For this week's blog post, I'm going to share my design process for developing logos. I'll be using a logo I designed for a friend's new business,
The Bitter Queen to support the process as shown below.
The design process I use is the same for every logo job although sometimes certain stages may have different nuances or take longer depending on conceptualisation or the complexity of the design task at hand.
Here's my process breakdown;
1. Client Discussion
2. Scope and Quote
3. Research and Development
4. Rough Concept Sketches
5. Digitise Concept Roughs
6. Present Logo Versions
7. Refine
8. Finalise Logo
Generally, the above process takes between 10 to 12 hours but can take longer depending on the client's requirements. It is the time invested discussing with the client their business and brand perception coupled with two hours of research and development that provides me with the insight required to produce great logo design work. I always research the client's business to get a feel for what their competitors are doing, what colours are being most commonly utilised and how the overall 'flavour' of their profession, service or product is being represented. The research stage will inform the best way to approach the logo design project; whether to work in contrast against what everyone else is doing to create a point of difference or to stay with the flock and develop a logo inline with what's already out there, playing to the public's preconceived awareness.
1. Client Discussion.
This is a casual conversation that lasts for about an hour where I'll take notes while listening to the client explain to me how they perceive their business, what their business core is, how they desire to be positioned in the market place, what their long-term goals are, how they'd like to grow their business, what branding collateral they require, what their stationery design needs are; whether they require signage and vehicle wrap design, what they are going to do online to promote their business, do they require website design or social marketing media, who their competitors are, what their ideas are for their logo design and any other contextual information.
2. Scope and Quote
After the client meeting, I'll review my notes and develop a scope of work in order to provide a quote for the logo design job and any other graphics or marketing work discussed. I then write up the scope and send it to my client for their review, feedback and acceptance. This occurs prior to any design work being started.
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| Quote and Scope document |
3. Research and Development
During the client discussion, competitors are mentioned or the client may have seen a similar business to theirs that is successfully pushing its brand. I'll research these businesses and their industry in general to get a feel for how their service, product or profession is being perceived in the market place. This informs my design decisions as I do not want to inadvertently design a logo that is too similar to an already existing logo. This will also help me find my clients unique 'voice' among their already established profession.
While researching, I'll have my sketch pad handy and make notes and draw concept roughs as they come to me. I'll draw up a flow chart indicating pressure points of the project and include any client mandatory requests here such as colours to use or avoid, font preferences and the general feel the logo needs to achieve. Thus begins the development stage which leads into the next stage.
4. Rough Concept Sketches
I'll sketch out a lot of rough thumbnail sized ideas for the logo as determined by my client notes and my findings at the research and development stage. Creatively, I simply let loose and get the ideas down as they come to me. I always do this by hand as it allows the flow to be much quicker and less restrictive than if I used a computer. I do not edit any of my ideas at this stage. The energy in creating roughs should transfer across to the final logo design.
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| Rough Concept Sketches (pencil, marker pens) |
5. Digitise Concept Designs
I select the best concept designs from the roughs I created at stage 4. I then spend a few hours digitising these designs to the level of presentable polished designs. It is at this point that I'll choose fonts, create a
Pantone colour palette or decide if I am going to custom draw the logotype. I use Adobe CC with my primary software for logo design being InDesign and Illustrator. I always work in vector art format when creating logos and presently 'flat' logo design is very popular. What that means is that there is little to no shadowing, beveled edges or 3D affects being applied to design aesthetic.
At this stage, new ideas may present themselves while I'm digitising the concept roughs. If I deem any of these new ideas to be stronger than the roughs, then I'll review my work prior to sending to the client to reduce the number of logo designs being presented.
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| InDesign > Digitising the logo designs |
6. Present Logo Versions to Client
I send my client a PDF proof showcasing several design options, displaying a selection of fonts and colour palettes as well as a short written rationale for each design so that client can better understand my thought process and design decisions. I limit the amount of logo designs from 3 - 6 versions. I only present the strongest or best logo design solutions to my client as I firmly believe that quality wins over quantity. I leave the PDF proof with my client for as long as they need to process the design work so they can collect their thoughts and offer me feedback in terms of their preferences. I often suggest that they think on it for a few days or show their partner or trusted friend for some unbiased feedback. Sometimes the decision making can be overwhelming when presented with a handful of strong logo design solutions. I am more than happy to meet with my client to talk them though the designs to help them decide what is right for them.
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| First Round Logo Designs |
7. Refine
Sometimes additional design refinement is required after receiving client feedback. It's at this stage that the client's preferred logo design becomes better realised, with a little tweaking here and there. I may also work up mono and reversed versions of their logo at this stage if not already developed. I always provide at least 2 logo formats - a horizontal version which is handy for website banners and a more condensed 'stacked' version which may be better suited for stationery design. I find it's best to develop these formats at the same time to maintain design consistency. Mono versions also come in handy for black and white documents or for use at reduced sizes. This also ensures at design stage that the logo can be easily 'read' at very small sizes which was essential for The Bitter Queen logo design job as small labels were required for essence bottles.
A new PDF proof is sent to the client. This time only the refined logo designs are included for their review. The refinement process continues until the client is happy with their logo design and a final design is approved.
8. Finalise Logo
After the client has approved the final logo design, I prepare the logo in several different industry standard file formats; JPEG, PDF, EPS and PNG. I bundle these up with a 1 Sheet Logo Style Guide that they can pass on to printers, embroiderers or sign makers to ensure that the correct colour and logo file is used. You'll note that the Style Sheet below showcases the final logo design in it's three formats along with the fonts and Pantone colour palette utilised in the design.
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| Final Logo 1 Sheet Style Guide |
There you have it. My logo design process broken down into 8 stages. I hope this gives you a better understanding of how much work goes into developing logos and brands.
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Damian K. Sheiles
