Your logo represents the face of your practice. It shows up on your website and business cards. It reflects who you are and what you are about as a private practice. Your logo communicates.
Have a Name for your Private Practice
The name of your private practice is usually part of the logo so it is important to have a name for your private practice. Make sure the name hasn’t been taken yet if you want to create a LLC in your State. In addition, search to see if a website with that name has been taken.
Who Are You and Who Are You Trying to Reach
Design your logo according to your branding: what your niche is and who you are.
These articles can help you discover your niche and who you are – click here and here.
Is your niche with kids? A logo with a more playful feel would reflect your work with kids. Is your niche with business professionals? A logo that is more serious and elegant would speak to business professionals.
Look at Other Therapist’s Logos
Browsing through how other therapists have designed their logo can give you possible ideas of how your logo can look like. It will also help you design a logo that can set you apart and make you unique.
Look at Logo Designs in General From Other Industries
Once I immersed myself in the logo design process I began to notice designs everywhere I went. I began to notice the detail and overall feel of logos that I usually ignored or had taken for granted. Noticing logos from businesses that are not counseling related can give you more ideas.
Logo Types
There are various ways you can design your logo:
Symbol is a logo that uses a single symbol or icon.
Wordmark is a logo that uses just the text of your private practice’s name.
Lettermark is a logo that uses text, typically your private practice’s initials or the first letters, to create a symbol or icon.
Combination mark is a logo that combines the symbol and wordmark logotypes.
Emblem is a logo design that resembles a seal or crest and features your private practice’s name within the design.
Colors Evoke Feelings
There is a field of color psychology that studies how colors influence behavior. The color you choose for your logo can evoke certain emotions. Colors like blue and green can produce a relaxed and calm feeling whereas colors like red and orange can evoke feelings of arousal and excitement.
Typography Create Impressions
The type of font you use for the name of your private practice will leave a certain impression. There are many types of fonts but the following three are commonly used for private practice.
Serif fonts have “little feet” at the top and bottom of the letters. They usually feel more traditional, classic, reliable, respectable, formal, confident, trusted and established.
Sans Serif fonts look smoother because they don’t have the “little fee” at the top and bottom of the letters. They have a modern, friendly direct, clean, and minimal feel to them.
Script fonts mirror and mimic cursive handwriting. They can have a creative, elegant, timeless feel.
Ways to Create Your Logo
There are many avenues you can take to design your logo. Here are a few:
99 designs allows you to create a contest and post ideas of how you want your logo to look like and have different designer pitch their designs to you. You can ask them to modify the logo until it fits with what you want. You don’t have to commit to paying until you select one of them as the one you want for your logo.
Fiverr allows you to browse through different designers and hire them to design your logo
Canva allows you to design your logo yourself for free with templates for you to use
Poll your Friends and Contacts on Social Media
After you have created a logo ask your friend and acquaintances on social media for input. When I was stuck between two logos I liked I polled people I know to ask them which one they liked better and why. It would be especially helpful if you poll people that are in the target niche that you are trying to reach with your private practice.
Have fun with your logo design and let your creative juices flow!
Casey is the owner of Rooted Hearts Counseling and specializes in Couples and Marriage Counseling with advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). He gets to the heart of the matter in issues of communication, conflict resolution, infidelity, and infertility. He helps couples heal wounds, grow together, and connect emotionally.
