Your company’s name and logo help consumers form their first impression of your business. New companies often invest a lot of time and effort into developing these branding assets to ensure they properly tell their story.

Because your company’s name and logo will appear just about everywhere in connection with your brand, it’s important to get them both right. Below, 12 members of Forbes Communications Council share their tips for creating a company name and logo that best suits your brand. Follow their advice if you’re looking for inspiration for your budding business.

1. Start With Your Business Plan

Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of working on (and wasting lots of time on) the logo and branding first, which just delays the “real work” of planning the new business. If you create the business plan first and really develop your vision and product-market fit, then the logo and branding fall into place much more easily. - John Leo Weber, ProjectManager.com

2. Make It Meaningful

Make sure the elements you use are meaningful to you and your business. That may mean you use founders’ names, a symbol representing what your solution does or something that shows others how you want customers to feel. Whatever you choose, be sure you can clearly articulate the meaning behind the symbols and use your story to increase people’s interest. - Holly Chessman, GlowTouch Technologies

3. Understand Your Audience And What They Care About

Your name, logo, colors or a splashy tagline are not your brand. Your brand is what people think and feel about your company when they see or hear about you. To create an authentic brand, understand who your target audience is and why you are important to them. Craft a mission, identity and story around serving a purpose. Once you do that, it will be much easier to choose a logo or name that fits. - Charlie Terenzio, Revcontent

4. Be Strategic Above All Else

It should be a combined strategic and creative endeavor. Outline all of the strategic underpinnings: the do’s and don’ts. After creative development, filter options through the objective lens by asking, “Does this meet our strategic criteria?” Only then analyze finalists by subjective like/dislike. Finally, ask outsiders to read your name out loud or spell it when you speak it. - Ellen Sluder, RingBoost

5. Don’t Overthink It

The right name and logo can impact a company’s success. But both are far less important than the quality of the company’s product or service. It is valuable to come up with a relevant and memorable company name and a sharp logo. But it’s easy to get caught up in endless iterations on both. Come up with a few ideas/designs, review them and pick what works best. Don’t overthink it. - Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC

6. Keep It Simple

With so many distractions in this world, a simple, straightforward name and logo are most effective. If you print T-shirts or offer IT services, make that part of your name and logo. Keeping it simple and straightforward will have additional benefits as you grow your brand everywhere, including online with organic SEO, when others use your name, when you have limited space in a brochure and more. - Terra Teat, JLab Audio

7. Draw Inspiration From Your Favorite Brands

All art is inspired. The same goes for branding. Take a look at some of the things that make your favorite brands popular. How does their name/logo bring their brand story to life? Have they incorporated colors that evoke a specific emotion? Is their logo simple or detailed? Exploring these answers will help you discover what you want for your brand. - Antoine Bonicalzi, Cyberimpact

8. Think About What Will Appeal Most To Customers

The biggest mistake we see clients making is designing a logo prematurely. Before you develop your branding you need to know and understand your audience. Designing a beautiful logo is important, but if your branding doesn’t resonate with your customers or they don’t find it memorable, then that logo becomes obsolete. Fonts and colors are design elements that attract customers or create aversion. - Amelia Castellanos, Grass Monkey

9. Express Your Values

We all yearn for human emotion, to be included, to be seen and to be heard. In our world, now more than ever, the purpose has to be genuine and real. When a brand stands for something, you create an emotional connection to the potential buyers and begin to create fans. This world is less and less genuine, so just be real and genuine in your interactions. A logo means nothing behind a purpose. - James Gilbert, CloudCherry

10. Tell A Holistic Story

Your brand should tell a holistic story. Invest the time to reflect and understand your business, your vision and what kind of feeling you want your brand to elicit. So, create a company name, logo or any external-facing asset that can tell that same and consistent brand story for you, whether it acts as a standalone or a part of your brand aggregation. - Anna Lee, CultureIQ

11. Outsource It

We went to 99Designs.com to source our rebranding and loved the experience. You provide a brief of your company and some general specifications, and freelance designers submit their ideas. From there we brought our clients and employees into the fold and ran a quick poll to select the favorite. Just make sure to consider your competition’s color scheme so you don’t blend in too much. - Allen Bredeson, SERVICE 800

12. Don’t Settle

My team recently went through a rebranding effort for a legacy product that is being enhanced and relaunched. We found it most important to honor the legacy product while staying true to the new direction. We went through over 30 iterations of possible logos until we landed on one that captured the brand and product successfully. The process was grueling, but the end result represents our brand. - Gabriella Sophia Doucas, Elutions

Your company’s name and logo help consumers form their first impression of your business. New companies often invest a lot of time and effort into developing these branding assets to ensure they properly tell their story.

