Understanding Logo DesignWeb Design 35S

Contents:

• What is a logo? • A short history of logo design• Why are logos important?• Types of logos• What makes a good logo? • The logo design process• Design principles

What is a logo?

• A logo is the visual representation of a company or organization.

• forms its corporate identity.

• designed for easy recognition by the company’s audience.

A brief history of logo design.• Ancient Greece and

Mesopotamia• Use on stationery & signs• Logos of rulers or towns

• Middle Ages: church & commercial use

• Masons, goldsmiths, paper makers, and nobility

• Widespread by 1700’s

Richard the Lionheart crest

• Industrial Revolution• Mass production, mass

distribution• Better logos

• America, 1900-1950• More competition leads to

brands

A brief history of logo design.

• Huge diversity• Logos have become the faces of business and

our economy. • The general public has become very

responsive to logos• the need for innovative and well thought-out

logos is central to a company’s success.

Today:

Why are logos important?• Logos trigger people’s

memories of previous experiences with the company

• Simple and direct way of promoting

• A logo describes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation.

Types of Logos

Letter type Symbol type

Letter & symbol type

What makes a good logo?

Simple• should be instantly

recognizable• number of colours used

should be minimized

Versatile• Easy to read big or small, in

different places• Envelopes or billboards• Packaging or television

Distinctive

• Distinguishes the company from others

• Doesn’t violate copyright

The Logo Design Process

First steps• Begin with the formulation

of objectives and a verbal description of the logo

• Who is the target audience?• What is the purpose of the

logo?• What should it look like to

meet that purpose?

Conceptual development• Preliminary sketches to

develop the idea• Present to the client• Refine the sketches into

near-finished product

DESIGN PRINCIPLESAll about communication

“C.R.A.P.”

• Contrast

• Repetition

• Alignment

• Proximity

Contrast

• Makes things stand out from each other.

sizevalue hue orientationtexture shape position

Contrast

• Hockey Canada: where is the contrast?

• White, red and black stand out against each other and sets off the player

• High noticeability• Meaning of colours?

Repetition

• Repetition adds emphasis and pattern• Olympic rings: what do the repeated, interlocked

circles represent?• Strength, unity, continuity…

Alignment• Connect elements

visually• Not aligned = eye

catching• Mercedes-Benz logo is

centered• Radial symmetry• Very balanced• Looks organized;

communicates quality

Alignment

• Facebook logo• Aligned asymetrically• Adds visual interest• Lets the eye go back and

forth, left to right• Weighted towards the

bottom• Why such a simple

design?

ProximityClose Far

• Things that are too close get hard to read!

• But too far just isn’t as interesting sometimes, or changes the reading!

What do you think the arrow means?

Proximity

• Suggests relationships between parts

• Influences balance & alignment• Can create feelings and moods, e.g.

serious or fun:

ProximityClose

• Formula 1 Racing logo• Unmistakably close “F” and

“1” emphasizes the name and the brand

• Proximity of the lines indicates speed & action

Far

• HP Invent campaign logo• HP is an old, classic logo• The far proximity of

“invent” is meant to freshen up the image

• The letters are spaced apart: unique, innovative

Get Inspired

• Let’s analyze a logo…• What do you see here – what does the logo try and

represent?• See the smile? What does it mean?• Where is the arrow pointing to and from?• They have “everything from A to Z”.• Which design principles do you see?

Other Basic Principles

• Design is about making communication easy and clear for the viewer.

• Remove all nonessential elements. Remove visual clutter. Create clean designs.

• Empty space is not nothing; it is a powerful something.

• Font influences feeling as well: light, heavy, old, modern, fun, serious…

• Colour creates feelings, attracts attention, and much, much more