Creating Your First Malaysian Food Service Business logo : F&B Tips

When it comes to identifying and recalling a brand, nothing comes to mind sooner than the brand’s logo. In general, logos are the first point of contact with a potential customer. A well-designed logo will resonate with the customer and linger with them long after they’ve finished their meals!

Creating a logo for the uninitiated may be a daunting task. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the myriad options for colours, fonts, and symbols.

So here’s a few tips to help you on your journey of creating your very own food business logo!

1. Consider Your Brand’s Story

Every brand has its own journey and inspiration, and your logo should convey that! Teh Tarik Place evokes the image of local ‘lepak’ culture and the simplicity of time spent chilling with your buddies over a cup of teh tarik and local snacks.

Some brands may opt for people instead of concepts. Madam Kwan leverages the Madam herself as the face of her brand, as a symbol of her perseverance and passion to perfecting the Malaysian menu featured in her outlets. So, as you are drafting your logo, be sure to ask yourself – what is the story behind this food business and what drives the brand?

2. Typeface

Typeface conveys mood. Is your brand funky and hip? Consider the font that suit the style of the brand. Selling delicate dessert and pastries? Ensure that your font look elegant and sweet – just like your products. Local fast-food brand Marrybrown sets its logo in sans serif font, making it look clean and modern. The rounded body of its typeface is fun and playful, conveying the idea that it’s wholesome and family-friendly.

3. Colours

Now that you’ve got a logo concept and your brand name (and maybe a slogan) drafted up, it’s time to add colours to the mix! Identify the key colour of your brand — like country flags, two or three is the sweet spot for logo colours.

Nyonya Colors picked two colours, the brown and green of gula melaka and pandan respectively for its name, and added in a dash of red via its hibiscus.

Here’s a general guide on colors and mood they convey:

Yellow : Vibrant, Radiant, Joyful
Blue : Calming, Fresh, Premium, Seafood
Pink : Playful, Feminine, Sugary
Red : Passion, Dynamic, Love
Green : Healthy, Vegetarian, Nourishing, Eco-friendly
Brown : Warm, Wholesome, Homemade

4. Readability

You might have beaten your logo into shape by now, so congratulations for getting this far! But now it’s time to take a step back to observe your logo from afar and up close. It’s easy to tunnel vision as someone working firsthand on the logo, so seek out second and third opinions on readability and overall design coherence. Inside Scoop utilises simple black on white, making it easy to read, and the ice-cream cone further cues the viewer that it’s an ice-cream brand, just in case.

5. Simplicity & Recall

This might seem counterintuitive, but the final step to creating a complete logo is to simplify things. Adding elements to the mix to build up a logo can easily result in an overwhelmingly complex logo that is hard to digest and retain. By distilling it down to the essence and spirit of the brand – keeping things as uniquely simple as possible – that’s what makes logos recognisable and memorable.Zus Coffee uses only two colours, and its blue is shared with the colour of its paper cups, letting the white of its logo do the heavy lifting.

Once your logo is fresh out the oven, it’s time to test it out on multiple platforms and physical print. Don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board if things don’t work out — a logo is meant to last the brand’s lifetime, after all! Interested in growing your brand with our products? Sign up as a member today on Ajinomoto Food Biz Partner! It takes a few simple steps, and you can open the door to exciting deals, tips, tricks and more!