Because your company’s name and logo will appear just about everywhere in connection with your brand, it’s important to get them both right. Below, 12 members of Forbes Communications Council share their tips for creating a company name and logo that best suits your brand. Follow their advice if you’re looking for inspiration for your budding business.

1. Start With Your Business Plan

Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of working on (and wasting lots of time on) the logo and branding first, which just delays the “real work” of planning the new business. If you create the business plan first and really develop your vision and product-market fit, then the logo and branding fall into place much more easily. - John Leo Weber, ProjectManager.com

2. Make It Meaningful

Make sure the elements you use are meaningful to you and your business. That may mean you use founders’ names, a symbol representing what your solution does or something that shows others how you want customers to feel. Whatever you choose, be sure you can clearly articulate the meaning behind the symbols and use your story to increase people’s interest. - Holly Chessman, GlowTouch Technologies

3. Understand Your Audience And What They Care About

Your name, logo, colors or a splashy tagline are not your brand. Your brand is what people think and feel about your company when they see or hear about you. To create an authentic brand, understand who your target audience is and why you are important to them. Craft a mission, identity and story around serving a purpose. Once you do that, it will be much easier to choose a logo or name that fits. - Charlie Terenzio, Revcontent

4. Be Strategic Above All Else

It should be a combined strategic and creative endeavor. Outline all of the strategic underpinnings: the do’s and don’ts. After creative development, filter options through the objective lens by asking, “Does this meet our strategic criteria?” Only then analyze finalists by subjective like/dislike. Finally, ask outsiders to read your name out loud or spell it when you speak it. - Ellen Sluder, RingBoost

5. Don’t Overthink It

The right name and logo can impact a company’s success. But both are far less important than the quality of the company’s product or service. It is valuable to come up with a relevant and memorable company name and a sharp logo. But it’s easy to get caught up in endless iterations on both. Come up with a few ideas/designs, review them and pick what works best. Don’t overthink it. - Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC

6. Keep It Simple

With so many distractions in this world, a simple, straightforward name and logo are most effective. If you print T-shirts or offer IT services, make that part of your name and logo. Keeping it simple and straightforward will have additional benefits as you grow your brand everywhere, including online with organic SEO, when others use your name, when you have limited space in a brochure and more. - Terra Teat, JLab Audio

7. Draw Inspiration From Your Favorite Brands

All art is inspired. The same goes for branding. Take a look at some of the things that make your favorite brands popular. How does their name/logo bring their brand story to life? Have they incorporated colors that evoke a specific emotion? Is their logo simple or detailed? Exploring these answers will help you discover what you want for your brand. - Antoine Bonicalzi, Cyberimpact

8. Think About What Will Appeal Most To Customers

The biggest mistake we see clients making is designing a logo prematurely. Before you develop your branding you need to know and understand your audience. Designing a beautiful logo is important, but if your branding doesn’t resonate with your customers or they don’t find it memorable, then that logo becomes obsolete. Fonts and colors are design elements that attract customers or create aversion. - Amelia Castellanos, Grass Monkey

9. Express Your Values

We all yearn for human emotion, to be included, to be seen and to be heard. In our world, now more than ever, the purpose has to be genuine and real. When a brand stands for something, you create an emotional connection to the potential buyers and begin to create fans. This world is less and less genuine, so just be real and genuine in your interactions. A logo means nothing behind a purpose. - James Gilbert, CloudCherry

10. Tell A Holistic Story

Your brand should tell a holistic story. Invest the time to reflect and understand your business, your vision and what kind of feeling you want your brand to elicit. So, create a company name, logo or any external-facing asset that can tell that same and consistent brand story for you, whether it acts as a standalone or a part of your brand aggregation. - Anna Lee, CultureIQ

11. Outsource It

We went to 99Designs.com to source our rebranding and loved the experience. You provide a brief of your company and some general specifications, and freelance designers submit their ideas. From there we brought our clients and employees into the fold and ran a quick poll to select the favorite. Just make sure to consider your competition’s color scheme so you don’t blend in too much. - Allen Bredeson, SERVICE 800

12. Don’t Settle

My team recently went through a rebranding effort for a legacy product that is being enhanced and relaunched. We found it most important to honor the legacy product while staying true to the new direction. We went through over 30 iterations of possible logos until we landed on one that captured the brand and product successfully. The process was grueling, but the end result represents our brand. - Gabriella Sophia Doucas, Elutions


Your company’s name and logo help consumers form their first impression of your business. New companies often invest a lot of time and effort into developing these branding assets to ensure they properly tell their story.

