ComputerHunter.org

 

Creating a Winning Logo


Creating a logo to get you noticed.

When you're branding a company with a name, a colour scheme and a logo the logo is often not given enough care and attention. It should follow the chosen colour scheme and reflect the business that your company is in. Too often, particularly on the WWW logos are seen as a way to show off the design talents of the author. To create a free logo I have created this easy to follow step by step guide.

Planning

Your logo should reflect the company it represents. Create a list of all the services or products the company supplies and try to find some common ground.

Sit down and choose the colours you will be using. This is best achieved by studying the corporate colours and maybe adding a few more shades of these colours. You should aim for a maximum of 12 but ideally you will want only one or two colours. Avoid very dark colours unless it is relevant to your company. If you send out a letter on headed notepaper to a client you will want your logo to jump off the desk at them to remind them who you are.

Remember that your design may have to be very small (a business card) or very large (the side of a van) so whatever you come up with must be scaleable. Try imagining your logo as a tiny image and then as a large image. If your using lettering will it must be readable at a very small size. Will the font appear correctly in a user browser on the internet?

Consider every place your logo might appear and work out what you will need to design for. A company that deals with older people does not to be bright and modern, something a little more sedate would be more appropriate.

Until you know the answers to all the questions above don't move on to the next section.

Creating

Keep it simple. Look at any major company in the world and see how simple their logos are. Nothing fancy for the experts so why should you have a fancy design?

Look at what the competion are doing. DO NOT COPY somebody else's work. Sometimes I get me best inspiration from studying other people ideas and coming up with a really original one based on a concept they have used. As long as it's not a copy of somebody else's work your not infringing copyright.

A tip for doing this is to use Googles Image Search. Type in some key word and select the image search with the word logo. For example if you were selling cars search for "cars + logo". You will be presented with a selection of rival logos for other sites.

Use this to see what works and what does not. You will be drawn to the good designs and you will recognise what represents a company that sells cars. This search brings up the Alpha Romeo logo in the first few entries. This logo is slightly more complicated than you will want but works perfectly for a company producing cars.

Now start sketching some designs on paper. Keep all of the designs you make to hand as you never know when you might decide that the picture you drew before could be the one. When you have an idea don't over develop it. You should aim to have at least 15 to 20 rough ideas before choosing 2 or 3 to work on further.

Developing

When you have chosen your two or three best ideas ask some friends what they think. Use your friends and family to test your logo. Everybody loves to give their opinion on everything so use that to your own advantage. Listen to what people have to say about your designs and you may learn something. Little things that you have not seen can be very obvious to someone that has never seen it before. Take a note of all the comments and go back to the drawing board. Look over what was said about every design and then, based on your own feelings and the comments you have collected, decide which idea you are going to develop more.

Create a slightly more refined drawing, or if you have some computer skills, make up an approximate design using a graphics program (don't worry if you can't do this as the next step will take care of that anyway.)

Unless you're either a graphic designer or a printer, employ a professional to finish the work to a high standard. Your logo will appear on every bit of literature your company will ever produce and if it does not look professional then you don't look professional. You will have saved a lot of money by developing the logo yourself so it is now time to ask a professional to finish the work.

Well done. You have just created an effective and attractive logo for your company. Be proud of your work and display it everywhere.

About The Author

Philip Gillespie is a proffesional website designer and graphic artist. His works include www.echo-art.com, www.thekimberleyinn.com, www.yellowsands.com and www.integratedbodytherapy.com. Please contact for any further information or help.

philipgillespie@hotmail.com







Google News - Top Stories

ABC News

Democrats set December 2 deadline for automakers' to offer plan
Reuters - 1 hour ago
* US Senate Democratic leader Reid says "the sad reality is that no one has come up with a (auto) plan" that can be passed by house and senate, signed by president.
Video: Senate Cancels Vote on Doomed Auto Bailout AssociatedPress
Agreement Must Still Be Approved by Congressional Leadership Washington Post
The Associated Press - USA Today - Boston Globe (registration) - CBS News
all 4,414 news articles


AFP

Judge Orders Five Detainees Freed From Guantánamo
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By WILLIAM GLABERSON In the first hearing on the government’s justification for holding detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp, a federal judge ruled Thursday that five Algerian men were held unlawfully for nearly seven years and ordered their ...
Judge: Algerian prisoners held in Guantánamo must be freed guardian.co.uk
Five Guantanamo detainees ruled illegally detained AFP
The Associated Press - The Miami Herald - CNN - United Press International
all 304 news articles


CBS News

Waxman unseats Dingell as House energy committee chair
Christian Science Monitor - 2 hours ago
By Eoin O'Carroll | 11.20.08 To the delight of many environmental groups across the country, California Democrat Henry Waxman has ousted fellow Democrat John Dingell of Michigan from his post as chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Waxman Defeats Dingell in Race for House Energy Committee Chair Washington Post
google news commentComment by Frank O'Donnell President, Clean Air Watch
New York Times - Detroit Free Press - DetNews.com
all 1,291 news articles


Reuters Canada

Arizona Governor Napolitano tapped as new Homeland Security chief
Christian Science Monitor - 55 minutes ago
By Ben Arnoldy | Staff writer / November 20, 2008 edition The popular two-term governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, has been tapped by President-elect Barack Obama to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Dems: Napolitano emerges for Homeland Security job The Associated Press
Ariz. Governor Said to Be Pick For Homeland Security Post Washington Post
Bloomberg - Reuters - FOXNews - CNN
all 809 news articles


dBTechno

UB going smoke free
Bizjournals.com - 3 hours ago
Next fall, smoking will be banned at all three UB campuses - in all buildings and on all grounds, including parking lots, university officials said Thursday.
Smokeout is reminder that quitting starts day at a time Atlanta Journal Constitution
Smokers come under scrutiny on Smokeout day Los Angeles Times
Lex 18 - North Wind Online - Defiance Crescent News - WXXI
all 423 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base