Want to know how you can create a memorable coaching logo for your business? 

You’ve come to the right place.

Maybe you’ve been told you need a logo, but you fall into one (or several) of these categories:

• You’re not a designer
• You don’t know WHY logos are important 
• You don’t have a huge budget

Sound like you? 

If so, keep reading… We’re going to get into all of these topics in a minute. 

Let’s get started!

Why do you need a logo? 

First things first: 

What is a logo, anyway?

A logo is a business’s symbol. So, it can be made up of text, images, shapes, or a mix of all three. 

Basically, it’s the “face” of your company that you want people to remember. In fact, the more memorable it is, the better because that increases brand loyalty.

Let’s look at some examples…

What do you think of when you see the Apple logo? Or the Nike swoosh? Or the Instagram icon? 

Chances are, you immediately connect these logos to each company – and what each of these companies does.

THAT is why businesses use logos: to stand out from the competition by creating a specific look and feel that shows consumers what they’re all about. 

And when a company stands out, they sell more.

Here are a few key stats to know:

• Having a signature color can increase brand recognition by 80%
• 68% of businesses say brand consistency has helped them increase their revenue by at least 10%
• 95% of the most successful brands only use 1-2 colors in their logos 

(In other words? Simplicity matters. You don’t need to have a wild logo to set your business apart.)

Okay, up next: Let’s look at the characteristics of memorable logos. 

What makes a good logo? 

Now that we’ve gone over what a logo is and why it matters, let’s talk about what makes a logo stand out.

Why do some logos stick? 

Think about the logos you see every day and instantly recognize, like Apple, the Nike swoosh, and others we talked about earlier.

Ever wonder what makes these logos stick in your head?

Well… there’s actually a science behind logos and what makes certain logos more effective than others. There are also important meanings behind the shapes and colors used in logos. 

For example, here are some associations people make when looking at logos:

• Circular: wholeness and security
• Square: stability and symmetry
• Triangular: creativity and inventiveness
• Blue: trust, security, strength
• Green: relaxation, freshness, prosperity
• Red: passion, excitement, energy

So, when you’re thinking about creating a logo, think: What emotions do I want to convey? What fits my coaching business best? 

Also, there are two different types of logos to know about: descriptive and abstract. 

According to research, people trust brands that have descriptive logos more than those that have abstract logos. 

With that said… both types of logos have their place, and we’re going to talk about that more in a second.

But first, a few examples of descriptive logos include Burger King, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut. 

In other words, people can look at these logos and INSTANTLY know what the company offers thanks to their logo.

And what about abstract logos? 

A lot of successful companies have them, like MasterCard, Spotify, and Airbnb. 

So… What kind of logo is right for your business? How can you decide? That’s what we’re going to talk about next.

When to use abstract vs. descriptive logos

Listen: Both descriptive and abstract logos can be effective.

If you’re having trouble finding a single recognizable graphic that captures the essence of your coaching business, having an abstract logo CAN be a great option. 

For example, even though McDonald’s golden arches are abstract, they’re incredibly recognizable and everyone knows what they stand for. 

But… McDonald’s is also world-famous.

If you’re just starting out and want people to know exactly what you do, having a descriptive logo is a better option. 

Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong way to go about choosing what type of logo and colors you want to use. 

It comes down to what you want people to think and feel when they’re exposed to your business.

But here’s a quick story to show the importance of details… 

Way back when, Google’s former VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra, got a call from Steve Jobs. 

It was a Sunday, and Gundotra was in church.

But when he returned the call, Jobs said, “Vic, we have an urgent issue… I’ve already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow. 

I’ve been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I’m not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn’t have the right yellow gradient. I’m going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

Gundotra recalls:

“It was a lesson I’ll never forget… CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.”

And it’s true. I remember that it took over 10 iterations to get my logo’s font just right. Because ultimately? Details DO matter. 

How do you create your own logo? 

Okay, now for the fun part… Actually creating your logo. Here’s the three-step process I follow:

Primary feeling

When I want to come up with a new logo, here’s the first thing I ask myself:

“What’s the primary feeling I want to communicate with this logo?”

Here’s a quick example: One of my courses, Content Cornucopia, is all about creating endless quantities of profitable content WITHOUT investing a ton of time or effort. 

So, when I was dreaming up a good logo for this course, I thought about what feeling I wanted to communicate. 

And in a word? 

That feeling was abundance.

