A client might come to us with the question to design a logo; but in our minds, it’s the start of a larger branding process.
A logo can hardly be designed in isolation; it’s necessary to cement it within a cohesive brand, with considerations for typography and colours. Ideally, there is room to work on stylistic brand elements and brand icons, but this depends on the project length.
With our startup clients, that project length is usually short, and we hardly have the time to think about a brand guide and strict guidelines for weeks. They need something fast, because their new company will be announced in three weeks.
This is not a made-up example, but it’s is based on a true story, which is why it’s easy to write about: we just went through this process.
The brand process starts with an intake meeting where we talk about the company the logo is for, with questions about aesthetic preferences and references in the market.
We usually design for tech startups. There are choices to be made: do you want to blend in, or do you want to stand out?
There are budget concerns to be discussed such as the cost and licensing of fonts. Font licensing can be prohibitely expensive depending on the choices you make. There are ways to “level up” your brand over time and start with something that doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and that can be upgraded.
Next in the process is investigating how the logo will look. There are of course a myriad ways that any logo could be designed. We will sketch, on paper and digitally, to find out what the logo could look like. We will look at the shapes of the letterforms, how the typography should be set, how the logo could be perceived. This usually results in a crazy big Illustrator file with tons of variations and ideas.
Usually a logo has two main elements: an emblem and a typographic treatment. However, a logo could be typography-only or even emblem-only (such as the Nike logo). We don’t recommend the latter unless you are so famous you can drop your brand name and simply exist as a by-then iconic icon.
For the typographic treatment, we might choose to set the chosen brand name in all caps or lowercase. For higher-end branding, a typographical treatment on the brand name itself or even custom typography might be the chosen way to go. This last option can be costly and might be more of a thing to do later, when the startup has become a scale-up.
By the “emblem”, we mean the illustrative part of a logo. Many logos have this on the left side next to the text, but this is not always. For software, I myself prefer this type of logo because the visual on the side of the logo can immediately be used for an app icon (and subsequently a favicon).
What the logo references is usually one of the biggest questions. What meaning does the logo convey? This is a question you can think about forever, but let’s say we’re designing a logo for a company called FlowerKing. Obviously you will think of flowers and royalty. Now what visual do you choose? Will you draw a crown of flowers, keep things abstract, or something else? This thinking process can lead you very far. As a startup, your most viable asset is speed, so you need to make a decision. But at the same time, you want to be viewed as a professional party, so you do need to spend a bit of time on this, to avoid logo disasters and unwanted copyright issues.
A lot of logo work in the world is lazy. You can see that the creators avoided the logo thinking process by simply referencing the first letter in a logo, not having an illustrative emblem and simply a typographical treatment in a simple font. If you forego the creative process, you are also foregoing building a recognizable brand.
As we explore different directions, we will find proposals ways to display a brand that feel right. As you look at that crazy Illustrator file, some direction jump out more than others and might stay with you. That’s usually a good sign.
In a design review meeting, multiple directions are usually presented and talked about. We consider the bigger picture of the brand and the scope and timing of the project.
When a decision is made on how to move forward, final tweaks can be made. How does a logo look alongside other logos? What if it’s on a T-shirt? In the context of a website? An app? How does the logo tie in with the overall colour scheme?
As a final step, there is the logo delivery. Variations of the logo are made for several online applications such as a favicon and an app icon. Colours are considered for print. The logo is then delivered and ready for use.
As Obra, a brand new design studio, we have the capabilities to design a brand for you. If you’re interested, get in touch.