GENERAL THOUGHTS
A good logo must do the following things: 1) serve as a recognizable symbol for a service, company, organization or product; 2) convey that entitys image, message or process in less than a second; 3) it must be instantly recognizable; 4) it must be memorable; 5) it has to be versatile and 6) it must look as if youve seen the logo a thousand times, even if its the first time youve actually looked at the logo.

Its very easy to create a bad logo. Just look around, bad logo design is everywhere. Its on the sides of plumbing trucks; on billboards; on bus benches; on crappy Chinese takeout menus; in print ads; on TV commercials Theyre everywhere. And even though theyre all around you, how many do you really remember? Did they make you stand up and notice? If you saw them again, would you really remember the logo? Would you associate it with a quality service? Would it make you want to call upon that company or organization?

A logo is an organizations public identity. It does so much more than just serve as an image that states a companys name. If a logo looks cheap or ill conceived, I guarantee you that it will reflect poorly on that companys public image. It doesnt really matter how good the product is or how well a service is performed, if a companys primary means of branding and corporate identity looks like an afterthought, the company itself WILL BE tainted in the public eye.

Think of the good logos youve seen. You think of things like the Nike Swoosh, the Golden Arches of McDonalds and the prestigious Mercedes emblem. Three different logos picked at random, yet instantly identifiable in your mind. The logo just pops into your minds eye when I mention Apple, Coca-Cola, Starter. You look at these logos and you think of quality, you think of reputation, you think: How would I look wearing that?

Sure theres a lot of marketing money behind those logos. Theres a lot of history and tradition that accompanies those corporate symbols. But you also need to remember that these logos once started out with no huge amounts of financial backing or tradition to help serve the identity. At one point they were new designs fresh off of some artist or designers drafting table or sketchpad. And though the years have passed, these logos have remained virtually unchanged and true to their original form. Why do you think that is?

There could be many reasons, not all of which are related to good logo design and theory. There have been many good logos designed throughout the years that have symbolized really crappy companies (think about the dot.com boom and subsequent bust). Its true that a good logo wont single handedly make a company successful. It also wont be the reason for an organizations downfall. But a good logo is important to a companys public face, and in a world where perception is often more powerful than fact, its important to make sure that your outward appearance is as effective as it can possibly be.

PROGRAMS
The program one chooses when building a logo is actually far more important that many people realize; even seasoned professionals. In order to achieve maximum versatility (in terms of size, ease of editing, and format conversion) its very important to design using a vector-based illustration program. The three biggest vector illustration programs are Adobe Illustrator (the most widely used), Corel Draw (my personal favorite), and Macromedia Freehand. One can expect to pay between $500-$700 for each program, individually. Some are available as part of larger software collections and can be found bundled with other programs for around $1000 (Adobes Design Collection being a notable example; get Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat), or as competitive upgrades (if you already own a qualifying product) for as little as $150.

Choosing the right program is of paramount importance when beginning any project. A vector program when doing logo design is akin to using an image editor to touch up a photo, or a layout program to design an ad. Sure, one can use an image editing program like Photoshop to design a logo or create an ad layout, but it really isnt what the software is designed to do, and as a result, you will encounter limitations of some varying degrees.

So why would one use a vector illustration program instead of an image editor or layout program when designing a logo? One word: versatility.

An illustration program uses a series of mathematical points and lines to create images. This gives the logo the ability to be scaled to any size without any loss of image quality. Additionally, an Illustration program offers the ease of simplicity when converting to any other graphics file format. For example, a native Illustrator file can be exported/saved to TIFF, JPEG, PSD, EPS, GIF, SVG, BMP or PDF file formats. Its easy to go from vector to raster, but in many cases its nearly impossible to go from raster to vector. There are some programs like Adobe Streamline or Corel Trace that do a decent job in converting simple raster images to vector file, but struggle in maintaining realism with more photorealistic images. Vector files usually also result in smaller file sizes when compared to their raster counterparts, which serves as an added benefit when storing or emailing files. Since vector images also use mathematical points do define the image, output to printing devices will yield sharper images at all sizes than identical raster images.

