Install the belt CLI skill: npx skills add belt-sh/cli
Logo Design Guide
Design effective logos with AI image generation via inference.sh CLI.
Quick Start
Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions
belt login
# Generate a logo concept
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector logo of a mountain peak with a sunrise, minimal geometric style, single color, clean lines, white background",
"width": 1024,
"height": 1024
}'
Logo Types
| Type |
Description |
When to Use |
Example |
| Wordmark |
Company name styled as logo |
Strong brand name, short (< 10 chars) |
Google, Coca-Cola |
| Lettermark |
Initials only |
Long company name, formal |
IBM, HBO, CNN |
| Pictorial |
Recognizable icon/symbol |
Universal brand, works without text |
Apple, Twitter bird |
| Abstract |
Geometric/non-literal shape |
Tech companies, conceptual brands |
Nike swoosh, Pepsi |
| Mascot |
Character illustration |
Friendly brands, food/sports |
KFC Colonel, Pringles |
| Combination |
Icon + wordmark together |
New brands needing both recognition and name |
Burger King, Adidas |
Critical AI Limitation
AI image generators cannot reliably render text. Letters will be distorted, misspelled, or garbled.
Strategy:
- Generate the icon/symbol only with AI
- Add text/wordmark in a design tool (Figma, Canva, Illustrator)
- Or use a combination approach: AI icon + manually set typography
Prompting for Logos
Keywords That Work
flat vector logo, simple minimal icon, single color silhouette,
geometric logo mark, clean lines, negative space design,
line art logo, flat design icon, minimalist symbol
Keywords That Fail
❌ photorealistic logo (contradiction — logos aren't photos)
❌ 3D rendered logo (too complex, won't scale down)
❌ gradient logo (inconsistent results, hard to reproduce)
❌ logo with text "Company Name" (text rendering fails)
Prompt Structure
flat vector logo of [subject], [style], [color constraint], [background], [additional detail]
Examples by Logo Type
# Abstract geometric
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector abstract logo, interlocking hexagonal shapes forming a letter S, minimal geometric style, single navy blue color, white background, clean sharp edges"
}'
# Pictorial nature
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector logo of a fox head in profile, geometric faceted style, orange and white, minimal clean lines, white background, negative space design"
}'
# Mascot style
belt app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
"prompt": "friendly cartoon owl mascot logo, simple flat illustration, wearing graduation cap, purple and gold colors, white background, clean vector style"
}'
# Tech abstract
belt app run xai/grok-imagine-image-pro --input '{
"prompt": "minimal abstract logo mark, interconnected nodes forming a brain shape, line art style, single teal color, white background, tech startup aesthetic"
}'
Scalability Rules
A logo must work at every size:
| Context |
Size |
What Must Work |
| Favicon |
16x16 px |
Silhouette recognizable |
| App icon |
1024x1024 px |
Full detail visible |
| Social avatar |
400x400 px |
Clear at a glance |
| Business card |
~1 inch |
Clean print reproduction |
| Billboard |
10+ feet |
No pixelation, simple enough |
Scalability Checklist
Color Guidelines
- Maximum 2-3 colors for the primary logo
- Must work in single color (black, white, or brand primary)
- Consider color psychology:
- Blue: trust, professional (finance, tech, healthcare)
- Red: energy, urgency (food, entertainment, retail)
- Green: growth, nature (health, sustainability, finance)
- Orange: friendly, creative (startups, youth brands)
- Purple: luxury, wisdom (beauty, education)
- Black: premium, elegant (fashion, luxury, tech)
- Test on both light and dark backgrounds
Iteration Workflow
# Step 1: Generate 5-10 broad concepts
for i in {1..5}; do
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector logo of a lighthouse, minimal geometric, single color, white background"
}' --no-wait
done
# Step 2: Refine the best concept with variations
belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector logo of a geometric lighthouse with light beam rays, minimal line art, navy blue, white background, negative space design"
}'
# Step 3: Generate at high resolution for final
belt app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
"prompt": "flat vector logo of a geometric lighthouse with radiating light beams, minimal clean design, navy blue single color, pure white background",
"size": "2K"
}'
# Step 4: Upscale for production use
belt app run falai/topaz-image-upscaler --input '{
"image": "path/to/best-logo.png",
"scale": 4
}'
Common Mistakes
| Mistake |
Problem |
Fix |
| Too much detail |
Loses clarity at small sizes |
Simplify to essential shapes |
| Relies on color |
Fails in B&W contexts |
Design in black first |
| Text in AI generation |
Garbled/misspelled letters |
Generate icon only, add text manually |
| Trendy effects (glows, shadows) |
Dates quickly, reproduction issues |
Stick to flat, timeless design |
| Too many colors |
Hard to reproduce, expensive printing |
Max 2-3 colors |
| Asymmetric without purpose |
Looks unfinished |
Use intentional asymmetry or stay balanced |
File Format Delivery
| Format |
Use Case |
| SVG |
Scalable vector, web, editing |
| PNG (transparent) |
Digital use, presentations |
| PNG (white bg) |
Documents, email signatures |
| ICO / Favicon |
Website favicon (16, 32, 48px) |
| High-res PNG (4096px+) |
Print, billboards |
Note: AI generates raster images (PNG). For true vector SVG, use the AI output as a reference and trace in a vector tool, or use AI-to-SVG conversion tools.
