Designing logos for teachers by Working Dog Resources
Modern teacher-authors are discovering the necessity of building a personal brand. Here’s why designing logos for teachers has become a thing.
Big or small, a brand is the essence of any business. Building a brand is a goal the business owner accomplishes to achieve favorable recognition in a marketplace. It is the pathway that nurtures the desired know, like, and trust stages to positive brand recognition.
Your brand is the personality of your business. It should epitomize what you offer and what makes you different. Your brand is not only your logo but the logo is a great foundation for building a recognizable brand. So above all, your logo should be eye-catching and unique.
For teacher-authors, the same applies. Yet why is it that so many teachers’ logos look so similar? The answer lies in an effective branding design strategy. It is the difference between a strategically designed logo that will build into a brand. A brand that encapsulates a teacher’s vision, goals, voice, unique offerings, etc., and a cookie-cutter approach of a seemingly cute font pairing and colors. The main strategic goal is to speak to the consumer not just make it about personal preference. Know your customer and build your brand to appeal to them. It is the strategic design that stands the test of time and builds a solid brand.
Where to begin when designing logos for teachers
At its basic level, a logo is a symbol, image, or design adopted by a business, person, or event to identify its products or services. The process of developing a logo can be daunting for the business owner. It can be quite overwhelming to drill down and decide upon one simplistic graphic that is indicative of everything you do.
The anatomy of a teacher logo design
What I love about designing logos for teachers is the ability to break away from the constraints of mainstream logo design. Creating a logo for a teacher often is about telling a story and it is the storytelling that beckons for visuals that are illustrative and descriptive. My approach to teacher logo design is a fusion of illustration and typographic design that depicts each individual business uniquely.
Even though this approach may reach beyond the normal bounds of one or two color logo iconography, there are still graphical guidelines to consider:
- Exercise clarity in typography for viewing at small sizes.
- Choose colors and fonts to accompany the ongoing building of a brand. Continue with complementary material that will reinforce the development of that brand.
- Be unique and true to the business direction. Take a strategic approach to the design. Think of the ‘why’ and how that aligns with the business goals.
- Don’t do what everyone else is doing. If it’s a common treatment that is being overused – avoid it. You will not stand out in the crowd.
How to fulfill the creative brief when designing logos for teachers
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Pico’s Passionate Readers
Brand statement: Phonic awareness and skill development for pre-K to 1st grade students.
Graphic elements: Sunflower and glitter. Classy and fun with and with a kindergarten feel.
Color: Bright orange and yellow against a strong complementary blue. Gold glitter.
I loved how easy Stef is to work with! The communication was clear and often. She took the ideas and colors I had in mind and turned it into a fabulous logo! The first “proof” she sent was close to perfect, already, but there were a few things I wanted tweaked. She was timely in returning the changes and also completed my ideas perfectly! I am so excited to share the logo with the world and have a a theme for future branding of my store and future projects!
TIA
Let’s take a look at some more examples of logo design for teachers. Although most of the following logos are a hybrid of stylings, I’ll point out these six stylistic elements:
- Photo
- Avatar
- Mascot
- Symbolic
- Illustration
- Typographic
Teacher-authors with a photo logo
Are you the face of the business? Incorporating a photo of yourself in your logo can help build trust. A photographic logo can be a good choice if you want to build a personal brand.
Designing photo logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo for teacher-author business Know Reach Teach by Maya Marlowe.
Brand statement: Guidance for culturally responsive teachers.
Graphic elements: The requirement for the logo is it takes on two forms. One as a photographic logo and the other as text only. This variation allows for versatile usages of the logo across different media. The treatment of the background removal within the logo became a photographic treatment as a continuance of the elements across the brand.
Colors: Earthy
Brief: To create a logo TpT store Simply B Teaching
Brand statement: To be simplistic and representative of teaching phonics to small groups in a simplistic and targeted manner. Products are for teachers of K-2 conducting small group literacy lessons.
Graphic elements: A photographic logo with simplicity and clarity of text. Use of elements to focus on a visual pun on the ‘B’ in the brand name shaped like a bee and this is balanced with feint hexagons representing honeycomb.
Color: Border to incorporate navy blue and maroon.
A variation on a concept.
Although the logo for Kylie’s Corner is more an example of an illustration logo, Kylie’s photograph has been used in her quote banner on her TpT store.
