Listen, if you’re going to go through the crazy effort of starting and running your own business, you need to invest in a decent logo.
With that said, I get it. When you first start out, you’ve got no cash to spare. You’re going to be doing pretty much everything yourself.
Honestly, learning as you go is half the fun of being an entrepreneur. It just feels so darn good to accomplish so much on your own. Especially when you have so many haters who try to convince you that you’re doomed to fail.
As my business and revenue grew, I eventually invested my hard-earned cash into getting a proper logo designed by a professional graphic designer. That’s the logo you see at the top of this page.
Nothing fancy, but still much better than what I had made.
Are you ready to see what I designed when I started RapidWebLaunch?
Aw yaaaahhhhhh. Pretty sexy right?
It ain’t pretty, but it did the job for a first-time entrepreneur on a tight budget. Thankfully, today’s free logo makers have significantly improved.
Here are the top 8 free (or nearly free) logo designers I recommend:
Squarespace Logo Maker
Squarespace’s logo maker is one of my favorites. (I wish I could say the same about their web design platform…) It’s so dead simple to use, and offers a lot of modern, minimal designs to choose from.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have a Squarespace account, you may have to pay to download the high res version. I believe it’s about $20.
Try Squarespace Logo Maker
Logo Garden
Logo Garden is the logo maker that I used to create that wonderful, original RapidWebLaunch logo you saw up top. It’s improved a lot since then, so don’t shy away from it just because my graphic design skills were lacking.
Try Logo Garden
LogoMakr
I dug LogoMakr quite a lot. It’s a no-baloney logo creator that puts minimalist design at the forefront.
Try LogoMakr
Free Logo Design
Free Logo Design is pretty good, but it can also be a bit glitchy. I ran into a few snags when playing around with it.
Try Free Logo Design
Looka
Looka is different from the rest. It claims to use an “artificial intelligence” program that asks you a few questions, makes some fancy calculations, and designs the logo on your behalf.
Personally, I’m a bit too controlling to allow some marketing gimmick to design my brand for me. But feel free to give it a try for yourself. Let me know what you think!
Try Looka
UCraft Logo Maker
If you’re technologically averse, UCraft Logo Maker may be just the free logo designer you need. For me, it’s actually too simple. I like to have a few advanced options to work with.
Try UCraft Logo Maker
Canva
I love Canva. Deeply. I use it to design almost everything. The only time I don’t use Canva is when I hire a professional graphic designer.
Their logo options will meet the needs of 80% of small business owners. But, you may need to have the paid version to take full advantage of it.
Trust me, Canva is worth the investment.
Try Canva
Adobe Spark
Honestly, this one is my least favorite option. Adobe Spark is too confusing, too basic, and just not user friendly.
But, it’s still free. Which is why I feel obligated to include it in this list. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel differently about it!
Try Adobe Spark
Some other online logo designers that don’t have a free option
These online logo creators don’t have a free option, but they’re good enough to be worthy of a mention here.
Graphic Springs
I love the look and feel of Graphic Springs, and the automatic previews of your logo on various products is a nice touch.
Try Graphic Springs
Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelancing website. You can hire freelancers for pretty much any digital work you can think of, starting at just $5.
Beware, though. Any half decent freelancer isn’t going to offer their logo designing skills for a measly $5. You get what you pay for.
Try Fiverr
Upwork
I have a love/hate relationship with Upwork. It’s another freelancing website, arguably #1 in the world. I’ve had amazing experiences with very talented freelancers, and some downright awful experiences with ones who were borderline fraudulent.
Do your research. Look at a freelancer’s feedback, portfolio, and experience. Read their reviews to see what kind of work they’ve done, and whether it fits with what you need to accomplish.
Try Upwork
DesignContest
DesignContest is similar to other freelancing sites (like UpWork) but with a couple of key differences.
Instead of inviting freelancers to apply for the opportunity to design a logo for your business, DesignContest turns it into a… well, contest.
Here’s how it works:
- Describe the kind of logo you want
- Set a budget
- Receive dozens of logo designs from many different designers
- Choose the one you like best
I’ve used something similar to DesignContest in my past business, and it is a great way to get a gorgeous logo designed at an affordable price.
Just keep in mind that this is definitely a premium option. The minimum budget is about $350.
Try DesignContest
The takeaway
Any one of these 8 free online logo makers (or 4 paid) would serve you just fine. That said, if you have the cash to spare, consider investing in a decent graphic designer to create your logo for you.
Your logo is the essence of your entire brand. Make sure you leave a memorable impression that keeps people coming back to see you.
