LogoDesignPrintPromotion

Logo DesignGuide Book

Contents

What is logo design?

A logo is the visual representation of a company or business, which forms the base of its corporate identity. It is a name, symbol, monogram, emblem, trademark, or other graphic device designed for easy and definitive recognition by the company’s audience. Logos trigger people’s memories of previous experiences with the company and other implementations of the logo, leaving a greater impact than words alone can do. This is the simplest and most direct way of promotinga business presence; a logo describes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation. If a logo appears unprofessional or unoriginal, so will be the public’s perception of the company it represents. A well-designed logo will help to increase visibility and, in turn, sales.

Logo design started many years ago and has its roots in Ancient Greece with the use of symbols consisting of one or more letters. These typically represented the initial letters of a person or place for use on stationery and signs. Many early Greek and Roman coins bear the logos of rulers or towns. During the Middle Ages, similar logos were seen in abundance in ecclesiastical and commercial use. By the thirteenth century, these simple letterforms had evolved into trademarks for merchants. These early examples of logo design

include marks for masons, goldsmiths, paper makers, and nobility. By the 1700s, every trader and dealer had a trademark or stamp. The industrial revolution caused a dramatic gain in the value and impor-tance of trademarks. By the 1950s, with the emergence of national and multinational corporations, trademarks began to move beyond symbols, using larger design systems to unify all communications, to accomplish identifiable goals. Today, company logos have become the faces of business and our economy. The general public has become very responsive to logos, their meanings, and their implementations. Because of the diversity of products and services available, the need for innovative and well thought-out logo and corporate identity design is central to a company’s success.

Why are logos important?

Logos trigger people’s memories of previous experiences with the com-pany and other implementations of the logo, leaving a greater impact than words alone can do. This is the simplest and most direct way of promotinga business presence; a logo de-scribes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation.Try to think of such companies as Coca-Cola or FedEx without recalling their logos. These companies have established an identity with their logos, which greatly impacts their sales. If a logo appears amateurish or derivative, so will be the public’s perception of the company it repre-sents. A well-designed logo will help to increase visibility and, in turn, sales.

The Logo Design Process

The creative brief*Most of the time, the designer and the client work together to outline the pur-pose and limitations of the company’s logo in the form of a creative brief. This will outline the design specifica-tion of what the company wants for their logo. Within the brief, the user’s demography should be analyzed so that their individuality can be under-stood and seen by audiences. This will create a set of rules for design decisions that can be made to target particular groups. For the designer it is important not to input too much of your own artistic preferences when designing a logo because a logo’s key purpose should be to communi-cate with the company’s audience, not to satisfy the preferences of the designer.

Concept development*The designer develops conceptual pathways for the logo, transforming ideas into simple sketches. Then, these sketches are presented to the client and one or two pathways are chosen for further exploration. This is where the logo begins to take shape. In some cases a unique text treat-ment and a distinctive colour palette is sufficient however both text and

image can also be used. A logo’s simplicity anddistinctiveness are the primary con-siderations in determining its form.

Refinement*Through a process of three or four revisions, based on an analytical dialogue between the designer and client, the logo is taken from a series of rough sketches to the final polished and cohesive logo design. At this stage, colour is often introduced. Co-lour specification decisions are based on an understanding of colour psy-chology, colour theory, the contrast between colours, and the limitations of available printing budgets.

Delivery*Once the client has approved the final logo design, the designer assembles a package containing an assortment of logo files for different applications and a manual outlining how the logo should be applied to different media. The strict and consistent adherence to the manual is crucial to the suc-cess of a logo.

“The trademark should embody in the simplest form the essential characteristics of the product or

institution being advertised.” Paul Rand

“The trademark should embody in the simplest form the essential characteristics of the product or

institution being advertised.” Paul Rand

A Good Logo is...

Simple*A good logo is one that is simple. Try-ing to include too much informationcan have a negative impact and complex illustrations representing all aspects of the business and long taglines should not be part of the logo. The type and imagery should be recognised instantaneously, up close and at a distance. There should not be a lot of colours used because these distract people from the logo’s central theme. Also the more colours used means a higher produc-tion cost.

Versatile* Logos which use several colours, photographs or detailed illustrations may be difficult to use in certain appli-cations. A good logo should consider all potential implementations. (Often, several versions of a logo will be designed to use in different contexts.)

Distinctive* Logos should be unique and different from any other companies or organizations. Using familiar or common styles or typefaces defeats the purpose of having a logo, and can even have a negative backlash among customers who might see the company as being derivative. Be-sides this, there are also copyrights and trademarks of companies which should not be violated.

