TL;DR
Use a text model (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) to write six different logo directions, then render 3-5 reference images per direction with an image tool. Bring all six to a designer instead of the phrase “minimalist but warm.” Do not ship the AI image as your final logo — vector cleanup, font licensing, and trademark are human work. The copy-ready prompt below is the whole job.
The task
You are about to hire a logo designer, or you already paid one, and “minimalist but warm” is not a brief. Six concrete directions in front of a designer beats ten meetings. AI is the cheapest way to widen the search before you commit. The goal is not to ship an AI logo; it is to hand a designer a brief built from real visual references — an icon idea, a named type pairing, a mood — instead of adjectives.
This is a two-stage job: a text model writes the directions, an image model renders references for each one. Keep them separate. The text model decides what the six ideas are; the image model only shows you what one of them could look like.
When AI helps, and when it does not
AI is strong at proposing icon concepts, suggesting type pairings, and writing image prompts that produce on-brand exploratory marks. It is weak at delivering a final logo: it cannot do clean vector paths, optical kerning, contrast and accessibility checks, or a trademark search. As of June 2026, even the best image models still struggle with complex typography — Midjourney’s own guidance is that you finish text in Illustrator or Canva, not in the generator. Use AI to explore; pay a designer to commit.
What to feed the AI
- Brand name plus a one-line meaning (“Maple = neighbourhood-scale software”)
- Audience, and the brands they already trust
- Mood words (calm, confident, playful, technical)
- Where the logo lives most: app icon, web favicon, packaging, signage
- Visual no-gos: competitors’ look, dated metaphors, anything generic
- Whether you want a wordmark, a mark, or a combination
Copy-ready prompt
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and fill the <placeholders>:
Propose 6 logo directions for a new brand.
Brand name: <name>
One-line meaning: <line>
Audience: <who, what they trust>
Mood words: <list>
Primary usage: <app icon / web favicon / packaging / signage>
No-go visuals: <list>
Mark type wanted: <wordmark / mark / combination>
For each direction:
1. Direction name (2-3 words)
2. Icon concept in one sentence (the underlying idea, not a description
of the rendered logo)
3. Type pairing — heading + supporting, both real, licensable fonts
4. Mood adjectives — 3 words
5. Image prompt, ready to paste into an image tool, that produces an
exploratory mark (not a finished logo)
6. Where this direction would NOT work (app icon at 16px, signage at 2 m, etc.)
The six directions must not be variations on one idea. If two are too
close, replace one with a contrast.Variant for app-first brands: add “All 6 must work as a 1024 x 1024 app icon legible at 32px — anything that fails the small-size test is invalid.”
Which tool renders each direction
The text prompt gives you six image prompts. Where you paste them depends on what the direction needs. Pricing below is as of June 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Vector / SVG? | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recraft V4 | Logos and icons you’ll actually use; exports real, editable SVG | Yes, native SVG | Free (30 gens/day, public); Basic $10/mo |
| Ideogram 3.0 | Wordmarks and any direction with text — best in-image text accuracy (~90%) | No (raster) | Free (10 slow gens/day); Basic $8/mo |
| ChatGPT image gen | Fast exploration with strong prompt adherence; good short text | No (raster) | Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) |
| Midjourney V8 | The most expressive, art-directed exploratory marks | No (raster) | Basic $10/mo |
Practical split: render text-heavy directions in Ideogram, render the abstract marks in Recraft (so you walk away with a real SVG), and use Midjourney when a direction needs more art direction than the others can muster. None of these replaces the designer — Recraft’s SVG is a starting path, not a kerned, trademark-cleared final.
Recommended output structure
A six-row table: direction name, concept, type pairing, image prompt, failure mode. Print it at A4. Pair each row with 3-5 generated images so the designer sees what you mean, not just what you wrote.
How to check the output is usable
- Each direction is a distinct concept, not just a different colour
- Type pairings are real, available, and licensable (check the foundry or Google Fonts license before you fall in love)
- At least one direction has an explicit “where it fails” — directions with no failure mode are not real choices
- Image prompts produce a consistent visual idea, not five unrelated pictures
- When the designer looks at all six, they can group them into 2-3 themes, not six unrelated drafts
Common mistakes
- Asking for “the logo” instead of “directions” — AI then commits where you should still be exploring
- Adjective-only briefs (“modern, professional”) — vague briefs get vague logos
- Skipping the failure mode — every direction breaks somewhere; if you do not name it, you’ll find it in production
- Shipping the AI image as final — garbled text, no clean vector, no font license, no trademark check
- Picking the safest direction — “safe” usually means it looks like a competitor
FAQ
- Which tool should I render in? Ideogram 3.0 for anything with text (best in-image text accuracy as of June 2026), Recraft V4 for marks you want as editable SVG, ChatGPT or Midjourney for fast exploration. See the table above.
- How many AI images per direction? 3-5 generations. Pick the one that best anchors the concept, not the prettiest.
- Can I just use the AI logo as-is? No. Image models still mangle text, output flat raster, and have no font license or trademark clearance. Recraft’s SVG is the closest to usable but still needs a designer to kern, simplify, and check legality.
- What about trademark? AI cannot do this. Search the USPTO trademark database and your local registry for every shortlisted direction before you pay for design.
- Should I share all six with the designer? Yes. Designers would rather reject bad directions than invent from a blank page.
Related
- Logo mark direction prompts — prompts focused on the mark itself
- Logo & app icon prompts — when logo and app icon are the same
- Brand style prompt — set the broader brand direction first
- AI brand visual direction — the full workflow
- Moodboard prompt — build a moodboard before the directions
- Visual style consistency — keep the mark consistent across surfaces
Tags: #AI writing #Workflow #Logo