Designing a logo and brand identity for a company is an exciting process, consisting of many hours of hard work and an occasional burst of inspiration. Every designer has a different way of doing things, but there are some basic steps that a thorough, professional designer will always include. Here’s a quick rundown of the process I normally go through in designing a logo for a client:

1. The design brief

The brief is a vital stage of logo design in which the client answers several questions to help me understand his/her company. Information given by the client includes a description of the company, the sales/growth/publicity goals of the new design, the target market, budget, timeline, and other details. As Jacob Cass says, “A design brief should primarily focus on the results and outcomes of the design and the business objectives of the design project. It should not attempt to deal with the aesthetics of design… That is the responsibility of the designer.”

2. Research

In this stage I find out as much as I can about the client’s company history, structure, culture, and competitors. Paying attention to small details about the client’s field can make a huge difference in the final logo design. A logo should communicate something about the core being of the client, so I must understand the client as well as the environment surrounding the client in order to create an effective logo.

3. Sketching

During this phase of the logo design process, I sketch thumbnails to work through many possible solutions. Sketching by hand allows my brain to think fluidly, and ideas come more naturally than when I am working only on the computer. The sketching phase is really where most of the work gets done—I may do anywhere from 15-75 sketches before settling on a few ideas to pursue as more polished designs. Ideally, the designing will be mostly finished before I even touch my computer—I’ll just use the computer to create the digital version once I come up with a fantastic idea! A helpful tool when sketching out ideas is to have some great inspiration on hand. Skimming through logos by other designers gets my brain rolling and gives me ideas for styles, typography, colors, etc. Good online resources for this include Logo Design Love, Logo of the Day, Logo Faves, and others.

4. Initial drafts

After sketching out ideas, I will select the top few concepts and execute them in Adobe Illustrator. Concepts are left in black and white to allow the client and myself to focus on the design, rather than being distracted by colors. Colors will be chosen at the end of the process—they are merely the icing on the cake. I email a PDF of the top concepts to the client, including any needed explanation, and ask for the client’s feedback. Some designers prefer to send only 1 or 2 of the best concepts, since too many options can confuse the client or make it difficult to choose one. Other designers prefer to shower the client with several options. I play this by ear, depending on how many good ideas I come up with. Sometimes I may send the top 2-3, and then if the client wants to see more, I can send more. One word of caution to designers: never send a client a logo concept that you don’t like, or that you don’t think is a good one. Generally try to avoid sending the client anything that you wouldn’t be proud to put in your portfolio, because the client may choose that design. Whether you actually display the work in your portfolio or not, your name is attached to that design.

5. Revisions

At this point the client selects the top one or two solutions and requests adjustments if needed. I normally include 2 sets of revisions in the contract, with additional revisions being billed by the hour, but 2 revisions are normally satisfactory for coming to a final product that pleases the client.

6. Delivery

The final design is delivered as a vector image, meaning that it can be scaled up to any size—business card or billboard—without losing quality. If the client needs a certain format or image size produced, I am more than happy to accommodate. Many companies use a “design standards manual” to make sure that the company logo is used consistently in all forms (business card, website, vehicles, uniforms, signs, etc.). Having a written guide on how the logo should be used is important, even for small companies, to maintain the brand image. If the logo is used inconsistently, the company’s brand is hurt because it becomes less recognizable. It’s not a good idea for just anyone to be able to paste the logo into a Word document, stretch it out, and center-align it when others in the company are leaving it the original size and left-aligning it. Consistency is key to maintain brand image! I will provide a design standards manual as needed by the client. For a one-person business, a detailed email may suffice. For a larger company, the client may wish to have a PDF delivered or even a booklet printed.

7. More…

If a client is developing a new brand, designing a great logo is just the beginning. A successful brand will extend to every visual aspect of the company. If the client wishes further assistance, I am more than happy to help with the development of business cards and stationery, signs, brochures, and website design updates.

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