LOGO AND BRAND DESIGN RESEARCH What is a logo ?A logo is a symbol or other small design adopted by an organization to identify its products, services, uniform, vehicles, and can also be seen on letterheads and business cards.What is a brand ?A brand is a particular identity or image regarded as an asset to its user usually a company, but individuals can choose to create a brand for themselves: You can invent your own career, and be your own brand… Points to bear in mind

Your brand is represented by the intangible elements such as:

1) Your brand could be about words that you want connected with your name. It’s about your promise to the consumer. For example Nike promises and represents athleticism, performance, strength, good health, and fun. What would your brand promise be ?

2) Your brand will promote how you want to be seen, it is about peoples perceptions of you. Consider what are consumers’ perceptions of Lady Gaga? You can bet everything she does is meant to create specific consumer perceptions. Think about how you can create the right perception, to reflect what you want to say.

3) Your brand will create expectations of your work. People come to expect a certain standard of service, which could be about quality, reliability, but also about fashion, and trend, which all depends on what kind of image you are trying to portray.

4) Consider your brand persona. Think of your brand as a person (if you are branding yourself what kind of person are you ?) What can people expect when you interact with them? From appearance to personality and everything in between, your brand persona is one that consumers will evaluate and judge before they do business with you. Think of it in this way. Who would you rather spend time with — Apple or Microsoft ? These two brands have very different brand personas. Your brand should have one, too.

5) Consider the tangible elements of your brand. Such as:

Your logo, symbol or image (which should be easy to recognize). It must not be more than three colours, (though it must work well in black and white) and should also work well at any scale, from the size of finger-print (or smaller), to the back of a bus. Also consider that your logo may appear on a range of different media. E.g. Newspaper ‘Newsprint’, Glossy paper, Plastic, Metal, Wood, Glass, Fabric.

Other important tangible elementsa) The fonts and letterforms you use. b) The colours that you use in your layouts (reflect on your logo colours)

1

c) The shapes you use in your publicity folded paper (or product/packaging shape)

d) The general layout of your publicity or your digital portfolio is part of your brand identity.

LOGO DESIGN

Customised typography, selective colour and shape are all features of logo/symbol design.Logos express, a company personality with very distinctive designs.

Logo creation is a very serious business. When Paul Rand created a poster for a company event. It was temporarily banned at IBM for fear employees would take liberties with logo. The IBM logo is based on the City Medium font: horizontal lines were added to unify the letters and evoke a computer screen. The poster is a rebus of the logo, where two letters are replaced with pictures for their sounds. This is typical of Paul Rand’s sense of humour and conceptual work.

2

Logos identify products or organisations, conveying quality, style and value.When you see a BMW logo, you immediately have expectations of the product, such as its’ approximate cost and reliability. Consider how you feel about the VW logo, how does your opinion differ, and why do you think this is ? Logos act as an endorsement of excellence, they can literally add value to a product. Now think about how important brands are to you… do you prefer to buy branded items ? If so why is this ?

Are you prepared to pay more for branded jeans such as Levi’s ? Why ?

A successful logo must:Be visually uncomplicatedEasily recognizedBe easy to rememberBe easy to reproduce and work well at any scale

Usually the number of colours in a logo are limited, to one or two (no more than three) additional colour costs more. Your logo should work well in black or white first.

When designing a logo keep in mind how other similar companies present themselves. How are you going to make your logo different ? What are your unique selling features ?

3

Kodak changed its image from the square logo, which represented traditional old film technology, to an up-to-date typographic design, which more easily presents advances in technology, and a greater range of products and services.

LOOKING AT DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOGO

Logotypes: There are several styles of logo. The classic is the logotype. This is defined as the name of the organization presented with unique typography. The logo can depict the entire name or be represented by an abbreviation, or just initials.

Coca-Cola is the most recognised logotype in the world. The design is still easily identified when placed in Arabic and Chinese formats.

4

Rippleffect Sound Design typography depicts a gentle wave in the letter ‘e.’ In animations a ripple starts at the centre, and undulates through the name.

DIG wanted a logo that would reflect the innovative way they do business. The serifs on the ‘G’ make this logo most distinctive.

Initials: Logotypes sometimes feature the initials of the company, which can make them more easily recognised. When McDonalds first opened in the 1950’s, two large golden arches bordered the original drive-thru. It just so happened that when the arches were viewed from the road they took on the appearance of a giant ‘M’, which has become a most iconic logo.

See http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/McDonald's

‘Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders’, takes up a lot of room, but has been conveniently reduced to three letters. MAP is more easily recognized and remembered, and can be stacked in a square that is similar to the Chinese stamp approach.

5

Abstract Symbols can be combined with typography. However when a company logo becomes really well known they may no longer always need the type to explain who it is. Consider the famous Nike swoosh. Which sums up the company, and various products by being dynamic, showing movement which fits in well with the theme of sport and athletic items.

Simple geometric shapes can be most effective, and depict a wide range of companies and products. This logo was created for a printing company. It represents rolls of paper going through the printing press.

