Logo design software is a computer program designed to help the user create a symbol, also called a trademark, to represent a company. Generally, logo design software assists with composition, color, and printing of a logo image, and will often supply templates to help a user get started designing a logo. Logo design software is usually considered to be basic desktop publishing or graphic design software, and is generally used by small business owners seeking to create their own promotional designs for their companies. This type of software can also be called a logo maker.
The colors of a company's logo can communicate conscious and subconscious messages to the viewer. Novice logo designers who are inexperienced with color theory can let software color design functions lead them to the right color combination to use to represent the company business. Depending on the type of business and the printing needs for the logo, a designer can choose bold colors like yellow and red, or softer pastels like lavender and sky blue.
One major frustration for some logo designers is preparation for printing. When preparing a logo for printing, many things can go wrong that make the logo appear off when it gets to the printer. Logo design software can help a user calibrate settings like size, proportions, color density, and photo resolution to ensure that the logo appears as designed when it is printed.
Though logo design is a part of graphic design, logo design software is usually not used in professional graphic design. Professional graphic designers typically use graphic design and visual editing programs like Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator® to create professional logo designs for clients. Logo design software is an advantage for self-designing small business owners because it is considerably less expensive than purchasing a fully functional graphic design software suite, but function is usually limited to basic logo design needs. Dedicated logo design software includes Logo Design Studio Pro™ and My Logo Maker™, but simple computer graphics programs like Paint can also be used for designing simple logos.
Usually included on all company communications, including the company building, website, advertisements and stationery, a logo is important because it assigns a visually identifiable symbol to a company that does not have to be read as words. Sometimes, a logo contains a company, name, though some logos have several variations in which a logo may or may not feature text stating a company name. One example of a logo that can be used with or without the company name in text is the Nike® "swoosh" logo.