I finally have my own author logo and tagline!
Thanks to my best friend, Samantha. I really love my birthday gift (and the hidden message *winks*)!
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How Everything Started
I’ve always wanted to get my author logo. But I was thinking to get it when I create paperback versions of my books. Thank you Sam for asking what I wanted on my 29th birthday 😀
My branding journey started when I was searching for book cover designers. I stumbled upon some designers that offered author branding services like logo design. That’s when I started researching more about branding.
Most author logos have the author name (obviously) and icons like
- book
- pen
- pencil
- fountain pen
- feather quill
- typewriter
I didn’t really decide on any image. I’m okay with everything. There’s no preference then.
Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels
Overcoming Obstacles
Obstacle 1. Tagline
The biggest problem was the tagline.
I read many articles which mentioned that an author tagline allows readers to know the type of books you write and what they can expect from your stories. A tagline is thus essential in defining what you offer as a writer.
Therefore, I brainstormed so many taglines that I’ve lost count. Still, I couldn’t decide on anything. Nothing seems to stand out. In fact, I was so desperate that I asked my sister and my best friend. But their opinions were very different and the sample size seemed a little small. Thus, I decided to post on Reddit. It wasn’t conclusive but I did get some ideas and feedback from different perspectives.
I came across this article while I was researching on taglines. That’s when I knew. As an author who only wrote 3 novellas, I needed a descriptive tagline. Hence, I decided to include my genre and the no happily-ever-after ending in my tagline.
Source: Copywriting Course
Obstacle 2. Icon
Another problem was the icon.
As mentioned, I didn’t have any preference initially. But when I did my research and examined numerous author logos, I realized that I didn’t want to have a generic icon.
That’s when I thought of a broken/bleeding/fading heart. A heart that’s not intact to align with my tagline.
It’ll be small and subtle since the key focus should be my name.
Photo by Roman Pohorecki on Pexels
Obstacle 3. Logo Designers
Next, I needed a logo designer. When I returned to those designers again, they were no longer offering author branding services. Instead, they focus on book cover designs only (which is where their specialty lies).
Logo Design Process: Hiring & Communication
So I turned to Fiverr. I understand how a logo is an important asset to a business and most people might recommend hiring a professional logo designer instead. But I knew from the start that my logo would be a monogram or wordmark. I didn’t really want a pictorial or abstract mark like Kindlepreneur. I simply wanted something elegant and feminine.
Photo by energepic.com on Pexels
There are countless logo designers on Fiverr. It took me a while to browse the portfolio, check out the reviews, read the description of the service and shortlist a few logo design gigs that were within my budget and time frame. I then shortlisted 3 logo designers. In the end, I decided on the elegant signature logo because the style was closer to what I was looking for.
Plus, the service included a main logo, an alternative logo and a submark. The main logo will include my tagline and will be used for my website and newletters for my readers. The alternative logo (without my tagline) will be used for social media graphics and my blog subscribers. Lastly, the submark will be used for my website’s Favicon and social media profiles.
Photo by rawpixel on Pixabay
After placing an order, I communicated to the seller my author name and tagline. I also shared my ideas and requirements for the logo. Most importantly, I try to be as specific as possible when providing feedback.
The end result?
I absolutely love my author logo~! It captures everything I wanted, from paranormal romance to the no HEA. I’m so glad that I didn’t specify any color and let the designer use his creativity to choose the perfect color palette. I also adore the bleeding heart that symbolizes the tragic ending for the couples in my paranormal stories. It also embodies blood and death (which frequently occur in my stories hahaha). And of course, the designer was fast and responsive. He made all the changes I wanted very quickly.
The Branding Journey
Branding is ever-evolving. I hope that one day my descriptive tagline can grow into a more aspirational tagline. But for now, I’m happy with my author logo and tagline.
That’s it for today. I hope that my branding story will help other authors and entrepreneurs who are embarking on their branding journey as well as help readers understand the thinking behind my logo. And… I’ll be off to redesign my social media graphics with my new branding 😉
