Kids aged 10 to 13 can design a strong logo with paper and a pencil. Start with three words that describe the business, sketch twenty tiny ideas, then test the best one: it should still work at stamp size, in one colour, and make sense to a customer. A logo must be the child's own work, not copied from someone else.
It's Wednesday night and your 13-year-old has a free design app open. Her bookmark business has its first five orders from Grandma's book club, and now she's scrolling through hundreds of logo templates. "I just need to find the perfect one," she says, forty minutes in.
You can see she cares, which is great. You can also see she's choosing between glittery unicorns and sports car silhouettes for a business that sells pressed-flower bookmarks.
"Who would want this, and why?"
Book club readers who want something pretty and handmade. Once she remembers that, the logo almost designs itself. This guide gives you a sketch-first activity, a simple checklist and the rules about using things found online.
A good logo is simple, easy to recognise at a glance, works in one colour and matches the feeling of the business. If a customer could draw it from memory, it's simple enough.
Logos come in a few basic types. Any of them can work for a child's business.
| Logo type | What it is | Good for | Bookmark example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word logo | The business name in a chosen style | Short names; children who prefer lettering to drawing | "Pressed & Pretty" in curly handwriting |
| Letter logo | One or two initials | Long names; stickers and stamps | A large "P&P" inside a circle |
| Symbol | A simple picture | Customers who'll see it often | One small pressed flower |
| Combined | Symbol plus the name | Most first businesses | The flower above the name |
This is an illustrative example, not a JuniorCEO Lab student case study.
A logo helps customers recognise a business the second time they see it, on a sign, a tag or a flyer. It's a shortcut to the name and the promise behind it.
It matters less than most children think, though. Customers come back because the product was good and the promise was kept. A logo just makes it easier for them to find your child again. That's why it comes last in building a brand, after the customer, the promise and the name.
No. The best first logos usually start as pencil sketches. Drawing by hand forces simple choices, and simple logos are the ones people remember.
Apps full of templates can make the job harder. Children end up choosing what looks impressive rather than what fits their customer, and templates may be used by thousands of other businesses. Once a sketch is finished, a parent can photograph it or help trace it digitally.
Use the JuniorCEO Lab "Sketch First" activity: brand words, quick thumbnails, then three simple tests. You'll need paper, a pencil, a black marker and about 45 minutes. It works best once your child has a name, so start with how kids choose a business name if they don't have one yet.
Ask: "How should customers feel about your business?" Pick three words, such as calm, handmade and pretty. Every sketch should match them. Our guide to creating a brand explains where these words come from.
Draw boxes the size of a postage stamp and fill them fast. Letters, shapes, simple pictures. Quantity first; good ideas usually turn up after the first ten.
Circle the three your child likes most and redraw each one at about the size of a palm.
Only after it passes the tests. Two colours are plenty and are cheaper to print.
Show it to two people your child would sell to. Ask: "What do you think this business does, and how does it make you feel?" If the answers match the three brand words, it's done.
| My three brand words are | ___, ___, ___ |
| My logo type is (word, letter, symbol or combined) | ___ |
| Passes the shrink test? (yes / no) | ___ |
| Passes the one-colour test? (yes / no) | ___ |
| All my own work? (yes / no) | ___ |
| What two customers said it felt like | ___ |
In the classroom: students sketch twenty thumbnails for a classmate's business, then the classmate chooses one and runs the three tests. It's a quick lesson in designing for someone else.
No to images and characters that belong to someone else. Fonts need checking first. A logo should be your child's own work. Famous characters, other brands' symbols and pictures found online almost always belong to someone, even if they're easy to download.
Logos can be protected. In Australia, business.gov.au explains that a trade mark can be a word, a logo or even a sound, and a registered trade mark gives its owner exclusive rights (business.gov.au). So copying another business's logo, or making one that looks very similar, can break someone else's rights. Free fonts often come with a licence that says how they can be used; an adult should read it. Outside Australia, check your government's intellectual property website. This is general information, not legal advice.
Your child does the drawing and makes the choices. You check it's original, handle anything digital and approve any printing costs.
The JuniorCEO Lab activities work anywhere. The rules around logos, trade marks and copying depend on where you live. Before your child uses a logo on anything they sell, check three things on your government's small business or intellectual property website:
In JuniorCEO Lab, the logo is the last step in building a brand, not the first. Building a brand is the fourth stage of the program, after exploring products, researching customers and shaping an idea.
By the time children reach the logo, they already know their customer, their promise and their name. The logo then has a job to do: show those things simply. Children who design in that order rarely need forty minutes of scrolling.
For a first business, yes. A name next to a simple symbol helps new customers learn who your child is. Once people know the business well, the symbol can sometimes appear on its own, such as on a sticker or stamp.
It's better to sketch first. Templates are shared by many businesses and pull children towards what looks impressive rather than what fits their customer. If you use one later, an adult should read its terms about who owns the design.
A logo doesn't need drawing skill. A word in a chosen style, a single letter in a circle, or one simple shape works well. Simple logos are often better than detailed ones because they're easier to remember.
Usually not for a small family project. In Australia, business.gov.au says only a registered trade mark gives exclusive rights, but registration costs money and suits established businesses. Elsewhere, check your local rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
One or two. The logo should work in a single colour first, so it still looks right when photocopied or stamped. Then add one accent colour that matches the brand words your child chose.
This week, ask your child: "If a customer saw your logo for five seconds, what would you want them to remember?" Then set a ten-minute timer for the twenty tiny sketches. If your child hasn't chosen a name yet, start with how kids choose a business name.
Su Stanyer is the founder of JuniorCEO Lab, an Australian program that teaches children aged 10 to 13 how a business works, from exploring products and researching customers to branding, money, marketing and sales.
Government references are general information, not legal advice, and do not imply endorsement of JuniorCEO Lab.
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