"I need a logo" is one of the most common requests a designer in Ghana hears. It comes from a new pharmacy in Bolgatanga, a youth fellowship, a rice farmers' association, a fashion designer starting on Instagram. Branding work is valuable because businesses keep using it for years, and adverts for designers regularly mention logos, brand materials and brand guidelines.
A brand is more than a logo
A brand is the impression people have of a business: what they remember, what they expect and whether they trust it. Design supports that impression through a visual identity, which usually includes:
- A logo that people can recognise quickly.
- Colours used the same way every time.
- Fonts for headings and body text.
- A photo and graphic style, such as bright and playful or calm and formal.
- A tone of voice, meaning how the business sounds in its words.
When these are used consistently across a signboard, a WhatsApp Status, a receipt and a delivery bag, customers recognise the business instantly. When every flyer looks different, the business feels unreliable, even if its products are good.
What this section covers
- Logo design. How to go from questions and sketches to a simple vector logo that works at any size, in colour and in black and white. This is where a laptop helps most, and we will show you a phone route too.