The evolution of successful logo design.

Evolution is a process of change or development. It is when one version of a product is better than the previ-ous one. This type of change was first catalogued by Darwin over a hundred years ago. But in the truest sense, evolution occurs in nearly every aspect of our lives, and especially in the business and consumer worlds. It seems that companies find them-selves needing to be fast-paced, up-to-date and ever evolving to stay ahead of the competition. If you think about the world’s most prominent brands, Nike, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and others, it is easy to visualize their respective lo-gos. Those designs have become the visual representation of the company brand, which is what people think about your company and their experi-ences with it.

Ford

Most people know that Ford was founded by (who else?) Henry Ford. What most people didn’t know was that this was his third automobile company. Ford experimented with cars while working for Thomas Edison, and left to found his first auto company, The Detroit Automobile Company, which went bankrupt in just 2 years. He then built a race car and founded Henry Ford Company. Ford left that one after just one year (the company later became Cadillac – see above).

In 1902, Ford went on to create his third automobile company, the Ford & Malcomson, Ltd., and almost lost that one when sales were slow. He was

unable to pay his bills to John and Horace Dodge, who supplied parts. Ford’s partner brought in a group of investors and even convinced the Dodge Brothers to accept shares in the company, which was renamed Ford Motor Company. Later, the Dodge Brothers went on to form their own car company (can you guess what?)

In 1909, Childe Harold Wills, Ford’s first chief engineer and designer (who also help to design the Model T), lend a script font that he created to make his own business card, to create the Ford logo. The famous blue oval was added later for the 1927 Model A – it remained in use until today.

Pepsi V’s Coca Cola

Coca-Cola is the world’s most popu-lar soft drink. Sold in more than 200 countries, it is produced by The Coca-Cola Company and is often simply referred to as Coke. The Coca-Cola logo, like the product itself, is rated among the most recog-nized logos and brands in the world. The first Coca-Cola logo was created by Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885. Thinking that the two Cs would look well in advertising, it was Robin-son who came up with the name and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive script.The typeface used, known as Spencerian script, was developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant form of formal handwrit-ing in the United States during that period. The red and white coloured scheme in the Coca-Cola logo was kept simple and distinctive to lure young minds. The Coca-Cola logo was first advertised in the Atlanta Journal in 1915. A Coca-Cola dis-penser with a Cola-Cola logo was later created by Raymond Loewy. The Coca-Cola logo got registered as a trademark in 1887 and has since then become the brand’s corporate identity.

the most famous and well-recognized logos in the world.In 1898, Bradham used a scribbled logo script as the first Pepsi logo to brand the product. When his busi-ness got established and people started enjoy-ing his drink, Bradham decided to modify the Pepsi logo into a more customized version of the previous logo script. Thus, in 1905, a modified script logo was introduced, followed by a second change in Pepsi logo in 1906. In 1940, Walter Mack introduced the

new bottle design with crown, la-beled with the Pepsi logo. In 1941, the Pepsi bottle crown colors were changed to red, white and blue, along with the Pepsi logo, to commemorate the war efforts of the country. Later, in 1962, the Pepsi logo was replaced with two bulls-eye marks encircling “Pepsi”, and then again in 1973, into a boxed Pepsi logo with minor typeface changes.In 1991, Pepsi commemorated the evolution of its scripted Pepsi logo by featuring a logo design with an italic capital typeface. Later at the compa-ny’s 100 years celebration in 1998,

Pepsi-Cola unveiled a new logo that symbolized the brand’s innovation and global recognition. The new Pepsi logo consists of a three-di-mensional globe against an ice blue background, with the inclusion of the previously designed Pepsi typeface. It has been the official Pepsi logo of PepsiCo, till date.Over the past century, the Pepsi logo has been evolved into remarkable designs with significant modifications. All in all, Pepsi logo is an exemplary piece of creativity and innovation. No doubt, it is one of the most recog-nized logos, ever.

