Your logo is your biz’s first impression—but a strong brand needs more than just one version. Enter the submark: a simplified version of your logo that works for stickers, profile pics, packaging, and anywhere you need your brand to show up in a smaller space. Canva makes it easy to create both—no design experience required!
🖥️ Step 1: Start With a Square Canvas
Head to www.canva.com and click “Create a Design” → Custom Size → 1000 x 1000 px. A square canvas works great for both logos and submarks and is easy to scale across platforms.
🎨 Step 2: Design Your Primary Logo
Add your biz name using the Text tool and choose a font that fits your brand vibe—bold, spooky, classy, minimalist, whatever works for you. Add graphic elements or icons from the Elements tab (search terms like “moon,” “flame,” “ghost,” “paint stroke,” etc.).
💡 Use no more than 2 fonts and keep spacing balanced. Your primary logo should include your full business name and optional tagline.
💀 Step 3: Create the Submark
Duplicate your logo page in Canva, then simplify it. Remove the tagline, shorten your brand name to initials or symbols, and keep only the most recognizable icon or graphic. Think of this like your “stamp” version—it should still feel like your brand but in a tight, minimal format.
🖤 Need a Shortcut? Diesel Designs Has You
Want premade layouts to plug your brand into? Grab a logo + submark combo from the Editable Canva Template Drive. These templates are already structured to include a main logo, alternate, and submark—just drop in your name and icons!
📥 Step 4: Download & Organize
Click “Share” → “Download” → Select PNG with a transparent background. Save one version for web (72dpi) and one for print (300dpi). Keep everything in a folder with versions labeled like “Logo_Main.png” and “Submark_BlackBG.png” so it’s ready when you need it.
