Logo Design
The aim of this post is to give you an idea of the process I use to create a logo. As client, I hope this will give you some insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes when I design your logo.
1. Design Brief
A pretty logo can be designed without a design brief, but an effective logo cannot.
The aim of the design brief is to offer an insight into the client’s business, industry and target market. It helps me gain an understanding of your requirements and your expectations for the project.
A logo should be more than a pretty looking symbol; it has to effectively communicate the image of the company. The information gathered in the brief will ultimately make sure that the end design I produce is both relevant and effective.
Additionally, the length of the design brief is very important. If a design brief is too short, there will not be sufficient information to effectively complete the project. A design brief that is too long can be a deterrent since you may not have the time to complete lengthy briefs.
2. Research
After analyzing the design brief, most projects will need to be researched further to fully understand its requirements. Research will include investigating your business’ history, your competitors, and you industry.
The amount of research conducted will vary from project to project, depending on factors such as: whether there is any existing branding already in place, the size of the company, and the complexity requested in the brief.
The information gathered during the research phase will allow me to further understand the project and, in turn, lead to a better design.
The research stage is where I will also start visualising some basic ideas for the design concepts.
3. Sketching
The next step in all logo design projects is to brainstorm and to start sketching out some rough concepts.
Sketching is a critical step when creating logos because it is much easier to transfer ideas from the brain to paper than directly to the computer screen. Perhaps this is because humans have drawn for thousands of years, because computers have only been around for a few decades.
Sometimes it will only take a few hours to come up with a solid concept on paper. Sometimes it will take a few days.
Once I am happy with a rock solid concept, only then do I transfer the design to the computer.
4. Computer Concept Design
As mentioned above, once a concept sketch is chosen, it is then transferred to the computer.
Adobe Illustrator is the application of choice for designing logos, as it is a vector graphics editor which enables scalability of design without compromising quality.
5. Presentation and Review
Designs are then packaged into a PDF file and sent to you for review.
Your feedback is then considered and discussed. If changes are necessary the design will be revised, then sent to you for further feedback.
Once an agreement has been made on a design, a final cleanup is done and the files are readied to be sent to you.
6. Send Files
The files are packaged and emailed directly to you.
The logo design is provided in full color and black and white in the following formats; EPS (vector format for print and re-use), PNG, JPG and GIF (for web use).
7. Support
Once you have received the final logo files, I am always open to answer questions or to offer help where necessary.
Your feedback is valued as it allows me to constantly improve our service.