Brief: To create a logo TpT store Kylie’s corner
Brand statement: To be reflective of English language teaching to a multicultural cohort of primary school students. Kylie is an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher.
Graphic elements: Global being representative of the world and the brand name ‘Kylie’s Corner’, referring to Kylie’s corner of the globe. Other elements throughout the brand are monotone chalkboard elements.
Color: Green, blue, black and white.
Teacher-authors with an avatar teacher logo
For many, a photograph of themselves can feel uncomfortable. Perhaps your preference is an illustrative style. If a photo of yourself is not your thing but you still want to appear as the face of the business an alternative is an illustrated avatar of you. Illustrated avatars can be styled either realistically or with more of a stylized look, perhaps even in cartoon form.
Designing avatar logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo TpT store Ms Eiden Education Creations
Brand statement: Ms Eiden is a licensed teacher in Early Childhood Education and an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She creates well tested resources. All her resources have been implemented in the classroom before they are put on sale.
Graphic elements: A digitally illustrated avatar of Ms Eiden is used as she believes in the personable aspect of putting a face to her products to stand for the quality. Ms Eiden also is a violinist. The top of the border subtly conveys this touch of her personality.
Color: Black and white theme to illustrate Ms Eiden’s ‘it is what it is’ direct manner in class. She speaks directly to children with the same regard she would speak with anyone of any age. Black and white reflects her straight-up, personable manner.
“I started my TpT store only in November and it has been going okay. I was looking to get a logo for my brand and had been following this seller for a while and I loved what I was seeing. I was SO HAPPY when she completed my design. It was fast, professional, and EXACTLY what I was looking for. Stef was able to create what I was picturing in my head with ease. She’s truly a dream to work with. I believe when the school year starts again, my sales will go up because of it.“
Ms EIDEN
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Allacyn Rowe
Brand statement: Allacyn creates picture sudokus and find-it-fast/spot it games. Predominantly for pre-k to 1st grade right now and non-specific grades.
Graphic elements: Unusual spelling of ‘Allacyn’ to be a feature complemented with a fun digital portrait of Allacyn.
Font: Typographical treatment to create interest in the name Allacyn.
“Stef is amazing to work with and I am blown away with her product! She took time to call me personally, came ready with ideas, then asked me questions and worked with me to create a brand. Her work is high quality and very professional. She really wants to make her clients happy and see them succeed. 11/10 recommend!“
ALLACYN ROWE
Teacher-authors with a mascot teacher logo
Businesses with a strong mascot logo are instantly recognized by that mascot. They are seen as a symbol of absolute support for the business, an ambassador, a champion. A Mascot that dominates your business logo can have a ripple-on effect that instils a following of support from your consumers. Just like the support you have for your favorite team so does the mascot that symbolizes that team.
Designing mascot logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo TpT store Koala Case Curriculum
Brand statement: To offer products that specifically align to the curriculum standards for Texas.
Graphic elements: Color and elements to be patriotic of the USA. The koala is the mascot to match the business name.
Color: Red, white and blue. Grey shading for the Koala.
“Words do not do justice to the caliber work that Stef has provided. She took the time to speak with me, find out who I am, and what my store is all about. The design that Stef created went beyond what I ever expected and encompassed everything I wanted. I cannot recommend her enough! She is talented, personable, and dedicated, and I am positive you will be thrilled with her work.”
TORI
Brief: To create a logo TpT store Teaching Dinos
Brand statement: Teaching Dinos (at this stage) mostly creates logic puzzles. The market cohort is 4th-6th grade gifted students.
Graphic elements: T-rex dinosaur head bursting through a paper print of building blocks. Bold font, bold color and defined lines.
Color: Bold primary and secondary colors.
“I am loving my logo!!! Stef was amazing in every step of the process. Even when I felt bad to make a few changes, she was so gracious and really understood perfectly what it was that I was looking for, and made them with NO hard feelings. This made the process so much smoother for me, and eliminated any potential tension that could of happened, should she of not responded that way. I appreciated how personable she was, her professionalism, and ability to really see and understand the idea I was going for in relation to my TPT store. I cannot tell you how much BETTER this logo is, than the haphazard one I had before!!!!! Phenomenal job. Thank you so much, Stef! I highly recommend Working Dog Resources for any logo design!”
