We might have several logo ideas, and
each steps could take several directions to bring them to life. With so
many ideas we could go, how do we make the right design decisions? To
quote Marty Neumeier in “The Brand Gap”, “the first step is “Getting the
mostly best idea”, the second is “Getting good idea”. We can do as well
as designer to tap into our creative zone and improve our likelihood of
achieving that brilliant end result we so desire. We will discuss the
research process and planning ideas, working on sketches and hints, as
well as explore the means to complete a successful polished design. As
creative individuals we need to do what works right for us,so please
take what tasks for you and leave out what doesn’t, but I think you will
get that you can apply the main principles illustrated here regardless
of your creative process.
- The first quote is an expression of the
beginning stages of a creative process and how ideas may spring to mind
for us.When we are total tapped in, ideas seem to flow effortlessly
from our mind and the feeling can be exhilarating!As creative people we
need to stay in that “zone” by being aware of everything that surrounds
us.Inspiration came from being interested in everyday things and looking
at them from new perspectives.Be observe others tools, read books, take
pictures, clip from magazines,go see the play or watching a movies,Take
notice of the small thing in your environment.The more you have
experience,the more information you’ll have to draw from when generating
ideas!
- The second quote refers to the final
stages of the construction of our product to complete the creative
process.Best design is about making things function properly first,and
making them aesthetically second.A creative product must first
successfully serve its function.In the case of a logo,that means
ensuring it communicates its intend message,ie:”We are a
restaurant”.Graphic design is a visual problem solving factors,and the
best answer is found when the perfect balance of elements has been
created to achieve.A great logo concept is so satisfying to look at
because it doesn’t take any work to understand it! You can beat
though,that it took lots of conceptualizing and planning to get to that
stage.Then peel away elements they no need.The end result should be the
design that does not need a single thing added,while removing anything
would only less the impact.
Part 1:CONCEPT
Getting the right idea
Keep the idea alive! Inspiration can come from the wildest of sources
and can occur when we least expected it. When the inspiration strikes,
(usually when you’re in bed and half asleep), wake up and write that
idea down!Inspiration is a fickle beast that has a “use it or lose it”
temperament and if you fail for getting ideas, it floats back into the
universe for someone else to claim as their own. Don’t tell that happen!
When inspiration has been knocks, be sure ready to answer. Keep a note
pad by your bed or car or your purse. Get a quick note down on paper and
write a few notes about the concept while you are thinking about, Don’t
be caught again wondering.
Word Association and Thought Clouds
Now that you’ve had some coffee and your brain is fully functioning
again,you can be revisit that brainstorm you had last night. Write down
any words that come to mind that help describe this thought. Don’t be a
judgmental at this point,just you can write as many things. For example,
your main ideas for a sports related logo. Your words might-be, fast,
sporty, winner, ribbon, medal, finish-line, trophy, stripes, stars,
health, training or anything else that might come to your mind. If you
like, link some other words together using short lines for strings of
words that seem to be go together. One word can lead to another. keep
going until you have enough. Just put these words down on paper creates a
stream of visuals in your mind of how this designs could take shape,and
can also take you in directions you previously had not thought of.
Sketching
Now it’s time to get them out of your head. Not Enough can be said
about the virtues of sketching out of your ideas. Once upon a
time,vector software has dramatically increased the speed in which we
can explore different options,like trying different colors,font and
font-size, but nothing beats the good old pen and paper for easy and
quickly visualizing full concepts and ideas. There will be an organic
touch in putting pen that is just not the same as going directly to the
computer to rough out ideas. Jumping the computer at first can hinder
the creative process leaving our ideas looking uncharacteristic and
stale.
Using the word association”thought clouds” you made earlier for
inspiration,start sketch out some visuals. Try different types of shapes
and symbols, flip it around, reversing it, merge different ideas
together, go crazy and have fun for doing work! Don’t worry about that
how good the drawing is? At this point it’s quantity you are after not
quality. Getting as many idea down on a paper as possible gives us more
than to choose from and a better chance in “Getting right idea”.This
process you should be end with many number of ideas but try for a least
few. It may look like mash of ideas now but I’ll bet there is a gem
hiding in there somewhere.
Evaluate
By now you’ve got a handful of good sketches for your logo and its
time to choose one or two shapes. Evaluate these ideas in front of you
by asking yourself a few questions: Does it read well, does it
differentiate, is it appropriate and then memorable? Who are you trying
to appeal and is the meaning clearly expressed? The key here is select
the ideas that has a singular focused. Too more elements present in the
one concept can be distracting to the viewers. So rather than try to
write a book with your logos, choose the concepts that says one thing
and does that really well.
As you are evaluating your sketches, single point out the concepts
that are the most original and interesting. Many chances are that you
most likely have a handful of common ideas that came to mind at first.
This is OK, we all do it, but our goal is to find the best of the best.
