Easy Guide: How to Create a Text Logo from Scratch

A text logo puts your business name at the centre of the design. Often called a wordmark, it uses lettering, spacing and proportion to create a recognisable identity. It can be a strong choice when your name is distinctive and you want customers to remember it.

The challenge is making a few letters work across very different places: a website header, a shopfront, a business card and a small email signature. Start with the name and the job the logo needs to do, then refine one decision at a time.

1. Write a short design brief

Before browsing fonts, write your business name exactly as it should appear. Check capitalisation, punctuation and whether a descriptor is essential. Add three words that describe the intended impression, such as calm, precise and welcoming.

Next, list your main customers and your first three uses for the logo. A long consultancy name in a website header presents a different problem from a short product name on a jar. This small brief helps you judge options by their usefulness instead of whichever font happens to catch your eye.

2. Explore a few contrasting directions

Set the same name in a small shortlist of typefaces. Try different proportions and structures: perhaps a sturdy serif, a simple sans serif and a more expressive option. Keep the colour and overall size consistent while comparing them.

Look at the actual letters in your name. Repeated round forms, narrow characters and unusual combinations can make a font feel different from its sample preview. Check that similar characters remain distinct. If someone misreads the name, decorative details may be getting in the way.

Our logo design gallery can help you think about direction and variety. Use examples to describe what you like, rather than copying another business’s lettering.

3. Check the font licence before committing

A downloadable font still comes with terms. Check the licence for your chosen font and intended commercial use, including whether colleagues, printers or future designers will need their own access.

For fonts added through Adobe Fonts, Adobe’s licensing FAQ permits commercial artwork and modifications to outlined lettering. It also distinguishes finished graphics from direct access to font software: a client who needs to edit using the font requires their own licence. Other font sources can have different terms, so do not apply Adobe’s rules to every font on your computer.

Save the font name, source and licence record alongside the project. Resolving this early is easier than changing the lettering after packaging and signage have been ordered.

4. Refine spacing and proportions

Automatic spacing is a starting point. Examine the gaps between individual letters and ask whether the word feels balanced. A diagonal beside a round character may need a different adjustment from two straight-sided letters.

Compare your changes at the size customers will actually see. Avoid stretching the word horizontally just to fill a space; try a more suitable typeface, a different weight or a revised arrangement first. Keep copies of each promising version so you can compare calmly rather than repeatedly undoing changes.

If you add a small custom feature, make sure it earns its place. A distinctive cut or joined letter should preserve readability. Too many special treatments can compete with the name.

5. Make the black-and-white version work

Review the logo in a single dark colour on a light background, then reversed on a dark background. This separates the quality of the lettering from the appeal of a colour palette.

Check whether thin strokes disappear or tight spaces close up. Print the design at business-card size and view it on your phone. You may decide that a tagline should be optional at small sizes. A simple wordmark with clear supporting rules is more useful than one elaborate version that only works when displayed large.

6. Test real layouts

Place the strongest option into rough layouts for your first uses. Use realistic dimensions instead of judging only a large, centred mock-up. Leave enough clear space around the logo and compare how it sits beside photographs, headings and contact details.

For an email signature, keep the business name and essential contact information readable even when images are hidden. Our guide to adding a logo to an email signature covers the next step, and email signature design can help carry the identity into everyday messages.

7. Prepare a useful file handover

Keep an editable master and prepare exports for specific uses. SVG is an open format that supports vector shapes as well as text and embedded images, as explained by the W3C SVG overview. A properly prepared vector wordmark can scale cleanly; placing a low-resolution bitmap inside an SVG does not recreate its missing detail.

Ask your printer which production file they require. Prepare transparent PNG copies for tools that need raster images, at suitable sizes for their placement. Name files clearly by colour, background and purpose. Open the exported files yourself to check that nothing has shifted or been cropped.

Frequently asked questions

Does a text logo need a symbol?

No. Start by deciding whether the name alone meets your needs. A compact secondary mark can be explored later if a small square profile image is difficult to fill with the full name.

Should I use more than one font?

You can, but give each typeface a clear role. A descriptor may benefit from quieter supporting lettering. Check that the combination still feels like one identity.

When should I ask a designer for help?

Get help when you need a more distinctive result, consistent variants or reliable production files. Compare our logo design packages and bring your shortlist, practical uses and feedback to the brief.