TINA
Teacher-authors with symbolic logos
Symbolic or stylized logos take the form of an abstract or figurative design, possibly incorporating a version of a business’s name or a graphic mark. When done well a stylized logo can intensify the value of your brand. The ultimate goal is being recognized by a brand symbol without the necessity of the brand name accompanying the symbol.
The Gundersons Goodies logo highlighted here, could certainly in time utilise its lightbulb GG as a Stylized logo once its market profile and recognition has been created. Does your current logo lend itself to a move to a stylized logo concept in the future?
Designing symbolic logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Gunderson’s Goodies
During the design development stage for a stylized logomark, a range of concepts are often explored. These are the design concepts that led to the ‘lightbulb moment’ for Gunderson’s Goodies.
Brand statement: Gunderson’s Goodies creates products predominantly for upper elementary.
Graphic elements: I felt that with the alliterative name Gunderson’s Goodies, typographically a play on the two ‘Gs’ would work well. Concepts developed explored an amalgamation of the two letterforms into a logomark. It was this exploration that led to the concept of the ‘Gs’ forming the stylized shape of a lighbulb.
Color: Bright colours that pop, particularly pink and teal on a black background.
“Stef did an amazing job on my logo. She was very creative and took the time to get to know me and my goals for my store. The logo she created was a combination of all the things we discussed, and I’m very happy with the way it turned out. I would recommend having Stef create your logo for you anytime. She’s very talented at what she does!“
JESSICA GUNDERSON
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Teach With Bri.
Brand statement: Digital products for upper elementary school students across the globe but mostly based in both Finland and the USA, where Bri splits her time teaching. Resources are mostly visual field trips that can be viewed in 360º dimensions and with corresponding worksheets.
Graphic elements: World globe to denote touring the world. A connection between Finland and the USA through the use of these countries’ flags. Globe projection is from the viewpoint of the globe with both USA and Scandinavia (including Finland) visible on the map.
Color: USA and Finnish flags with complementary yellow typography.
“I am so amazed at just how much this logo captures my goals, store, and my individual story as a teacher and a seller. Working with Stef was an absolute joy and it was so fun to work through the process with her. She went above and beyond my expectations to capture everything that was important to me and took the time to have a very thorough and in-depth session with me and many email correspondences to really get to know me and my brand. She really took to heart my goals as a seller and as a teacher to fully capture what it is my store is all about and my unique story.
Prior to using her logo the design I created was ok but getting a professional product is such a huge investment to take stores to the next level. This really helps elevate my store status and create a story about my products, my store, and myself in one logo. Stef was so friendly, creative, and such a visionary and is so enjoyable to work with! She really did her research about me and my store and worked with me to make changes I wanted to make this the best logo I could ever hope for and so much more. I can’t recommend her highly enough!
Thank you for the amazing, amazing logo Stef!”
BRI
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Visuals For All
Brand statement: Visual card resources geared towards elementary special education students.
Graphic elements: Use of pictorial cards for the communication of actions and objects.
Color: Neons and pastels against black.
“This has by far been the best experience I have had working with someone to create a logo design. Stef was eager to listen to exactly what I wanted and boy did she deliver! We met over Zoom to discuss who I was as a person, teacher and to find out exactly what I wanted in a design. I was listened to and my ideas were respected. I am 110%+ satisfied with my design and would recommend her work to anyone!”
KELLY
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Making it Work Education
Brand statement: Products that focus on aiding the teaching of students with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Dyslexia.
Graphic elements: Complex gears within a simple silhouette graphic of a human brain. Connotations of ‘making it work’.
Color: Coral and navy.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Well-rounded Teaching
Brand statement: Elementary school resources. Building empathy in children.
Graphic elements: Reflective of a love of nature. Heart for life and trees. Empathetic.
Color: Purples with a dominance of #6633CB
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Making Creative Mathematics
Brand statement: Engaging math activities for secondary students with a focus on discovery and hands-on activities.
Graphic elements: Handmade rustic textures. Math symbols to replace some of the letter characters in the name.
Color: Turquoise, rose pink and grey.
“I loved the LOGO that Stef designed for me! She worked with my design ideas and color scheme to create what best fit my store brand! I am excited to use her design in my store. She is efficient on the planning and meeting with you to create a design for your logo that best meets your brand. I would highly recommend her using her for you design needs! Great to work with and creates amazing logo designs! Thank you Stef for your creative design for my logo!”