Because your company’s name and logo will appear just about everywhere in connection with your brand, it’s important to get them both right. Below, 12 members of Forbes Communications Council share their tips for creating a company name and logo that best suits your brand. Follow their advice if you’re looking for inspiration for your budding business.

1. Start With Your Business Plan

Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of working on (and wasting lots of time on) the logo and branding first, which just delays the “real work” of planning the new business. If you create the business plan first and really develop your vision and product-market fit, then the logo and branding fall into place much more easily. - John Leo Weber, ProjectManager.com

2. Make It Meaningful

Make sure the elements you use are meaningful to you and your business. That may mean you use founders’ names, a symbol representing what your solution does or something that shows others how you want customers to feel. Whatever you choose, be sure you can clearly articulate the meaning behind the symbols and use your story to increase people’s interest. - Holly Chessman, GlowTouch Technologies

3. Understand Your Audience And What They Care About

Your name, logo, colors or a splashy tagline are not your brand. Your brand is what people think and feel about your company when they see or hear about you. To create an authentic brand, understand who your target audience is and why you are important to them. Craft a mission, identity and story around serving a purpose. Once you do that, it will be much easier to choose a logo or name that fits. - Charlie Terenzio, Revcontent

4. Be Strategic Above All Else

It should be a combined strategic and creative endeavor. Outline all of the strategic underpinnings: the do’s and don’ts. After creative development, filter options through the objective lens by asking, “Does this meet our strategic criteria?” Only then analyze finalists by subjective like/dislike. Finally, ask outsiders to read your name out loud or spell it when you speak it. - Ellen Sluder, RingBoost

5. Don’t Overthink It

The right name and logo can impact a company’s success. But both are far less important than the quality of the company’s product or service. It is valuable to come up with a relevant and memorable company name and a sharp logo. But it’s easy to get caught up in endless iterations on both. Come up with a few ideas/designs, review them and pick what works best. Don’t overthink it. - Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC

6. Keep It Simple

With so many distractions in this world, a simple, straightforward name and logo are most effective. If you print T-shirts or offer IT services, make that part of your name and logo. Keeping it simple and straightforward will have additional benefits as you grow your brand everywhere, including online with organic SEO, when others use your name, when you have limited space in a brochure and more. - Terra Teat, JLab Audio

7. Draw Inspiration From Your Favorite Brands

All art is inspired. The same goes for branding. Take a look at some of the things that make your favorite brands popular. How does their name/logo bring their brand story to life? Have they incorporated colors that evoke a specific emotion? Is their logo simple or detailed? Exploring these answers will help you discover what you want for your brand. - Antoine Bonicalzi, Cyberimpact

8. Think About What Will Appeal Most To Customers

The biggest mistake we see clients making is designing a logo prematurely. Before you develop your branding you need to know and understand your audience. Designing a beautiful logo is important, but if your branding doesn’t resonate with your customers or they don’t find it memorable, then that logo becomes obsolete. Fonts and colors are design elements that attract customers or create aversion. - Amelia Castellanos, Grass Monkey

9. Express Your Values

We all yearn for human emotion, to be included, to be seen and to be heard. In our world, now more than ever, the purpose has to be genuine and real. When a brand stands for something, you create an emotional connection to the potential buyers and begin to create fans. This world is less and less genuine, so just be real and genuine in your interactions. A logo means nothing behind a purpose. - James Gilbert, CloudCherry

10. Tell A Holistic Story

Your brand should tell a holistic story. Invest the time to reflect and understand your business, your vision and what kind of feeling you want your brand to elicit. So, create a company name, logo or any external-facing asset that can tell that same and consistent brand story for you, whether it acts as a standalone or a part of your brand aggregation. - Anna Lee, CultureIQ

11. Outsource It

We went to 99Designs.com to source our rebranding and loved the experience. You provide a brief of your company and some general specifications, and freelance designers submit their ideas. From there we brought our clients and employees into the fold and ran a quick poll to select the favorite. Just make sure to consider your competition’s color scheme so you don’t blend in too much. - Allen Bredeson, SERVICE 800

12. Don’t Settle

My team recently went through a rebranding effort for a legacy product that is being enhanced and relaunched. We found it most important to honor the legacy product while staying true to the new direction. We went through over 30 iterations of possible logos until we landed on one that captured the brand and product successfully. The process was grueling, but the end result represents our brand. - Gabriella Sophia Doucas, Elutions