Pepsi-Cola is one of the most famous soft drinks consumed world-wide. Manufactured and marketed by PepsiCo, it was first developed and produced in the early 1890’s by Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina labeled as “Brad’s drink”. In 1898, Bradham renamed his drink into “Pepsi-Cola”.On June 16, 1903, the title Pepsi-Cola was trademarked and had since remained unchanged. But one aspect of Pepsi-Cola that witnessed many transformations over the years is the Pepsi logo. The Pepsi logo is one of the most famous and well-recognized logos in the world.In 1898, Bradham used a scribbled logo script as the first Pepsi logo to brand the product. When his busi-ness got established and people started enjoy-ing his drink, Bradham decided to modify the Pepsi logo into a more customized version of the previous logo script. Thus, in 1905, a modified script logo was introduced, followed by a second change in Pepsi logo in 1906. In 1940, Walter Mack introduced the new bottle design with crown, la-

beled with the Pepsi logo. In 1941, the Pepsi bottle crown colors were changed to red, white and blue, along with the Pepsi logo, to commemorate the war efforts of the country. Later, in 1962, the Pepsi logo was replaced with two bulls-eye marks encircling “Pepsi”, and then again in 1973, into a boxed Pepsi logo with minor typeface changes.In 1991, Pepsi commemorated the evolution of its scripted Pepsi logo by featuring a logo design with an italic capital typeface. Later at the compa-ny’s 100 years celebration in 1998, Pepsi-Cola unveiled a new logo that symbolized the brand’s innovation and global recognition. The new Pepsi logo consists of a three-di-mensional globe against an ice blue background, with the inclusion of the previously designed Pepsi typeface. It has been the official Pepsi logo of PepsiCo, till date.Over the past century, the Pepsi logo has been evolved into remarkable designs with significant modifications. All in all, Pepsi logo is an exemplary piece of creativity and innovation. No doubt, it is one of the most recog-nized logos, ever.

Shell

For more than a century, the word ‘Shell’ has immensely acknowledged the Shell brand and endorsed the commercial character. Undoubtedly, the Shell logo, highlighted in red and yellow since decades, has played a vital role in the promotion of the company. Shell logo holds distinctive qualities that draw audience’s attention to itself. It proj-ects an emotion of professionalism and defines the company’s outstanding position and stupendous products. Over the years, the Shell logo has been renovated quite a lot of time but the shell graphic has stood coura-geously to benefit the logo design. The current Shell logo was sketched by a pre eminent designer Raymond Loewy in 1971. Shell logo has proved to be the most impressive design by the contribu-tions of the great designer.

Shape of Shell Logo:Shell logo consists of a shell image which has served the emblem since decades. This illustration was ad-opted after the company name. It certainly narrates the company’s high corpo-rate reputation and class. The image of the shell in Shell logo has been re-designed quite some times but it still continues to hold supremacy, power and strength.

Color of Shell Logo:The use of highlighting color is grace-fully adopted in Shell logo. Red and yellow are the colours utilized to enhance the beauty of the Shell logo.

Font of Shell Logo:A very simple and easy to remember typeface is employed in Shell logo to enhance the characteristics of the company and its high quality prod-ucts. The alphabets are done in bold font to impose a high status of the corpora-tion market position.

The 10 Commandments of Logo Design

1. A logo doesn’t need to say what a company doesRestaurant logos don’t need to show food, dentist logos don’t need to show teeth, furniture store logos don’t need to show furniture. Just because it’s relevant, doesn’t mean you can’t do better.

The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an aeroplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer. Etc. Etc.

2. Not every logo needs a markSometimes a client just needs a pro-fessional logotype to identify their business. Don’t be afraid to ask what they think.

3. Two-way processRemember, things might not always pan out as you hope. Your cli-ent might request something you disagree with. If that happens, try giving them what they want, then show them what you believe is an improvement, and why. They’re less likely to be so resistant if they already see how their thoughts pan out.

4. Picasso started somewhere

You don’t need to be an artist to realise the benefits of logo sketching. Ideas can flow much faster between a pen and paper than they can a mouse and monitor.

5. Under-promise, over-deliverIf you’re unsure how long a task will take to complete, estimate longer. Design projects are like construc-tion work — you piece lots of little elements together to form a greater whole, and setbacks can crop up at any time.6. Leave trends to the fashion industryTrends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key.Don’t follow the pack.Stand out.

7. Work in black firstBy leaving colour to the end of the process, you focus on the idea. No amount of gradient or colour will res-cue a poorly designed mark.

8. Keep it appropriate

Designing for a lawyer?Ditch the fun approach. Designing for a kid’s TV show? Noth-ing too serious. I could go on, but you get the picture.

9. A simple logo aids recognitionKeeping the design simple allows for flexibility in size. Ideally, your design should work at a minimum of around one inch without loss of detail. Look at the logos of large corporations like Mitsubishi, Sam-sung, FedEx, BBC etc. Their logos look simple and are easier to recog-nise because of it.

10. One thing to rememberThat’s it. Leave your client with just one thing to remember about the de-sign. All strong logos have one single feature to help them stand out.

“Don’t follow the pack. Stand Out”

LogoDesignLove

“Don’t follow the pack. Stand Out”