LOGOS
Picture your favorite T-shirt, the tattoo you got in high school, your fresh haircut, and the big green bowl you bought on eBay. These visual expressions help shape your identitythe way you present yourself and how others perceive you. Now, imagine taking these elements and distilling them into a single graphic representation that expresses your most distinctive characteristics. This distinctive mark would be your logo. You might put it on a business card, on labels for a product or CD, or on a T-shirt for your band, club, team or business.
Process A logo is a graphic representation that identifies a company, product, or brand. Sometimes referred to as an emblem or mark, a logo can be typographic, pictorial or abstract. Logo design can be divided into three distinct steps:
1. Research and Ideation Analyze and define what you are trying to represent. Think, write, and sketch. Develop a list of attributes and characteristics that best represent your goals. Every thought and idea is relevant in this stage of the process.
2. Design Development Turn your ideas into form. Think of ways to visually represent the most important attributes using colors, symbols, and icons. Explore various fonts, and look for geometric and formal relationships using typography and individual letterforms.
3. Final Execution Distill your ideas and forms into one clear concept. This is the stage for final revisions and reworking. Apply the final touches, and prepare your logo for the public eye.
Logotypes Most logos include typography. The font chosen to represent your company, product, or organization plays a large part in determining the meaning and impact of your logo. Many successful logos are simply typographic representations. This solution is known as the logotype, and it can stand alone or work together with icons or symbols.
Icons and Symbols An icon is an image that represents something based on resemblance, such as a graphic illustration of a man, woman, or dog. A symbol, on the other hand, represents by association, but not necessarily by resemblance. A symbol can depict an idea that is abstract or has no physical form. The standard symbols for recycling and biohazard are both abstract.
Logo Standards Think about how your logo will be used and create simple logo standards to avoid potential problems as your logo goes public. How many colors should be used for the primary logo? Does the logo work well in one-color? Can it be knocked out of a dark background? Is the logo legible at small sizes? Designers create logo standards in order to provide clean art and simple guidelines for outside vendors such as printers and sign makers.
