Logo Creator Skill

Create professional, strategically-grounded logos through AI image generation and an iterative design process built on real brand strategy principles.

Prerequisites

Required API Keys (set in environment):

• GEMINI_API_KEY — Google AI Studio
• REMOVE_BG_API_KEY — remove.bg
• RECRAFT_API_KEY — recraft.ai

Required Skills:

• nanobanana — AI image generation (Gemini 3 Pro Image)

File Output Location

.skill-archive/logo-creator/<yyyy-mm-dd-brandname>/
  logo-01.png ... logo-20.png
  logo-05-v1.png ... (iterations)
  logo-final-cropped.png
  logo-final-nobg.png
  logo-final.svg
  preview.html
  brand-brief.md

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THE 5 PRINCIPLES — Evaluate Every Logo Against These

Before generating or approving anything, these are the standards. A top-tier logo must satisfy all five.

1. Simple — Memorable at a glance. One clear idea. A child should be able to draw it from memory.
2. Versatile — Works at 16px favicon and 16-foot billboard. Works in black and white. Works on light and dark backgrounds.
3. Timeless — Avoids design trends. Will still look intentional in 10 years.
4. Appropriate — Matches the brand's industry, audience, and personality. A law firm and a gaming company should never have interchangeable logos.
5. Distinctive — Doesn't look like a competitor. Has a unique visual hook.

Use these to evaluate every batch. When presenting options, explicitly score each against these five.

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Workflow

Step 1: Brand DNA Discovery

Do NOT skip this. The quality of the logo depends entirely on how well you understand the brand. Ask all of these before generating a single image.

Required answers:

1. What does this company/product actually do?

• One sentence. Force the user to be precise.

2. Who is the target audience?

• Age range, profession, lifestyle, sophistication level
• Example: "35-50 year old male real estate investors" vs "Gen Z female fitness enthusiasts"

3. What is the brand's personality? (pick 3)

Bold / Confident / Authoritative
Friendly / Approachable / Warm
Premium / Elegant / Luxurious
Innovative / Cutting-edge / Disruptive
Trustworthy / Reliable / Stable
Playful / Fun / Energetic
Minimal / Clean / Sophisticated
Gritty / Raw / Authentic

4. Who are the top 3 competitors?

• What do their logos look like?
• We need to differentiate, not blend in.

5. What should the logo feel like?

• Ask for 2-3 adjectives (e.g., "powerful and clean" or "warm and approachable")
• What should someone feel when they see it?

6. What logos do you admire? (from any industry)

• This reveals aesthetic preferences faster than asking about styles.

7. Practical requirements:

• Where will it primarily appear? (app icon, website, merchandise, signage, social media)
• Any colors already chosen or to avoid?
• Does it need to include the company name in the mark, or icon-only?

Synthesize into a Brand Brief before generating — save as brand-brief.md in the project folder. This becomes the prompt foundation.

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Step 2: Style Direction

Read references/styles.md for full style catalog with prompt patterns.

Based on brand DNA, recommend 2-3 styles that fit the brand's personality. Explain your reasoning. For example:

"Given your premium positioning and B2B audience, I'd suggest starting with Minimalist/Geometric (clean authority) and Lettermark (professional legacy feel). I'd avoid mascots — they signal consumer/casual brands."

Do not ask the user to pick a style without giving them a recommendation first.

Style → Brand Personality Mapping:

Style	Works Best For
Minimalist/Flat	Tech, SaaS, professional services, premium brands
Lettermark/Monogram	Law, finance, luxury, personal brands, consulting
Mascot	Consumer apps, food, gaming, community, children
Abstract/Geometric	Tech, innovation, startups, forward-thinking brands
Pixel Art / 8-bit	Gaming, indie, developer tools, nostalgic tech
Emblem/Badge	Sports, craft/artisan, heritage, organizations
3D/Isometric	Software products, platforms, modern SaaS
Wordmark	Media, fashion, consumer brands with short names

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Step 3: Craft the Generation Prompts

This is where most AI logo attempts fail. Generic prompts produce generic logos.

Prompt Architecture:

[STYLE] + [SUBJECT/CONCEPT] + [BRAND PERSONALITY KEYWORDS] + [COLOR DIRECTIVE] + [FORMAT REQUIREMENTS] + [WHAT TO AVOID]

Build 5 distinct prompt angles before batch generating:

1. Literal — Direct visual representation of what the brand does
2. Metaphorical — Abstract concept that captures the brand's feeling
3. Typographic — Name or initials as the visual centerpiece
4. Symbolic — Universal symbol reinterpreted for this brand
5. Character — Mascot or anthropomorphic element (if appropriate)

High-Performance Prompt Patterns:

# Minimalist Tech
Minimalist {subject} icon, flat vector design, single {color}, geometric simplicity, 
clean negative space, professional and modern, white background, no gradients, 
no shadows, scalable to favicon size

# Premium/Luxury
Elegant {subject} logomark, refined line work, {color} on white, premium feel, 
geometric precision, balanced proportions, timeless not trendy, no decorative flourishes

