The Logo Process: The Complete Guide

anthony — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:22:38 +0000

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.

Part 1: Gathering Information

Part 2 explains the importance of the gathering information to form a design brief. It goes into detail as to what is the right information to ask for and why it is important.

Part 2: Establishing a Contract

Part 2 guides the designer through the contract creation process, how a contract should be structured and what terms to include as well.

Part 3: Researching

Part 3 explains the importance of researching in order to get a well understanding of the target market, industry and competitors.

Part 4: Brainstorming and Sketching

Part 4 discuses strategies and techniques for discovering ideas and potential concepts through the process of sketching and brainstorming.

Part 5: Concept Development

Part 5 guides the designer through the concept development phase of a project by which includes narrowing down ideas and refining them into a few concepts.

Part 6: Presentation

Part 6 discusses how to approach a presentation. This article explains the importance of defending design decisions and examples of concept layouts.

Part 7: Color Development

Rather than an article on color theory, Part 7 explains the various color systems used for logo design and the difference between them. This article also ensures that a design will reproduce correctly no matter what color system is used.

Part 8: Finalization

Part 8 discusses the finals steps in the logo design process. This article explains how to save and prepare your files for delivery and discusses file organization, and archiving as well.

The Logo Process Part 8: Finalization

anthony — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:38:52 +0000

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.

Goals and Objectives

When a logo design is completed it is important to properly prepare the logo files for the client. When preparing the files there are certain things that must be done to the design itself and an array of versions that the design needs to be saved in.

The goal is to provide maximum compatibility and flexibility for those who will use the completed design. It might be the printer at a print company, the client inserting the logo into a word document or a web-designer using the logo on a website.

No matter the person using it, there should be a file for them to use or a version of the logo that fits the needs of the job at hand.

Preparing the Design

Before we save the design into its many versions there are a few things we must do to the actual design itself. These preparations ensure that there are no problems when the design is used.

Type to Outlines: More than likely the logo will include some form of type. The problem is that the type used is an actual typeface, not a shape. If you were to send the design to a printer and they didn’t have that typeface installed on their computer a different typeface would be needed in its place, causing the design to change.

We don’t want our designs to change so to fix this we need to select the type and convert it into outlines. When you do this, nothing will change visually but the structure of the type will be a shape composed of anchor points and paths just like any other shape that can be understood at any printer.

Don’t forget to save this new design as a separate file incase you need to go back and ever edit the original type in the design.

Grouping Elements: Once the type is converted to outlines you should only have elements composed of shapes as your design. If you haven’t done so already make sure that everything is grouped together.

This ensures that nothing will be moved or accidentally shifted, keeping the design intact as it was when you delivered it.
Saving the Files

Organization

When saving the files you want to save each version as a separate file. Before you do this prepare the folders where you will save the files so that everything is kept organized. Your folder structure should look something like this.

Versions

When saving a logo there are three main formats you want to save it as every time. These are the original Illustrator format, an EPS format and a format to use on the web (I use PNG). When saving the files make sure that each file is cleaned up by deleting any unneeded swatches, graphic styles. pallets etc.

For each category the logo should be saved as the following:

Color: This is the primary version of the logo, with or without the tagline and should be used whenever possible above all other versions.

Black and White: This version is used when printing with pure black, grayscale or just one color.

Reverse: A reverse version is just a white version of the logo that is used when the logo needs to be visible on a dark background such as black. In printing white is the absence of color and the white version prevents ink from being applied to that area creating a knockout effect.

Web: The web versions of the logo are meant to be used when a raster image of the logo is required such as online or in a document. To save a design as a raster image there are some steps involved.

First the design must be cropped to the right size, leaving some space around the logo.

Once cropped you can save it as a raster image by going to File>Save for Web and Devices

It is also good practice to save it at multiple sizes, large, medium and small. I use 500px width, 300px, and 200px.

The Complete Set

Depending on the logo you may or may not have all of these files. For instance if your logo is only in black then you don’t need color versions. Or if your logo does not include a tagline you won’t need to save it with and without a tagline. Use the following image as a guide to what a complete file set looks like.

Things to Include with the Files Once you have completed all of the files and saved them to their locations it is good practice to include some sort of readme file for how the files are used and when they are used. In most cases for small companies a readme file will be good enough, however for larger companies a complete style guide will be needed.

