Create/Customize Logo
Whether you're creating from scratch (Style: Custom) or customizing a Logo (Predesigned Styles), the process is the same.
Basically, you'll choose the typeface, color, size, style, effects and textures to customize a Logo that is totally unique... and totally you!
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Enter your Logo Text.
Note: If you created or customized a Top Image (in Site Elements) that contains a Logo, remove any text in the entry box here, then click on Customize Logo at the bottom of the page. You can ignore the rest of these directions.
- Select the Typeface font. Add a check for Bold and/or Italics.
- Select the Type Color. Click on one of the colors in the palette to select it.
- Select the Type Size.
- Add Outline Around Type by selecting a number. Then select the color from the palette.
- Add Special Effects for Type. Add a check for drop shadow, emboss, glow, and/or bevel. Choose the corresponding size or glow strength.
- Select the Texture of the Type.
- Select the Type Alignment. Center your logo, or align it to the left or right side of the Top Image.
- Click on Preview button to view the entire Logo.
- When you are satisfied with your Logo, click on Customize Logo button.
Make it fit with the overall theme of your site, and the mood that you want to create.
An Overview of the Logo-Building Process
The process boils down to this...
1) SBI! takes your Top Image (from your Site Elements) and uses it for the "background" of your Logo that you are creating here.
2) You type in your Logo Text into the appropriate field, set its color and effect options and position its alignment. Use the Preview button each time you experiment to see what your changes look like overall, especially when adding special effects or a texture to the type.
Note: If you've uploaded your own Top Image (in the Site Elements section) that already contains a Logo, remove the text that is in the Logo Text box. Click on the Customize Logo button and you are done here.
3) After you click on the Customize Logo button at the bottom of the Logo tool page, SBI! merges the Top Image and Logo together and generates a final Top Image for you.
4) When you're completely satisfied with the result, click on the Select/Save this Style button (back on the Look & Feel Selector tool page) to finalize the changes. SBI! re-builds your site with your new Logo and makes it "go live" on the Web.
Always remember that if you forget to click this button, your work will be lost.
A Quick Example
Let's use anguilla-beaches.com's former Logo to illustrate what's happening...
This Top Image becomes the background...
The text is the domain name, "Anguilla-Beaches.com" and it reflects the spirit of a young teen (very appropriate since the owner is one!)...
Merging both of the above produces this result...
What if the owner had decided that she wanted a slightly different design? After a bit of experimentation with the design tools and previewing/double-checking each change, her new Logo could look like this...
A click on the Customize Logo button, followed by a click on the Select/Save this Style button, would activate these changes and make this new design "go live."
Tips
- Simplicity is the goal. Beginning designers often fall into the trap of confusing cool effects with design. Always remember to stay focused on the overall theme of your site content, and the impression that you want to make on your visitors.
- Make it easy for visitors to read your Logo. Choose a color for the font that contrasts well with the color in the Top Image. For example, don't choose gray text on a white background, or blue on a black background.
- Do not use ALL CAPS for your logo. All Caps slows down reading speed by up to 10%, and when used online is the equivalent of shouting or yelling.
- Some fonts are bigger than others, so long logo text may run off the end of the Top Image at certain sizes. If you can't get it to fit by choosing a smaller size or changing the alignment, you may have to select a different font (typeface) or come up with a shorter logo that's just as catchy.
- Some fonts cannot be made bold.
- If you add italic to your Logo, part of the first letter may be cut off. Add one space to the left of the Logo text to fix this.
- A texture is most effective with thick, bold type. It will not be effective if you choose a very cursive, handwriting/script-like typeface.
- If the text runs off the end of the Top Image when you center it, try "left" alignment.
- You can click on the color swatch to view any of the color palettes. Click on it again to hide them. Hover over a color square in the palette to see the HTML code value for that color.
- Use special effects to subtly enhance your Logo. Limit the intensity of these effects (i.e., choose the smaller levels in the Amount menu) to avoid overpowering the typeface.
- Return at any time (even after you have built your site) to make modifications to the Logo. (Your visitors like familiarity so initiate change only as needed.)