7 Life Coaching Logo Mistakes Killing Your Coaching Business
Jul 30
Think a logo is just a cute little icon for your website or Instagram profile?
Think again.
Your logo is often the very first impression someone has of your life coaching brand—and it could be the reason they’re clicking away, not taking you seriously, or just plain not hiring you.
In this episode, I’m sharing the 7 biggest life coaching logo mistakes I see over and over again—and how they’re quietly killing your coaching business.
Let’s get into it.
Hey Coach! I’m Moriah Riona—an award-winning luxury brand designer, luxury branding coach, and host of the Superbloom Coach podcast.
And this is Superbloom Coach Presents: The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your Life Coaching Business—your step-by-step roadmap to launching a coaching brand that looks high-end, feels aligned, and actually books clients.
If you haven’t already downloaded your free workbook, go grab it. You can use it to take notes and start mapping out your life coaching brand as we go.
Alright—let’s talk logos.
Mistake #1: DIY Life Coaching Logos That Scream “Newbie”
Let’s just address the elephant in the room—DIY.
Listen, I see too many new coaches are dabbling in Canva…
They grab a trendy template, type in their name, add a cute little icon, and call it their “brand.”
And listen—I get it. Canva’s easy, fast, fun, and free. But when your logo is built by someone with ZERO design experience… it shows.
And not in a good way.
When someone lands on your website, your Instagram profile, or even your email signature and sees a DIY logo, they’re not thinking,
“Wow, she’s a professional coach I want to pay thousands to work with.”
They’re thinking,
Eeeeh…“She’s just getting started.”
“She’s probably not charging that much.”
“She’s not at the level I need.”
And whether they realize it or not, that split-second impression determines if they move closer—or scroll away.
So here’s the truth:
That DIY logo you’re hanging onto?
It’s actually costing you money.
Because when your branding doesn’t communicate value, people don’t see your value.
They don’t trust you with their transformation.
And they definitely don’t feel ready to invest in high-ticket coaching.
Here’s what I do for my 1:1 clients inside Luxury Brand Leader—and what I want you to start thinking about for your own coaching business:
Start with strategy.
Before we ever design a logo, we get clear on:
Who you serve
What transformation you provide
What makes your brand different
How you want your clients to feel
Only then do we design a logo—one that’s elevated, timeless, aligned with your values, and built to grow with you.
Even if you’re still DIYing for now, think beyond what “looks cute.”
Ask yourself:
Is this logo a true reflection of the coach I’m becoming?
Will it align with the prices I’m charging—or the ones I aspire to?
Does it communicate that I’m the real deal?
Because perception isn’t just about aesthetics.
It’s about authority.
And in life coaching, that authority is what earns you clients—and income.
So yes, your logo matters.
And yes, it might be the reason your dream client is passing you by.
Mistake #2: Using Cursive Fonts That Are Hard to Read
As a seasoned graphic designer, this one really makes me cringe.
So many life coaches default to a cursive script font because it feels soft, feminine, or “inspirational.” But if your name is written in a font that’s hard to read—especially at a small size? That’s a major problem.
Your name in a curly, cutesy, cursive font is not a logo.
It’s a liability.
If people can’t read it, they can’t remember it. They definitely won’t type it into a search bar or refer their friend to you.
When I design personal brands, we create logos that are clean, modern, and legible everywhere—Instagram profile, YouTube thumbnail, email footer.
Because if it doesn’t work small, it doesn’t work at all.
Mistake #3: Only Having One Life Coaching Logo File
You need more than just a one-and-done logo file.
When I build a life coaching brand, I create a logo system: primary logo, secondary logo, submark, sometimes a wordmark—depending on where and how the brand will show up.
Then we export each logo design into multiple color profiles, and multiple file types (esp, jpg, png, svg, etc). Our clients often end up with 150+ files!
Why? Because your coaching business is going to need that flexibility.
You’re using your logo on your website, your reels cover, your email signature, your business cards, your sales deck—across your entire brand! So it needs to adapt.
That’s why I never design a logo for my clients. We design a comprehensive logo SYSTEM.
Without a logo system, you won’t have what you need to create a comprehensive and consistent brand. Period.
Mistake #4: No Strategy Behind Your Life Coaching Logo
If you picked your logo colors because they were “pretty,” or your font because it was trending, I’m just gonna say it—that’s not branding. That’s decoration. It’s fluff!
Your logo needs to be a visual representation your brand strategy—who you’re speaking to, the transformation you offer, the feeling you want to create, and the value you bring.
When I create brands for my clients, we start with strategy every single time.
Because your life coaching logo should be doing some serious heavy lifting in your business—and it can’t do that if it doesn’t have a clear purpose behind it.
Let me give you an example.
I recently designed the brand and logo for one of my clients, Lindy Yoshida—she’s a money coach for female entrepreneurs. But here’s the thing—Lindy isn’t just about spreadsheets and budgets. She’s a big personality. Bold. Magnetic. A little woo-woo. And proud of her Japanese heritage.
So instead of just picking a font and typing out her name, we created a monogram—“L Y”—that’s bold, modern, and looks like a Yen symbol.
