Logo Design

A lot of people are finding this blog by searching for ideas/help on logo design and only finding the post on my PhysSoc logo. So taking a little time out from designing a band logo, I figured I’d help you, rather than just showing you what I’ve already done.

A few basic tips on logo design:

• K.I.S.S. – a logo is simply an immediately recognisable symbol for what it’s representing. Don’t use any complicated pictures.
• Delete every element you can until you’re left with only the necessary bare minimum. It needs to be impactful and busy designs are not.
• Is it equally legible when printed in black and white? Remember that it won’t necessarily be used in full Technicolor all the time.
• Ensure any text is easily readable, even in a hurry from a distance. It’s all about sticking in peoples’ mind.
• Pay attention to typefaces- what kind of impression are you trying to give? If you’re more about heritage or tradition (or trying to imply such) then you might want a serif font like Times New Roman. Modernity is generally implicated with clean, sans-serif fonts. For my final design on the HUPS logo, I used both Verdana and DejaVuSans extra light. Different font weights provide contrast which is attention-grabbing.
• Don’t feel the need to be too literal with logos; if you look at the contact sheet below, you can see I went from literal at the top with my concepts of physics- quantum and classical mostly, with the particles and apples- to more abstract as I removed the elements that were congesting the pieces and ended up with ideas that are much more recognisable (I’ve seen a group of people in hoodies with this logo on, it’s very effective).
• Don’t feel as though you must include a graphic in your logo- many very effective logos (Twitter, Facebook, and many more) are text-only, as it’s so easy to remember. Unfortunately, they can also be difficult to design- you need to really step your game up when doing text-only, as these websites show: The Logo Factory, LogoMoose Blog. You must generally invent a new font in order to make the word that much more unique and recognisable in context.
• Carefully consider the potential uses of your logo- monitors, leaflets, and billboards all have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of legibility of things like serifs, drop shadows, and gradients. If in doubt, leave it out. In logo design, less is almost always more.
• If you’re using photoshop, don’t go overboard with the filters- we can all recognise glowing edges and lens flares, they’re not interesting. (Yes, I know I have a lens flare in the HUPS contact sheet, but that particular design wes never intended to be taken seriously.)

Other than the basic stuff, there are two main parts to logo design. On the one hand is the planning of your logo and the theory of graphic design. Then there is the artistic side, the drawing from inspiration to create something meaningful.

First, how do you go about conceptualising a design when presented with a minimalist brief?

• Find out as much about the organisation that you’re designing for as possible; product(s), size, location, target audience, etc.
• Look at competitors’ logos and see what angle they’re going for; note typefaces, graphics, colour, sizes, shapes, etc.
• Consider what other services target the same demographic- for (perhaps unfair and stereotyped, but often true) example a trendy coffee shop must try to appeal to the netbook/MacBook crowd- mostly 18-30, generally in education or one of the more creative vocations. They will be attracted by either clean lines and simplistic design, or, until a new vogue comes along, by grungy (but not necessarily cluttered nor monochrome) and “arty” ideas. These are the kind of thought processes you must develop, effectively “who is the intended audience? Who is targeting them? How?” You should also take into account colour schemes, font families, etc when analysing in this way.
• Alternatively you could attempt to subvert the accepted look in order to stand out and be more visually interesting- but that’s an incredibly risky plan and could heavily backfire- misinterpretation of a logo could spell death for an organisation. It’s almost always better to stick to logical, identifiable tropes, although clichés should be avoided if possible.
• Produce several different designs, and present your best two or three to your client (if you are working for one) with some notes on each one. Bear in mind that if a design needs more than a couple of sentences’ worth of explanation for the client- and any preliminary testers you show it to like friends and family- it’s probably too complex for use as a logo. Don’t feel insulted if the client doesn’t like any of them, and be prepared to make alterations- even if you think the designs are perfect, clients are picky creatures and usually have difficulty communicating their vision precisely.

Now you have the  concept for the logo in mind, where do you start? Where’s the inspiration?

• Everywhere! It’s a cliché, but you can find logo ideas everywhere- trees, buildings, people, shapes, colour… the list is infinite. It’s just a case of wrapping your head around a new way of looking at the world. Take note of the details too, not just the overall appearance.
• Look at as many examples of graphic design and digital art as possible; in magazines, on the internet, anywhere… something might trigger an idea.
• Could the word(s) you’re working with be formed into a shape? Would that shape relate to who/what your logo is for?
• Don’t be afraid to draw something silly- it might trigger a better idea. Plus, you might get through 10 or 20 revisions of your final logo, and any start is a good one. Try not to gaze numbly at a blank page/screen.

Well, there you go. That’s about all I can think of at the minute. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but if you’re struggling with logo creation- or maybe some other aspect of graphic design, hopefully this is some use to you. Have fun (if you’re using an Adobe product, how can you not?), and good luck with whatever you’re doing.

~Rob
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