Sketching is the most important part of all. What I often see if that allot makes the logo directly in Illustrator without any sketching done. The previous steps were a very important to do before sketching, there prior if you have no idea where to begin or what to make. The brainstorm and the moodboard are to use as an inspirational source to work from.
Research
How ever due that there are allot of logo's in the world, you still need to avoid making something that is the same of others. So always do a small researched on Google. Always type in what they sell or parts of the name or what you have found in your brainstorm in search for images, and also add the word logo to it. This way you could find different logo's that could have something to do with the same company. However this could also be an extra inspirational source but this is prior to use as to see what already exist and to learn what to avoid in your designs. But you could easily spot which direction to go to and which kind of typeface is used for that category.
Another great site to find the logo of similar companies is brands of the world, there allot of logo from different countries all over the world. You search logo's by countries, categories and by authors. The best is to search by categories to find most similar companies.
Sketching
There are no rules in sketching but just that you could put it on paper what is on your thoughts. You don't have to use expensive tools or pencils. What is really nifty is to have a blackbook. Its called a blackbook cause it is a book to remember things, like a black box on an airplane. The book could be of any size or any color it just only have blank pages in it where you could sketch the idea and not forget it. You should always keep this book around because you could get inspired anywhere you go and just a idea or a design in your head, and this way you could put it in the black book and remember it. I've got multiple black books around the house on different places so I don't have to walk to the other room, because I might forget it while I am getting that book. The latest blackbook I got is from my school.Design
Now on designing the logo, to make a logo to work and to also to look like a logo there are certain rules you need to apply.
1. Look at the perspective from new costumers who don't know the company. Allot of new designers misses this point. They often make logo's that are unreadable or that it actually say something else. For example Mc Donald's logo everybody know the M stands for and under the M you see the the name written full, which is very good and perfect. However I see allot of beginning designers who want to make the initails of the name as a logo, but do it all wrong. They make a big logo with that initial but writes the name next to it or under it without that letter. That would make from Mc Donald's to C Donald's making it to stand for something else. So always look at it from new costumers perspective because you might know what it stand for but the new costumers don't.
2. Don't make a painting of it. Don't make the illustration too detailed. Often most designer are great in drawing realistic pictures but logo's should be simple or an abstract shape of something. If you would have to make a logo of the Mona Lisa you would not take the whole picture over in to the last detail. You would take the most known overall shape like the outlines of the body and the noticeable uneven background. And never use clip art or photography as a logo. These may only be use as a advertisement possibility but not as a real logo.
3. Work on your alignment and perspective. A logo should be perfectly aligned unless it is meant to be crooked. People often find if something is not perfect is it bad. So always watch your alignment so it perfect in the middle of that things aimed to the same direction or in the same perspective. Also watch your kerning because not all font or typeface are perfect. They often need a little fix in the kernings. Because some kerning could make the name become 2 seperate words.
4. Stick with the trends. Allot of new designers often don't look at what other companies does and what the trends is at the moment. Most important is to learn what new applications there are to make a logo and what trends there are set by great designers. Just search different logo website to get you inspired and to learn what trends there are. Also think out of the box while designing because the simplest designs often already exist. But also keep in mind to stay close to what the company does and the category of design. You wouldn't make logo for a serious company that fits more for a toy store.
5. Correct programs. Allot of people knows Photoshop but it should not be used for making logo's, because it is not a vector based program. Vectors are line for shapes which can be resized to any extend without loosing any detail. Photoshop is mainly bitmap and also bitmap with coloring and also the effects and filters. When you resize bitmap it would loose details and even become pixelated. To make logo's you really need to use a vector based program. And any effects applied should be resizeable. Illustrator is a great program to make a logo because it uses vectors.
6. Don't use photo's or cliparts. Why not use it while you can acces them. Photo's and clipart are mainly not used because most of them got rights reserved by someone and if you use them you are doing something that is not legal. Also because these are not vector based and looses details when you resize.
For the rest it is up to you how to design the logo. For great websites for inspiration look at the links on the side of this site.
And learn and improve your skills in programs to make logo's. The more you know how to use the program's in different ways the more ways you can make a logo. If you never learned how to make shine or glossy web2.0 logo you could never make one. So learn different skills and practice them.