An image editor uses pixels to define an image. The plus side to this is that a greater range of photorealism is achievable and a variety of specialty effects can be applied. The problem is three-fold. The first problem is that photorealism and special effects actually work against good logo design (as will be discussed a little later). Secondly, since an image-editing program does depend on pixels, not mathematical points, it cannot be scaled without loss of quality. One can shrink the logo to a fair degree and still maintain image quality, but the logo cannot be scaled upwards without losing integrity. Doing so can result in image blurriness or pixilation (both of which are not desirable). Since one would need to create a logo that would be the most versatile, that logo would need to be initially created with such size and resolution that the mere file size would likely prohibit effective utilization on most computers and applications. Lastly, raster images arent easily converted to vector-based formats. This limits the logo to formats like TIFF, JPEG, PSD, BMP, GIF and PDF formats. These formats will work for most print applications (newspapers, magazines, posters, etc), but not so well for things like vinyl signs, embossing/engraving or promotional products, where the vendors work almost exclusively with vector images.

Though it doesnt happen as much, some choose to use a layout program as the primary means of logo creation. This just adds difficulty to an already challenging undertaking. Where TIFF, EPS, PDF, JPEG and BMP files will pretty much work in any layout application, files designed in Quark, PageMaker, InDesign or (gasp) any of the Microsoft products (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher) are pretty much only good in the program that created it and not generally as versatile. One has to jump though hoops in order to get a layout program-based logo into formats that can be utilized by other programs. Of all the layout programs, InDesign is probably the layout program best suited toward logo creation because it has some of the basic illustration tools available in Illustrator and has the most file format export options; it can also read native Quark and PageMaker files. Quark and PageMaker do offer an export to EPS option, but experience has shown me that to be a somewhat unpredictable experience. One really has to know a great deal about all the individual program capabilities in order to get a layout program to export its creation to a format that can be utilized by other programs. Sometimes the only way is via a screen capture, scanning a printout or printing to a PDF file, which adds just another unnecessary step to an already time consuming process.

The bottom line is that for any project, one should choose the right tool for the right job. For logo design, that tool is a vector illustration program.

LOGO DESIGN SPECIFICS: COLOR
One of the biggest mistakes designers make when creating a logo is through the use/choice of color. It is very important that when designing a logo that the first version be a lineart version. This means black ink on white paper. No halftones, no drop shadows, beveling, embossing or tints of color; just solid black on white paper. I dont care if it looks cool with the effects or different color. The ultimate point is that if a logo works in its basic, most pure form, itll work anywhere.

The primary reasoning goes back to what I wrote about using a vector illustration program. Its about versatility. Engravers, coffee mug printers and sign makers need to work with solid images. Their craft just wont allow for the use of halftones, so if youve spent hours creating a really pimped out logo with bevels and drop shadows you might find yourself frantically trying to reproduce the logo in a lineart version when the client asks that the logo be engraved on a crystal trophy, bronze plaque or applied to a coffee mug. So its best to design a logo from the ground up. Think of the lineart logo as your foundation. Once you have that, you can build anything you want upon it and be confident that no matter what comes ahead, that youll be able sleep easy knowing that your whole company image is built upon a solid foundation.

Once you have your solid lineart version of the logo, you can then build upon it by adding in color. Keep in mind that a logo should have one or maybe two spot colors to it. Theres no print limitation that says you cant do more. What you will find is a financial limitation. The more colors you add, the more that logo is going to cost you to reproduce. For example, I had a client that insisted that we put twelve different spot colors into his logo. He pulled out a Pantone book and marked all the colors that he said HAD to be in his logo. I tried to warn him about the cost. He wouldnt listen. He wanted a good, consistent image and he wanted all the colors. I pointed out that we could process out the colors and save money, but that he could experience color shifts. He wanted to make sure that all the colors were identical across all media. So we printed his business cards, just 500 of them. He paid $2,000. Thats $4 per card. Hardly cost effective. Still, he liked his cards and the price didnt seem to matter. Okay, no big deal for me. I hade a happy client and received a greater profit from the markup. His true awakening came when he wanted to get his logo embroidered on some golf shirts to shell out in his company store. Each time he embroidered logo on a shirt it cost him $35. The shirts themselves cost $40 each before the embroidery. So just to break even, he would have to charge $75 for each shirt. Who here would pay that much for a t-shirt?