A subtle nod to her roots, expressed with intention.
It hints at “money,” but in a way that feels elevated and sophisticated.
Clean and minimal, yet rich with meaning. And that’s what a luxury brand does.
It tells your story in a single glance.
Let me give you another example:
Another one of my clients is The Counselor Edge—a brand that’s reimagining what continuing education can look like for mental health professionals.
Because let’s be honest—most continuing ed is… dry. Check-the-box. uninspired.
But not here.
The Counselor Edge is cracking open the world of CE and spilling out creativity, connection, and a bit of cheeky wisdom. It’s not just about fulfilling CE requirements—it’s about fulfilling potential. Creating a space where healers can thrive, laugh, and inspire real change.
So when we designed their logo, we made sure every single element reflected that bold mission.
We built the design around four key symbols:
The cap represents their academic journey and the dedication they’ve already made to their profession.
The book symbolizes their lifelong commitment to learning and growth.
The path reflects the counselor’s evolving journey—full of twists, turns, and powerful transformation.
And the spark is their intuition, insight, and inner light—the magic they bring to every session and every client.
Every piece of the logo is built with intention.
Gold foil adds a layer of luxury and light—honoring the wisdom they carry and the high-quality experience they deliver.
The word “counselor” is in a delicate but bold all-caps font—because while their audience may be feeling burned out or unseen, this brand reflects their strength and quiet power.
“Edge” is rendered in a linear, modern font that symbolizes precision, balance, and clarity.
And the spark? It’s tucked into the word “counselor” itself—mirroring the icon above and anchoring the whole design in meaning.
This logo doesn’t just look professional. It feels like purpose.
Because that’s what happens when you build your visual identity on strategy.
And that’s what your coaching business deserves, too.
These logos weren’t picked out of a template. They were crafted, layer by layer, from the strategy we developed. And that’s why they work.
Because when a logo has meaning, it builds connection.
And connection builds trust.
And trust is what gets you clients.
Mistake #5: Copying Other Coaches’ Logos
Listen. I get it. You see a successful coach with a neutral color palette and a dainty serif font and you think, “That must be the formula.”
But here’s the thing: You can’t build a standout life coaching brand by copying someone else.
When I design for my clients, we lean into what makes them different. Their values, their personality, their unique voice. Because looking like everyone else won’t get you hired. It will make you fade into the noise.
Looking like you—but elevated, aligned, and confident? That’s what attracts dream clients.
So repeat after me: My Brand is Not Copy & Paste!
Mistake #6: Logos That Don’t Scale or Adapt
If your logo looks amazing on your desktop… but turns into a fuzzy, pixelated mess on your Instagram profile or Zoom background?
Yeah—that’s a problem.
Your logo needs to work everywhere. Big, small, digital, printed—wherever your coaching business shows up, your brand identity should follow with clarity and polish.
But here’s what I see all the time: new coaches DIY a logo in Canva, export it once as a PNG file… and that’s all they’ve got. Then they try to stretch it into a social profile or upload it to their email footer and it’s completely pixelated or warped.
That one sad little file? It is not going to grow with your business.
Like I mentioned, when I work with clients inside Luxury Brand Leader, we design with flexibility in mind.
We deliver a full logo system—which means they get a primary logo, a secondary logo, a submark, and even a favicon. Each one is optimized for different use cases, and we provide every version they’ll need: full color, black, white, vertical, horizontal, vector, raster—you name it.
Why? Because your life coaching brand is going to show up on Instagram and YouTube… on sales decks, lead magnets, business cards, podcast graphics… and eventually, a stage.
And when you’re scaling your coaching business, your logo needs to scale with you.
Mistake #7: Thinking the Logo Is the Brand
This is the big one.
A lot of new coaches think, “I just need a logo, and then I’ll be official.”
But your logo is just one piece of your brand.
The problem isn’t your voice.
It’s not your messaging.
It’s not the offer, the positioning, or even the client experience.
When I build luxury brands for my clients, we do the deep work first—so the logo is a natural extension of who they are and what they offer. (Just like Lindy Yoshida and The Counselor Edge!)
And that’s what makes the difference. That’s what makes people trust them.
Because no one’s hiring you just because you have a cute logo.
They’re hiring you because your brand makes them feel seen, safe, and confident in your ability to help them.
Okay—be honest… how many of these 7 mistakes were you making? No judgement here!
Now you have the tools you need to change!
So let me know in the comments—or DM me on Instagram @moriahriona and tell me which one you’re fixing first. I’d love to cheer you on.
And if you’re loving this series, go ahead and like this video on YouTube and leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts. It helps so much—and it lets me know this content is serving you.
Tomorrow, I’m showing you how to set up a simple scheduling system—so you can stop the back-and-forth emails and start booking clients with ease.
It’s one of the easiest upgrades you can make in your life coaching business—and it makes you look instantly more professional. Don’t miss it.
Before you go—make sure you grab the free workbook.
It’s the perfect companion to this series, with space to organize your brand, offers, pricing, and systems as you grow your coaching business the right way.
I’ll see you in the next episode.
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