Designing an effective logo is not a quick or easy process. It requires research, thought, care and attention to ensure the final logo targets the correct market and broadcasts the right message. A poorly designed logo will have a negative effect on the perception of your business, however, a carefully designed logo can transform a business by attracting the right people.

Below I have provided an overview of my in-depth logo design process, which I believe delivers the very best and most effective results to help boost business potential. I use this process to make sure i deliver a professional and effective logo every time.

1. CREATING A LOGO DESIGN BRIEF

In order to design the perfect logo that targets the correct market and broadcasting the right message, I need to grasp a strong understanding of your business and its audience. To do this at the start of the project I will send a questionnaire, which has been designed to find out as much as possible about your business and target audience. Based on your responses I will create a list of objectives that need to be met by the logo design, and agree on this with you before proceeding further. This list of objectives forms the design brief, which will be used as a foundation for the decisions made during the design phase.

2. RESEARCH & DISCOVERY PHASE

One of the most important parts of any design process is research and discovery. This is where I will research and study your company, its history and competition, as well as the groups and individuals you aim to target. This research ensures I know your business inside out, so I’m able to design a logo that represents the uniqueness of the business or product. The research phase is also an opportunity to discover potential ideas which could be used as inspiration during the ideas generation phase.

3. IDEA GENERATION & DESIGN

When working on designs I start on paper, using numerous idea generation techniques, such as brainstorming and word mapping. This is typically a very organic process and can vary from project to project. Any idea that comes to mind will be sketched on paper to explore the full depth of potential ideas for the logo design. Once the idea has been explored on paper I will begin to work on the designs using software called Adobe Illustrator, which is a vector-based software program, which means the artwork produced is scalable and will never lose quality. I will continue to explore and experiment with the ideas even during this state, to ensure the idea produced is presented in its best possible light. Once I have several solid designs prepared, I will have an incubation period of at least a day, where I will not look at the designs. During this time I may consider new ideas which I would like to explore and can return to the project with a fresh perspective. Following this period I will return to the designs, refine the work where needed and select the most suitable designs to present. I will refer back to the agreed objectives at all times, to ensure the presented designs meet the agreed goals.

4. PRESENTATION OF THE LOGO

Once designs are ready to present, I will create a PDF document which will display the logo designs created, with images of the designs in real life examples, along with supporting notes explaining the decisions made. I only present designs which I am confident in, and will give you my opinion on which I believe will be most suitable for your business. I will leave the final choice to you, and if you feel the design could be improved or modified to better meet the objectives, changes will be made where necessary.

5. FINAL DELIVERY & SUPPORT

After designs are completed, and we are both happy with the final design work, I will prepare your new logo files for use on web and print. I will also prepare a style guide, this is a document that covers logo development, application rules and a full explanation of the design. to help you make the most of your new logo as your business grows, always offer ongoing support and help where i can with printing options and applications.

These are just the basic procedure steps i use for my design process. Logo design is a very in-depth process that requires a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of strategic design, not a task to be taken lightly or rushed. The ultimate challenge is to give the most information in the simplest form.