Since a logo is part of a good consistent corporate image, you want to make sure that it always reproduces the same way. The use of spot color is a great way to ensure that. Process color only invites press, registration and color issues as each vendor may lay the ink down differently. Your logo may come out too light, too dark, be muddy or, as mentioned earlier, not have color that is true to your original design. It also has to be cost effective to reproduce. So if you want to add color, do it. But make sure that you do it responsible and keep the number of colors in check.

LOGO DESIGN SPECIFICS: ELEMENTS
When you create a logo, you have an almost limitless array of options available. The important thing to keep in mind is that a logo is a unique symbol of a company, and as such it must look unique. Dont fall prey to the pitfalls of repetitive elements.

Repetitive elements are images like swooshes, stars and digital fades. It seems that when anybody wants to make something look exciting, futuristic or technical they add one of these three elements. Be original people. Really dig deep and stretch the limits of your imagination. A logo doesnt necessarily have to be a logical or literal interpretation of what a company does, produces or promotes. This all goes back to doing your research and letting your newfound knowledge of the company fuel your creative juices.

Another thing to consider is using a repetitive regional element. For example, I live in Colorado and we have a mountain called Pikes Peak. Many companies and individuals want to tie the mountains into their logo. A good 80% of the local logos you see along the Front Range have a mountain of some sort intertwined within the image. Do you know how many ways there are to do mountains in a logo? Three. You have the traditional snow capped triangle(s), the realistic detailed renditions (which never reproduce well at smaller sizes) and you have the stylized outline (which resembles a caterpillar with a calcium deficiency). This particular element is so overused and so prevalent in local logo design that any logo that uses a mountain ends up looking like a hundred or thousand other logos. I sure people in other parts of the world will easily identify with what Im saying. People in New York are probably sick of seeing logos with the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge or Empire State Building in them. People in Paris probably see their share of logos with the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph. People in San Francisco have probably had their fill of logos with the Golden Gate Bridge or Judy Garland (sorry all, a cheap joke). A companys location is not nearly as significant as the service it performs. Keep your focus on what matters, not what looks pretty, because I can guarantee that a hundred, less talented, less inspiring designers have probably already thought of and used the same thing long before you.

A few corrections... since I know a few people in the forums like to nit pick things to death, I'd like to offer up the following two corrections in the hopes of stemming the tides of public ridicule:<br /><br />1) The last line in <B>Logo Design Specifics: Color</B>, the word "responsible" should be "responsibly."<br /><br />2) On line 8 in <B>Zen</B>, the word "stature" should be "statue."<br /><br />I apologize for any confusion these two errors may have caused. <i>Mea culpa, mea culpa</i>. <g>

Jay,

I knew I'd forget something. When you're right, you're right. The ability to B.S. your way through a logo presentation when confronted with a "why-did-you-design-it-like-this" question from the client is very important. Ideally, of course, you'd would WANT to have a reason for why certain things are designed a certain way, but sometimes it those "pull-it-out-of-your-butt" last minute rationalizations that sell the client.

luk a,

I've already had a couple people ask me for a PDF. If you'd send me an email, I'll reply with the PDF file attached.

Dirck,

Please don't take any offense. I do not mean to slight your experience, talents or skills... I do my best to respect all creative minds and talent, no matter how they came to achieve their success--until, of course, they prove themselves inadequate. In the time I have been here, I have seen nothing from you to suggest that you are anything but an extremely knowledgeable and capable talent.

All I really mean by my "rule" is that there are guidelines and "do's and don'ts" involved with good, competent design layouts. Some people (as you well pointed out) do have the natural gift. Some learn from trial and error. Some learn from formal education. Some don't learn at all.

My point is that however you come across your knowledge of graphic design, you invariably find out through experience, tutorials, colleagues and classes that there are things you do and do not do with a layout. THEN, once you know that and choose to break on of those guidelines, at least you know how and why you're doing it and that you are doing it for a specific purpose.

--

BTW, I'm not pulling down $13M/year, far (way far... too far) from it. Donations anyone? Help a poor, starving creative director out? Anyone? Anyone at all?