What is the Logo Design Process?

When going down the path of creating a logo and branding, we have a process that makes sure that the needs of the client are heard and incorporated into the final process:

• Design Brief: Conduct a questionnaire or interview with the client to understand what they’re looking for
• Research: Conduct research focused on the industry itself, its history, and its competitors.
• Reference: Conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that may be related to the design brief.
• Sketching & Development: Develop the logo design concept(s) around the brief and research.
• Presentation: Choose which sketches to share with the client and then what guided us in that direction.
• Iteration and Continued Design: From the presentation, we’re bound to have feedback to incorporate. This phase is also where experiments and fine-tuning come into play to get us ready to present the final concept.
• Approval: After approval is when all the final files and versions of the logo, documentations, and all the deliverables are finalized for delivery.

How about an example? Here’s a look at the process in action:

Getting The Job
Let’s say the client contacted i3 Media Solutions earlier this year and she wanted to rebrand and makeover their old business identity, starting with their logo.
After a few initial emails clarifying her needs, she signed our contract, and once the downpayment was complete, we sat down with her to work through the design brief.

The Design Brief
The design brief provided most of the information that I needed to start on the logo design. There were a few other emails clarifying things, but basically, all the information was there.
We found that she wanted a logo that portrayed her whole business model and she needed it be: “strong, bold & luxurious.” She also requested to have it be black or gold, however, she was open to other color choices.

Research & Reference
We then started researching as needed for the project. This included looking up competitors (that she provided & from our findings), researching the industry, and reviewing other logos in the industry, among other things.

Research is a critical stage in the logo design process as this ensures that your logo will differ from – and stand up to– your competitors.

Sketching & Development
The next stage of the project was developing the logo. Developing the logo design concept is where creativity comes into play. Based on the design brief and research conducted, this is where we let our ideas run wild. We brainstorm and sketch as many ideas as we can, then experiment with them on the computer. We also have breaks between these sessions to reflect on the designs and find a fresh perspective on the job at hand, which is a crucial part of the process when designing a logo. Remember that there is no such thing as a bad idea, just bad design decisions.

Computer Generation
We do our sketching on the computer, but we don’t always have all the lines and shapes perfectly done in this sketching stage. You will see that some circles or other shapes will be imperfect. Without having to worry about making everything perfect, we can do a large volume of sketches in a short amount of time to present the biggest variety of choices to choose from.

Typeface
When experimenting with the logo design, we try to find the best typeface for the logo. We want to make sure it is legible and lends itself to reproduction on a variety of materials and in a variety of sizes.

Concept Development
After we had found the right typeface (though it is never set in stone), we then experiment with different concepts and layouts which you can choose from.
Please take note that no color has been added to any of the designs. This is to ensure the design works in one color. One should also remember that simplicity in logo design is the key. The simpler a logo is, the more memorable and adaptable it is.

Color
Color comes after the first review. While we may have some color incorporated into the first review, we often experiment with color.

Presentation & Approval
Don’t you love it when the client loves the design the first time around? No revisions! How about that? We know that the true next phase is iteration and continued design, which is full of experiments and fine-tuning. This step will include any adjustments requested by the client, as well as further designs to choose from. This brings us to delivery.

The Logo In Use
When the logo goes into use, we also have a period of continued support and iteration in which we are available to lend design advice as needed, since our goal is that the new logo and styles work in all the locations needed.