Before we sit down to design and create a logo, you must understand what a logo is and what it is supposed to do.
A logo is for inspiring trust, recognition and admiration for a company or product. That simple. For further reading on what is a logo check out Wikipedia’s Definition.
Now we must learn about what makes a great logo; basic rules, principles of effective logo design.
- Appropriate
How you position the logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose. For example, if you are designing a logo for children’s website, it would be appropriate to use a childish font & color scheme. obviously this would not be so appropriate for a law firm.
- Versatile
An effective logo should be able to work across a variety of mediums and applications. The logo must work in just one colour too.
- Simple
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile & memorable. Good logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdrawn.
- Memorable
An effective logo design should be memorable and this is achieved by having a simple, yet, appropriate logo.
- Timeless
An effective logo should be timeless – that is, it will stand the test of time. Will the logo still be effective in 10*+ years?
Each good logo design should go through different stages:
- Initial briefing: any creative process must start with a “creative brainstorming”. If the logo is made for a client we should take his first impressions and expectations.
- Sketch: first drawings, usually made in a blank paper.
- Color, Font, and Other Details: the main elements of the logo must go in accordance with the business that represents.
- Mock Ups and Feedback from client: this is a required step to move forward, as the client should be an active part of the process of the logo design.
- Develop & Feedback: once we have a “beta” version of the logo, we usually present it to the client.
- Develop the final version
In this “Ultimate guide to logo design” you can read a complete guide of each of these steps in more detail.
Successful Logos
Now you know what the rules of logo design are, you can distinguish the difference between a good and a bad logo… By knowing what other logos have succeeded and why they have succeeded gives a great insight into what makes a good logo.
For example, lets look at the classic Nike Swoosh. This logo was created by Caroline Davidson in 1971 for only $35 yet it still a strong, memorable logo, effective without colour and easily scalable. It is simple, fluid and fast and represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek Goddess of victory, Nike – something perfect for a sporting apparel business. Nike is just one of many great logos, think about other famous brands that you know about and check out their logos – what makes them successful?
The Not So Successful Logos
We can also learn off logos that have not been as successful. Some logos can depict things that may have not always be noticeable to the designer or they could just be plain bad design.
Now that we know what a logo is, what the principles and rules of logo design are and what makes a successful logo we can now finally begin the design process.
This it hardest part of the 5 steps and is its own topic in itself – Each person’s logo design process is different and experience usually is the key factor in creating your own logo design process.
In short, a logo design process usually consists of
- The Design Brief
- Research & Brainstorming
- Sketching
- Prototyping & Conceptualising
- Send To Client For Review
- Revise & Add Finishing Touches
- Supply Files To Client and Give Customer Service