Delivery

Now that the files have been saved and organized you want to get the files to the client. However, make sure you get paid in full before delivering. There are two ways you can get the files to your client.

One being through email by sending them a zip file with everything included, the second way would be by sending the client a hard copy on a CD through the mail. Use whichever option works best.

Archiving

The project is now completed, you are paid and your client is happily using and implementing their new identity. Before celebrating there is some house keeping to do.

To ensure that your records are kept in order make sure everything belonging to this project is kept in one location. This includes, pre-contract discussions, the design brief, the contract, any research and images you have gathered and any files and emails associated with the project.

By keeping everything in one location as one project you have a complete record regarding every aspect of the project. You never know what kind of client you will have and in case you need any paperwork for legal reasons you have it.

If your client loses their files you have them, and if your client comes to you for more work you still have all the information used for their previous project that you can apply to a new project.

Don’t forget to backup the project so you never lose it in an emergency either. Once you have completed these tasks you can happily call this project completed.

In Conclusion

Congratulations, if you have been following from the start you have made it to the finish line and have successfully completed a logo project the right way. It took more than a few hours and hopefully you charged a good price for the amount of work and time the project took.

I hope this series has helped you understand the logo process and you should feel comfortable at every step of the process, not just when you are sketching or in Illustrator.

As you probably know this isn’t the only project you will work on and the process will be started again.

The Logo Process Part 7: Color Development

anthony — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:25:33 +0000

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.

Before You Start

Before you start using color in logo design your concept should be chosen and done. At this point you should have a completed black and white logo that is ready to go through color development. If you have followed the previous articles in this series you have come a long way and you are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

How Many Colors?

In most cases you don’t want to use more than four colors in a logo design. Just like anything else in logo design many colors add complexity and are unnecessary. However, there may be times where the logo does need to use more than four colors such as the old Apple logo, and The NBC logo.
If you can narrow down your use of color to just two or three colors that is even better.

Just remember that everything needs a reason. If you are going to use four colors and not five, ask why you need to use four. What are the four colors representing. Can you use less colors to convey the same meaning? Everything needs a reason in design. Including color.

Color Trends

When developing a logo’s color it is always a good idea to see what colors are common within an industry. Anything promoting good health and organic food is usually green, the tech industry is big on blue etc.

Understand the industry and how color is used throughout it. You must decide whether you are going to blend in or stick out. Try to choose colors that are different but can convey the same meaning.

Color Systems

As logo designers we primarily use two color systems. These systems are the Pantone Color Matching System or PMS for short, And the 4-Color Process which uses primary inks of cyan magenta yellow, and black commonly known as CMYK.

Pantone Matching System

Pantone colors are called spot colors. A spot color is a recipe for a specific color. This system ensures that you get the exact same color every time. Spot colors are called upon by number, for example Pantone 286 is a shade of blue.

When using Pantone colors you will come across classification such as Solid Coated, Solid Uncoated, etc. As for which classification you should use doesn’t really matter. Just pick one and be consistent with your color choosing throughout a project. These terms refer to the type of paper the ink is going to be applied to. Coated is a gloss while uncoated is more of a matte finish.

Communicate with your printer to eliminate confusion when possible. Usually the printer will use the correct inks with the correct paper type.

CMYK

For most cases you will be printing using 4-color process called CMYK. This system uses a combination of 4 inks, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, to create the the complete spectrum of CMYK. These colors are called up based on a percentage of each primary color. For example C:58% M:33% Y:100% B:14% would be a shade of green.

These percentages determine how much how much ink is applied to the paper. Be careful not to over saturate using what is called rich black. For instance if you used 100% of each color to get a rich black the ink will over saturate the paper and bleed out. The same black can be accomplished using 50% of C, M and Y and 100% of black.

Compatibility

When using color in you logo design you must make sure that the logo will produce as accurately in Pantone as it does in CMYK. Some Pantone colors can not be produced using CMYK and vice versa.

It is important to keep both color systems in mind in the event you designed for Pantone but the logo needs to be printed using CMYK. Unless you prepared for this you won’t be able to get a correct match which could result in poor consistency when implementing an identity throughout the brand.

