Usually the client has selected a single concept direction to follow, and we focus on developing it further to completion. I get to listen to their feedback and provide my own, and take lots of notes. I tidy them up and pair logo icons with a suitable typeface for presentation.įor the initial logo presentation, I almost always meet in person with the client so I can walk them through the ideas and strategy behind each concept. Of the rough logo concepts I’ve created, I select 3-4 of the strongest ones to refine and ultimately present to the client. These are in black and white and are usually pretty rough, but it’s important to see how they turn out when digitalized. My go-to program is Adobe Illustrator, where I render in vector the logo concepts. I select about 5 or 6 of the strongest ideas that I’ve sketched, and finally turn on my computer. This helps creates some space so I can look at the ideas with new eyes, and sometimes, I even come up with a new solution while dreaming. I can edit and refine things later.Īfter a day or two of brainstorming, it’s important to take a step back from everything and let my subconscious sleep on things-literally. Since this is brainstorming, I draw out everything, even the crappy ideas. I write out word associations, draw some mind maps, and sketch a good number of logo concepts. This is where the fun begins! Before I turn to the computer, I first spend some time putting pencil to paper. This helps me get an idea of the direction the client’s own logo should go in, and gives me some inspiration on different ways of problem solving. This is when I turn to professional design resources I look through numerous logo design books and websites, and put together a compilation of logo design from similar industries. But sometimes, my client’s competitors have very professional branding, logos, and marketing materials, which makes it a bit trickier to outdo them. Most of the time their own logos suck, which is good, because it means my job will be easier to blow them out of the water. This gives me clues about what their target market cares about, and what might appeal to them the most.Īs you can see, designing a logo takes a lot research! I spend some time looking up my client’s competitors, usually mostly local, and see what they’re doing in terms of visual identity. I also take a look into their desired audience, mostly what type of demographics they’re aiming for. I research their own company, how long they’ve been in business, what type of work they do, and what sets them apart from their competitors. This is where I take a deeper look into my new client’s business and industry. Step 3: proposal approval/deposit receivedĪfter the client signs the proposal, saying they’re agreeing to everything, and I receive their down payment (a standard procedure among most designers), I can now get to work. Once I have all this information, I’ll go home and put together a project proposal which will detail everything the client needs to know: how much the project will cost, what the timeline and deadlines are, what deliverables they can expect to receive, and what the terms of agreement are. Here’s what the logo design brief that I use looks like. I spend about an hour with a potential client, and ask them a ton of in-depth questions about their business, their industry, their audience, their competition, and their goals. Before any designing can occur, this must happen first. Here’s a peek behind the scenes at what typically goes on when I design a logo.įirst things first: picking the client’s brain. While some designers’ own processes differ, I think it’s safe to say they all follow a similar structure. All of this amounts to the logo design’s process, which ends up taking many hours, not minutes. Understandably, many potential clients are stunned when I tell them my logo design prices (let’s just say a logo should cost you more than a nice dinner.) In fact, most professional designers would agree: a logo takes a lot of time, thought, skill, and effort. Many people, and rightfully so, aren’t aware of the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into creating a strong brand identity-aka, a logo.
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