Know your audience
Know Your Customer
In order to design a good logo, you need to know your customer and your customer's customer, as well. Many customers may come to you and request a particular style of logo, or the use of a particular symbol. Dig deeper to find out what is unique about your customer, how they solve their customer's problems, and who their target market is.
No Idea is Too Stupid
Brainstorming is often the key to a good logo. After you've fully explored your customer and their market, begin writing down words that apply to your customer. In fact, this is a step you should do with your customer. If your customer won't spend time in a "formal" brainstorming session, at least get them to give you a list of words that describe their company. Don't discard anything as too "stupid"; sometimes the more "out there" the idea is, the more unique the resulting logo will be.
Consider the competition
We hotly debated on the forum recently whether or not a company's logo should stand out. I believe that it should; that that is the whole purpose of a logo to stand out from the crowd. Others argued that while a logo should be unique, it should still be similar to other logos of similar companies.
Whatever your opinion on the subject, it's a good idea to take a look at the competition. The Yellow Pages can be a good starting point. Magazines devoted to your customer's industry may also be helpful. A search on the Web will doubtless turn up a variety of logos for the competition.
Consider the customer's budget
When you interview a prospective client, it's important to ask about their budget; not only for the design of the logo, but also for printing. Maybe they're a large company and can afford four color process printing, or have a need for four color advertising.
Maybe they're a medium sized business, and can afford two color printing with bleeds and metal plates. Then it's okay to use shades of a color, and touching colors as this sort of logo will require metal plates to be printed, which drives up the cost of printing.
What if it's a small start-up company with a limited budget? You might consider a one color design, with shades of that one color. You'll still need metal plates, but you'll only need one, which will cut costs considerably. Or you might design a two color logo, but one that doesn't use shades of those colors and whose colors don't touch. Then you can get away with laser copy for camera ready or veloxes; metal plates won't be required, and costs will be significantly reduced.
Start without the Computer
The computer can be a wonderful tool for designing. You can work up ten variations of a design in a matter of minutes, often designs that might not have even occurred to you without the flexibility of a computer. Whether or not you can draw, I encourage you to start designing without your computer.
Designing without the computer really forces you to focus on the job at hand. Instead of just grabbing the rectangle or ellipse tool, you begin to really think about what that rectangle or circle says about the company.
If you've never made sketches before designing a logo, I encourage you to try. You may be surprised at the results.Related Article