CASSANDRA
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Fruit for the Spirit
Brand statement: Focused on using illustrations depicting cultural diversity within resources to make them more identifiable to all children.
Graphic elements: Colors to be representative of the Pan American flag. Healthy fruit graphics for growing minds. Overall style to be inviting and friendly.
Color: Red, black and green.
Teacher-authors with an illustration logo
A well-designed illustration or illustrative logo is the most elaborate of logos. Done effectively it can have a great impact on promoting brand recall. Illustration logos are made up of complex design elements, generally, illustrations related to what the organization does or stands for. They are eye-catching, attractive, and memorable.
Designing Illustration logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store The Ag Teacher’s Companion
Brand statement: To depict a modern-day agriculture curriculum for high school students. Stemming from a teacher with 37 years of teaching students about the industry of agriculture.
Graphic elements: To depict agriculture in the science lab.
Color: Shades of green.
Brief: To create a logo for The Gifted Emporium
Brand statement: Deductive logic puzzles for gifted students.
Graphic elements: Stylised seamless patterning to depict mind puzzles. Style influenced by graphic works of M.C. Escher.
Color: Rich red and sky blue.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Julia’s Religion Resources
Brand statement: Resources for Catholic religion classes.
Graphic elements: A cross and a sacred heart. Text to be simple and easy to read.
Color: Pastels and white writing.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Luna’s Yard
Brand statement: Resources about science, nature and cooking with kids.
Graphic elements: Organic and edible.
Color: Greenery and yellow.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Teaching Our Socks Off
Brand statement: Resources such as STEM and interactive escape rooms for 2nd to 4th-grade.
Graphic elements: Floating socks with chevrons indicating movement such as socks flying off.
Color: Bright aqua and purple against black giving off an electric or neon effect.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store The Watermelon Teacher
Brand statement: Resources for 2nd and 3rd grade social studies.
Graphic elements: A watermelon to match the business name ‘The Watermelon Teacher’.
Color: Pink and green.
I love how Stef took the time to meet with me one on one before designing my new logo. When I shared it with my third graders and asked for their opinions, many of them said that they loved the new logo, and “it’s so you.” I love it too, and I would recommend Stef because she is a creative designer who pays attention to the little details which make all the difference!
SUSAN
Teacher-authors with a typographic logo
Typographic logo design is text-based (typography) design. However, there is more to typographic design than just finding a pretty font. Firstly, the fonts chosen should match the personality of the brand. Then there is work to be done before it becomes a logomark. Spacing (tracking and kerning), flourishes, ligatures, special characters, manipulation of form are just some examples of how a word made from a few characters of a font becomes a typographical logo beyond just the typed text.
Designing Typographic logos for teachers
From the Working Dog portfolio
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store A Heart to Teach
Brand statement: A teacher who loves to teach.
Graphic elements: A heart with a retro feel of Pop Art design.
Color: Teal and pink.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store Of Course I Can
Brand statement: High school English units that have been tried and tested in the classroom for over 20 years. Specializing in thematic analysis, student engagement, connection, discussion, and relevancy.
Graphic elements: Typographic based to be representative of speech saying ‘of course I can’. Cyclical arrow representative of continued quality again and again.
Color: Turquoise, purple and yellow.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store The Running Classroom
Brand statement: Resources for 2nd grade with a focus on math activities.
Graphic elements: Flowing, cursive text continuous movement (running) into line graphics.
Color: Pinks.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store The Hoopin’ Teacher
Brand statement: Resources with a focus on physical education (PE).
Graphic elements: A basketball passing through a hoop. Pinched text to indicate it is following the ball through the hoop.
Color: Orange and black.
Brief: To create a logo for TpT store I Teach With Heart
Brand statement: 3rd to 6th-grade resources to assist in introducing, reteaching or enriching standards for reading, writing, language arts, and social studies.
Graphic elements: Open book with heart and a butterfly. Hybrid design being typographic and illustrative.
Color: Purple, black, white and silver.
At Working Dog Resources our planning process is to discuss with you your business in-depth. From there we develop a creative brief outlining the requirements for concept development. It is essential for us to understand you and your business to design a logo that can develop into a long-lasting brand.
Check out more graphic design projects: Portfolio
