How The Process Works In Creating A Logo
Logo Identity is one of the most important features when your branding your company. If you think about it, with out this beautiful mark, you have absolutely nothing for your customers to remember you for. What good is that? Branding Effects like every other design, takes this very seriously and there is a routine that we go through every time when we are developing a brand identity or a logo some say. There are a few steps in which we take to create a successful end result.
The process of creating a logo.
- Problem: Every situation you run into when designing a logo there is always some sort of problem or issue from the start. You have to sit down with your client and figure out what the issue is. For example, the issue could be the logo itself is missing one of the key traits a great identity should carry.Logos should always be memorable, sustainable, cohesive, original and distinctive. If the logo is not meeting these key points then there is a problem.Another example would be a communication error. Some way in some form the identity is not communicating with the consumer resulting in product failure. We need to address the issue and move on to the next step.
- Creative Brief: After the problem is addressed we can move on to the Creative Brief. This process is where the client and designer sit down with one another and asked questions. The designer will ask detailed questions about your concerns. Some of the most important questions to ask when doing a Creative Brief are questions that will give you answers that describe the clients product fully. Does the product give off a special feeling? How does this product help or benefit the person that will be buying it. I know these questions are more about the products themselves, but knowing this will help us later on in the concept step.
- Research: Now that we have a solid Creative Brief with all of the information we need that completely describes the company we can start our Research. Some companies have a special research department while other don’t. Either way research needs to be done. We have to look at the competitors and see what the market is looking like. What are the competitors doing differently than the client. Are they working? Failing? This step is extremely important and the designer or design team should get out of their seat for a day or two and explore the outside. Take a visit to the retail market place and see the other products in action. Get a feel for all the brand touch points. Take note of size, color, shape and price. The list goes on and on.Taking the time to pay a visit in the real world will ultimately help you in speeding up the process of design. You will get a better knowing and understanding of how the products function and hold their place in the market.
- Concept Development: This step is where the creative comes into action. After you have all your information gathered on Research, Problem Issue and Creative Brief this step can begin. This is where your going to go to the drawing board. It is always recommended to start with a sketch book to generate ideas and concepts that can be then later transferred onto the computer where the design can be created. This step makes the bigger picture more clear. Usually the perfect number for different concepts and logo variations is 3. Some dome more and some do less. You should never fall below 3.
- Present & Conclude: The final step. Now is the time to present your concepts and ideas to the client. The client will then follow through back with you on which one their company likes and/or dislikes. When presenting the logo should be nearly done. You obviously want the client to like it , so time and effort is a must. After the sign off and approval of the logo the designer will create a Logo Standards Guide for the Identity.A Logo Standards Guide is a printed booklet with all the information about the logo. It will include any fonts, swatches or PMS colors used in the design on the logo. The client will not be given the font itself, but rather just a printed page of the alphabet used for the font. The guide will also include ways that are acceptable for use of the logo and ways you should not place your logo. For example, some logos you will never want to place on top of a image. This can miscommunicate the message of the brand.
After these steps are perfected and the client signs off for the new or redesigned identity, the process of creating a marketing campaign will begin.
