Creative Society's guide to creating a logo.
So you have a vision in your mind of how you want your logo to look... pretty simple right?
Throw an image and a cool font together and you've got yourself a logo! Or do you?
It's safe to say that many designers have battled with clients as to what is required in designing a logo. But just like any craft, thorough research is required to get your 'brand' right from the start.
So with this in mind, I have put together my step by step guide to creating a killer brand for my clients. I have five steps here, and I believe each one is as important as the next to getting the right look, feel and balance for your brand.
Firstly...
I need to figure out the target audience for your brand. This first step is so important because I need to design strategically to attract them. Depending on the type of business it is, I may ask my client questions like:
Envision your ideal customer. What is their age and gender?
What industry do they work in?
What are their interests and/hobbies?
I know it may sound pretty obvious for some industries, however getting my clients to specifically answer these types of questions, not only becomes clear to me, but can also clarify it for the client as well.
Second step...
and this is a fun one for all. The mood board!
A mood board is an arrangement of images, colours, textures, fonts and any other inspirational pieces that will come together and is presented to the client.
This is a great incentive to really think outside the box and can really open up amazing ideas from even the most uncreative clients! 😎 This is not only an exciting part of the process, but I find that clients start to really put their trust in my judgement for what can be achieved with their logo design.
Third step...
is the colour palette. This step is usually created alongside the mood board as we have already established a 'look and feel' for your logo so grabbing these colours and sending a few options allows the client to see how colours work with each other. It also allows them to tweak it at this stage as well. I also recommend to my clients to think about how the colours look on the computer (digital files) as well as on paper for their marketing/printing collateral.
Fourth step...
and the one you've all been waiting for...
The logo process now begins and this is where I do my thing.. I work on my favourite software Adobe Illustrator (a bit of advice, don't accept anything but an Illustrator logo 😀. There's a lot of 'quick' design apps out there that just won't do your logo justice).
I usually like to give my clients three logo concepts and then offer about three rounds of changes and tweaks to the desired logo. I like to ask my clients to think about...
What do they like most about the logo they have chosen?
What stands out the most?
This way of thinking can prompt the client to get specific and provide really useful feedback.
Fifth step...
Ok we're all done and now I need to provide you with all the appropriate files required.
I like to organise the files in folders and provide them as a zip file or drop them into a dropbox folder. You receive EPS files and large PDF files (for printing purposes) as well as JPG and PNG files for website and social media usage.
So that sums up my step by step guide! I really hope you found this insightful and interesting to read.
Your branding is one of the most important (if not the most important) parts of your business. It is essentially the identity of your business. Your brand gives you personality. With social media, your brand is more important now than ever as consumers are getting exposed to new brands every day and with plenty of options at hand, I'll leave you with a little thought...What makes your brand stand out from the rest?
I might have to cover that in my next blog... Have a great day everyone. 😎
Quote of the day...
"The way a company brands itself is everything - it will ultimately decide whether a business survives." Sir Richard Branson
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