Logo Design Bristol: £129, All Layouts

What a Bristol logo has to handle

Green claims must be proved

The CMA's Green Claims Code, published on 20 September 2021, sets out six principles; among them, environmental claims must be truthful and accurate, clear and unambiguous, and substantiated. Source: Competition and Markets Authority, Green Claims Code

What it means for your logo: Do not put a leaf, a globe or the word eco in the logo unless you can prove it. Keep the mark distinctive and put the proof on your website.

Shopfront lettering is guided

Bristol City Council's shopfront guidelines say fascia lettering should be hand painted or individually cut out, a projecting sign should be about 600mm high and 400mm wide at most, and internally illuminated fascias and projecting box signs should be avoided. Source: Bristol City Council, Shopfront Guidelines (Policy Advice Note 8)

What it means for your logo: The wordmark must still read as plain painted or cut letters, and the icon must work alone at about 600 by 400mm.

Murals set the pace on the street

Upfest, held in the Bedminster and Southville districts of Bristol, describes itself as Europe's largest street art festival. Source: Upfest

What it means for your logo: If you trade in Bedminster or Southville, your sign may sit beside large street art. A simple silhouette in two colours at most holds its own; test it small and in one colour before you decide.

From brief to files, without leaving Bristol

We are an online UK studio, so there is no office to visit and no meeting to book: every step happens online, wherever in Bristol you are.

Brief online

A short form about your business, your customers and what you like. No meeting needed.

Concepts in 48 hours

First concepts by email within 48 hours of your completed brief.

Revise by email

Unlimited revisions within your brief until it is right.

Files by download

Every layout and format, plus a single-colour version, with the copyright transferred to you.

Green without greenwashing

Bristol was European Green Capital in 2015, and the leaf, the globe and the word eco are the obvious shortcuts for a Bristol business that wants to look green. The trouble is that a logo can say something untrue about the business without a word.

A logo can make an environmental claim on its own. The Competition and Markets Authority's Green Claims Code, published on 20 September 2021, says, among its six principles, that claims must be truthful and accurate, clear and unambiguous, and substantiated, and a leaf next to the word eco is a claim. If your business really is low-impact, say how on your website, where you can prove it. Let the logo be distinctive, and keep the green for when it is earned.

The bridge everybody draws

Ask for a Bristol logo and the first idea is often the Clifton Suspension Bridge, with a hot-air balloon close behind. Both are lovely and both are taken. A bridge outline also shrinks badly: at the size of a social media icon the towers and chains turn into two lines and a dip.

We would rather find the mark in your business. A landscaper's mark from the shape of a cut hedge, a florist's from one flower, a joiner's from a joint. It is still yours when you take on work beyond the city, and it does not compete with every other bridge logo in the city.

A shopfront beside street art

Bedminster and Southville are home to Upfest, which describes itself as Europe's largest street art festival. A sign that is subtle anywhere else can disappear next to large street art.

On the sign itself, Bristol City Council's shopfront guidelines ask for hand-painted or individually cut-out fascia lettering and small projecting signs, and advise against internally lit box fascias. So the wordmark has to survive as plain letters, and the icon has to work alone on a projecting sign of about 600 by 400mm.

The answer is not more colour; it is a simpler shape. A logo with one strong silhouette and two colours at most holds its own against a busy wall, where an intricate illustration turns to noise. Test any mark small and in one colour before you choose it, because that is the version a busy street will test too.

Working with us from Bristol

We are an online UK studio, so Bristol businesses work with us the same way as everyone else: a short brief online, first concepts within 48 hours of your completed brief, revisions by email, and files by download. There is nothing to drive to, and the price is the same £129 anywhere in the UK. See everything included in Logo Design.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put a leaf or the word eco in my logo? +

We can, but think twice. Under the CMA's Green Claims Code an environmental claim must be truthful and backed up, and a logo is a claim you repeat on everything. If your business is genuinely low-impact, explain how on your website and keep the logo distinctive.

Should my Bristol logo use the Clifton Suspension Bridge? +

We would not. It is on a great many Bristol logos already, and its fine detail is lost at small sizes. We design a mark from your business so it stays yours.

My business really is eco-friendly. How do I show that in the logo? +

Show it through proof, not a symbol. Say what you do and how, with evidence, on your website, and keep the logo distinctive. If you want a visual cue, a plain colour palette or a short factual line beside the logo is safer than a leaf, because you can back it up.

How do I work with you if you are not in Bristol? +

Entirely online: you fill in a short brief, we email your first concepts within 48 hours of the completed brief, you reply with feedback, and the final files arrive by download.

Will my logo hold its own on a busy shopfront? +

Yes. We test every mark small and in one colour, and keep the shapes simple enough to be painted or cut out as individual letters, with an icon that works alone on a small projecting sign. You get the single-colour version and vector files a signmaker needs.

Logo design for Bristol businesses