Here are a couple logos that embody several good examples of logo design. Look through this list to learn of a couple things you can implement as you start creating some of your very first logos.
Use something familiar in an unfamiliar way. This logo uses portions of the actual number eight to write the word eight. The repetition and consistency in typeface give a lot of strength to the design because of the familiarity of the number eight.
Use your space wisely. The FedEx logo uses a lot of white space and color contract in their logo are create some good visual emphasis. Their company is all about organization and movement. This logo embodies that in the consistent type which breaks in color to seperate the fed from ex bt buts them up together to say they belong together and remain distinguished. They also show movement by aplifying the -> symbol naturally created between the “E” and “x”.
Complete a puzzle. Logos are a way to tie in a company and what they’re about. It is to be the symbol by which they’re known. The Hartford Whalers logo compiles two major parts in their business: their initials and their association with whaling. So does the ED logo for Elettro Domestici -Home Appliances which includes the “e” and “d” through the image of an electrical plug
Tell a story. The Nike symbol symbolizes the wings of NIke, the Greek Goddess of victory. People now associate it with motion and movement.
This morning, I poured a couple packs of apple cider into this blue thermos I inherited from an old roommate and headed out the door for class. Walking from my car toward campus, I realized the thermos I was holding was from Starbucks. It’s an awesome thermos, but I did grow a little concerned knowing I would sport it in my classes.
The logo position was just above the grooves were my hand fits around the container and opposite the opening where I drink from. Naturally, anyone looking my way when I took a sip would see it’s from Starbucks. This is good branding with strong logo association–the down side: I go to a LDS affiliated university, where I’m sure several students are strongly opposed to cafinated beverages and the likes of Starbucks Coffee Houses.
Anyway, I made it through the day with no conflicts. Phew.
And now I’ll just segue into talking about branding and logo development.
The LogoFactory.com says two things make a good logo: (1) Concept (2) Execution.
Concept: This phase is primarily about discovering what your client or company wants to say. Consider these questiosn as you brainstorm logo concepts:
What is the business’s personality?
What products or services do they offer?
What are the best known for? What do they want to be best known for?
How can a logo impact their business and in what ways do they want to use the logo?
Execution: Artwork is important, fonts and design are important. A logo needs to be able to function as a stand alone and in a variety of context and still convey strong association to the affiliated company. Here are a couple things to keep in mind when considering the execution of a logo:
Make sure the design principles are working in harmony with the type of service or product they represent. (Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, Contrast) If you’re designing for a dentist, don’t make an edgy super conflicting asymmetrical design, unless the dentist is radical and doesn’t want any business. In the instance of doing a dentistry design make it a peaceful clean look in line with the feel the dentist office would like to portray
Keep true to two things: Every logo needs to touch on who the company is and what they do. This is the purpose you need to keep in mind as you create the design. Be sure that by the time you finish you don’t just have a cool design on the screen; instead, you have an image that means something.
Consider where the logo will be placed. Apple computers have consistently included the apple logo on the front of their computers need the screen, and they now also include it on the back side of their computers so that as someone uses their products others around them know immediately their computer is an apple. The possible placements of a logo can impact how it will be designed, it’s standard sizes, colors, and contents.
Look forward to my next post with examples of excellent logos and what they say about their company.
In my last post, I wrote a bit on finding inspiration. Every once in a while I’ll share projects I find by a variety of designers, not just in graphic design, that might help influence some great inspiration for a project you might be working on or in coming up with a new project. Each of these types of posts will be under the category titled inspiration.
This is a video created by Ross Ching, an incredible still photographer who has put his photos in motion by slicing series of shots into a video to create motion with his photos. So this video is comprised entirely of still shots. It’s actually quite similar to what Bart Benton did with type in the video from a previous post. It’s really very cool.
If there is one thing alone that could convince me of God’s existence it’s the world we live in and the creations on the face of it. After watching this video I feel pretty inspired. I hope you enjoy it.
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been assigned a project and had no idea what I was going to do to solve the problem the given project presented. Actually maybe I can. Were I to count the number of projects I’ve ever had, that would probably be the number of times I’ve been stumped on finding a concept or topic to use.
For example, last year in my first visual media course, we each had to create a brochure for any company or organization we wanted. I wanted to create my own ogranization but I wasn’t entirely sure what the company would do, what they stand for, how to brand them, etc. And thus began a massive brainstorm. My concept eventually winded down to a theft reduction agency which I named pickpocket who wanted to increase the awareness of wallet theft. From there I had to formulate the content I wanted to present in the brochure, and how the visual presentation would work out. I ended up making the brochure itself resemble a wallet with the information including different facts on wallet theft, steps to prevent theft, and what to do if it happened to you.
This is a simple example, but like any project especially dealing with branding identity or conveying a message for or about an organization or their products, it’s easy to get stumped. So, here are some tips to keep in mind as your attempting to formulate your next big idea.
Last week, I turned in an ad redesign project for an outdoor Head and Shoulders Ad to one of my communication teachers. After the presentations and seeing the work that my classmates had done and comparing it to my groups’ redesign concept, I wasn’t so sure how to feel about the hours I spent stressing on trying to find a good idea, implementing that idea and then pitching that idea. It was only a week long project, groups of 3, naturally we didn’t come up with anything good until Wednesday or so, slapped it onto the paper and printed it Thursday night. Things went wrong, but overall it was a solid ad. The concept was targeting what I’ll call new age women, the ones who go out with their girlfriends to get pedicures and haircuts and lunch while their kids are at school. They are social, middle age, middle income, middle class, practical, reasonable, but fun loving women.
I’m discovering this is a trying process to get a good concept to look good on paper.
Use something familiar in an unfamiliar way. This logo uses portions of the actual number eight to write the word eight. The repetition and consistency in typeface give a lot of strength to the design because of the familiarity of the number eight.
Use your space wisely. The FedEx logo uses a lot of white space and color contract in their logo are create some good visual emphasis. Their company is all about organization and movement. This logo embodies that in the consistent type which breaks in color to seperate the fed from ex bt buts them up together to say they belong together and remain distinguished. They also show movement by aplifying the -> symbol naturally created between the “E” and “x”.
Tell a story. The Nike symbol symbolizes the wings of NIke, the Greek Goddess of victory. People now associate it with motion and movement.