In the marketing world, a lot of attention is paid to the concept of “image”. This holds true for an individual product or service and on a corporate level as well.Researchers know that perception can be vastly different from reality. When faced with this difficult task of communicating to clients and customers exactly what benefits they’ll derive from using their company vs. the competition, one way is through their logo. Often called “corporate identity”, part of a logo’s impact comes from repetition…seeing a familiar symbol on a continual basis. Every company, branded product or service needs a logo design for this vital purpose.

After being involved in the logo development process for well over 30 years, I feel that they don’t have to be difficult or painstaking. But, sometimes people go out of their way to make them so. Believe me, I’ve had my share of nightmare scenarios. Take the case of a bank vault company that had not a clue of what it wanted. This resulted in a literal wall full of designs involving every designer in the agency with round after round of ideas being rejected and criticized, even after continual dialogue and discussion. Or a builder/developer who after seeing numerous concepts called late one night to say he wanted his logo to look like the “Lexus” symbol. Or the mortgage company that went to an internet factory like “Logos ‘R Us” and after considerable frustration and teeth gnashing asked us to create their logo. Other logo creations have gone extremely smooth with a normal development process.  Suffice to say, it is a co-operative effort,  a veritable “meeting of the minds” between client and designer.

A well-designed logo is memorable, legible and recognizable. It reduces and enlarges with ease and can adapt to everything from a small ad/e-mail to a gigantic billboard or display. Because logos are everywhere, it is essential for a logo to have meaning and integrity. In the mind of the consumer, it must convey such important perceptions as: value, leadership, and innovation. To build such an image, the graphic designer must use all the tools at their disposal including fonts, color, placement, size, pictures and design motifs. Skilled designers know that some logos require a sense of movement, some need the strength of bold lettering and others need soft pastels and lines that are more rhythmic and flowing as opposed to having sharp angles.

I think the most fascinating thing about many of the most popular, albeit memorable, logos is that they don’t rely on any basic elements to achieve their goals. For example, McDonalds iconic golden arches, Apple’s hip apple graphic, Coke’s unmistakable typeface, Goggle’s fun look and appeal, and IBM’s strong, bold corporate image. And, while there’s no etched-in-granite approach, you’ll have to think out what you want your logo to convey in very specific terms.

One thing that is very helpful is to describe the goals you’re shooting for in a logo design. What kinds of feelings should it evoke—strength, warmth, performance? Sometimes this is a nebulous exercise.  Nonetheless, giving the designer some path of guidance and setting goals in words does help set a focus before the initial process begins. By all means, if you’ve seen a logo you particularly like, furnish that information. Not for exact duplication purposes, but to establish a style or concept that appeals to you and is relevant to your product or service.

Logos often times can fall in categories including, but not limited to:

Image– which are comprised of non-textual elements

Text—which is a wordmark with stylized typeface only, think Microsoft

Image with Text—probably the most common design incorporating both

text and graphic depiction, think Wachovia

Logo with Slogan—custom design with a slogan or tagline incorporated,

think Allstate with “You’re in good hands”

Here’s a basic questionnaire, which may serve as a great starting point:

Must Haves—specific color/color scheme; particular typeface, i.e. serif or san serif, graphic(s), slogan or tagline incorporated, etc.

Style— descriptions may range from cutting edge/ modern, old fashioned (traditional)/retro, fun, warm and fuzzy, cartooned, corporate/professional,

Etc.

Examples—what turns you on or off about other logos you’ve encountered

What the logo process typically entails:

Preliminary Designs/Initial Drafts—after completing the questionnaire and discussing a semblance of direction, initial concepts are submitted for review and critique. Logos are almost always desktop published in a program such as Adobe Illustrator which offers flexibility in type treatments and artwork. Proofs are sent via a PDF file to be opened and viewed in Acrobat

Revising/Modifying—sometimes elements of one logo are blended with another or new concepts are introduced if the preliminary ideas are deemed to be totally off base

Finalizing—once the logo design has been chosen, it will be delivered in the desired formats such as:

EPS or TiFF– for ads, printing, etc.

Web—GIF or JPEG

Screen (other than the web, like for presentation—GIF, JPEG, PICT, PNG, Bitmap

Knowing the difference between a print and web logo:

Print logos (often called “Vector” art) are a much higher resolution to be saved in standard print file formats. By creating in this format, logos stay sharp and clean

even when substantially enlarged

Web logos require a much smaller resolution since they’re only displayed on screen and can be sent directly through e-mail and available for immediate download. Bear in mind that since these logos have a small file size, they are not meant for printing, as the quality will be blurred, rough looking and jagged when reproduced on paper

What will a logo cost?

Interesting question. Answer could be how high is up. The competition is fierce and varied. Armed with a computer and some software, honestly anyone can create a logo. Depends on your level of acceptance and tolerance– from my sister Sally used to draw cartoons in camp to my friend’s niece is taking an art course in high school. Plus, there are literally thousands of logo designers with pricing that will vary wildly.  The advent of the internet has brought domestic as well as oversees practitioners who will create a logo for a song, maybe $100 or even less. Typically, these companies/individuals have a cache of logos in their arsenal which they can send almost at will. You may very well be buying off the shelf, from designs rejected by others. I can’t dispute that some of the work is quite good. Obviously, this has brought down logo costs. But I don’t feel that $500-$1000 is unreasonable for a distinctive logo by an experienced, accessible, perhaps local graphic designer or ad agency. Certainly, it is a matter of choice and budget/ finances.

Bottom line. Logos require utmost knowledge and understanding coupled with patience and flexibility as a straight line to success. What’s you logo logic?