you can ,(not always, check the rights) but I would avoid using them because the point of a logo is to be an original statement providing brand consistency and identity.

That said unless you are some sort of type guru it would look worse if you did it from scratch possibly.

I'd feel safer using fonts I bought so I know i have rights to them.

You just have to read what the creator of the font says.
some of them don't care, others have limits to what they would allow you to do with it

quakerninja said: you can ,(not always, check the rights) but I would avoid using them because the point of a logo is to be an original statement providing brand consistency and identity.

It's free for a reason. Definitely not that good to use in a logo.

Okay thanks. I might have to venture into creating a custom.

Check the rights.

Visuals do better then plain text. I would work on that.
Most logos are some sort of altered monogram of the company name or character or symbol.
I would stick with black and white for starters, or at least simple precise color choices.
Try to avoid gradients, or over done effects. drop shadows, lens flare blah blah blah
These can effect the designs usability in some cases.
If it looks great at 50px you are on the right track. Don't over do it. Simple wins.

I am going for something really simple. But I am disappointed your so against lens flares... I had 3 going and it looked spectacular!

kidevans said: I am going for something really simple. But I am disappointed your so against lens flares... I had 3 going and it looked spectacular!

Lens Flares, drop shadows, and gradients(majority of the time) are all disgusting. It didn't look spectacular.

Sarcasm, Smith. Sarcasm...

Well then. Theoretically it didn't look spectacular.

Anyways. Another thing to keep in mind, the typefaces are free. So others have the same access to them as you do, and others will be using them. You don't want someone to see your logo and be like "dafont?"

I've been designing for a couple of years now and I still find it surprising how many fonts I come across. I 'd hope you 'd choose some fonts you love, and use them in various weights and sizes.

I love the paid ones that I have but I just have 3-4 of them that my organization purchased as part of their branding.

Google fonts have a lot of truly nice styles. I 'd say pick yours and grow your own theme. When it is boring it does not matter. You will know, and will develop your favorites over time. Experiment with a number of different typefaces and weights / styles / sizes.