Hand-drawn logo design has more of a personal feel. In this article we explore how to make hand-crafted logos and what makes them so attractive. Would your business benefit from this style? Let’s find out…
There’s a bit more personality in hand-drawn logos than you see in other designs. They’re not perfectly aligned, not everything’s square. We know modern logo designs are created on computers that can align and crop everything just right, but in spite of that there are imperfections. And I think for many small business that makes it just right. Your mark that represents your business still can’t get away from that flawed human element. That’s not a slam against people, I’m just saying when was the last time you tried to draw a perfect circle by hand?
Here’s my feeble attempt, please don’t judge 😉
It’s that roughness to the logo, that while it was planned out, looks like it was created by hand, or pencil, or pen, but specifically by one passionate person. This look is especially fitting for anything craft-oriented or hand made. Many photographers have taken it on as a style to represent they types of photos they take. This style is perfect if you use the words natural, organic, or home grown to describe your business. If you’ve got your own hands crafting the product you sell, I encourage you to use a hand-crafted style for your logo.
To give you a more visual idea of what I’m talking about, here are some excellent examples created by the designers at 48hourslogo:
Aidan’s Angels | by Sorjen
This is non-profit logo design for a 100kms March. What happened was the client’s friend donated a kidney to an eight year old girl (Aidan), and now they are doing this march as a fundraiser. The font is fun, could be seen as a young girl’s excited handwriting. I especially love the highlights inside the wings and kidneys, you would expect to see the lighter colors fill them up, but the white highlights give this design some depth and hand crafted feel.
Aloha Paws | by zyndtel
Aloha Paws is a pet store/boutique with a tropical twist! The hibiscus flowers in the ears of the dog and cat are a cute touch. What really stands out is the calligraphy style line creating the outline of their heads. It makes for thinner and thicker lines, easiest to see around the dog’s ear above the cat. The calligraphy style lines match well with the font, you can see it’s lines have a thick and thin side also. Really captures the impression of a hand-written design.
Arizona Animals logo design | by Sephia
A comprehensive animal clinic serving the Arizona Metro area, the Arizona Animal Hospital is owned and operated by Brett The Vet. The warm colors complement each other well. Once again we see highlights in the fill of the shapes, when combined with solid colors like this look like they weren’t pushed all the way to the edge. What’s cool is the dog’s ear can also be seen as a caring hand wrapped around it, with the circle above the heard being seen as a person’s head. The colors, shape, and personal feel of the design work together to let you know the high level of care your pet will receive.
Biome | by Nafisaparween
An online store that offers natural and organic skincare and supplement products, like teas, bath salts, and candles. The wreath is beautifully done, easily seen as branches that tie into the “natural” theme of the business. The letters of the font are not symmetrical at all, even the “I” is not a straight line. But this compliments the jaggedness of the wreath branches. Placing the design on a slightly tan background as opposed to stark white reminds us of colors we see in nature. Definitely one of my favorites on this list.
Bow Tiger | by haze
Bow-Tiger manufactures and sells baby products such as toys, safety products, bath accessories, and more. There are two key components that get this logo on the list. 1. The font is fun, looks like it was hand written in chalk, and the letters don’t sit on the same baseline, helping it look even more handwritten. 2 – The lines creating the Tiger and bow tie vary in thickness. This inconsistency, while not quite on the level of calligraphy, looks great when combined with the orange and red fills. You can best see how the fill color completes the line work on the bow tie.
enskyed | by norsh
Enskyed sells women’s accessories, bags, scarves, and jewelry. There are a logo of great elements at play in this logo. The bird looks origami, which is the art of folding paper, almost always by hand. There is a crumpled paper/stamped texture inside of the bird itself. Plus the text has that stamped/distressed look to it. You can see someone hand-stamping this logo down, pushing the ink into the paper.
Lia | by peacock
Lia is an online shop that sells high quality scarves made of silk and cashmere, among other jewelry and beauty products. I love that this is simple. The flow of the “L – i – a” reminds me of curves in a scarf hanging around my wife’s neck. Even thought the letters keep the same thickness, it has a stretch to it that follows the pattern we’re taught to mimic when writing cursive letters. The dot of the “i” is noticeably a heart, despite not being symmetrical. It stands out great in red against the black letters. Almost looks like it was kissed onto the top of the “i.”
Lily’s Garden | by yonk
This online shop sells concrete garden ornaments. An ideal situation to use a hand-crafted logo, since sculptures are traditionally hand carved and gardens are tended to by hand. The line work in this logo is great, the font matches up well with the lines of the fairy and flower. The wings and legs aren’t perfectly outlined, but implied with playful strokes. You can see again the white highlights between the fill colors and outlines in the wings and flower. The warm pastel colors remind us of earth tones and things found in nature. This logo has a very whimsical, crafted look to it.
Made by Maggie | by font style
Maggie loves creating furniture. Through refurbishing or redesigning existing pieces, or creating something new from reclaimed wood, each piece is crafted with love by hand. The table graphic not only has the imperfect lines, but some distressing to add to that rugged look. We once again see the warm brown, orange, green colors combined with a lighter teal this time. Looking at this gives me the impression I’ll find quality, hand carved furniture, made by Maggie of course.
Sebz Måleri | by veron
Sebz Måleri is a painter who specialized in houses, inside and out. This logo combines a beautifully hand painted font with a creative use of a paintbrush as the “L.” You will notice little brush marks inside of the letters, and where the brush was picked up on some ends, like in the “S.” Great choice using the hand brush instead of a roller, add to the individual charm of Sebz’s services.
Soil Coffee Garden | by VonDrake
A European-inspired coffee shop with vintage rustic decor, the Soil Coffee Garden achieves a earthy, organic image. You can practically feel the dirt in your hands looking at the rich browns in the design. The distressing also gives it a worn in look. This logo has weathered some storms, because it’s been outside, in a garden. Finally the font choice has an old-style feel to it, like something used in times past. These elements together give it an organic, lived in feel.
Vspot Vapes | by Schiena
An online retailer for premium e-cigarette, vaping products and juices. Everything about this logo looks like it was hand carved out of wood! The drop shadowed lines around the text and horizontal lines making up the frame all hark back to hand-carved, wooden pieces. Even the “Smoke V” in the center has a rustic, antler look to them. Using a rich blue and red also gives it a stained-in vibe. All around a very highly crafted looking logo.
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So what did we pick up on from this style?
- scripty, hand written looking fonts.
- wood carved accents.
- warm, rich colors.
- highlights between fills and outlines.
- contrasting line work.
- brush strokes look hand-made.
Personally, I love the hand-crafted look that some logos have. It gives an air of authenticity and originality. Like it’s been established for a while. The gloss and shine have wore away over time and you end up with this lived-in design. They make great t-shirt designs. Plus the whole hipster/organic vibe is in right now.
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There are many more great examples of hand crafted logos to be found on our Live Portfolio! These are just some of the more recent ones.
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