Every company needs a visual representation of its brand or business, no matter how large or small your circle of influence is. That is why logos are important since they become the image that people have of your company.
The logo is more than just one of the most significant graphic design tasks your company will ever do. Still, it’s also one of the earliest exercises in creativity and forming an effective brand identity.
Steps of the Logo Design Process
Every logo designer has a unique method, but most concur that there are several steps in the process that all pros follow.
Here are the 5 steps to making the ideal logo to help the process run more smoothly:
Get To Know The Nature Of The Business And Do a Competitive Analysis
Every designer will have a somewhat different plan, but most concur that conducting a discovery phase and creating a brand strategy is essential.
This is because creating a logo is not artistic, so we should wait to start creating logos based solely on aesthetic considerations.
A logo should have a specific commercial purpose; thus, it’s important to maintain objectivity throughout the design process to create something that works professionally.
A logo should endure the test of time since it serves as the focal point of all company communication and is essentially everywhere.
Nobody wants to rebuild a logo anytime soon; therefore, giving the best shot at creating a logo that will stand the test of time is necessary.
Brief the client and build the groundwork for your creative exploration before opening Illustrator and experimenting with text, color, and shape.
Some designers like to conduct a more casual discovery phone conversation or send a branding questionnaire. Utilize all the data from the discovery phase and conduct more research to derive learnings that will prove useful later in the ideation phase.
As a designer, learning about the industry can help you better understand the context in which the logo will be used.
To ensure that the solutions you will later develop can function properly for the client, this phase aims to gain a deeper understanding of their industry.
You now need to understand what can work, what is appropriate, and how to set the organization apart from its rivals. Gaining insight into the business from the viewpoint of the client can help.
So putting yourself in the client’s shoes and further researching the market and rivals is an essential phase in the logo design process.
Start Generating Ideas & Sketch Concepts
Begin developing a plan for coming up with logo concepts in the ideation stage based on the discovery and research that have been done.
Find a style or look that can express the client’s brand persona. Use the brand personality and tone of voice to help you generate ideas and build mood boards.
Put your real imagination to use when creating and designing logo concepts. Most professional logo designers draw designs by hand, using a pen and paper. Some designers use a sketchbook, while others begin on a computer immediately.
This is because creating sketches by hand allows for immediate artistic expression, and it is believed that this is how every logo designer should begin.
Determining if you require a symbol or just a memorable typographic treatment of the brand name is also crucial (wordmark).
Drawing logos may take a while; therefore, taking intervals and letting your concepts grow and evolve in your head is crucial.
Please Choose The Best Logo(s) And Digitally Implement It
Once you have a tonne of sketches, you can evaluate them in light of your approach and choose the ideas that have the most chance of succeeding when implemented digitally.
Before you put your thoughts into practice in an aesthetically acceptable manner, it can take a long time, usually a couple of days to a few weeks, to complete the design phase.
You can experiment with the designs and make new copies each time changes are made, so you can always go back to the prior iteration of the logo.
Test various ways to implement your logo sketches in this step to see which ones have the best aesthetics.
If you go about it correctly and take your time with it, your logo concepts will get better and more impactful swiftly.
Exhibit Your Logo Concepts And Reach An Agreement With The Client
Remember only to offer your clients solutions that will truly benefit them. Despite the differences between each notion, they all center on a strategy.
You should switch back and forth between designing your logo and testing it on applications, as with other steps in the logo design process, until you find a feasible solution.
Make stunning mockups of each logo proposal to evaluate its practicality and observe how it will appear in actual contexts.
Clients may occasionally express skepticism regarding your logo design thoughts, but this is only natural, given that all freshly designed logos initially seem unfamiliar.
It would be best if you informed your client that you could truly appreciate and ascribe meaning to a brand only when it has been formally adopted.
Before receiving the final clearance, you can still wish to refine a few things, integrate aspects of other concepts, and rectify the designs.
Create a Style Guide And Deliver Logo Files
Once your customer has permission, it’s time to provide the brand identity package, which includes a style guide and logo artwork(s).
Be sure to include the logo in its most basic forms, such as full color, black, white, and monochromatic. Additionally, you should store logo files for various print, and digital (vector & raster) uses, such as AI, ESP, PNG, JPG, etc.
If they decide to design further applications or do business with you in the future, remember to let the customer know about any commercial fonts used in the logo or brand identity.
Working on a style guide is necessary to display all possible logo variations and how to utilize them, including safe spaces, placement on dark versus light backgrounds, and other things.
Other brand identification components, such as a color scheme, font system, photography style, and even graphics and animations, should also be covered in your style guide.
You can choose between a very simple one-page style sheet and a more detailed brand guideline, depending on the client’s requirements and, of course, their budget.
One reminder regarding delivery is to always under-promise and over-deliver.
Conclusion
Creative ability and skill set ultimately make for a great logo design, but you must also maintain focus and ground your thoughts in sound strategic knowledge. Professional logo designers in California can create the perfect logo in more ways than the five methods listed above.
Even though the process of coming up with and drawing out a logo can be pretty time-consuming, if you do your research and have the right amount of inspiration, you will have a wonderful logo design. Keep in mind that flexibility is essential when creating the ideal logo.
