http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/26/vital-tips-for-effective-logo-design/

What Makes A Good Logo?

Brand Logos

A great logo design is unique, ideal, and functional. It needs to convey the owner’s desired message. A concept or “suggesting” is usually behind a reliable company logo, and it connects the designated message. A logo must be able to be printed at any type of size and most of the times, be effective without shade. A great company logo essentially comes down to 2 things: great principle and great implementation.

Company Logo Design Process

You may wonder just what’s so hard about building an excellent logo design. They’re tiny, they look simple, so no worry, right? When you just view the outcome of a developer’s efforts, the logo development could appear like it was a straightforward activity. However it’s not. A logo takes thought and also imagination, and numerous aspects combine to make a good one.

When developing a company logo, follow a process that makes sure the last layout complies with the requirements of the clients. Here, we have specified the regular procedure that professional company logo designers comply with. With method, you will certainly no question develop your very own.

Logo Design Process.

Style brief.

Conduct a survey or meeting with the client to obtain information about their business and what kind of brand they want to convey.

Market Research.

Conduct research study on the market itself, its past history as well as competitors. Problem-solve initially, style later. This will save you a lot of time avoiding designs that won’t work for the market.

Reference.

Conduct research on company logo styles that have been effective. You need to stay current on styles and trends so you avoid a design that looked dated. But, don’t jump on a trend that may not have lasting power. You don’t want to have to rebrand your logo every few years because of a font style that become very popular. (Lobster font comes to mind, that thing is everywhere)

Concept & Layout

Based on your meeting with the client and your research of the market and trends you can begin coming up with some ideas. This is the single essential part of the creative process. Begin sketching out ideas on paper, even if it’s a bad idea or doesn’t look like how you imagined in your head. A few minutes with a pencil and paper can save you a lot of time in front of the computer. Use elements you found in your research and from logos you like. Obviously, you can’t copy someone else’s logo but it helps you with your own concepts.

Reflection.

Your first idea will rarely be your best. If you are stuck, step away for a bit, and come back with a fresh approach. You can also follow up with the client and ask any follow up questions or ask for feedback on some of your concepts.

Presentation.

Present only your best logo layouts to your client. PDF style typically works best. You may additionally want to show the logo design in context, which will help the client more clearly picture the brand name identity. We will usually apply the logo to a website design or business card piece that matches the brand across all channels.

Distribution and also assistance.

Once the client chooses the logo they like, it’s important that you then provide all the variable files that they will need for use. You will also want to provide explanation and uses for each format, as it may be the first time they have ever had to use a .gif or .png file and they aren’t going to know the difference between a .jpg and .eps.

A brand’s standards manual is a document that that contains all the versions of the logos and how and where each version should be used. This is valuable for any company as they can provide this manual to all their vendors so there is no question on how to use the logo. The logo took a lot of time and thought and it would be bad if it wasn’t used correctly.

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