Solution using the Color Bridge

You may be wondering how to make sure that a logo designed for CMYK will work well in Pantone and vise versa. That is where the Pantone color bridge comes in handy. A color bridge is a physical swatch book that you can purchase and use to effectively make sure that your colors can be reproduced accurately between color systems. What a color bridge does is display Pantone colors next to their CYMYK equivalents or their closest match.

When using this you will notice that some colors can reproduce almost perfectly from PMS to CMYK, others can be close enough and some colors will be completely different. Always aim for the best match.

Color in Illustrator

When working with color in Illustrator you can tell what type of colors are what by their swatch icon. Pantone colors have a white corner with a black dot, while CMYK colors are just filled with the color. A PMS converted to CMYK is a white corner with no dot.

Presenting Color Concepts to the Client

When you are ready to present color options use the same techniques as stated in the previous article: Presenting Concepts to the Client. Remember to explain your choices of color and support your arguments. Leave plenty of white space around concepts as well.

In Conclusion

As mentioned above this article was not about color theory and the meaning of color. However this article discusses the use of color within logo design. How to choose color, what color systems do what and how to identify them.

When using color in logo design simplicity is always the answer. Choose colors carefully and with reason and choose colors that will reproduce in Pantone as well as in CMYK.

In the next and final article of this series I will conclude with an article discussing how to finalize a project, prepare the files and archive it when it is completed.

6 Logos that Incorporate Animals

anthony — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:04:51 +0000

Not Every Logo Needs to be Great

anthony — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:43:15 +0000

When designers and fellow peers talk about logo design we are bound to see them talking about what makes a logo great or give examples of great logo design. I have done the same myself time to time.

The question is; what makes a great logo and does every logo need to be great? In my opinion, every logo doesn’t need to be great. Let me explain.

The Goal of Logo Design

As designers we are the bridge builders and the problem solvers. Our clients hire us to solve the visual problem of conveying their products and services that represent them. The bridge that we engineer is the logo and the identity. The logo and the identity is what spans the gap between the public and the business. It connects people to the services and products that they need and want.

Just like solving any problem or building any bridge there are only a few ways to solve it and a few ways to build it. The goal of logo design is to design an identity that works and solves the visual problems. A logo does not work because it is great but a logo is great because it works.

Businesses Need Designs that Work

We all know the big brands, we see them daily, they are in the news, their logos glow on our TV’s and our monitors but what we don’t see are the little guys. The many small businesses that we may never know or may never see.

Some of us have had the job of working with these business. Their current identity is in shambles, their logo needs an update, it does not fit them correctly or it is just simply the wrong solution. As we take on these projects our most important objective is to deliver a solution that works for that business and establishes trust.

As designers we carry the curse of knowledge. When we look at a logo we see a design, we analyze it, study it, break out a ruler etc. The average person isn’t doing that. The average person cares about one thing; can I trust them, not if the design is great.

Logos Need to Work

Take a few examples of designs that work first and are great second. Coca-Cola and FedEx.

What makes up these logos? Coca-Cola has had the same logo for over a hundred years. When Coca-Cola started up they were the little guy, believe it or not. And at the time they weren’t concerned with great design.

Their goal was to sell a soft drink. Their logo is just hand writing that has been polished over the years. At the time there was surely nothing great about it. However over a century late, we view Coke as one of the ultimate brands. Time made Coca-Cola great.

In a more modern setting. We view the FedEx logo as a modern example of great design. I ask the question; does the logo work because it is great or is the logo great because it works?

The bright colors, the white trucks, compared to brown, the hidden arrow to express movement. It works because it solves the problems of distinguishing itself from the competition and establishing trust. Because of this we consider the logo to be great.

In Conclusion

When designing a logo think of yourself as a problem solver and a bridge builder, not a designer. As designers we should concentrate on making a logo that works above all things and fits the needs of our clients.

The logos that we design may not be awarded for great design, they may not be featured in books and galleries but the logos we design should be designed with our clients as the focus, not for moments of glory.

What is your opinion? Should every design strive to be great? Can greatness be designed?

Logo Spotlight: Kellogg’s

anthony — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:09:05 +0000

Year and Designer: Around 1906; logo based on W.K. Kellogg’s signature

About: For those of us who enjoy a hearty bowl of Corn Flakes in the morning, we can be sure it’s a genuine box because it says; Kellogg’s. For over a hundred years Kellogg’s has pioneered the cereal industry with Corn Flakes and other great brands.

