Designing a logo

August 30, 2009

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The Hype Lab is working with a client to update their logo and brand.

Being a company that identifies itself with computer technology, forensics and intellectual property laws, this client is looking for a brand that will show both their serious side as well as their cutting-edge work.

Going through a logo design process can be inspiring and frustrating. It is a very organic development, often driven by unleashed imagination that is reigned in by the practicality of what makes a good logo.

As per SmashingMagazine's recent article about logo design, "a good logo is distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic and simple in form and it conveys the owner's intended message... A great logo essentially boils down to two things: great concept and great execution."

So what are the elements of a logo? Men With Pens lists these:

  • Branding
  • Memorability
  • Aesthetically Appealing
  • Usability
  • Timelessness

Take a very famous logo, Pepsi, for instance (above). How many times has their logo changed and yet kept its distinctive look?

The most dramatic change was in 1950 when the logo moved from just using the name Pepsi-Cola with its classic stylized font to a bottle cap showing the red, white and blue swatches that the company had adopted for its packaging during America's war effort. The above image shows that for almost 60 years, Pepsi has remained true to its brand: an American company, utilizing a more youthful image than its competitor Coca-Cola, and stripped down to an easy to recognize image. It is an effective logo, even today:

A strong brand is a strong identity. It states in clear terms what kind of work the company does, it stands out from the rest, and it has personality that draws the client in. When designers work with companies on a brand or logo, it is not so much about marketing -- trying to be appealing to everyone -- as it is about knowing who you as a company are. Once that has been figured out, the next step is brand strategy: determining how you are currently positioned in the market place. What makes you unique, who are your clients, who are the competitors, what are you promising, what is your slogan?

A few sites to check out for logo design and branding:

I also recommend these books:

  • "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al Ries & Laura Ries
  • "Logo Savvy" by Perry Chua & Dann Ilicic
  • "Logo Lounge" by Catharine Fishel & Bill Gardner

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