Notes

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Use a word cloud to get your ideas flowing. In this logo challenge for example, you could write the word "coffee" and or "grind" in the center and then write words around it that have to do with coffee or grind. Think of verbs and nouns that have to do with your subject directly or indirectly.

Coffee, steam, beans, cups, roast, seeds, foam, cafe, energy, morning, drink, sip, etc. - By doing this, you'll generate some unique leads for a design!

LOGO DESIGN TIP

When updating a logo, look closely at the original. What are its strengths and weaknesses? How can you make it simplified? Are there opportunities to make any text easier to read?

It helps to make a short list of pros and cons and then move forward from there. In this example, the client wants the logo to be simplified.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Text logos are great! They can emphasize brand recognition, especially for newer businesses. However, it can be hard to make them unique since many letter forms are similar. Try playing around with different styles, break the letters apart, and study what makes the word readable.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Animal-based logo are extremely popular and therefore can be hard to make unique. Consider what could make yours unique. Perhaps an animal that isn't commonly used? Maybe a color or color combination that you wouldn't expect like a red bear?

For this challenge, you only need to design the icon but text can be included for bonus points! (bonus points can be converted into digital high-five currency)


LOGO DESIGN TIP

What is a Wordmark? A wordmark is the typographic version of a logo. For example, Coca-Cola is a wordmark logo along with other big companies such as IBM, FedEx, Amazon, etc.

Wordmarks need to be legible, espicially at smaller sizes. If you use a very thin style, the logo may not be readable at smaller sizes. For this challenge, the wordmark 1-800-Rosebud needs to be clearly read at a small size.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Keep everything.

Every iteration or version should always be saved. You never know if you'll need to go back to an old version or idea!


LOGO DESIGN TIP

Ask questions!

While these challenges work well, they miss the two-way communication of a real project. As a designer, it's your job to ask questions and ensure clarity.

For example, the current logo above has a paintbrush icon hidden in the letter "I" of Paint. The client did not mention wanting to keep it or not so it would be your duty to bring that up! It's a bummer for you (and the client) to spend hours recreating something new if they actually did expect to keep the icon.

For this challenge, please feel free to use or not use the style in the current logo. Have some fun and mix it if up if you want! (paint pun)

The Unexpected

As Lynda mentioned above, she does not want to use blue. When designing a logo for a maritime themed company, the most obvious color that comes to mind is blue which represents water. However, these sort of obvious ideas are sometimes the first ones you should not consider.

You want your logos to be unique amongst the crowd. Think of the logo as a product on a shelf in a grocery store. Blue anchor, blue anchor, blue anchor... wait. What's this one? Orange? Interesting.

You just created a memorable moment for the consumer, and thus brand recognition starts to kick in. They may have just totally forgot about all those blue anchors...

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Mockups

You've most likely seen them around the web. Logos being mocked up on T-shirts, signs, business cards, etc. This is a great way to present your designs in a realistic way and it can also help seal the deal with a client.

We own a website that has mockups and more if you'd like to take a look here. Another Tip: Always present your flat logo along with a mockup should you use a mockup so that viewers can see the logo without any distractions.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Versatility

It's common for clients to ask for their logo in both a dark and light version. This means that the logo you design cannot rely heavily on a specific color or style.

Not every logo needs to work on both dark and light backgrounds, and this can be part of the brand guidelines (no dark background usage). However, some of the best logos work in both styles and it's better for your client if they can use the logo in multiple formats.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

The Unsure

You may or may not have been there yet, but it does happen. Sometimes clients are really reserved and to be frank, not helpful when it comes to developing a logo.

This is where you need to jump in and ask the questions as the designer. Do you have any color requirements? Can you share some logos you like/dislike with me and tell me why you like/dislike them? Does this logo only show up online or does it need to work for printed materials as well?

Of course, this is just an email and you won't get those answers. So, feel free to have some fun with this one!

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Using Negative Space

Negative space logos can be difficult to pull off, but if done right, they can be very powerful! Some examples of negative space logos include the arrow in the FedEx logo, USA Network logo, etc. Do an online search for negative space logos to check out some awesome examples.

You can try to write/type out the letters of the brand with varying styles, uppercase/lowercase, etc. and search for opportunities to fit an image into the negative space of the glyphs or in-between the glyphs. This logo has many opportunities with the letters P U P S for negative space should you want to try it!

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Designing in black and white is a great way to really focus on the details and overall shape of your logo design. We recommend starting in black and white to ensure the logo works in that style. Luckily, this logo requires black and white!

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Dealing With Requirements

In this logo challenge, there are actually quite a lot of requirements. They require the logo to be blue or orange, it must be a typographic logo, and it must include the idea of paper or a form.

When faced with requirements, it might feel you're being boxed in. You should feel free to discuss some alternatives with your client, especially if you see an opportunity or reason something should be changed. However, this is a challenge series and you'll have to include the required!


LOGO DESIGN TIP

Colors

Since there aren't any color requirements for this, you can use any color you'd like! With this in mind, remember that color can drastically change the tone of your logo.

Different colors will provoke different emotions, especially when it comes to food! We highly recommend you give this article a read.

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Inspiration Isn't Easy

When people ask us where we find inspiration, the short answer is searching online and visiting sites like Behance and Dribbble. But that's just the start of it and sometimes we actually avoid it.

The truth is, some of the greatest artists don't wait around to be inspired. They just start working. Jump in. Sketch. Think. Try. Fail. Try. Fail. Try. Succeed.

Thinking in abstract and unique ways can be ruined by too much exposure to other visually stimulating logos and designs. For example, let's say you search for "animal hospital logos" and you find several featuring the color blue. Your brain may only start thinking in blue because it's being repeated over and over, and sometimes this can be bad for gaining your own inspiration.

In all, it's completely fine to head to the internet to get some ideas, but it shouldn't be your first step and it certainly shouldn't be your only method of idea generation.


LOGO DESIGN TIP

Your Audience

This challenge is a great example of considering your audience. The people looking at this logo will mostly be creative types, but if the logo is specifically targeting creatives, you might alienate a potential customer for Freelance.

In several logo design cases, it's completely OK for the logo to simply be a wordmark and if possible, a secondary icon. Look at popular ones out there such as Google, Coca-Cola, Pinterest. How do you create an icon for Google? Maybe a magnifying glass to represent search, but they are not just a search engine.

When creating a wordmark logo, the main focus should be the following:

Legibility

Uniqueness

Color

LOGO DESIGN TIP

Telling a Story

Some of the most powerful logos have a backstory. They tell a story. The company's story. For Sprinkles, it's about magical taste and innovation.

When you can tell a story (a great story) behind why the logo design is what it is to a client, they become attached to the story and the logo as a whole.