How to create a clever logo.
If you’re a graphic designer, the odds of you having designed a logo in the past month or so are pretty high. It’s almost as if logo development has become a commodity when you realize how many not-to-be-mentioned websites ‘specialize’ in logo creation. But enough about quantity. Let’s just say the need for logos seems to be stronger than ever, and with that, so are the opportunities to create beautifully designed logos.
Establish a good ground game.
Before we even talk about any formal design process, we have to start with the ecosystem that will allow such a unicorn to develop and flourish. Whether you’re working with a solopreneur or a marketing team, there are different minds you’ll have to sway and possibly even educate. Don’t skimp on preparing for this when you present your logo design. Sure, it’s tempting to simply email a PDF, but how much will you be able to defend or build an appreciation of your beautiful work with key decision makers? A webcast can be great, but in person gives you a sort of home-field advantage. When I first graduated from design school, I wasn’t ready to admit how much ‘selling’ I would need to do in order to become a successful designer. The reality is that a) It’s not quite selling, and b) it goes hand in hand with every victory. Without a strong presentation, even the best logo design can become diluted, diminished or reconfigured.
With luck, you’ll be working on a logo for a business or service that has a clear and distinct offering, or succinct core message. Either of these should be considered when you begin ideating and sketching. This is where things can get tricky. The easy way is to take literally what the business or service does and represent it visually in the logo, but that’s not always all that clever. Keep sketching. Look for ways you might combine two ideas, or represent ideas in unique ways — counter shapes, integrated with letters, color play, unique styling, using type characters as illustrated elements (be careful with this one). Keep the form simple so that the idea can be the logos focus. It doesn’t have to be obvious and it shouldn’t be shouting. If forms become distracting the gestalt of the logo will suffer.
Yes, it’s true. Some business’ names or services offerings lend themselves to better solutions than others. Take Target for example or Beats by Dr. Dre. These are classically clever logos and their names lend themselves sooooo easily to their respective solutions. It’s almost as if the company and designer worked in tandem (hint, hint). Living in the real world with realistic odds, this serendipity doesn’t happen as often as we like. Luckily, we’ll have lots of challenging future opportunities to continue to sharpen our skill and develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to create a clever logo.
