How To Create Food Logo

We interact with food logos every day, all day long. We grab a carton of milk from our fridge. We walk down a street passing delis and restaurants. Maybe we run to the grocery store to grab a quick snack. We're constantly assessing food choices offered to us by brands—and food logos play a big part in making these choices.

The ones that appeal to us the most and that visually convey their brand identity in the best way possible are usually the ones we, the customers, go back to and stay with. Your logo design is your chance to express your brand identity and to tell potential customers who you are, what you stand for and why they should spend their money on the delicious treat you are offering.

When creating a food logo, it's not enough to come up with something that catches the eye. Successful food logo designs stand out by appealing to your mind, stomach, purchasing habits, ethical priorities and so much more. Here we've collected some tasty-looking food logo ideas to inspire you.

What makes a good food logo?

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When designing a food logo, you need to pay close attention to the characteristics and realities of the food industry. For starters, your logo should look tasty and appeal to a craving. Whether your product is an indulgent dessert or a healthy snack, your logo needs to appeal to our taste buds above all else.

Cheese logo by Desideratum

On top of that, your logo also needs to look trustworthy, because at the end of the day people need to trust your brand enough to put what you've made in their mouths.

That's why it's crucial to go with a logo that looks professional and well thought out. A design that was done without much thought or skill is easy to recognize and would leave a negative impression with potential customers.

Then there's also the issue of standing out in the crowded food industry. In our day and age, variety is no longer much of an issue when it comes to food brands. As soon as something becomes popular, other brands begin to produce it and new brands sprout up. Standing out is tricky: you need to fit in enough amidst competitors to speak the common language of that product, but be nuanced enough to appeal to customers with your unique selling points.

For example, milk alternatives are a relatively new trend, but you wouldn't think so by looking at the countless options on the grocery store shelf. What would make you stand out? Is your brand slightly more affordable? Is it more flavorful or natural? If it's more flavorful, you might want to go for a logo with more color, that's playful and bright. If it's natural, you might want it to look more artisanal, with earth-toned colors and nature imagery.

Amazing ideas for food logos
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Salad bar logo by the.yellowmortar

"Food" is a very wide category that encompasses an even wider range of brands. To create your own unique logo you will need to work with the specific aspects of your brand you want to emphasize. Take a look at these food logo styles to better understand what you want to convey with your food logo and how you can do that.

Straight to the point food logos

Sometimes your star product will be simple and you will want to get straight to the delicious point of your existence. You can do so by putting the product right there in your logo.

Think of iconic logos like the Burger King one. The two buns sandwich the bold, red and juicy brand name. Or the Pringles logo, where the chip is incognito. This type of logo works for brands that build on one main product.

These logos make great use of negative space, closely placing or even overlapping the image with the text. They are compact, efficient and creative. And depending on what you're selling, you could take it in many directions. Not all foods benefit from popping like Pringles. The main requirement is: obviousness.

Logo design by Dusan Klepic DK™

Familiar tastes, familiar logos

If your brand sells familiar and comforting pantry staples, you'll want your logo to suggest continuity and tradition. Vintage type food logos are perfect for this. By creating a design that speaks to memories, you tap into an existing relationship to form a new, long-lasting relationship with your customers.

A lot of these logos employ curvy serifs, muted and earthier tones or a simple two-tone style, hand-drawn style illustrations and line shading. These logos are designs that look like they have been passed down from generation to generation, like a sourdough starter.

Logo design by pyroman92

Logo design by green in blue

Loud and confident food logos

These food logos aren't shy about asking for your attention. They are loud, bold and appeal to an easy going, more impulsive side of you.

These logos work really well for snack brands, fast-casual restaurants, and also food items for the younger population. They can also work really well for emphasizing a specific, bold flavor, think of Chili's for example. These loud food logos can be sweet and fruity, or they can be hot and spicy. Bold flavors need bold statements.

To use these logos, think popping-logo type illustrations, bright colors, bolder and fuller typeface. The themes and concepts are generally surprising or not as expected. These logos are casual and fun—just like the brands they represent.

Logo design by Mario Milojevic®

Food logos that put it all on the table

We live in an age where a lot of people are rightfully concerned about what's in their food. Transparency is hugely important in the food industry and first impressions do a lot of important work. Before we turn over an item to take a peek at the ingredients, it needs to say enough for us to reach out to it. Same goes for walking into a grocery story, juice bar, ordering from a service—pretty much all around transparency is key.

