Fast-Track Success with Tips from Top Fitness Marketing Experts in Chicago, IL
Developing a unique, memorable logo for your fitness, health, or wellness brand is no small feat. Your logo will eventually serve as your brand’s face across several platforms — and likely even before anyone sees a human connected with your brand and business.
That’s why you want to make sure your fitness branding and logo:
Send the right message instantly.
Truly sets your brand and business apart.
Makes a positive, lasting impression.
Some of today’s titans in the health, wellness, and fitness industry have truly mastered this in their logos, finding ways to balance their company vision and message while creating a strong, compelling niche that customers understand and connect to.
You can do the same thing for your fitness, wellness, and health brand, no matter how new or known it is and no matter what your budget may be at the moment.
This is ~95% creativity and knowing how fitness logos and branding work.
The good news is that it doesn’t take much to get up to speed, especially if you brush up on these do’s and don’ts (below) from experienced fitness marketing pros.
How to Create & Redesign Fitness, Health & Wellness Logos: 8 Do’s
Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refresh a dated logo, consider these “best practices” as you work out the look, colors, and overall design of your logo.
1. Simplicity
Simple, clean logos stand out, look sharp, and can be easier to identify in a sea of competitors’ logos. A cluttered or overly complex design can be confusing and less memorable.
The Nike swoosh and Adidas' three stripes are a couple of iconic fitness logos that hit a home run with powerful simplicity.
2. Relevance
Make sure your logo directly relates to fitness, health, or wellness.
To do that, try to incorporate visual cues and references, like (but not limited to):
Dumbbells and/or barbells
Running shoes
Silhouettes of fit physiques
Equipment specific to your niche
Fruit, vegetables, or other “tip-offs” of wellness
A sun, leaves, or sprouts to show growth
Any focal object that communicates the ‘essence’ of your fitness, health, or wellness brand
3. Memorability
Aim for a design that is easy to remember. Memorability can mean your logo is an easy choice the next time someone comes across it.
4. Versatility
Double-check how your logo looks good in different sizes and on various platforms, including (but not limited to):
Print materials, like business cards, brochures, company signs, apparel, and swag
Digital assets, like social media profiles, website banners, listings features, email campaigns, and more
Also, consider creating a logo that looks great and both color and black-and-white applications.
5. Color Psychology
Colors can instantly create a “mood” and vibe while indicating qualities about a brand, from vibrance and positivity to movement, energy, excitement, and more.
So, consider your color choices, and focus on colors that:
Evoke optimism
Are bright and energetic
Reference nature and growth
Are easy to read or look at (Bright colors can be harsh while light colors may be difficult to discern.)
Ultimately, you’ll probably have at least a couple of colors in your logo. So, don’t forget to also make sure those colors complement and contrast each other nicely, so your logo has a crisp look that’s easily recognizable.
6. Font & Typography
Font can speak to personality, adding levity or a more serious undertone to the fitness, wellness, or health logo. So, as you consider logos, think about what conveys your brand’s values and overall mission.
While bold, sans-serif fonts tend to convey strength and modernity, italics can add a note of luxury while all capitalization may give “dominance” vibes. Whatever you’re looking to communicate in your logo, your font and typography can support that — or detract from it — depending on what you go with here.
7. Juno Se Qua & Unique “Factor”
Avoid clichés. Don’t mimic what other successful health, wellness, and fitness brands are doing. If you do, not only could you be dancing around copyright issues, but you can also look like a “knockoff” or a “low-end” version of the popular brands. That can send the wrong message out of the gate.
Instead, zero in on what makes you different and how you can communicate that visually. Your logo shouldn’t look like your competitors or any other brand outside of your industry. Here, it can be helpful to get a few sets of eyes on any drafts to make sure you’re not unconsciously copying logos that have resonated with you.
8. Scalability
Your logo should maintain its integrity when resized. Complex details get lost in small applications, so think about the details when you’re looking at options or reviewing logo drafts.
Keep in mind that these tips apply pretty much across the board, whether you’re launching, taking over, or running a yoga studio, a Pilates studio, a personal training business,a wellness business, or any other fitness, health, or wellness company (and regardless of whether it’s just you or a teams of folks running your company).
What NOT to Do with Fitness, Health & Wellness Brand Logos: 8 Don’ts
Steering clear of these logo mistakes is a must for any health, wellness, or fitness brand looking to successfully roll out a new logo.
1. Complexity & Clutter
Complex designs are confusing and visually overwhelming. They’re also easy to forget and disregard, especially if competitors have a simpler logo that’s far easier to remember.
2. Too “Trendy”
Staying on trend can be helpful, but getting too trendy can put a short shelf life on the relevance of your logo — and, by extension, possibly your brand.
So, instead of trying to hit all of the latest trends with your new or next logo, focus on a more classic, timeless appearance that will stand the test of time.
3. Too Many Colors
Throwing all of the colors at your logo won’t make it better or more interesting. Instead, it can look amateurish and be off-putting. So, be thoughtful with the color, and don’t be afraid to edit here.
4. Inappropriate Fonts
Steer clear of overly decorative or hard-to-read fonts. Your logo's typography should be clear and legible.
5. Copycatting
Don't create a logo that looks like countless others in the fitness industry. Stand out by being unique.
6. Shoehorning in the Brand Name
If your brand name is long, avoid incorporating the entire name into the logo. It may make the design too busy. Consider using initials or a symbol instead.
7. Inconsistency
Once you have a logo, use it consistently across all branding assets. Avoid altering it frequently. That can confuse your audience.
8. Negative Imagery
Avoid using negative or unappealing imagery in your fitness logo. You want to inspire and motivate, not discourage or trigger negative energy.
How to Design a Better Fitness, Health & Wellness Logo
Encapsulating a fitness, wellness, or health brand into a logo can be a challenge, but you don’t have to tackle it alone.
By working with fitness logo designers and digital marketing pros, you can get experienced help creating a stunning new logo that not only stands out but that also showcases your brand while truly resonating with your target audience and customers.