I can't design a logo. I've tried. Every time I open Illustrator I spend an hour making something that looks like a first-grade art project.
So when AI image generation got good enough to produce usable graphics, I got curious: could I build something that generates actual logos, not just pretty pictures?
After making about 50 attempts, here's what I figured out.
The Problem With Most AI Logo Generators
Most AI image generators don't understand what a logo is. They generate beautiful illustrations that would never work as a logo — too much detail, wrong aspect ratio, text that looks correct from a distance but is gibberish up close.
A logo needs:
- Simplicity — has to work at 16x16 pixels
- Scalability — one version for a favicon, another for a billboard
- Readability — if there's text, it has to actually be readable
Generative models are surprisingly bad at the third one. They'll produce something that looks like it says "TechCorp" until you zoom in and realize it's just shapes that vaguely resemble letters.
What Actually Works
The sweet spot is generative AI for the icon, plus programmatic rendering for the text and layout. Keep the AI part focused and constrained:
function generateLogoPrompt(business, style) {
const styles = {
minimal: 'flat vector, minimal, one or two shapes, clean lines, no text',
geometric: 'symmetric geometric shape, abstract, sharp lines, solid colors',
}
return `Professional business logo for "${business}": ${styles[style]}. Solid background, simple composition, suitable for a website header.`
}
Feed that to an image model, get a clean icon back, then layer the text programmatically with proper fonts. The result looks much more like a real logo than anything the model produces on its own.
Style Selection Matters More Than You Think
I added 8 style presets after watching people generate 30 logos in the "default" style and hate all of them. Minimalist, geometric, vintage, tech — different businesses genuinely look better in different styles. Giving people a choice upfront saves a lot of iterations.
Try It
If you need a logo, the generator I built is at aielogo.com. Pick a style, type your business name, and see what comes out. No signup needed — it's just a tool.