In the last couple of years, there seems to be a major surge of fledgling logo designers making their way into the design community. What with so many logo inspiration sites popping up every week and some really wonderful logo design books out there, it’s hard to believe that this rather small, sub-culture of graphic design is becoming so popular.
Seeing as I am no longer what one would call a ‘fledgling’ anymore, and I often get asked how I got started in this discipline, I thought I would pass on some advice. You know, some basic information on how to get started in this business and do it right. So here goes. I am sure there’s plenty more, but as they say, you have to start somewhere.
Study the masters. Paul Rand, Milton Glaser, Saul Bass, Herb Lubalin, Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Geismar and others. These guys helped create the modern logo we are all too familiar with today. Knowing what their techniques were and how they approached their logo designs will help make you a better designer. Some of the most familiar corporate and cultural icons that we see every day were created by this talented group. They are both inspiring and very humbling individuals, and something to aspire to.
Draw. A lot. One of the best ways to improve your logos, is to craft them well before you hit the computer. Sketch them out and see if the idea’s even worth pursuing. Write it down and get it on paper before you lose the thought. When it’s down in a sketchbook, you can always go back to it later and tighten it up. Logo design is a visual medium and the best ideas are not always the first ones that come to you.
Get a sketchbook. If you’re like me, your brain has a whole lot more in line to think about than that great logo concept sitting there. Give it a rest and store it in a sketchbook. It doesn’t have to be a swanky moleskine number, but they are very cool. I prefer to buy the blank, hardcover-type and have a little fun customizing my own. The rule with sketchbooks, is there are no rules. Paste, glue, tape or otherwise affix any additional inspiration into the book for safe keeping, and handy reference later. And feel free to carry it around with you, too. You never know when something inspirational will strike.
Practice safe logo design. Use a concept. The one thing that separates a good logo from great one is a conceptually, well-executed idea. Like any inspirational piece of design, great thinking sets it apart. For instance, it doesn’t have to be a visual pun or an abstract shape, as that kind of design is very popular these days.
A good logo has a point of view, is well-designed and creates a visual calling card for the company or service it represents. It needs to have enough versatility to work in many situations and venues and is visually engaging.
Study typography. This does not mean that you memorized every font that’s in your font folder. I mean STUDY type. Get some books. Read up on where Sabon comes from. Why do they call it ‘roman’? What’s the difference between an en-dash and an em-dash – and when do you use them? You know, geeky stuff – type-geeky stuff. Find out why some designers select certain fonts. It’s not always because they’re easily or not so easily available, there are some very interesting and conceptual reasons behind the thinking. Make that logo sing – with great type selection.
Study design. Find out about the Bauhaus. Look up old WPA poster art. Rifle through old art & design books in a used book store. Buy some. Read about great architecture and take lots of photos. Dabble in photography. Being a graphic designer is not a job – it’s a lifestyle. Make it so.
Be a student of the craft. Just when you think you’ve got it pretty much figured out, someone new comes along with an idea you wish you’d thought of. Follow other designer’s work. Find some fellow logo designers to listen to and learn. I learned more from my colleagues and co-workers, than just about anyone else I read about in design.
Work hard. Pay your dues. Nothing builds your design skills like good old practice and hard work. And just like anything else in this world, you have to pay your dues to get where you want. There are no short cuts to doing great work. For every assignment, there are dozens of sketches and even more tweaks, revisions and adjustments to complete a finished logo. As someone once said, ‘You’re only as good as your weakest piece.’ There’s some definite truth to that. Give that stuff another look.
Build your portfolio. When you’ve finally come to that point where you’ve got a good 12-15 pieces in your portfolio, you’re just getting started. A great portfolio is always being edited and improved upon. Unlike many other occupations, there is not one single better return on investment (ROI) than your portfolio. Other jobs have nothing more than a well-crafted resumé and a slick cover letter to move someone along in the job market. As a designer, you can make or break your career on how hard you work on that book. Always, always, always work, improve and refine that portfolio. It will pay you back handsomely.
Learn the tools. Logo designers these days work primarily with the computer. But, there comes a time every now and then when a more ‘analog’ technique could help out. Being able to use good old pen & ink is a great skill to have. Especially when you just can’t seem to get the effect you’re looking for.
Creating your logos in a vector-based drawing software, like Adobe® Illustrator, Corel Draw and others is the only way to go. These types of software create artwork files that are easily scaled without any information loss. Raster-based software, like Adobe Photoshop create artwork files that are very limited in scalability and format conversion. If your client needs that logo on a delivery van, the logo you use for the website absolutely will not work. How embarrassing would that be?
Apply your designs. Something I’ve noticed with the logo design-only crowd is the fact that you rarely see any work that’s been applied. How does it work in context? I’m talking about stationery, collateral, promotional material, vehicles – stuff like that. Did it work on signage or get applied on a machine? That’s what logos are created for and that’s what logos do. A wonderful concept is great all alone, but it’s not very useful just sitting there looking pretty.
If you don’t know how to apply the logo in your designs, how do you know when you shrink it down that it’s going to read properly? Will the letters plug up with ink? Does it look awful reversed-out? Show me your understanding. Then, I will be impressed.
Besides, if you want to make some more money on the project, show the client that you can do the identity, collateral and web portions of the design as well. Show them how you can deliver the whole package without having to find another designer. Ever heard of the up-sell?
Give back and get some experience, too. The best way to get good experience working with clients is to do small logo projects for various schools, churches or social groups. Maybe you have a friend or relative that has a business. They don’t have a lot of money to spend and you get some practical knowledge. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Entering your logo work in online contests is not something I would recommend. Although it looks like a relatively harmless opportunity, many of these sites are skewed towards getting your hard work to a client for next to nothing – and that’s if you win. My opinion about these sites has far less to do with them being competition for design professionals and more about the public perceiving less and less value to the contributions of the design community. Enough about that.
Find yourself some clients. This is one of the hard parts. Getting someone to give you some work is something even very seasoned designers struggle with every day. In the old days (here’s where I date myself), it was much more difficult to get your work in front of the right people. You had to rely on sending mailers, packages and persistent phone calls to get your chance with either a client or an agency. With the internet, this can be a much easier task, but there is a great deal of competition out there.
Showing your work online is paramount. You can have your own website fairly easily with Tumblr, Posterous or WordPress. And with the various portfolio sites out there like Behance.net, Logopond and Coroflot, you can provide links to your work whenever the need arises.
