Creating a company logo is deceptively tricky, and the title of this topic is intended to be ironic. Let us explain why with an analogy. Have you ever tried to come up with a business name? Designing a logo can be similar. Unless you get really lucky, you go through some excruciating process where you discover the perfect words to define your entity, or a witty combination of words, and then find someone parked on every associated domain. You start with a shortlist of smart wordplay and stare down a moment where you realize that somehow you’re business is about to be called Hot Worms. You don’t know how or why, but it’s the only name left on the list and it’s available. Then you Google the phrase, and depending on what this reveals you may be back to the drawing board again (we checked, it’s safe, but HotWorms.com is unfortunately not available). We actually go through this semi-regularly; we help some of our clients find names and domains for their companies and products, and the suggestions get pretty wacky.
Just like you go through a process where eventually you settle on a business name your either like, love or can live with, we employ a number of methods in an iterative process that guides us to the final design. A typical process might run like this:
- We talk with the client about their company, brand, and product.
- We ask a few questions about colours, websites, competitors, likes, and dislikes.
- We provide a selection of suggested images, and seek opinions of which are best, if any.
- We provide a further selection of images, sometimes providing an entirely new selection and sometimes playing around with existing ideas with new colours, arrangements, and words.
- We talk more about the direction being explored. We may suggest mood boards as a good way of refining the vision, rapidly exploring a wide variety of similar and related concepts.
- We provide a further selection of images.
- You pick the one you like, or if not we talk some more and plan a course forward.
Our talented designers have a lot of experience in taking an app or business concept and turning it into a nice little picture. Our process delivers exceptional results, and has only failed one time. That one time, the client ‘hated’ every design we provided and eventually made a design they loved with the help of their 12 year old nephew. We’re not proud of that moment (though props to the savvy 12yo), but we own it. It’s true that you can’t please everyone all the time, but it doesn’t hurt to try. We’re proud of our success and own our failures; we remember the ninety nine clients we helped and the one we couldn’t, and think about what we can do better next time. We’re batting 99 for 100, and ready for the next innings.
Our next topic a company beeds a style (guide) further explores the idea of expressing a brand