Often it is assumed that a graphic designers’ work can be done by anyone. However, the quality of a graphic designers’ work should illustrate that a great deal of professionalism is required in order to have a highly polished finished result that the customer can proudly use for their business. I shall briefly give an overview of the process of the logo design to illustrate the stages required and the concentration that is required.
The initial process would normally be initiated by the customer who will contact the graphic designer to arrange an appointment to see them. During this initial meeting the customer and the logo designer will exchange information regarding the nature of the business, the message to be conveyed in the logo and possible other surrounding information such as the nature of the competitors and the industry. At the end of this meeting the designer will have noted in particular one sentence, a brief image or sketch and the mission statement of the business.
After the initial contact the designer will then proceed to do his own research, based around the facts that he will have received from his customer, filling in any gaps or to expand his understanding of the nature of the business, the niche within the industry and so on.
At this point he will then start working towards the more creative ideas that will eventually come to be the new logo. He will do some research based on other logo designs that have been of use in the industry looking at how they have got the message across together with any modern trends that may affect the customer’s business. He will look at how similar or how different the competitors are and examine their logos. This will then be focusing on precisely what the message is that the company is trying to portray.
The next stage is more artistic in that he will begin to draw some sketches putting some of the initial concepts into these sketches to start making them come to life. He will ensure that the message carries the flavor of what is being requested for example serious or light-hearted, unique, fitting a target audience.
After this stage of doodling he will usually take some time out to allow these ideas to start forming in his mind, maturing. He will probably also be mulling over how adaptable this particular design would be for different methods of marketing for example, business cards and sides of vans. Also, would the logo image be ok in black and white for when it has to be reproduced by photocopier or fax? This is the point where he would probably go and speak to his colleagues who may suggest slight changes or different approaches to the assignment. The business name would be vital here to use appropriately to the logo. Would it be better to use a drawing for the title or to use a word for the name? How to go about expressing the term ‘speed’ or ‘quality’ by the changing of the font style or the use of colour.
After adjustments have been made he would invite the customer back in and provide a presentation of the best logos for their approval. If the client is happy with one of the logos this can be settled on and the assignment draws to a conclusion.
