Creating a unique brand identity is important for any author, including self-published authors. Branding is the cornerstone of all marketing endeavors, a visual identity that becomes associated with a business—including, in our case, an author’s name. The idea behind creating an author logo is to have a unique thumbnail image that becomes a recognizable connection to your author brand.
In the vast sea of published authors, your objective is to stand out from the crowd. A well-crafted author logo design can help you do just that. By incorporating your logo into all your social media platforms, your blogs, and your website, you are defining yourself as not just an author but as a brand. The logo tells the world that you are serious about your work and that you approach it professionally.
The great news is that creating an attractive author logo is not dependent on having any graphic design skills. There are plenty of author logo creator programs and services available to assist you in designing an eye-catching image that will epitomize your brand.
Why Do Authors Use Logos?
Authors are always looking for effective marketing strategies to help them sell books. Writing the book is only half the job, with marketing taking up the balance of your efforts. Without a cohesive marketing strategy, your book will likely languish amid the millions of titles available at online booksellers, and no author wants that.
Making good use of a cleverly designed author logo can provide a consistent visual to your marketing efforts. When someone catches sight of a memorable author logo and spots it in various locations, it creates a sense of credibility. The author is viewed as a professional, someone who approaches their authorship as a serious business undertaking.
As a natural outcome of this perceived credibility, an author logo can help drive sales. The logo becomes like a calling card, beckoning the prospective reader to go check out your books. For authors who embark on a book series, a logo is an invaluable tool for linking the series, and the author, in the customer’s mind.
There are many ways to utilize your author logo, each of which helps build a strong, recognizable visual association with your books. Some of these include:
- Using the logo on your book cover or book jacket.
- Including the logo on your business card, letterhead, and any hard-copy marketing collateral.
- Using the logo on promotional gift items when launching your book, such as caps, t-shirts, or mugs.
- Using the logo as your website “badge,” the small image attached to your posts and pages.
- Incorporating the author logo into your Facebook author page, as well as all your social media platforms.
The goal is to create a uniform visual connection that runs as a common thread throughout your marketing efforts.
Author Logo Design Crash Course: How to Craft a Memorable Logo
Do not be intimidated by the prospect of designing your own author logo! The process is quite simple by accessing online software tools that do the legwork for you. The first steps toward creating your unique author logo include:
1. Deciding on the type of logo. Consider the different types of author logos, such as a lettermark logo, a wordmark logo, a combination of the two, or an emblem logo.
a. Lettermark logo. This utilizes your initials to create a simple logo with or without an image in the background.
b. Wordmark logo. This logo style provides more space for creative fonts and your full name.
c. Combination mark. This combines both a graphic element and your name.
d. Emblem logo. This adds a catchphrase or slogan to the combination logo.
2. Selecting your color palette. Use color to convey your brand’s genre or your personality. Select two or three complementary colors for a clean, simple design. Pastel tones are great for romance fiction, crisp primary colors for nonfiction, deep shades for mysteries and thrillers, and fun, sparkly tones for the young adult genre.
3. Selecting a graphic. Consider an author-related theme for your graphic element, such as a quill pen, books, or ink pen, or select a fun graphic that is related to your specific genre.
Author Logo Ideas for Inspiration
The logo for Gatekeeper Press tells a simple story: they value their clients as they would family members.
This author logo depicts a novelist by its use of a soft color palette and elegant font.
This logo is true to its genre, with a bold, intense style.
This is an example of a customizable author logo available on Etsy, whimsical and catchy.
This author logo is an “emblem” style, which incorporates a slogan into the design.
Now that you have collected the primary elements to be used in your author logo design and viewed these excellent examples, you are ready to connect with a resource to help you bring your logo to fruition.
5 Author Logo Creator Options
Here are some dependable resources for logo design support:
1. Adobe Spark. From the Adobe product line, Adobe Spark provides a template specifically for creating logos.
2. Canva. A resource for an array of graphics, including for author logo design.
3. BrandCrowd. A logo maker software tool that provides a wide array of predesigned templates.
4. Upwork. A platform that allows you to hire a freelance graphic designer to create your logo for you.
5. Etsy. Search “author logo” and find myriad logo designers that provide editable templates at a nominal cost.
Fine-Tune Your Manuscript for Self-Publishing
If there is one thing a self-published author learns early on, it’s the value of accessing expert guidance on your journey to publication. Gatekeeper Press is a full-spectrum publishing service that provides editing, proofreading, and cover design services to help perfect your book project and prepare it for publication. Call Gatekeeper Press today!
