My top 6 fonts for easy logo design (for online business owners).
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One thing I hear so often as a brand designer is this:
“I just need a logo so I can start _______________”
Fill in the blanks with anything from building my website, to creating my online course, to start my business.
In fact, people with this mindset used to be my primary clients. Early in my business, my enquiry forms were filled with emails that opened just like this. But the belief that you need a logo to start your online business is such a pervasive myth. It seems like a logical first step – surely you need something to put on your website or your invoices?
Ultimately, spending too much time or money on a logo before focusing on revenue-generating activities is a waste. Why?
If you’re a course or membership creator, coach, one-on-one service provider, or digital product creator, people simply do not care about your logo on its own. Your audience is more likely to recognize you from your face on social media, your voice from your podcast, or the name of your method, framework, or product/service.
Online businesses don’t need a logo upfront for building signage, product packaging, uniforms, or other print materials.
New businesses – and in my experience, especially new online businesses – change and iterate rapidly. You could spend hours perfecting your first logo, or hundreds having it designed… only to find it irrelevant six months later. Once your business has matured and you’ve established yourself, upgrading to a custom logo and brand identity can elevate your customer/client experience, save you time, and even make it easier to delegate design tasks to team members.
But until then, a simple, text-based logo is more than enough to get started. If you’re DIYing your brand and finding it difficult, establishing your logo design can help inform your choices around color, fonts, and imagery. But the key is to keep it simple – please ditch the Canva logos with paint swipes, floral elements, or gold circles. Many people recognise these as Canva logos now, and they can cheapen your brand and make your designs look amateur.
Your business name in a well-designed font will almost always look cleaner than these free templates, and will be more than enough to get you started.
To help you get going, I've rounded up six of my favorite fonts that are not only affordable (or free!) but also perfect for creating sleek, type-based logos. And if you like these, you’ll love my Starter Logo Font Guide. Get access to my curated Notion database of up to 50 of my favorite Starter Logo fonts, along with video lessons containing my best tips on design, layout variations, and file-saving tips. It's everything you need to get your first logo done – and it’s FREE! Grab it below:
Minya
>> Get it here
Minya is a super fun, bold serif font that takes inspiration from vintage 70’s designs. However, it still feels incredibly up to date and modern. I love the playful little swoop over the “i” and think some of these little custom elements make it perfect for a starter logo design - they add visual interest without any extra effort on your part!
Karl
>> Get it here
Karl is a sans serif font that I love, and I’ve actually used it in a client logo before! It’s super clean, modern, and the unique alternate letters give this font a fun twist. If you want your logo to make its mark without overpowering the rest of your brand, Karl is a great choice.
Muse
>> Get it here
Muse is a modern, super chic sans serif. I love the classic and timeless vibe that the contrast between the thin and thick parts of the letters helps to create. It has a really delicate and luxurious feel, and would be perfect for businesses offering high ticket services or programs.
Marcellus
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Inspired by roman type, Marcellus is a really interesting serif font that blends both rounded and angular elements for a super unique look. While its roots are ancient, the end result is an elegant and modern font that I love both for usage in starter logos and as a heading font. Perfect if you don’t want to have to pick more fonts to match your logo!
Dela Gothic One
>> Get it here
Dela Gothic is one of my favorite Google fonts. It’s modern and super funky, and the bold type will make sure your logo stands out anywhere. I love the styling on the t’s, a’s, d’s and g’s in the lowercase set. Perfect for modern brands that like to have a bit of fun.
Bebas Neue
>> Get it here
If simple and clean is your thing, you’ll love Bebas Neue, especially in all caps. Bebas is a heavyweight in the sans serif font world, and part of the reason is because it just works. You really can’t go wrong working with this one!
Creating a logo shouldn’t be a roadblock in your journey to establishing a successful online business. With the right font, you can quickly craft a logo that serves its purpose without getting in the way of actually making money.
And again - for more help, logo inspiration, and fonts to choose from, grab my Starter Logo Font Guide! This Notion database is packed with a carefully selected mix of free and paid fonts. But it’s not just a collection of fonts—with intuitive filters for price, brand vibe/personality, and more, you can easily find the perfect font that aligns with your brand’s personality. Plus, gain access to insightful video tutorials and tips on logo design fundamentals.
Let me know if you end up using one of the fonts in this post or in the guide for your Starter Logo—I’d love to see it in action!
See you in the next one!
Emily Banks