I wanted people to think of how my course would help them create abundance in their content strategy… But also abundance in other areas too, like their finances.

Research your idea

Once I’ve found what feeling I want to convey, I do some research to find images that align with that feeling.

Images can come from all kinds of places. 

Sometimes, just Googling helps me out with this step… And other times, I get an idea from my own background.

In the case of Content Cornucopia, it was the latter… 

When I was a kid, I loved ancient mythology, so that memory made me think of the “horn of plenty” as the perfect image to convey abundance. 

Get a designer to help you 

If you’re just getting started and trying to create your first coaching logo, don’t worry about hiring a designer… That money and energy would be better spent getting clients and increasing your revenue. 

And once you have more business income coming in, THEN you can hire a pro. 

But in the meantime, there are tools you can use to make a decent logo yourself (and I’ll talk about those in a second). 

Okay, back to the final step of my three-step process, which is sharing my ideas with my designer… 

Ultimately, my designer is the one who takes my ideas and tweaks them based on her own vision and expertise. 

Typically, we’ll go through a few different versions before I can say, “THIS conveys what I want my course to convey and feel like.”

And that’s when I know it’s done. 

Okay, up next: We’ll look at some great tools you can use if you don’t have a designer to help you.

The best tools to create your logo

So, you want to create a professional-looking logo, but… You’re not sure where to start. In that case, here are some tools to check out.

Canva

On Canva, you can browse and alter ready-made logos or start from scratch – no prior design experience needed.

Whether you have an idea of what you’re looking for or no clue, Canva can help. It’s also really intuitive to use, which is a plus.

Looka

Looka is an AI-generated logo maker that lets you create a logo in minutes. You can choose your industry, browse colors, styles, and fonts, and select a few pre-made logos to let Looka know what you like. 

Looka will then create different logo options based on your preferences, and you can tweak the results. Also, you only pay for your logo if you’re happy with it, so you don’t have much to lose!

Upwork

If you’ve been staring at a blank page for way too long or just feel out of your depth designing your own logo, getting some outside help can be a great idea. 

On Upwork, you can post a job outlining what you need, set your budget, and have freelance designers contact you. Or, you can also search for freelancers and reach out to them directly. 

Shopify

Shopify’s free logo maker lets you create your own logo in just a few clicks. 

Here, you can choose your industry, what style you’re aiming for (bold, elegant, creative, modern, vintage, etc.), where the logo will be used (social media, a website, etc.), your business name, and more. 

You’ll then get a bunch of different editable logos to choose from based on your selections.

Now that you know where to go to create a professional-looking logo, let’s look at another important step:

How to brand and name your coaching business 

Keep in mind that your business is more than just your coaching logo. So, make sure the logo you create aligns with the bigger picture (like your brand’s values and personality) to form one cohesive whole. 

In other words? 

Use your logo to show what makes your business different. 

Okay, let’s talk more about that…

Brand your coaching business

How can you make your business stand out? There are several effective ways to do this, but let’s look at one in particular:

Think about what sets YOUR offer apart from other coaches out there. 

Listen: We ALL have things that make us unique. 

For example, I used to be an engineer for the International Space Station, which gives me a different perspective compared to my competition. 

As an engineer, I gained skills like problem-solving, leadership, and organization, which are invaluable for helping my students.

So, ask yourself: What experience/background/perspective do I have that others don’t? Find out, and then emphasize that in your branding.

I talk more about this here:

Name your coaching business

If you’re building a business around you and what you offer as a coach, a great option is to just go with your name. 

(Yes, that’s what I did!) 

If you go this route, you won’t have to worry about changing it later, and it’ll help you build brand recognition around your personal brand.

The downside? 

If you decide to sell your business later, naming it after yourself can make that harder.

Other options are to use descriptive or symbolic names, but these can be harder to choose and can limit what your business offers. 

For example, if you name your business “Corporate Coaching Solutions” you won’t be able to pivot to some other niche without changing the name.

Ultimately?

There are pros and cons to each choice, so weigh your options and just go with your gut. I talk more about naming your business here. 

Next steps

So, there you have it! Now you know how to create a coaching logo that people will remember. As you can see, there are lots of great options no matter what your budget or design level is.

But creating a logo is just ONE part of becoming an entrepreneur…

Need more help?

I created a free PDF to help you start a successful coaching business to replace your 9-5.

Read more:

The Best Coaching Websites (and How to Create Your Own)

How to Design and Price Your First Coaching Package

How to Create a Coaching Mission