How do I create a logo and brand identity with AI on a founder budget?

For a launch-ready mark in an afternoon: use Ideogram for wordmarks (it renders text accurately), Recraft to get a clean vector SVG, and a kit tool like Looka or Canva's logo generator when you want fonts, colors, and social templates bundled together. Midjourney is for exploration and moodboards, not final files, since it outputs flat images without logo licensing. Spend your taste on one decision, a distinctive color and type pairing, then lock everything into a brand kit so every AI-generated asset afterwards stays consistent; upgrade to a human identity designer when the brand starts carrying real money.

A quick orientation. The real value is below: resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it.