Related Skills
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
Browse all apps: belt app list
1---2name: logo-design-guide3description: Logo design principles and AI image generation best practices for creating logos. Covers logo types, prompting techniques, scalability rules, and iteration workflows. Use for: brand identity, startup logos, app icons, favicons, logo concepts. Triggers: logo design, create logo, brand logo, logo generation, ai logo, logo maker, icon design, brand mark, logo concept, startup logo, app icon logo4---5
6> **Install the belt CLI skill:** `npx skills add belt-sh/cli`
7
8# Logo Design Guide
9
10Design effective logos with AI image generation via [inference.sh](https://inference.sh) CLI.
11
12## Quick Start
13
14> Requires inference.sh CLI (`belt`). [Install instructions](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inference-sh/skills/refs/heads/main/cli-install.md)
15
16```bash
17belt login
18
19# Generate a logo concept
20belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
21 "prompt": "flat vector logo of a mountain peak with a sunrise, minimal geometric style, single color, clean lines, white background",
22 "width": 1024,
23 "height": 1024
24}'
25```
26
27
28## Logo Types
29
30| Type | Description | When to Use | Example |
31|------|-------------|-------------|---------|
32| **Wordmark** | Company name styled as logo | Strong brand name, short (< 10 chars) | Google, Coca-Cola |
33| **Lettermark** | Initials only | Long company name, formal | IBM, HBO, CNN |
34| **Pictorial** | Recognizable icon/symbol | Universal brand, works without text | Apple, Twitter bird |
35| **Abstract** | Geometric/non-literal shape | Tech companies, conceptual brands | Nike swoosh, Pepsi |
36| **Mascot** | Character illustration | Friendly brands, food/sports | KFC Colonel, Pringles |
37| **Combination** | Icon + wordmark together | New brands needing both recognition and name | Burger King, Adidas |
38
39## Critical AI Limitation
40
41**AI image generators cannot reliably render text.** Letters will be distorted, misspelled, or garbled.