Kellogg’s logo is exactly that. A logo based on the signature of Kellogg’s founder W.K. Kellogg. When Kellogg first started producing Corn Flakes soon afterwards there were many imitations and in order to ensure that people were buying a true box of Corn Flakes W.K. Kellogg signed each box. Since then, Kellogg’s signature has been on every box in the form of their logo.

The Design: Because it is based off a signature there isn’t really much to design about this logo. However, Kellogg’s had one previous logo that was based off of Kellogg’s signature as well. This earlier version can be seen on the top of the box above.

The weight of the signature was increased to enable the name to stand out better but other than that it is a mirror of Kellogg’s own signature.

Further Reading:

Kellogg’s Timeline

Weekly Link Roundup #7

anthony — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:23:03 +0000

idApostle

Why Design Can’t Be Billed by the Hour

Processed_id

How to manage discovery with smaller budgets — a discussion among designers

Web Design Ledger

22 Fresh High-Quality Fonts for Your Designs

SloDive

top 30 free but very professional fonts for everyday use in 2010

logonest

Logo usage #9: Hotels and Resorts

Graphic Design Blender

7 Tips on presenting logos to a client

Spyre Studios

40 Sexy And Creative Typographic Logo Designs

The Design Cubicle

Designers’ Confidence

logo design works

Top 10 Bar Logos

The Logo Process Part 6: Presenting Concepts

anthony — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:51:50 +0000

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.

Objectives

Your main objective is to have your client approve a concept. Once approved you can begin to make any adjustments or changes according to the feedback and discussion between you and the client. In a nutshell you want your client to fall in love with your concepts or a particular one.

Things to Include in your Presentation

Black and White Only: Any of your concepts should be presented in black and white. This does two things. It assures that the design will work in black and white and in one color. Second, it allows you and your client to focus on the design itself rather than concentrating on color.

Reduced Sized: Along with a concept that is at a regular size you should present a copy that is reduced to a small size. Think small enough to fit on a business card or even smaller. It is important that your client see that the logo will work at all sizes.

Tagline: Show how the concept will look with and without the tagline. Both In full size and reduced size.

Reversed Version: Also remember to show each concept reversed. A reverse version is essentially a white version on a black background.

The black background isn’t part of the design but is needed to see the design. A reverse version is when the logo needs to be displayed on a dark background via print process. When printing, anything that is white does not get applied with ink. This results in a cut-out result.

How to Present

When presenting your concepts there are certain things you should do to ensure the greatest chance at getting a concept approved.

Explain Your Work: The client hired you to solve a visual problem. That problem is to effectively and appropriately come up with an identity that represents their services and products.

As the designer you need to explain with each concept how the concept accomplishes the goals and objectives outlined in the brief. As the designer you are the expert, talk like it and defend your reasoning behind your design decisions.

Some designs are better than others. When you are presenting concepts you’re more than likely to know which design the client should choose. Explain why you think one design is better than another.

This enables you to guide your client to the best solution, but by providing a second option it gives them some freedom as well. Only include your best work, and concepts that will work.

The client wants to know how you are solving their problems and why the solutions you are presenting are the right solutions.

If you are presenting face to face with your client. Have your explanations written down.

White Space is Your Friend: As you layout your concepts it is important that you give your work room to breath.

White space is important to reduce tension between your designs and concepts. You want to let you and your client be able to focus and contemplate each design independently from another.

Numbering: On the side, underneath or below your concepts you want to have a number that identifies that concept. This aids the discussion and explanation process.

It is a lot easier and professional to say “Concept 1 is the best option because…” rather than “The concept with the swishy thing inside the box is the best option because…”

Numbering can also help you group your concepts. The full concept is 1 the reduced version is 1a the reversed version is 1b etc.

PDF: Using a PDF to present your concepts allows the designs to stay in vector format rather than a raster image. The client can zoom in and out of each design testing its flexibility without the compromising the integrity of the design.

When exporting your PDFs make sure you disable the ability for the design to be edited. This presents the design from being stolen right from the document or changes being made to the designs. If you are really paranoid you can even set a password to make changes.

