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AI logo generators are enticing and user-friendly, but what benefits and drawbacks should you consider before using them? And what are the best practices to ensure your AI logo appeals to your target audience?
The Pros of Using AI Logo Generators
Firstly, AI generators create logos very quickly. Traditionally, graphic designers may spend weeks on a logo or branding project—especially when you considera brand is more than just a logo. But if all you need is a logo, using AI saves weeks of agonizing decisions, and you can have your new logo in a matter of seconds.
If you run a small business, want a logo for a hobby you offer as a service, or just want a logo to be visually pleasing but aren’t bothered about context or hidden meanings, then creating an AI-generated logo is a good option. You’ll get a logo that looks good and can be used for basic purposes like running an Etsy store or on your YouTube channel.
The Cons of Using AI Logo Generators
AI has advanced a ton in 2024, but much AI-generated imagery is still highly detectable to the naked eye and especially to graphic design professionals. It’s usually obvious if you’ve used AI to create a logo—they’re basic, have overused iconography, and typically have a mistake or two hidden somewhere.
Many AI generator tools create generated results that aren’t editable. The results look like vectors, but usually they’re flattened and only available as PNG or, even worse, JPEG. This means that to fix or improve the generated logo, you’ll still need lots of time, professional software, or a graphic designer.
When hiring a graphic designer, you’re paying for in-depth research and background, intricate design elements that nod toward the context of your brand, and flexibility in refinements. You don’t get any of that with AI-generated logos. The most context you can give is through your text prompt in an AI generator; often these generators skip over parts of your description and totally miss the mark in the result.
One of the biggest cons to creating logos with anAI generator is the potential copyright issuesyou can face. It’s safe to say there’s always niggling doubt over whether your results are truly unique. If you’re worried about copyright infringement, you should do as much research into the AI tool as you’re able to or err on the side of caution and use traditional tools instead.
The Best Practices for Using AI to Create Logos
If my cons list hasn’t deterred you from generating your logo with AI, then you should at least follow some best practices for creating the ideal AI-generated logo.
1. Background Research
Background research is part and parcel of any great graphic design. Whether it’s a logo, brand, post design, or packaging, background research is integral to enticing your target market.
When creating logos with AI, you can usually choose or suggest color palettes, art styles, and describe the elements you wish to see in the generated result. These are all aspects you can derive from your research.
Colors denote a lot in a logo or brand, and art style is important too. Successful logos are usually minimalist and can work in solid colors for when they need to be converted to black and white.
Doing research ahead of creating your logo helps you find meaning in your design. Graphic design is more than just creating pretty pictures like in art; logos should signify meaning to your audience.
2. Editable or Customizable Results
Even though many AI generators don’t provide customizable results, that’s not true for every AI tool. There are a handful of tools—like Adobe Illustrator’s text-to-vector tool andKittl’s AI Logo Generator—that generate editable results.
Even if the generator you use doesn’t produce editable results, that doesn’t mean you’re able to’t save them and edit them elsewhere. Try to export inSVG formatfor flexibility if you can. You can open SVG files in most design software where you can then change colors, edit paths, and move elements around.
3. High Quality Export
You’ll be much happier with your results when they’re high quality. You might have to pay to use AI tools with high quality outputs, but those subscriptions will be cheaper than hiring a graphic designer.
Try to find AI generators that createvectors rather than rasters, so you can scale up and down without pixelation. Either way, export in the largest size available, especially if the generator only produces rasters.
Don’t export anything with a watermark on it. This will instantly cheapen your result and means your own logo is actually advertising another business instead of your own.
If you have options for file formats upon exporting, choose as many as you can as each format has its uses. You should aim for SVG, PDF, and PNG for the best flexibility.
4. Use AI Alongside Traditional Tools
Finally, the best practice for using an AI generator for your logo is to remember that AI is only a tool, not necessarilythetool.
Graphic designers often use multiple tools in their workflow. This might be different programs and techniques—like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, traditional hand drawing, photography, or collaging—but also different tools within those programs and techniques.
For example, in Adobe Illustrator, a designer may use the shape tools, the pen or pencil tool, the brush or blob brush tool, the direct selection tool, and the text tool. And that’s all without even using Adobe Illustrator’s AI tools, which include the Text to Vector Graphic tool, theGenerative Recolor tool, and the Retype tool.
A multitude of tools are used to create a logo or design, and that should always be a consideration when using an AI generator to get the job done. Using it alongside other tools will help you produce a fantastic logo, just with a little help from AI.
AI Tools You Can Use to Create Logos
There are a lot of AI logo generators online, but they don’t all produce great results. After some research and experience, I compiled a list of the top AI logo generators. They’re are affordable, offer customization, and provide high quality results.
If you’re not a designer or can’t afford to hire one, there are plenty of good reasons to use AI to create a logo. Following best practices for design will help your AI-generated logo look professional and represent you and your brand exactly as you want it to.