logo development: a 3-part series
Friday, April 2, 2010
part 1: research
the finished product of a logo if done well is a deceptively simple and effective mark, revealing very little about the process that goes into its development. clients and friends often think we designers sit down, play with a few shapes, choose a typeface and within an hour or so a finished logo is born, but it’s actually a much more involved process. this three-part series on logo development will outline what methods designers use to develop a unique and communicative mark, reveal why they don’t take a couple hours or cost $100, and give readers a good idea of what services they’re paying for with a logo and identity development.
what is a logo?
every business in the market can usually agree that at some point they need some level of graphic identity as the face of the business, at the heart of which is a logo. while they usually appear simple and sometimes even merely decorative, a logo act as a signifier of who you are and what you do. your logo should communicate a basic idea or attitude representative of your business, whether it’s about what you’re selling, how you perform the services you offer, or something meaningful that resonates with your target markets. they take the big idea of your brand, represent the message clearly, and then act as a sign-off on everything you put the name of your business to.
when are you ready for a logo?
the most effective logos are driven by a plan or philosophy on how to approach the market. the first step is to sit down with your business plan and write your mission statement. why have you gone into business and what do you intend to do with your company? brainstorm on your core values that will drive how you run your business, what will customers know you for, how is your approach unique, what was the main motivating factor that compelled you to run your own business? when you can articulate these ideas clearly, you’ve got the background info that your designer will need to create a meaningful mark for you. rushing into it without these targeted messages as the driving force will leave you with a superficial solution at best.
when you’re ready, what’s next?
finding the right designer is a project in itself, but once you settle on the right designer for you, here are some scenarios of what will happen. a designer who specializes in identity development will do a discovery interview and ask you for the background story on your business, how you came to be and where you’re at currently. they should also ask you about your mission statement, a profile on some of the types of people in your target markets, and your intended messages you have for them, how you’d like to be perceived by them, what is the most important thing to communicate to them. this is the background info we use from you in finding out how to give you something that will work for you.
the designer’s side of the story:
from the discovery interview, the designer does some research, and depending on what size company and budget you have, one of a few things could happen. if you’re an individual or a small company, sometimes it’s appropriate to research similar companies or businesses with similar services online to get a sense for what your competitors are up to. additionally, using some of your target customer profiles, we might research a bit about what does well for them. depending on your industry and amount of background info provided, the amount of research can vary, but it can be tailored to your budget. if you’re a mid-sized or larger company, more extensive research should be done. many times this is done specifically by a market research company, to find out what current and potential customers think of your product, your competitor’s services, ask about current brand perception and what their needs are to see if there are niches yet to be filled. this can be focused on an industry, specific market demographic, or location / community, depending on how far-reaching a product or service you provide. this type of research is not cheap, but for bigger brands, the benefits they stand to gain when applied effectively is huge. once you have feedback to analyze, whether it’s a designer doing research online for a few days or a market research company doing interviews for weeks or even months, an audit of the results as compared with the company’s objectives should start to point to some options on where to go.
so this is a snapshot of the preliminary work that goes into logo development before a single design is done. formulation of ideas and intention, sourcing your designer, and research on how to best communicate your brand in the market. next month we’ll look at writing up the design brief and the stages of the design process on the logo itself. if you have any questions you’d like addressed, drop me a line and i’ll try to work them in!
if you liked this article and want more like it, sign up for the parlato design studio newsletter for your monthly power shake of design, branding, marketing & promotion!