Logos that showcase the ingredients that make up the product do an excellent job at this. These logos are usually very minimal, with clean lines. They are simple and uncrowded. Or they can be detailed and realistic. The typeface and colors can go in any direction as long as the image retains cohesion and all its components are clearly distinguishable.

This is a go-to logo for produce-forward brands, farm-to-table restaurants, sustainably produced items, but also single food items like a jar of olives. Seeing is believing.

Logo design by olimpio

Logo design by Nico Strike

Minimal and modern food logos

Minimal logos contain a lot within clear, contained lines. Whether you want to revamp something preexisting or invent something new altogether, minimal logos will orient you in the present day. Food brands that want to appeal to a millennial customer base, or simply want their brands to have a modern, cool and trendy personality, might prefer this type of logo.

Minimal modern food logos contain very little of everything: color, image, text. Importance is given to the space between all interacting elements. These logos are clean, legible and easily digestible.

Understanding the basics of logo design
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Now that you have an overview over the different types of food logos, you might still be unsure which one is right for your brand. Here are some fundamentals of logo design, to help you understand what to look out for. To get a more comprehensive introduction to the craft, take a look at our free online guide How to design a logo. Let's summarize some key points:

Design for your brand. There's no set definition for what the "best type of logo" is. This is because logos are very personal, in a sense. The most successful logos are the ones that are the best expressions of their brand. The red, arresting and gaudy Coca Cola logo works well for the brand, but it may not be as successful on a pack of chamomile tea that promises to calm and soothe you.

Food logo by olimpio

So before anything else, you have to think about what kind of brand you want to be—your "brand identity." How do you want to introduce yourself and carry yourself in the world? Are you a casual brand or a formal brand? Are you adventurous or more conventional? These questions will guide your design choices, in particular colors, shapes and letters.

Colors, shapes and letters. Each different color and shape speaks to a different emotion and understanding—for example, logos with excessive black recall sophistication, logos that have less hard edges, with lots of circles, seem more approachable etc. These considerations also extend to font choice, with formal serifs vs. casual sans-serif, each representing another detail of your brand identity.

Every single design decision is an opportunity to express your brand. So build your brand identity from the ground up, with strategy and consciousness.

How to get a logo
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If take a look at our article on Comparing the best ways to get a logo designed, you will learn how and why a company has four main options for getting a logo. Let's briefly go over them now with the food logo inspirations fresh in our minds:

Logo maker (DIY). Using a logo maker or other entry-level design software, you make your logo yourself from scratch.
Hire a design agency. You hand off all logo design duties to a design agency and their suite of specialists, but the talent and expertise might be costly.
Work with a freelancer. You can find a freelance designer to design your logo for you. This gives you access and a direct communication channel with a professional and will cost less than an agency.
Commission a design contest. You can set up a design contest by explaining what you want in a briefing, including visual preferences and business goals. Multiple designers from all over the world then submit samples based on your briefing. After the samples are in, you pick the one you like best and start revisions. You only pay for the one sample you choose.

DIY and logo makers are only advisable under extreme circumstances, like if you have next to nothing in your budget. Your logo is your name, your face, your voice. These are all qualities that are too important to skimp on. And considering how complicated logo design is, saving money by not hiring a professional won't necessarily get you the results you want and might end up costing you time and effort.

Mochi box logo by Stephen Ahoy!

Choosing how to get your logo is a decision of both cost and preference. If your only concern is price, check out our Logo design cost guide for more detailed distinctions.

The strongest advantage of design contests—and the reason they're so popular—is that it showcases the creativity of multiple designers by focusing on their responses to the same problem. It also creates a variety of ideas you can choose from. If you don't have a clear idea of what style you want to go for, a contest will open your eyes to the possibilities—you may not know that what you wanted was even possible before you see it.

If you already know what style and look you're going for, your best bet is going to be working directly with a freelancer. You can browse designer portfolios to find your match in terms of style. Then you can work with the freelancer and watch your ideas grow and come to life.

Are you ready to get an amazing food logo?

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Food logos appeal to so many of our senses, thoughts and desires all at once. Sometimes variety is overwhelming and we ponder over products that are presented to us side by side, looking for a sign of connection. Your logo is a critical step in making that connection. It is your opportunity to communicate clearly with long-time and potential customers, so make the most of it.