By - Bill Bates, Art Director - The Sign Studio
Creating a logo can be a pretty daunting task because of how important a logo is. I have helped a lot of people over the years create their logos and they have learned that intimidation ends up being fun. Easy for me to say right? I am a graphic designer and artistic things
come naturally to me right? Not true. Even I get stuck from time to time and sometimes I don’t know how or where to start. There have been plenty of times when I get stuck on an idea or concept and can’t think my way through it. As I am staring down a deadline I have to come up with something and quick.
Unfortunately, I can’t just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike but I’ve come up with a few ways to help design that logo.
Now I realize you are coming to me to design it for you so I don’t need to go into every nitty gritty detail in the design process but here are some tips to help a graphic designer out when designing your logo. I tell people all the time that all I am is the midwife that will help you bring your logo or brand into the world. What you do with it after that is up to you because it is your logo.
So here are a few things that will with the entire process of logo creation.
First of all, don’t hold back. AT ALL . Jot down every idea you have no matter stupid you might think it might be. Take notes, draw them, write about them, sketch them, describe them. Just let everything flow out of your head. Don’t stop and don’t even try to filter seemingly unrelated thoughts or ideas. Most importantly it doesn’t have to be fine art. The graphic designer will be trying to read your mind so even a napkin with scribbles in lips stick would be better than nothing. Start sketching and just get every idea you have on paper.
Think about this… What is the logo’s message? Who is it trying to reach? Does it directly refer to groceries? Does it easily convey fresh food? Then sketch it out very simply thinking about
content. Only worry about content. Keep in mind that a passerby only will look at it for a few seconds so it has to draw their attention. It also has to be quickly recognizable so it can be spotted in a crowd.
So you are opening a grocery market. How on earth do you start? Grocery is where you
start at. What kind of grocery is next. Fresh food you say? Well what represents fresh food to
people. Fruits? Vegetables? Etc etc... Start writing these ideas down, choose the most significant and most relatable and continue tinkering with it. What symbol or symbols would you associate the name to? What will people think of when they hear the company name?
What colors do you associate with grocery? Specifically, “fresh” grocery. Colors, whether you realize it or not evoke emotions when viewing the logo, are crucial. For instance, I myself
would be hard pressed to pay much attention to a “Fresh Market Logo” if it were dark brown or black.
Take the color RED. It is one of the most passionate colors. It can represent action, adventure, fire. Quickly seen and strong.
BLUE stands for security, trust, productivity and calmness of mind. Think of the the insurance company that wants you to feel you are in good hands.
ORANGE is a color that suggests value and for centuries, PURPLE symbolized nobility and wealth. Its attachment to luxury can also be traced back to the fact purple dye was very costly to manufacture back then. It allegedly took over ten thousand mollusks to make one gram.
GREEN represents freshness. Green is also about revitalization, and it wants to be
the place where you can renew yourself. Green is the color of choice for companies associated with health and wellness, and eco-friendly products.
Hmmmm, sounds like green is the way to go.
Take a look around and see what the “other” guys are up to. Look at your competition’s logo and think about other relevant companies logos. You’re not planning to steal their ideas but you get an idea of what they are up to and what works and what doesn’t. Just take a look around. There are great books and sites with all sorts of logos and ideas out there. All of these things go into your sketches.
Now I know what you are thinking… I don’t have the software to properly design the logo. You don’t need to have the knowledge in design programs and software at all. That’s what I’m for. All you need for any design is an idea with a solid foundation. Without it, you’ll run in circles with no clear focus on what you are looking for in a logo.
Do your homework and bring your graphic designer the ingredients for your logo. Leave the cooking to the designer and give them what you have. Let them cook a bit and see what happens. The hardest part is the initial step but once the initial design is done then it is a matter of fine tuning. Add a little salt, add a little pepper but the graphic designer will cook things up for you to your liking.
I always tell people that “If you really want your pizza with pepperoni I will add it for you. All I can do is to warn you that you might get heartburn.” At the end of the day it is your logo, yours to succeed or yours to fail so communication is key. That communication comes from your homework of predevelopment will help your designer to create the logo of your dreams. Good luck!
If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please give us a call at The
Sign Studio (818) 843-9200 or send us an e-mail at info@signstudiola.com. From Concept to Finish The Sign Studio is here for you – On time and on budget!