Designing a Logo

Most of the time when someone asks me what’s it going to cost them for me to design a logo, they are a bit taken back by the price. Of course there is the whole usage argument, where if I design you a logo for a corporate entity, the price for this logo would be much higher than that of a small-medium sized business. But usage aside, there is a lot of work that actually goes into creating a logo from scratch. I hope the steps and examples I outline here will better help prospective clients understand all the steps involved and what it takes to create a functional logo they will love.

Here is a quick overview of all the steps involved. I will take an example case-study, Metro Consulting, and go through each of the steps so you can see the whole process from start to finish.

1. Marketplace Research
2. Client Interview
3. More Marketplace Research
4. Sketch Concepts
5. Font Selection
6. 1st Round B&W Concepts
7. 2nd Round B&W Concepts
8. Final B&W Concept Review
9. 1st Round Color
10. 2nd Round Color w/ Treatment
11. Final Color Review
12. Build Full Mechanical

1. Marketplace Research

The initial step kicks off after receiving a request to design a logo. Before I make time to sit down or interview a client I need to understand (if I don’t already) the general marketplace in which the logo will be most prevalent. If I already know the industry, then I will research other examples or usages of the name so I can bring them up in the interview.

2. Client Interview

Here is where I explore the vision of the logo. I make note of any client ideas, preferred colors, colors to avoid, or if there should be iconography associated with the logo. I will also ask if there is an emotional response that the logo needs to convey, what is the psychological reasoning behind it. Finally, one of my favorite questions I ask is “If your logo was an animal, what kind would it be and why?” There are many more questions that might come up, it’s all how the interview plays out and if I feel like I have enough direction to execute a set of comps.

3. Marketplace Research Round 2

With the client interview out of the way, I head back to researching to see if I missed anything, or if there any new areas I need to research from the result of the interview.

4. Concept Sketching

Here is the initial dump and exploration of ideas on paper. A lot of times I have to illustrate the same idea multiple times to make sure it will cross over to a solid concept. I just keep sketching my heart out until I have at least six solid ideas I want to carry over.

With my six ideas in place, I will sketch them out one more time, just to make sure I am going to be able to recreate them on the computer.

5. Font Selection

Picking out fonts is the first real step that involves the computer. After all the research and sketches are complete, I have a good idea of what kind of fonts I will be looking for. And chances are I already know a few that I want to try to use. In the event that I do not immediately know what font to use, I have already organized my entire font collection into specific groups. This allows me to quickly sort through my font options and pick the ones that look most appealing.

6. 1st Round B&W Concepts

With the sketches sitting in front of me, and my folder of fonts all sorted out, it’s time to open up illustrator and start bringing the concepts to life.

The first round of concepts range any where from six to nine unique concepts. And for each concept there will be multiple versions. Sometimes I cannot single out a font, or I might not be able to decide on how to stack the logo. These fundamental design elements are what I what the client to focus on first.

There are several reasons I do not use color in my initial comps. The first reason is I want the client to be able to focus on the shape and meaning of the logo. Color treatments tend to produce too many variables in the creation process. Secondly, I believe a good logo can be represented in both one-color and full-color. This way you know no mater what the usage, you will have a logo that is true to its branding.

After I have presented the logo concepts and gone over the reasoning behind them, I work with the client to review their feelings and what they both like and dislike. Sometimes they know right away and other times it takes them a couple days to think it over. However, no matter how long it takes, the main goal of the initial concepts is to throw out what doesn’t work and focus on what is working.

7. 2nd Round B&W Concepts

The second round of one-color concepts is the result from the feedback on the initial set of concepts. Typically elements have been shuffled around or there might be some additional elements the client has included upon seeing the first set. In this run of concepts, it is typical to have reduced the options down to at least 3 or less concepts for review.

Just like the first round, the feedback on the second round can be either immediate or take a few more days to review. It all depends on the clients time-line and how much internal feedback they need to acquire before moving forward.

8. Final B&W Concept Review

Sometimes, when things are moving fast, the second round of concepts nails down the design. However, if changes are abundant, then this final review comes into play.

The goal of this review is to get sign off on a single concept. However, with that being said, it isn’t uncommon to head into color with a couple alterations on the concept. Personally, I feel at this point, it’s ok to start letting the client see multiple color options, with-in reason of course. This is only because the objective of a solid concept has been covered and the amount of wild variations has subsided.

9. 1st Round Color

Now that a design has been solidified (or almost solidified) it’s time to look back at the original interviews and see what color pallets the client is going for. Sometimes, the design of the concept will depict what colors to use. But even so, it’s still good to give the client a few off-the-wall options just in case they were having a hard time envisioning their logo outside of their own predetermined thoughts.

The other important step here, with color, is in terms of usage. Do they need to have this built in a 2-color spot for print purposes? Or, can I just go full throttle on a CMYK pallet. There has also been a few times where a logo isn’t even intended for print, so the client only cares about approving a RGB pallet.

10. 2nd Round Color w/ Treatment

The second round of color is here just in case the client went and received some internal feedback that threw out all the initial options. However, the second round is also here so we can start introducing some effects, like reflections, shadows, and bevels. I might have a couple more options to lock down, so it’s good to just have that extra layer of approval.

11. Final Color Review

The final review is of course just what it states. It is intended to be a sign off and confirmation that we have reached the end of the creative process and the client loves their logo. Typically this isn’t a long step. But more of a formality.

12. Build Full Mechanicals

When I complete the design of a logo, I end up building full mechanicals for the client to use. Clients receive all the working files, and if needed, I custom format their logo for them so they can start using it right away. If they need it in the header of a word-doc or as a transparent png in powerpoint, no problem. These are the kinds of things you get when I turn over the final mechanicals.

In addition to the files, I also compute all the desired color spaces and give a final spec sheet on their logo. It’s kind of like a down-in-dirty one-sheet style guide. Just something official for them to have and pass on where needed.

So there you have it. That’s quite a bit of steps to “just create” a simple logo. Also, keep in mind there have been times where the concept reviews go past three rounds. It’s unfortunate, but it’s also unavoidable. It’s always best to manage client expectations and help keep them focused on their and your goal. And in the end you have a logo your client loves, and you have a logo for your portfolio!