Notes: Logo Design Theory & Application Bootcamp - mhulse/mhulse.github.io GitHub Wiki
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Notes from udemy video: Logo Design Theory & Application Bootcamp
Rule of thumbs for logo creation
Conceptual simplicity
One idea and make it sweet.
Great typography
Readability. Scale, size, interest. Strike balance.
Well crafted
Thought, time, things that speak for themselves. Take the time to do it right.
Logo “Brief”
If a client provides feedback, you can choose to use this info … or not.
A middle ground could be to use the feedback they provide, but think about it in a different way. Incorporate the idea, but it doesn’t have to be exactly what they asked for.
Foundation
Make a list of keywords related to the project/logo.
Use words that relate to the visuals. Avoid vague words that are unrelated to your logo (like “professional”, which doesn’t help you visually).
Take these words, and start with visual research on Google. Important: IGNORE OTHER LOGOS!
Start to create visual references; save them into a folder (i.e. resarch/).
Find images that have visual interest.
DON’T use these images for the logo itself! Use them as inspiration and ways to get out of design ruts when working your way through the logo design process.
Think of it as a “library of reminders”.
These images serve as markers and a way to break out of design ruts (if you’re in one).
Client “likes”
If the client provides any reference material, you can put this in a directory named something like client-likes/.
Look at competitor’s logos in this industry space
A few goals of “competitive analysis”:
- See what others are doing
- Find territory to avoid
- Find territory that is missing
This will let you know where you stand.
Literal vs. conceptual logos
Try to avoid the literal rabbit hole.
It’s better to go conceptual!
Simplification. Communicate only as much as what you need to communicate. This will generally make your logo more visually successful in the end.
Types of logo categories
- Full Logo Design: Words, Icon, Visual Metaphor, Tagline
- Word Mark (a.k.a. Logo Type): Simply the words
- Icon: Simply a mark/image/icon
Concept Development preparation
This is about BIG ideas! Big brush strokes.
Don’t worry about the details.
No Illustrator/Photoshop/etc.
Sketching. Loose. Conceptual.
Make sure you return to the logo brief; skim it. Refresh your memory.
Clients are generally going to think literally; don’t fall into this trap. Use the client’s feedback and decide:
- Stand on soapbox and tell the client why (and stick to this)
- Do your own version and tell the client why
- Do exactly what the client asks for
Go back to your research materials; skim through the documents to refresh your memory on the ideas and inspiration these images invoke.
Think about what ideas go beyond the obvious. Remind yourself of the territory that you would like to explore.
Sketching
If you like to sketch on the computer, a good document size is 1920px x 1080px.
Assuming you’re using Photoshop, use the basic brush and a gray paint color; start sketching out ideas.
When sketching, avoid duplicating ideas you’ve seen before. Though, don’t hesitate to sketch out ideas your have seen and use them for reference/reminders only.
Be fluid. Have your ideas fly off of your pen. Don’t get stuck “drawing” something.
Feel free to draw out the obvious stuff as it will help you generate new ideas for the less obvious stuff.
Keep thing conceptual. AVOID LITERAL!
Don’t “explain” a logo in the logo.
Keep your sketches simple and conceptual; the goal of the sketch phase is to eliminate icons and shapes that just don’t work. It should be fluid, messy set of drawings to help you get into the right territory.
Let it flow. Be prolific. The more sketches you can generate the better.
Throw on some headphones, listen to some music, and work for an hour, or more, sketching out your ideas.
Feel free to create new Photoshop documents as you go.
Don’t delete anything. Even if some of your sketches suck, keep them around as reminders of what you don’t want to do.
“Identifying good ideas”
Go through your sketches and decide which ones your want to flesh out in Adobe Illustrator.
Go back to the logo brief to remind yourself of the requirements and goals.