Modified squares can be used to create logo: Here Mogo uses interlocking squares to depict hand sewn, textile products. The angle of the shapes mean that we can see an almost three dimensional image. Rounded corners can be applied to make a logo, look trendy. Though sometimes these logos will become out of date quickly.

6

Payton is a construction company. A limited under of colours can work very effectively. I feel the angle might grab attention, but could take up too much space. Note darker colours show a serious more adult, safety approach. Bright light colours are seen as more playful and childlike.

Pictorial SymbolsPictorial symbols are representational. They look like the product or have an obvious association with the company’s business. The WWF panda, represents the World Wildlife Foundation. The image is based on Chi Chi the giant panda from London Zoo. This image stands for endangered species. Note the simplicity of the shapes, and use of negative space that defines the body. Using only black ink and white paper this is a cheap but effective logo to produce.

7

Some illustrators may prefer their logo/image to depict a more hand drawn approach. Here casually drawn swirls give the special occasion cakes an elegant appeal.

This Flame logo integrates the symbol into the name.

Associative symbols depict images that are not the product or the service itself. However they can still have a strong association with the organization. A good example of this, is seen in the Shell Oil, yellow seashell. Shell does not sell seashells, but the name is linked to fossil fuels.

Another pictorial icon, Gary Tardiff is a professional food photographer. The cutlery illustration is neutral not favouring roasts over desserts.

8

DESIGN YOUR OWN LOGO

LOGO TYPE AND LETTERFORM

In this logo we can see that all the letterforms are the same height, and they are all capitals except the lowercase ‘e’. Think about how you might try this, also consider putting your letterforms inside or over the top of a shape.

When creating your own logo, you need to think about what style of font you want to use. Experiment with it in black and white ideas first. Then start to think about how your logo would work in colour. What would your colour scheme be ? Remember dark colours may be perceived as serious, adult, and stable. Whilst light colours tend to be associated with playfulness, they are seen as being fun and childlike. But how do you see yourself ? and how do you want other people to see you ?

You need to choose a font that has the right personality for what you are trying to convey. You can customize the letterforms, and choose colours that are appropriate to the message you are trying to convey.

When designing a logo for yourself, start by putting down a few ideas on paper. Then type your name in a selection of different fonts: Serif, and Sans-serif. (Serif refers to the pointed bits on the ends of letterforms. Whilst Sans-serif, means no serif). Also consider some novelty fonts.

Test out the logo typed all in capital letter, then try all lowercase, finally show both.

Study the letterforms you have made, (label them with their names) and make notes about what you see. Point out how letterforms vary between different fonts, note some are bold, or plain looking, some are pointed, others are curved. Consider which will work best for you. Also test out working with different letterforms, at a

9

variety of different point size (scale). This is important because some fonts only work well at a large scale, which may not be what you want for your logo.

Look at how letterforms work together. Consider the space around letterforms, as well as the letterforms themselves. Think about testing out a shade or a tint of colour.

By blocking in letterforms, you can arrive at some unusual effects. Consider if they are still easy to read, and if that is important or not.

SYMBOL DESIGN

Consider developing your logotype design, by creating a symbol to go with it.Remember the symbol ideally needs to be simple and work well, in a variety of different scales.

If you want a more photographic image or a more detailed illustration, you need to consider it still may need to be streamlined, to be easily recognized. You will have to way up the situation, and come to a compromise. Which elements of the image/drawing simply must be kept ?

10

Consider how an animal identity might work for you ? A ram might suggest someone who is tough and ready for a fight… ideal for a sports team.

BlackCoffee created this brand, for a brewers of handcrafted beer. Here the symbol, typeface, and colour all work together to capture an old English heraldic approach. This helps to convey an impression of reliability and also a traditional product. Think about organizations that utilize shields in their identity.

Ask yourself is this fit for purpose ?Continue to experiment with a range of ideas. Don’t just chose the font you like the best, or your most favourite colour. Ask yourself is this fit for purpose ? Yellow logos can be problematic as under some light conditions they can disappear. Whatever decisions you make, be certain why you have made them. As a graphic designer you will need to be able to explain your decisions to a client, who will only pay up if they are happy with the work. If you plan to go to university remember they will ask you how you arrived at your final solutions, and why you arrived at them. You may need to survey other peoples opinion to get feedback on your idea.

The process for logo design:

a) Understand and ascertain what the brief requiresb) Carry out thorough researchc) Mind–map ideas

11

d) Develop and test out idease) Create final solutionf) Revise final solution if necessary.

The Ten Commandments of Logo Design

1. A logo must be simple, easy to recognize and remember.2. Always make a black and white version of your logo.3. Do not use more than three colours in your logo. (Two or one is ideal).4. Always check to see that your logo works in a variety of sizes.5. Always read the brief carefully and make notes on what is important.6. When developing your logo test out a variety of different fonts and letterforms.7. Always remember a pictorial imagery may need to be simplified more.8. Use an abstract approach if you don’t want to emphasize one area of an organization

over another. 9. Always ask yourself is this logo fit for purpose, does it do what it should ?10. Be ready to present your logo, back-up your thoughts and explain why you made the

decisions you made.

12