• The school logo is a stylized representation used by many schools as an accent on school merchandise or a symbol on school communications. When designing your school's logo, there are many factors to take into consideration. A well-designed logo can serve as a representation of a school for decades, so take care when designing yours as it will likely be associated with the school for years to come.
  
  

School Colors

• While your logo can be black and white, many schools choose to incorporate their school colors into their logo. You can do this in numerous ways. To create an obvious incorporation, include only your two school colors in the logo. For a more subtle approach, use your school colors more heavily than other hues, but feature other tones as well. Another option is to make your entire logo out of shades of one of your school colors. For example, you could create a logo that consists only of shades of blue if blue is a representative color for your school.
  
  

Mascot

• Your school is likely already represented by a mascot. Include an indication of your school's mascot in your logo to incorporate the pre-existing representation into your new design. You can include an illustrated picture of the mascot, or instead just include a symbol that represents the mascot, such as a paw print to represent a Wildcat.
  
  

Symbolism

• Consider adding symbolic elements to your logo. Books make an obvious reference to learning; torches symbolize the passing of knowledge and power; and apples have long been associated with the practice of education. All make effective symbolic choices. Consider values unique to your school as well. For example, if your the school is dedicated to the study of science or the arts, represent these elements symbolically through your logo.
  
  

Consider Community

• Take the community make-up into consideration when designing your logo. If your live in an urban area, you may want to incorporate sky scrapers into your logo. If many members of your community speak a language other than English, it is advisable to reflect this by creating a multi-lingual logo that can be easily read by all community members.
  
  

Date Established

• Include the year in which your school was established somewhere on your logo. Including this date gives a gentle nod to the school's history, and bestows pride in the roots of the school. This date does not have to be prominently featured, but should be included in some form or another, even if it is only indicated through small lettering at the logos corner. Include the word "Established" or the abbreviation "Est." to clearly indicate what the date represents.
  
  

Logo Use

• Once you create a logo, use it heavily. Place it on everything from letterhead to the school website. This creates a sense of continuity in school communications, and reinforces the ideas conveyed through the logo. Using the logo heavily will lead people to associate the carefully planned design with your school.