Design process
1. Brainstorming
2. Moodboard
3. Design
Research
How ever due that there are allot of logo's in the world, you still need to avoid making something that is the same of others. So always do a small researched on Google. Always type in what they sell or parts of the name or what you have found in your brainstorm in search for images, and also add the word logo to it. This way you could find different logo's that could have something to do with the same company. However this could also be an extra inspirational source but this is prior to use as to see what already exist and to learn what to avoid in your designs. But you could easily spot which direction to go to and which kind of typeface is used for that category.
Another great site to find the logo of similar companies is brands of the world, there allot of logo from different countries all over the world. You search logo's by countries, categories and by authors. The best is to search by categories to find most similar companies.
Sketching
There are no rules in sketching but just that you could put it on paper what is on your thoughts. You don't have to use expensive tools or pencils. What is really nifty is to have a blackbook. Its called a blackbook cause it is a book to remember things, like a black box on an airplane. The book could be of any size or any color it just only have blank pages in it where you could sketch the idea and not forget it. You should always keep this book around because you could get inspired anywhere you go and just a idea or a design in your head, and this way you could put it in the black book and remember it. I've got multiple black books around the house on different places so I don't have to walk to the other room, because I might forget it while I am getting that book. The latest blackbook I got is from my school.Design
Now on designing the logo, to make a logo to work and to also to look like a logo there are certain rules you need to apply.
1. Look at the perspective from new costumers who don't know the company. Allot of new designers misses this point. They often make logo's that are unreadable or that it actually say something else. For example Mc Donald's logo everybody know the M stands for and under the M you see the the name written full, which is very good and perfect. However I see allot of beginning designers who want to make the initails of the name as a logo, but do it all wrong. They make a big logo with that initial but writes the name next to it or under it without that letter. That would make from Mc Donald's to C Donald's making it to stand for something else. So always look at it from new costumers perspective because you might know what it stand for but the new costumers don't.
2. Don't make a painting of it. Don't make the illustration too detailed. Often most designer are great in drawing realistic pictures but logo's should be simple or an abstract shape of something. If you would have to make a logo of the Mona Lisa you would not take the whole picture over in to the last detail. You would take the most known overall shape like the outlines of the body and the noticeable uneven background. And never use clip art or photography as a logo. These may only be use as a advertisement possibility but not as a real logo.
3. Work on your alignment and perspective. A logo should be perfectly aligned unless it is meant to be crooked. People often find if something is not perfect is it bad. So always watch your alignment so it perfect in the middle of that things aimed to the same direction or in the same perspective. Also watch your kerning because not all font or typeface are perfect. They often need a little fix in the kernings. Because some kerning could make the name become 2 seperate words.
4. Stick with the trends. Allot of new designers often don't look at what other companies does and what the trends is at the moment. Most important is to learn what new applications there are to make a logo and what trends there are set by great designers. Just search different logo website to get you inspired and to learn what trends there are. Also think out of the box while designing because the simplest designs often already exist. But also keep in mind to stay close to what the company does and the category of design. You wouldn't make logo for a serious company that fits more for a toy store.
5. Correct programs. Allot of people knows Photoshop but it should not be used for making logo's, because it is not a vector based program. Vectors are line for shapes which can be resized to any extend without loosing any detail. Photoshop is mainly bitmap and also bitmap with coloring and also the effects and filters. When you resize bitmap it would loose details and even become pixelated. To make logo's you really need to use a vector based program. And any effects applied should be resizeable. Illustrator is a great program to make a logo because it uses vectors.
6. Don't use photo's or cliparts. Why not use it while you can acces them. Photo's and clipart are mainly not used because most of them got rights reserved by someone and if you use them you are doing something that is not legal. Also because these are not vector based and looses details when you resize.
For the rest it is up to you how to design the logo. For great websites for inspiration look at the links on the side of this site.
And learn and improve your skills in programs to make logo's. The more you know how to use the program's in different ways the more ways you can make a logo. If you never learned how to make shine or glossy web2.0 logo you could never make one. So learn different skills and practice them.
Design process
1. Brainstorming
2. Moodboard
3. Design
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