Week #12 & 13 – Logos and Visual Identity, Creating a logo design brief.
Type in Logos, Symbols, Icons & Pictograms
What is Visual Identity? Brands and Branding, research, discovery and process.
Assignment #5 – Discussion
Lets design our first Logo!
What is a logo? – Great Definition here – https://logogeek.uk/logo-design/why-logos-matter/
What is branding? – Great Definition here – http://blog.creativelive.com/personal-branding-debbie-millman/
This is a multiple part assignment, please make that each step is followed.
Assignment specifications –
Part 1 – Students will create a fictional company. The company can produce any kind of product or service that you wish. Students will generate a one paragraph written description about the company, its products and services. The company will need a new logo and visual identity created from scratch to help bring its presence to life.
Part 2 – Creating a design brief and doing the research – Now that you have decided on the type of company, its products and services, who is the competition out there that already exists? What do those logos look like and are they effective? Who are your companies customers? What is the age range of your customer? Where will they find your business? Online or offline? Describe why. The more you know about your business, its products and services (and the believe in them) the more you can offer a solution to your client. A logo is usually the first thing that they will see. How will you grab their attention with your companies visual identity?
Part 3 – Sketch and development. Watch Draplin’s video below. He has a great style and technique for the process. Create a series of sketches in pencil. I suggest making small thumbnail sketches as we have discussed in our class.
**We will be using Adobe Illustrator for this project from start to finish.
Below are a series of helpful resources to explore the world of logos, branding and identity. The videos and podcasts below are super helpful and applicable.
Aaron Draplin, the logo Master – Draplin’s official website – http://www.draplin.com/
Some history, the video below has context – >
(This is a great informative Video on Logo Design by definition and application!)
Adobe makes great tutorials – This is a great beginner video using illustrator – https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/logo-design.html
Tutorial to follow along with.
Tutorial to follow along with.
Logo Inspiration Galore, Resources:
https://www.logodesignlove.com/
Great resources from Logo Geek – https://logogeek.uk/logo-design/resources/
Podcasts –
Debbie Millman – Design Matters – https://www.designmattersmedia.com/designmatters
Logo Geek – https://logogeek.uk/ – podcast website – https://logogeek.uk/podcast/
**Student Resources & Examples – What are some of your favorite logos and brand identities? Share a few examples in the comments section below by using a URL.
I enjoyed the videos a lot. I tried to create logos a few times, but I always put to much artistic expression stuff in my logos. The hidden sign in FedEx blow my mind.
Great! yes! Draplin breaks it down so well! There are tons of tutorials out there, so much good stuff! And the Fed Ex logo, yes indeed, the awareness of it blows the minds of all when they first see it! :)))
Some things I found interesting in some of the links shared for this assignment:
Building a logo isn’t as much about creating a beautiful work of art, as it is about making something that’s going to stand out in a sea of businesses and that shapes and colors usually are more impactful to customers than words. It’s got me wanting to get my creative juices flowing!
After reading the Debbie Milllman’s advice on personal branding, I can see just how crucial it is for me to invest time to sitting down and really thinking about my mission statement, the elevator pitch, my overall philosophy. It was inspiring and motivating to read about how having a true focus point/brand can allow me to stand out to the type of clients I might want to work for.
Draplin’s All Base logo example was a great way to really start thinking about how I should approach creating a logo. Many of the things he said reaffirmed Ryan’s suggestions of sketching first, and making tons of variations. He made a great point with the trucking company logo about how a logo needs to be able to be clearly visible and receivable as a small logo just as much as it is larger. It also spoke to me that there should be rational behind why we create a logo in such a way and be able to ultimately deliver 5 or 6 ideas to a client.
I liked the layout of identitydesigned.com. It was easy to quickly scan through logo ideas compared to some of the other sites that required more clicking and searching.
I personally like the rei logo for it’s simplicity and attraction to outdoor enthusiasts.
(http://www.thriftysigns.com/rei-logo-decal-sticker-rei-logo)
I also like the ebay logo, as it uses multiple colors and sizes to build something that is memorable in viewer’s minds.
(http://diylogodesigns.com/blog/ebay-logo/)
This is excellent Jordan! Thank you so much for the thoughtful response and examples!