic one will show them you are trustworthy; a vintage logo will tell them you value history; a modern one will show them you like innovations. Alternatively, you can take a different course and use something that is more fun, depending on the nature of your brand and website.
… and how to design one?
- Pick the right colors. They should fit well with the colors of your website. Unless your brand needs it, do not use lots of colors. If the logo is too colorful and the colors do not match well, it may look unprofessional and people may not take it seriously.
- Choose the size. You probably have an idea what size you need for the website, but you will probably use the logo elsewhere as well, so make sure that you have a good default size that will fit on different materials. If the logo is very detailed, it may need to be larger for its elements to be visible.
- Do not fall for cliches. While some industries may require that you include certain elements, try to stay away from cliches. Otherwise, you risk to create a generic logo that won’t stand out among the logos of your competitors. People may even mistake one for another if they are too similar. Should you always add a key if you are a locksmith, or a tooth if you are a dentist? Not necessarily.
- Make it simple. If you add too many elements, it may be difficult for people to grasp it. A simple logo with clean design can convey a message better than a logo with lots of generic elements.
- Do not be too trendy. Trends are good, but they don’t last. You can think of something trendy for an ad campaign or for the design of a new product, but when it comes to your logo, you should be more conservative. Of course, this does not mean to use an old-fashioned logo, but if you follow the trends too much, your logo may look quite outdated even in less than a year. Companies do update their logos, but they do it over a period of several years, even more, and only if a new trend in graphics has been widely adopted and is no longer just a trend.

- Get it in high quality. If the logo you created looks good on your monitor, it doesn’t mean this will be the case with other people as well. High-definition monitors or retina mobile displays may reveal that your logo is actually blurry and with low quality. Such a thing can leave a bad impression. Even if you have to pay for a high-quality logo, any amount you pay will definitely pay off in the future. This is why, you should not hesitate, especially if you will save only a few dollars.
- Create light and dark versions. If visitors can enable dark mode on your website, you should have a matching logo, which will probably have to use slightly different colors. Even if the site doesn’t have a dark mode, some web browsers display all websites in dark mode if such a setting is enabled by the user.
Now that you have a logo, here are
A few tips you should have in mind:
- Align it to the left. This is where people are used to look for a logo. Some people add it in the center of their website header, but this is something you should try to avoid. If the logo is in the center, it may get lost among menu items, or it may even be cut off on some devices if the site is not optimized for mobile view. If you open almost any popular website, you will notice the logo is aligned on the left. Of course, a centered logo works great for some websites, but this is rather an exception.
- Link it to your homepage. While this isn’t a standard, almost all websites link their logo to the homepage. People are so used to clicking on the logo to start over that they will find it odd if you do not follow the same convention and may even get frustrated about the difficult navigation.

- Use a PNG image with transparent background. A professional logo fits well on a website and does not overlap with other elements. It should not have any background unless it is added on purpose as a part of the logo. The advantage of having a transparent background is that it will look good on different colors, so you will not have to worry if the background matches the rest of the site colors.
- Do not cut it off. The logo should fit in the site header without any modifications after you upload it. If it is not resized automatically by the application you use, you may consider creating a smaller version. If the logo gets cut off by the website margins, it will look really unprofessional.
- Use a custom file name. This is a very small perk that can actually help your search engine optimization. While some applications may look for a logo.png file, naming the image properly can make it appear in search engine results for images. For better results, or if you decide to go with logo.png, you should not forget to update the image Alt text either. This is the text that will appear instead of the image if the latter cannot be loaded for some reason.
Creating a logo with ICDSoft
If you need a logo, you can hire a professional designer or look for a freelancer on some online platform. You can also give it a try and create the logo yourself, saving some money. We offer a Logo Maker for free, which is available in the Administrative panel that you can use to manage the services you have with us. Note that you can open an account for free, so even if you don’t have any service with us, you can still sign up within seconds and start using the Logo Maker.

The tool comes with lots of elements that you can choose from. There are hundreds of objects and icons, even automatically generated logos that you can fully customize. For better control, you can divide the elements into different layers and choose the letter spacing and the colors. Download the newly created logo for free with a click, or at a very affordable price if you want a high-definition image. With the latter option, you will receive a PNG file with transparent background, a JPG file for general use, as well as fully scalable vector files in PDF, EPS, and SVG formats that you can use if you want to print the logo on different materials (business cards, cups, print materials, etc.).


How to add the logo to your website?
If you don’t have much experience building websites, you can still add a logo with ease. Most applications have a point-and-click interface to do that, so you just have to find the option you need. This is valid for content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and any other popular software you can use on your hosting account. Here are the steps for a few applications we offer with our App Installer:

- Our Website builder. Go to Settings -> Logo and Website Title, and you can upload your image file. You can choose if you want the site name to appear along with the logo, or to center the logo if this option will be more suitable for the site.
- Drupal. Go to Appearance -> Settings -> Logo image, and uncheck the “Use the logo supplied by the theme” option. You can then add your own logo.
- WordPress. In general, you can go to Appearance -> Customize -> Site Identity in the WordPress dashboard, but some themes have a dedicated Logo section where you can add different versions of the logo – standard or small size, retina display logo, etc. You may even be able to set the logo as a favicon by selecting a checkbox if you don’t have a different favicon for the site.


- Joomla. Go to System -> Site Template Styles, click on the theme you use, and you can edit the logo and other header options.
If you use a different application, just check its options. If you write the code yourself or you use a more advanced framework, most probably you don’t need a tutorial how to add an image manually.
In conclusion
Your website logo is too important to neglect it or worse – to skip adding it at all. It is one of the first things that people will see when they open your site, so you should choose it carefully. Is it simple enough? Does it tell who you are? Does it set you apart from your competitors?
Planning is important as you should come up with a logo that you will not have to change for at least a couple of years. Ask friends and colleagues for ideas, do some brainstorming and check out the competition. When you have an idea what style the logo will have, consider the colors, fonts, and the overall design – will it have any graphic elements or just text; will it be modern or classic?
Once you have the logo, add it to your website. Position it in the most appropriate position and do not forget to check if it looks good on different resolutions. Link it to your home page and make sure it is SEO-friendly. Most platforms will allow you to add a logo with ease, including our Website builder and the popular WordPress.
