Steps to design a logo

Designing the corporate identity of a company requires, in principle, knowing the stages that must be met to achieve the ideal logo. Take into account each one of these steps and the tools for the construction of a logo, that the results when presenting your proposals, are successful.

Before explaining how this design process should be carried out, it is important to clarify two concepts that can generate confusion. One of them is the definition of the corporate image. The corporate image of a company is a measure of the effect that corporate identity causes on the public. It refers, specifically, to the impression that remains in each client to see some of the identities. That is why, once you have a first logo design, the following questions were determined to perfection, the construction of the logo:

• Does the logo evokes the concept of the company?
• Does it transmit the values ​​that characterize the company?
• Does it transmit the main objective of the company?

Meanwhile, corporate identity is what physically defines a company. The identity has two edges; the verbal and the visual. According to Olins, they seek to reflect what they do, how they do it and where the company is headed. The verbal identity is represented by the name of the company and the visual identity, where the latter is the representation of the logo and the code of conduct of the company. Finally, all this is summarized in a document known as a corporate identity manual.

Once these two points are clarified, we turn to the goal of this article, the stages that must be met during the design of a logo. In the first place, it is to carry out a creative briefing; This is achieved through a client interview where we inquire seven points:

• Who is the client?
• What are their objectives?
• What are their primary clients?
• What is the sector in which it operates?
• What are their competitors?
• What are their products and services?
• What are the values ​​of the company you want to transmit in your logo?

As additional questions for the client’s briefing, you could add what colors you would like to see in your logo and why; of the logos of the competition which ones they like, which graphic elements they consider necessary that they should appear in their logo.

Once you have the most relevant customer data you can study the project proposal. Based on the requirement and time that the client requires, you will develop the service proposal, which will contain, among other things, the scope, objectives, methodology and presentation format for the design project. With this document the client can proceed to the approval and start of the project.

From here, the creative process to design a logo begins. As a designer you start with the study of the name and values ​​of the company. With the results of this analysis you can fulfill the following steps:

• Creation of sketches: is the stage of creation of ideas where you can make use of constructive tools such as mental maps and moodboard to streamline creativity.
• Digitization of sketches: When you have sketched all the ideas and selected the best one, you can move on to the digitization of the same. It is usually done using the Adobe Illustrator tool for better finishes. In this stage the ideal is that you start with a black and white digitalization.
• Typography study: Typography says a lot about the style of the company. To find the correct one, you can have at least 100 types and proceed with the selection; always considering the criteria of styles established in the briefing. This stage is closely linked to the digitization process since it will allow you to define the style you want to see in your logo from the beginning.

• Analysis of color: The logo of every company has to stand out and stand out from the competition, in all aspects. A methodology used by some designers is to make a chromatic circle locating around this one logos of the competitors, according to the corresponding colors. At the end of the analysis, you will notice that spaces of free colors remain. Depending on these colors, values ​​and personality of the company in question you can find a color that meets the client’s requirement.

• Versions of a logo: When you finish the design of your logo it is important to present it in different versions. This is nothing more than representing the logo with funds representative of the corporate colors. You will also have the logo with a white background and a black background. An example of this can be seen in the image above, where the Sourble logo with white background and corporate colors are shown.

By meeting each of these steps, you will be able to obtain the gearing of the key elements for the construction of a logo: sketching, digitization, typography, colors and logo versions. In summary, these are the necessary steps for a design project; and if you want to know more about these topics, do not miss the following publications.