What Goes Into a Logo Design
There are plenty of ways to DIY a logo for your business, so why pay for a designer to do it for you?
There is probably a lot more that goes into creating a logo and brand design for your business than you may think. Making one yourself is fine when you're just starting out, but when the time comes and you want to get serious about growing your business, hiring a designer to create a modern, cohesive brand is the way to go!
Why?
A designer has experience & knowledge in the field of design, and will know how to bring your brand to life using colour psychology and other design tricks
A designer is well-versed in technical details such as file formats, resolutions, vectors and more; all important elements for optimising your logo for web and print
A designer has specialist tools and software that they are experienced in and can use to create quality logo files
A designer will be able to take your inspiration and brand goals and turn them into a stunning, cohesive set of logos & collateral for multiple uses in your business
So, if you do decide to hire a designer, what exactly will your be paying for?
Brand & Business Analysis
Research is key for any kind of project, and for my branding process I try to gather as much information as I can before we get started! This usually involves an initial meeting or Skype call, an in-depth client questionnaire and a secret Pinterest board where the client can pin images and designs that they are inspired by.
Colour, theme & Pattern finding
I'll then go through the information and inspiration provided to find pattern themes and colour palettes that go with the feeling and personality of the brand.
The example below is for a recent brand design for AllTheFrenchies.com; the brand needed to be fun, playful and cute - which really came across through the inspiration images and colours!
Taking Inspiration & Making something unique
I also ask my clients to show me links to brand & logo designs that they love, and while this really helps in getting a feel for what they want, it's very important to stay unique and creative too!
With Olivia Bossert's branding, we came up with a unique idea to have a different colour watercolour element for each of her sub-brands while still keeping the style the same:
Taking on Critique & Feedback
Did you know it's really common for designers to get their own logo designed by someone else? When you're so close to something yourself it can be hard to see the light through the trees, and it's good to get a fresh eye on things.
This is why it's so important for designers to get feedback from their clients. During my process, we go through several rounds of feedback and revisions before deciding on a final logo!
Initial logo options for FBL Bloggers
The final FBL Bloggers logo
Creating visual cohesion & Variety
A designer's talent usually lies in their ability to create a set of cohesive, yet varied, elements for your brand. Collateral should all fit together and be recognisable for that business, even if they use different logo variations.
Optimising for Web & Print
A good designer will understand how to set up and save files in the best way possible for different uses. For example, a set of business cards will require very different file settings and resolutions than a Facebook cover graphic!
As you can see, there's a lot more to the brand design process than just choosing a nice font and some colours you like. For your designer, it provides both and exciting challenge and creative release. For you, it provides a professional touch for your business to help you continue to grow and build recognition!
