Good article on logo design

Megan's picture

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http://www.code-interactive.com/thinker/a112.html

I know a lot of us web designers get into doing logos without the proper expertise Smiling Hopfully this article will help! I like the thumbs up/thumbs down examples too.

ETA: Great example of a good marketing article too!

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That was a really helpful article. It made me want to redesign mine because of the shadows. I didn't even think about how my logo would look if printed!

~Firegirl~

teammatt3's picture

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I read that article a while ago. It was on the homepage of Digg. It has a lot of good advice. But I disagree on some of the logos they consider thumbs down. I don't think that tech consulting logo is all that bad. Just because it has a little depth and gradients - that makes it bad? What if they don't do printing on tees or stuff like that. I think now, logos can be that detailed because all the advances in printing, it's not a big deal anymore. Same with that CTM logo.

Megan's picture

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Hmmm... just because you don't do printing tees now doesn't mean you won't sometime in the future. Logos need to last indefinitely - best to design them for that in the first place. Although what you'd probably do there is just have a version without the gradients.

I think the main problem with that CTM one is that the tagline text isn't readable at a small size. I didn't think the tech consulting one was that bad either - a little beginnerish with the obvious font and planet motif but what-ever Smiling

Abhishek Reddy's picture

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I'm glad they've criticised Sun's logo. At last. I recall reading a couple of logo design articles years ago that endorsed it because of its simplicity and colours. Shocked

Great link. Smiling

DaveyBoy's picture

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7eleven's logo is ace

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Thanks for the good info - however, in the end, appreciation of a logo is still somewhat
subjective. I have seen logos that meet the basic criteria pointed out in this article, and
still be unattractive.

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demonhale's picture

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havent read it yet, but in my opinion at least you try to make the logo transferrable to all media... be on screen paper, wood brass plating, metal plating, etc... effects can be added as required... but the basic look of a logo should be identiafiable in whatever media.

I have a question I hope ya'll dont mind.

Do you have a repository of non-intricately designed logos for sale at a lower price but have a deeper repository of higher-priced one which are fairly well-designed. I mean do you adjust what you can do with a logo depending on the price? or you always design to the max in whatever price?

Megan's picture

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demonhale wrote: Do you have a repository of non-intricately designed logos for sale at a lower price but have a deeper repository of higher-priced one which are fairly well-designed. I mean do you adjust what you can do with a logo depending on the price? or you always design to the max in whatever price?

Well, I don't have the skills to do logo design (well, barely ...) so I can't talk directly to that, but I'd say that charging for the amount of work you put into something is reasonable. Or, alternately, catering the amount of work you do based on what the client is willing to pay.

However, I think that the idea of pre-designed logos is sort of counter to the point of having a logo (not sure if that's what you meant by "repository"). The key function is to represent a specific organization with certain specific qualities. Logos should always be custom designed (and preferably by someone who knows what they're doing).

Here's a good site for logo inspiration: http://logopond.com/

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Megan wrote: Well, I don't have the skills to do logo design (well, barely ...) so I can't talk directly to that, but I'd say that charging for the amount of work you put into something is reasonable. Or, alternately, catering the amount of work you do based on what the client is willing to pay.

However, I think that the idea of pre-designed logos is sort of counter to the point of having a logo (not sure if that's what you meant by "repository"). The key function is to represent a specific organization with certain specific qualities. Logos should always be custom designed (and preferably by someone who knows what they're doing).

Here's a good site for logo inspiration: http://logopond.com/

Now that statement seems a bit hypocritical to me. First you say that all logos should be custom-made and they should "represent a specific organization with certain specific qualities", and then you give us a link for "logo inspiration". I don't want this statement to sound mean, but that doesn't jive. Shouldn't the inspiration come from the company that the logo is being made for. You shouldn't need to look at other logos for inspiration.

Maybe I'm just misreading the statement...Smiling

Kurtis

Megan's picture

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mscreashuns wrote: Now that statement seems a bit hypocritical to me. First you say that all logos should be custom-made and they should "represent a specific organization with certain specific qualities", and then you give us a link for "logo inspiration". I don't want this statement to sound mean, but that doesn't jive. Shouldn't the inspiration come from the company that the logo is being made for. You shouldn't need to look at other logos for inspiration.

Maybe I'm just misreading the statement...Smiling

Yeah, I guess it did sound that way LOL. I think that design isn't about being totally creative. YOu have to do something that works for the organization your designing for, but that doesn't mean you have to operate in a vacuum. I think that design is really pulling together bits and pieces from other designs (whether they be man made or natural) and making something that works for your situation.

So you could go to a gallery like that and find designs that are similar to what you want to do. Or you could think about those examples and how they work to represent the organization. You could have some ideas about what you want your logo to communicate, then look for logos that have the same feel. How did they go about creating that feel? What shapes and colours did they use etc.?

One thing that's fun to do with that is to try to guess what the company does. I think that really separates a good logo from something that just looks good.

timjpriebe's picture

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As with website designs, I have a library of unused logo designs. However, they're there more as a starting place for any clients for whom they would be a good fit. Same price all around.

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demonhale said: "I mean do you adjust what you can do with a logo depending on the price?"

Yes, I have offered "basics logos" (essentially an illustration and lettering) to online clients with a limited budget, who use them for their websites.

timjpriebe's picture

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I should add that I also have website-only logos, but that's more of a cost difference based on what they use it on, not the work involved.

demonhale's picture

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Thanks for all the insights guys/gals...

Hope its ok, this is to reinforce my previous statement, in my site I sell logos that are quite ready to use but can be slightly modified in the range of 15-30usd for example incase you need a quick logo, so if you bought it and only the name is changed, the rights to that exact design is transferred to you. But if you want it modified that would add to the initial cost, and if you want a custom job that should be more right? Thats what ime getting from your insights.

Now if its a custom job, it requires some deep-analysis as to portray the business thats trying to employ my service. Which what some of you shedded light into.

THanks Again,

in comparison you can see on my site, there are ready made logos/characters/banners for sale, but the actual sold one which is on the recent list on the right column, is differently designed than those on the ready made list.

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I gotcha now. I was just a bit confused about what you were trying to say. Sticking out tongue

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