Practice and fundamentals.

As far as the practice part, you’re on your own. 🙂

As far as the fundamentals part here are a few basic guidelines:

1) Start with one color (black & white). If you can’t make it work in one color, it’s a crappy logo. Then invert the colors (black/white > white/black) and see how it looks in reverse.

2) Use vectors. A logo could theoretically be small enough to fit on a pen, or large enough to fill the side of a hot air balloon. Make sure your document will scale without getting blurry or pixelated!

3) Design for different sizes. A logo should look good when it is tiny and when it is big. Small spaces and fine lines between shapes can disappear at small sizes, for example. For some logos you may need a few different versions so it looks good in all sizes, but ideally one logo should work universally.

4) Simplicity wins, usually. Companies like Apple & Nike are great examples of how versatile and beautiful simple shapes can be. If a logo is complicated, it must be extremely unique and well-crafted, like Coca-Cola. Go for simple until you’re very experienced.

5) Imagine it in other contexts. Does the logo work when it is frosted into glass? Can it be a lapel pin? A tattoo? 3D lettering on a sign? On the side of a car or airplane? Bad logos often fail these tests, and good logos always pass.

6) Make it work without the concept. Many great logos are a visual play-on-words about the company name, or they are based on an advanced concept that runs through the branding. Make sure the logo is nice even when people don’t understand that concept; many designers fall in love with the idea and protect shitty logos so the idea survives.

7) Think about negative space! Sometimes the emptiness is the best part of a clever logo. Look at the space between letters, shapes, etc. And remember that the colors might be reversed!

8) Learn typography basics. You don’t have to be a type genius to make nice logos, but knowing the basics will ensure that you make smart type choices. Some of the best logos are only text (a “wordmark”)! That being said, being a type genius is a hell of a plus. 😉

9) Experiment. You never know until you try. All designers say that “happy accidents” play a role in their greatest designs. Many of the logos I have designed have gone through hundreds of tiny tweaks on the way to being “good enough”. Try the ideas you don’t think are good too; you might surprise yourself.

10) Look at logos every day. You should make a habit of seeing as many logos as you can, as often as you can. Dribbble, Pinterest, Behance, LogoPond, whatever. You should see thousands of logos per year, and then your brain will have a lot to work with when you sit down to come up with your own. Being an expert is not just about skills… it’s about experience.