One of my favourite things to do when starting a business is to think of the business name and create a business logo.  Once these are created it really feels like the business exists and is no longer just an idea.  In this blog post I will share with you how the Wood Create business logo evolved, tips to create your logo and how to brand wooden furniture with your business logo using a branding iron.

How the Wood Create business logo was created

For Wood Create, Ben came up with the name of the business and it’s pretty self-explanatory.  He likes to create things with wood!  He never really knew if it would ever be more than a hobby, but now he sells a few pieces of his handmade furniture each month!

He mainly sells items via Etsy which is an amazing online handmade platform with a readymade customer base, but he also has a page on this website to share his wares.  I’ve simply taken over the blog on this website to add it to my growing blog collection!

Ben didn’t take too long to come up with the name for his handmade furniture business, but he did take a fair amount of time creating business logos!  Ben has Photoshop and Illustrator so he loved playing around creating a logo.

The first logo was very amateur.  I think he was just quickly trying to make something, but it wasn’t right.  If I remember correctly he used some sort of basic online logo generator or app to create this one.  You’ll be able to see it below!

He then tried to add wood into his second design, but again, it still didn’t look very professional, but he now knew he wanted to add wood into the design somehow.  Now he was using his graphic design software to create something.

The third he spent a lot of time on!  Hand designing each tree ring.  It was quite impressive, but I think I was right when I told him it was too complicated and difficult to read.  The business name just didn’t stand out.

So he went back to the drawing board with the aim of making a logo where the business name was simple, easy to read, stood out, but also had an image somehow of wood.  And finally, he nailed it!

Here’s the evolution of the Wood Create business logo:

Ta-da!

The official Wood Create logo was born and I think it’s a million times better than the ones that came before it.  Do you agree?

3 top tips to create your own business logo

If you’re spending way too long trying to come up with a fancy logo design for your business or you don’t even know where to start, here are my top tips for business logo design:

1. Keep it simple

The second two logos were too complicated.  I can’t imagine them on the side of a van, printed on merchandise such as a pen or even standing out very well on business cards.  However, the final logo is suitable for all these sorts of printing.  It’s also easy to read from a distance and in black or white.  Make sure your logo suits printing in black and white such as on letterheads or emails.  If it’s unreadable in black and white then you may want to redesign it.

2. Download logo templates

To make things a lot easier for yourself, especially if you don’t have any graphic design skills or the time, is to download a readymade logo for your business or your merchandise.  These mock up logos often come in bundles so you can choose the ones you need or even the one that you prefer the most as your actual company logo.  You simply download logo templates and then edit them with your own business name.  They are created by graphic designers and look great!  It’s an easy way to instantly give your business a professional image.

3. Ensure it can be made larger, much larger!

Depending on your type of business, you may one day want your brand name and logo across the front of a large store, the side of a lorry or a billboard.  Make sure your logo can be made much smaller for brand merchandise, but also ensure it works when made much larger too.  Imagine your business in the future if hugely successful and the sorts of things you’d want to place your logo on.

How to brand wooden furniture with your business logo

As mentioned above, it’s really important to know where your business logo is going to be to ensure it’s always readable on a range of materials and in a variety of sizes.

Whilst you might be struggling to think how on Earth you can get your logo onto wooden furniture creations at home, I share the solution below….

I had a great solution and that was a branding iron custom made with my business logo!

Genius!

I simply ordered it from a company on Amazon and sent them his business logo design.  It arrived and it was perfect!

Here is the shop on Amazon I used for my branding iron. I simply sent them my logo design in a PDF format and they made this for me.

Here are instructions and tips on how to brand your wooden furniture creations with a branding iron:

1. Buy a branding iron!!
2. Heat up the logo on your branding iron.  Some branding irons come with a plug and they heat themselves up.  Or alternatively, like Ben’s, you need to heat it up yourself with a blowtorch.  Be very careful and wear protective gear.
3. It needs to be very hot and heated evenly across the whole logo to get a perfect result.
4. However, if it’s too hot then the burn mark will spread too far.  So take your time to practice on a scrap piece of wood before branding any creations you plan to sell.  This will help you learn how long to heat the iron up for to get the best result.
5. Unless you are very confident, then always brand your wooden furniture creations on the underside where it can’t be seen, just in case it doesn’t brand perfectly.
6. Press evenly down on the surface to ensure even contact across the whole logo.  Hold for three or four seconds.

Heat branding iron or electric branding iron?

So which is better? A torch heated branding iron or an electric heated branding iron?

It all depends on your work setup and how much branding you’re doing. 

You may like the process of using a blowtorch or fire to brand your items, especially if you’re making pieces one at a time. 

However, if you are branding a bunch of items all at the same time then an electric branding iron is the way to go, providing you have somewhere to plug it in. 

An electric iron won’t cool down in-between uses meaning you can work faster whilst branding.  It’s also more precise and adds cleaner lines to your design. You can also avoid the safety implications of needing to use a blowtorch or fire around wood!

But, an electric iron may not last forever.  It’s an electrical item and it might break one day and become redundant.  A heat iron might therefore be the more eco-friendly option as it can last a lifetime. A heat iron is also the more affordable option.

Final thoughts

If you’re not sure how to get your own business logo on your own creations, then you definitely need to think outside the box and you’ll find a way.

If you have a wooden business then branding with an iron is a really cool way to do it!