# Bold/Confident
Strong {subject} mark, bold geometric shapes, {color} high contrast, 
powerful visual weight, confident design, clean edges, icon-style

# Mascot
{Character} mascot logo, {style} illustration, friendly and approachable, 
{colors}, simple enough to work as app icon, white background, 
flat or semi-flat style, no complex backgrounds

# Lettermark
Letter "{letters}" logo, custom typography, {style} design, 
{color} on white, unique letterform, professional, no clip art or stock elements

Critical prompt constraints to always include:

• white background — prevents the AI from adding complex backgrounds
• no text or include brand name — be explicit
• scalable to favicon — forces simplicity
• vector-style or flat design — prevents photo-realistic outputs
• no gradients — forces versatility (easier to reverse on dark BG)

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Step 4: Generate First Batch (20 Variations)

Use the 5 prompt angles. Generate 4 variations per angle.

# Single generation
python3 <nanobanana_skill_dir>/scripts/generate.py "{prompt}" \
  --ratio 1:1 -o .skill-archive/logo-creator/<date-name>/logo-01.png

# Batch (recommended)
python3 <nanobanana_skill_dir>/scripts/batch_generate.py "{prompt}" \
  -n 20 --ratio 1:1 -d .skill-archive/logo-creator/<date-name> -p logo

Naming convention:

• logo-01.png through logo-20.png — first batch
• logo-05-v1.png, logo-05-v2.png — iterations on #05
• logo-final-cropped.png, logo-final-nobg.png, logo-final.svg — finals

Copy the preview template and open:

cp <skill_dir>/templates/preview.html .skill-archive/logo-creator/<date-name>/preview.html
open .skill-archive/logo-creator/<date-name>/preview.html

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Step 5: Evaluate Batch Against the 5 Principles

Do not just present options. Evaluate them before asking for feedback.

For each notable option, score against the 5 principles:

Logo #07
✓ Simple — Clean single-mark concept, high memorability
✓ Versatile — Works in black and white, readable at 16px
✗ Timeless — Drop shadow feels dated (2018 SaaS)
✓ Appropriate — Premium feel matches B2B audience
✓ Distinctive — Strong visual hook, unlike competitors
Verdict: Strong candidate. Would improve by removing shadow.

Present your top 3-5 with this evaluation, then ask the user which direction resonates and why.

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Step 6: Iterate

Based on user selection and feedback:

1. Identify specifically what works: concept, shape, color, weight, style
2. Generate 10-20 focused variations on that direction
3. Use versioned naming: logo-07-v1.png through logo-07-v15.png
4. Update preview.html to reflect new count
5. Re-evaluate against 5 principles
6. Repeat until a clear winner emerges (typically 2-3 rounds)

Iteration prompt refinement:

• Remove what doesn't work: "no bevels", "no drop shadows", "simpler shapes"
• Amplify what does: "more geometric", "stronger weight", "more negative space"
• Reference the winner: "in the style of logo-07 but with more open letterforms"

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Step 7: Versatility Test (Before Final Approval)

Before the user locks in a final, verify the logo holds up in real use:

Ask them to mentally check (or use the preview HTML):

• Does it work in pure black on white?
• Does it work in white on black (dark mode)?
• Is it still recognizable at 32px?
• Does it read at a glance, or require study?
• Would it work on a t-shirt? A business card? A phone app?

If it fails any of these, note which and refine before finalizing.

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Step 8: Finalize and Export

Once the user approves a logo, run all three processing steps:

8a. Crop to tight 1:1 square:

python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/crop_logo.py {input.png} {logo-final-cropped.png}

8b. Remove background (transparent PNG):

python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/remove_bg.py {input.png} {logo-final-nobg.png}

8c. Vectorize to SVG:

python3 <skill_dir>/scripts/vectorize.py {input.png} {logo-final.svg}

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Step 9: Deliver Final Assets

## Final Logo Assets

| File | Description | Use Case |
|------|-------------|----------|
| logo-final.png | Original approved | Master file |
| logo-final-cropped.png | Tight crop, 1:1, white BG | Print, documents |
| logo-final-nobg.png | Transparent PNG | Web, overlays, merchandise |
| logo-final.svg | Scalable vector | Everything else |

All saved to: .skill-archive/logo-creator/<date-name>/

Also deliver a brief summary:

• What makes this logo work (which of the 5 principles it nails)
• Suggested primary color (hex) to lock in for brand consistency
• Recommended usage context (where it shines, any size/BG caveats)

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Quick Diagnostic: Common AI Logo Failures

When reviewing generated logos, reject any that show:

• Noise / complexity — Too much detail, won't scale down
• Trendy effects — Drop shadows, gradients, bevels, glows (unless deliberately retro)
• Random text hallucinations — AI often adds garbled text; reject these
• Symmetry breaks — Lopsided marks unless intentional
• Generic clip-art feel — Stock icon energy; push for more unique interpretations
• Background contamination — Complex backgrounds, textures, gradients behind the mark

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References

• references/styles.md — Full style catalog with 10 categories and prompt patterns. Read before recommending styles.
• examples/opc-logo-creation.md — Complete worked example conversation.