42
43Strategy:
441. Generate the **icon/symbol only** with AI
452. Add text/wordmark in a design tool (Figma, Canva, Illustrator)
463. Or use a combination approach: AI icon + manually set typography
47
48## Prompting for Logos
49
50### Keywords That Work
51
52```
53flat vector logo, simple minimal icon, single color silhouette,
54geometric logo mark, clean lines, negative space design,
55line art logo, flat design icon, minimalist symbol
56```
57
58### Keywords That Fail
59
60```
61❌ photorealistic logo (contradiction — logos aren't photos)
62❌ 3D rendered logo (too complex, won't scale down)
63❌ gradient logo (inconsistent results, hard to reproduce)
64❌ logo with text "Company Name" (text rendering fails)
65```
66
67### Prompt Structure
68
69```
70flat vector logo of [subject], [style], [color constraint], [background], [additional detail]
71```
72
73### Examples by Logo Type
74
75```bash
76# Abstract geometric
77belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
78 "prompt": "flat vector abstract logo, interlocking hexagonal shapes forming a letter S, minimal geometric style, single navy blue color, white background, clean sharp edges"
79}'
80
81# Pictorial nature
82belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
83 "prompt": "flat vector logo of a fox head in profile, geometric faceted style, orange and white, minimal clean lines, white background, negative space design"
84}'
85
86# Mascot style
87belt app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
88 "prompt": "friendly cartoon owl mascot logo, simple flat illustration, wearing graduation cap, purple and gold colors, white background, clean vector style"
89}'
90
91# Tech abstract
92belt app run xai/grok-imagine-image-pro --input '{
93 "prompt": "minimal abstract logo mark, interconnected nodes forming a brain shape, line art style, single teal color, white background, tech startup aesthetic"
94}'
95```
96
97## Scalability Rules
98
99A logo must work at every size:
100
101| Context | Size | What Must Work |
102|---------|------|----------------|
103| Favicon | 16x16 px | Silhouette recognizable |
104| App icon | 1024x1024 px | Full detail visible |
105| Social avatar | 400x400 px | Clear at a glance |
106| Business card | ~1 inch | Clean print reproduction |
107| Billboard | 10+ feet | No pixelation, simple enough |
108
109### Scalability Checklist
110
111- [ ] Recognizable as a 16px favicon (squint test)
112- [ ] Works in single color (black on white)
113- [ ] Works inverted (white on black)
114- [ ] No tiny details that disappear at small sizes
115- [ ] No thin lines that vanish when shrunk
116- [ ] Clear silhouette without color
117
118## Color Guidelines
119
120- **Maximum 2-3 colors** for the primary logo
121- Must work in **single color** (black, white, or brand primary)
122- Consider **color psychology**:
123 - Blue: trust, professional (finance, tech, healthcare)
124 - Red: energy, urgency (food, entertainment, retail)
125 - Green: growth, nature (health, sustainability, finance)
126 - Orange: friendly, creative (startups, youth brands)
127 - Purple: luxury, wisdom (beauty, education)
128 - Black: premium, elegant (fashion, luxury, tech)
129- Test on both light and dark backgrounds
130
131## Iteration Workflow
132
133```bash
134# Step 1: Generate 5-10 broad concepts
135for i in {1..5}; do
136 belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
137 "prompt": "flat vector logo of a lighthouse, minimal geometric, single color, white background"
138 }' --no-wait
139done
140
141# Step 2: Refine the best concept with variations
142belt app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
143 "prompt": "flat vector logo of a geometric lighthouse with light beam rays, minimal line art, navy blue, white background, negative space design"
144}'
145
146# Step 3: Generate at high resolution for final
147belt app run bytedance/seedream-4-5 --input '{
148 "prompt": "flat vector logo of a geometric lighthouse with radiating light beams, minimal clean design, navy blue single color, pure white background",
149 "size": "2K"
150}'
151
152# Step 4: Upscale for production use
153belt app run falai/topaz-image-upscaler --input '{
154 "image": "path/to/best-logo.png",
155 "scale": 4
156}'
157```
158
159## Common Mistakes
160
161| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
162|---------|---------|-----|
163| Too much detail | Loses clarity at small sizes | Simplify to essential shapes |
164| Relies on color | Fails in B&W contexts | Design in black first |
165| Text in AI generation | Garbled/misspelled letters | Generate icon only, add text manually |
166| Trendy effects (glows, shadows) | Dates quickly, reproduction issues | Stick to flat, timeless design |
167| Too many colors | Hard to reproduce, expensive printing | Max 2-3 colors |
168| Asymmetric without purpose | Looks unfinished | Use intentional asymmetry or stay balanced |
169
170## File Format Delivery
171
172| Format | Use Case |
173|--------|----------|
174| SVG | Scalable vector, web, editing |
175| PNG (transparent) | Digital use, presentations |
176| PNG (white bg) | Documents, email signatures |
177| ICO / Favicon | Website favicon (16, 32, 48px) |
178| High-res PNG (4096px+) | Print, billboards |
179
180Note: AI generates raster images (PNG). For true vector SVG, use the AI output as a reference and trace in a vector tool, or use AI-to-SVG conversion tools.
181
182## Related Skills
183
184```bash
185npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-image-generation
186npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
187```
188
189Browse all apps: `belt app list`
190
101-skills