Steer clear of the overused and undeveloped weak ideas. Logos that is
not unique, that use simple common elements, can be risk if not
impossible for a client to register as a trademark. Designs use as
simple leaves, plain houses, boats, plains, arrows, stars and hearts
have been done to death, and do help your client differentiate
themselves in the marketplace. Look at for the idea that is a little
different from the norm, a little bit catchy, creative and interesting.
Remember those to make sure the concept is still appropriate and
sensible. If your designing is on the cutting edge of the avante garde
you may be limiting the message to a very small audience!
Avoiding the cliche
It’s a good point to note here that a logo concept doesn’t have to be
literal. If you designed a teeth logo for a dentist, I guaranteed you
aren’t the first guy to do this. Cameras for photographers, young hearts
and talk bubbles for dating sites, houses for a realtors, swooshy
looking iconic people forming a circle to represent for a team work, are
all overused and cliche notions of that don’t work very well to
distinguish one company from another. Evaluates your design and select
the compositions that take a different angle.
Take your time and choose the right idea – the one that best answers the
questions posted of above. Due diligence complete. Now we can head to
the computer and get these bad boys rendered!
Part 2: Execution
Getting the idea right
OK, we’ve got a stack of great ideas using the techniques mentioned
above and its time to take them to the next level. You might be have
what you think is the best idea, but in the end, if the viewers doesn’t
understand it you’ll be stuck at the starting line while everyone else
zooms past. Below they are some tried and true techniques to get the
best out of your concept and make sure that doesn’t happen to you!
Tools of the trade
There have been numerous creative logo design showcases, logos design
sresources and logos design tutorials posted across the Web. While
these tools you to create a powerful toolbox for your logo designs,
first you get for gain a solid understanding of what makes a logo design
good and what you need to consider before starting using this toolbox.
Vectorizing
You might want to begin building your logo concept by working only in
black and white first. These are allow us to focus on the main forms of
construction without being distracted by color or other stylistic
decisions that can easily be added later. No ingradient is going to save
a bad design and can just take extra time to amend as you are changing
your creation. Now is the time to explore the spatial relationships,
positive and negative space, length, breath, weight and balance. Make
sure everything has been right proportions, is clearly identified and is
appropriate to convey the idea. Its carefully consider any text that
needs to be added, and decide where it will work the best. This is
especially important if you have decided to incorporate text directly
within the graphic. It must be the easiest to read with plenty of space
for custom text and be in good proportion with the graphic to still be
legible when it’s printed at small sizes. Choose the right font for the
job can add plenty of character (pun not intended!) and offers plenty of
opportunity to enhance the theme of the message.
Getting the initial form down can be the most difficult part of the
design, but nowadays that we have that done, we can have experiment with
color and other techniques to enhance our message even further. Vector
software’s a blast to use because it allows us to try out many different
variations of the same idea very quickly. TIP: When can you get an idea
for a variation, makes a complete copy of your artwork and add the new
idea to the copy. That the way if it doesn’t work out you can easily
delete it and go back to the original idea. Or even the better, you
might be find that after making successive versions with different
variations, as a whole new combination could arise!
Rendering Styles and Techniques
There are many rendering styles and design approaches at our disposal
to give our logo design some real vitality and strength. Try experiment
with a different illustration styles and create some custom color
palettes. Explore this method to create simulated depth such as, the use
of simulated transparency for unique overlapping designs. Remember of
this stage its all about really making our idea sing and doing that in a
way that makes it interesting and appropriate to the subject. What
think about who your audience is, ie: whom are you trying to appeal to?
For ex: you are having a logo concept for a custom wood manufacturer.
One woodcut or block print style of illustration would help quickly
convey the idea of craftsmanship. Create a palette of rustic, historical
colors could help enhance the fact that he creates furniture styles
from the early 1900s. Studied this history of some fonts and choose a
style that compliments this theme. All individual decisions add up to
create a logo that is a cohesive, as well thought out communication
device.
When simple is too simple
A good designer knows when he’s gone too far. This applies are both
ends of the spectrum, whether there is too many details or too little.
This is an reminder that if the execution of your logo idea is very
simple then the concept had better be brilliant! Abstract shapes might
be OK, but they falling to short of conceptual designs that offer
meaning and value. If you can get the way of achieve communicates the
message quickly, Format that reproduces well across all mediums then you
have a very successful logo! If the form of the design is simple, make
sure that rest of it isn’t. Using in a sophisticated eye pleasing
palette of colors, and excellent fonts in a layout that enhances the
design. Would your logo stand out amongst a dozen others on the bottom
of a promotional poster? Given to the design weight and substance so it
has punch and power!
Checking to make sure there is not too much detail in your design is
just as important. If you imagine that your logo is beginning to look a
little “busy”, try to peeling back a few layers of the onion and delete
some details or simplify in other ways such as using less contrast or
less color altogether. Ask yourself if this execution decisions help or
hinder the overall message. If the answer is “help”, leave it in, if its
“hinder”, toast that sucker and move on!
