The Logo Process: The Complete Guide

This is an 8 part series of in-depth articles designed to help you understand every aspect of the logo design process.  These articles are not necessarily step by step guides in Illustrator but an overall guide that explains each step of the process which includes:

• Gathering Information
• Creating a Contract
• Researching
• Brainstorming and Sketching
• Concept Development
• Presentation
• Color Development
• Finalization

These are not short guides.  These are long in-depth articles that go into great detail for each process.  These guides also assume you have a basic knowledge of design, the principles of logo design, and a firm grasp on Illustrator.

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The Logo Process Part 8: Finalization

This is the last of the articles in the Logo Process series.  In this article we look at how to take an approved design and prepare it for delivery to the client.  This includes, file preparation, storage, organization and archiving.  If you have followed along from the beginning you have come a long way.  This is the home stretch and the finish line is in sight.

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The Logo Process Part 7: Color Development

In this article we take a look at how to implement and use color in logo design.  However, this article is NOT about color theory, the meaning of colors etc.

This article does explain the difference between 4-color process and Pantone, using these color systems for a logo design and what is common practice when using color in logo design.

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The Logo Process Part 6: Presenting Concepts

This is the sixth article in the series: The Logo Process.  In this article I will explain methods for presenting your concepts to the client.

If you have been following the previous steps in this series you have come a long way.  You have gotten yourself a client, gathered important information, conducted research, sketched, sketched, sketched some more and have come up with a few concepts.  Now is the time to present them to your client.

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The Logo Process Part 5: Concept Development

This is the 5th article in the series: The Logo Process.  This article goes in-depth about choosing potential concepts from your sketches to having one or more developed and presentable concepts.

Defining a Concept and the Goals of Concept Development

A concept is one idea and any elements that are apart of that idea.  Variations are the different approaches of a concept.  In logo design one concept is usually very different from another concept.  The goal of the concept phase is to narrow down your ideas from sketches and refine, develop, and expand upon those ideas in vector format.

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The Logo Process Part 4: Brainstorm and Sketching

Out of of all the steps involved when designing a logo this is probably the funnest part of the whole process.  During the brainstorming and sketching phase you can let your imagination loose.  During this article I will explain the importance of brainstorming and sketching and some popular methods for taking your first steps to designing a logo.

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The Logo Process Part 3: Researching

This is the third article in The Logo Process series.  In this article we look into how to preform research for a logo design.  By this point you should have done the previous steps of gathering information from the client and established a contract that has been agreed on and signed by both the client and the designer.

The goal of research is to establish a snapshot of the client’s industry, the clients target market, and to differentiate the logo design from its competitors, keeping it simple, unique and appropriate.

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The Logo Process Part 2: Creating a Contract

Logo design is supposed to be fun, challenging, and creative.  Logo design isn’t about legal talk and contracts.  If only that were true.  The contract is one of the most vital parts of the whole project if not the most vital part.  But what goes into a contract?  In this part of the series, The Logo Process, I will dive into the detailed and tedious work of what to include in a contract.

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The Logo Process Part 1: Gathering Information

This is the first part in a series of articles detailing each step of the logo design process.  From the beginning phases of gathering information and researching to the final steps of packaging and archiving, these articles will provide an in-depth look at what goes on during the process of creating a logo.

After you establish a client you need to gather information from your client.  This is the most crucial part of the process for a number of reasons:

• If you don’t gather enough information you won’t be able to effectively create an identity.
• If you don’t ask for the right information you won’t be able to effectively create and identity either.
• If you ask too much information you may find yourself overloaded and won’t be able to tell the important information from unimportant information.
• The information gathered at this phase will guide you during the project.
• The information that you gather will keep you focused and help you meet goals.
• This is your foundation.

It is all about collecting the right information

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