PDFs are professional. PDFs are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Almost everyone knows how to use them and everyone can view them. They make organizing a presentation simple and easy. I highly recommend presenting your concepts in PDF.

The Layout

In the PDF that you send to your client you should make sure that is is a professional
level document. This means including a cover page, your contact information etc.

Here is an example of how I lay out concepts when presenting to a client.

Getting Feedback

Once you have laid out your concepts and sent them for review you need a way to collect feedback. There are a number of ways to do this.

Over the Phone: Arrange a meeting so that yo and your client can go over your concepts. Make sure to take notes about changes, suggestions etc.

Email: This is the most popular method and works best for a few reasons. It gives you and your client the proper amount of time to word their response and think about the concepts. It is also convenient because the words are in writing and can’t be forgotten like a phone conversation.

Within the PDF: In the PDF you can include a text field for your client to directly comment within the document. Also you can take advantage of the comment features in Adobe Reader that allows you and your client to create comment bubbles that can be placed in the document and can point to parts of the design.

Revisions

Once you get feedback from your client you should have an approved concept that now goes into the revision stage if needed. Revisions are like tweaks, adjustments and repositioning of elements of a concept.

You and your client should have agreed how many revision rounds are included before there is a fee during the contract drafting.

When revisions are made they should always be presented in the same professional manner outlined above.

In Conclusion

Presenting concepts to a client can be one of the most nervous aspects of the process. It is when you have put a lot of hard work into designing solutions from the ground up and now the moment has come to be judged. What will the client say? Will he/she like or hate any or all of them?

If you have done a good job of explaining your concepts and making sure they follow the goals and objectives outlined in the brief your client should be pleased with one or more.

Once any revisions are made the completed concept can move into the color development phase which will be the next article in this series.

6 Logos that Incorporate People

anthony — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:27:53 +0000

Wordmark or Symbol?

anthony — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:31:25 +0000

You have just finished going over the design brief for a new client. As you are going through the design brief you start asking yourself whether the logo should be a wordmark or a symbol. This question can be challenging; luckily there are some general rules of thumb that can help you in answering this question.

The Definition of a Wordmark and a Symbol

Wordmark

You may be asking what exactly is a wordmark. A wordmark is a logo made up of just type. Think of companies such as Sony, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. None of these companies use a symbol as their primary logo.

Symbol

A symbol in terms of logo design is a unique icon, pictorial in nature, that represents the company and is usually the primary logo. Symbols can be stand alone such as Apple, Shell, and Nike or they can by accompanied by text such as Pepsi, Bic and att.

When to use a Wordmark

If you have been paying attention you may have noticed a pattern that tells you the answer. In the above examples, look closely at the names of the companies.

Think you figured it out? Sony, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo all have one thing in common. They are unique words. The words only have one meaning; the name of the company. What is a Sony? What is a Google, a Microsoft, a Yahoo etc.

It is often common that companies that have a unique name to use a wordmark as their logo because their name is unique enough not to be confused with any other meaning.

When to Use a Symbol

Now take a look at the names of the companies with symbols as their logo. You can eat an apple, you can find a shell on a beach and Nike is the Goddess of Victory.

Companies that use a symbol as their primary mark typically have a company name that is a normal word that would be used in everyday speech.

The word apple doesn’t name a company, it names a fruit. However, the symbol that Apple uses identifies the the company as Apple and is unique.

Notice that Microsoft is just the word Microsoft, but their operating system, Windows, is a common word and thus needs a unique symbol.

When to Use Both

Companies such as Pepsi, Bic and att use a combination of type and a symbol.

Pespi is a unique word in itself but the root of Pepsi is pepsin, which is used to help calm indigestion. (Pepto Bismol, Dr. Peppe etc.)

Bic is also the name of the co-founder of Bic, Marcel Bich. Att is an acronym and could be confused with other acronyms with the same initials. Both of these companies benefit from using a symbol that enables them to strengthen their identity as unique.

In Conclusion

When designing a logo one of the first steps is deciding whether to use a wordmark or a symbol. A general rule of thumb is to use a symbol if the company is a common word such as apple, shell etc. or if the word has a double meaning such as Nike.

A wordmark is a possible direction if the company name is a unique word in itself such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Sony.

When in doubt use a symbol along with type and remember the rules are meant to be broken but make sure you understand the rules to know how to break them.