The Logo Design Process

Every person that designs logos has a different approach to the logo design process, but there are certain steps that most professionals in the field agree upon. Today, we will go over the logo design process, step-by-step. One mistake that many people make is to just use a logo maker, but this will give you uninspired results. The steps of the logo design process begin with discovery (where you become familiar with the client’s business), then doing research (where you learn more about your client’s competitors and industry), brainstorming (where you pick an art direction and come up with ideas), followed by sketching out logo ideas strategically, doing the design work for those logo concepts digitally, showing them to the client and getting them approved, and then finalizing deliverables that can then be given to the client. 

By following these seven steps, hopefully you can apply them to improving your design process and make your work more efficient and effective. This can also give you an in-depth look into how professional designers operate, if you are a business owner in search of a good logo for your brand. Whether you are a designer or you are thinking about hiring one, hopefully this article can give you some insight into how the logo design process operates. 

Discovery

During the ‘discover’ step, it is crucial to become familiar with the client’s business, as well as their industry, history, audience, and competitors. You cannot base your logo design only on aesthetics. Because logos are meant to fulfill a specific purpose, you need to stay objective throughout the design process so that you can design something that suits your needs. You want your logo to endure, because it is the representation of your brand. You should discuss with your client and establish a foundation before beginning to play with design. 

Research

In the research step of the logo design process, you should take the information that you got during the ‘discover’ step and then do more research. You want to better understand the field of work that your client’s business is in, so that your logo will be effective. You want your client’s logo to stand above the rest of the competition. You should evaluate your client and their competitors’ brand identities, as well as analyze the industry from the perspective of the customers. This can help steer your direction later on in the process. 

Brainstorming/ Mind Mapping

For the brainstorm step, you want to try and find a concept will suit your client’s brand identity. During this stage, you should do exercises to find the tone of voice you want to use, and the brand’s personality. Creating mood boards is a great way to get started on brainstorming. You want to look for images that represent keywords that the brand wants to embody. You should consider factors such as style, color, and font. Mood boards can help you narrow your focus, while still remaining objective. You want to move forward with a solid strategy. 

Sketching

The next step is the ‘sketch’ phase. Now, you can apply the research that you have already done and combine it with your creativity. You can sketch on paper or digitally, although most professional logo designers do their beginning sketches by hand. You also need to decide if the brand’s logo should be a word mark of the brand name, or if you want to use a symbol. This stage can be time-consuming, so you should remember to pace yourself and give your ideas time to develop. Sometimes, taking a break from a project and coming back to it can give you some fresh perspective. A lot of designers get good ideas when they least expect it and aren’t actively focused on the project. It’s good to create a large quantity of potential logo ideas during this phase. Even if all of them aren’t perfect, it’s good to have a lot of options to choose from.

Ideation/ Revisions

Next, you should choose the best logos out of the ones that you sketched and make digital versions. You can take your sketches and select the concepts that are the most promising and fit your design strategy. You shouldn’t focus on every design that you made, only the ones that you believe will work for your client. When you recreate your sketches digitally, you can make several variations of the designs. It is important that you don’t rush the design phase. Make adjustments to the colors, alignments, fonts, and spacing until you feel that the aesthetic is best. 

Presenting

After the design phase is the presenting phase. Once you are fairly satisfied with the designs, you can present the first draft to your client. It’s not recommended to share with your client designs that you don’t think will work effectively for their brand. Pick 3 of the strongest concepts and show them how they can be used in marketing materials. If you properly followed the steps of logo design, then your client should be impressed with how accurately your work meets their needs and promotes their brand.

Delivery

After obtaining your client’s approval of your design, the last step of the process is to deliver the logo artwork and style guide as a brand delivery package. If you followed the previous steps, then you should know what to include in the package. You should have basic variations of the logo, including monochrome and full color. It is important to provide your client with various file types. Your style guide should show different variations of the logo and how you should use them, as well as other elements of your client’s brand identity such as typography system, color palette, photography style, and more. 

Great logos are the result of careful strategizing and planning. Instead of jumping right into designing, taking the time to do things properly can help you have more clarity, stay more focused, and make fewer revisions. At Highstreet Marketing, we work hard to provide our clients with logos that perfectly fulfill their needs and suit their brand. We take the time to understand each client’s brand before creating a logo for them.
For more information on the importance of a quality logo, check out this article.