LOGOS

What are logos?

A graphic representation/ image/ trademark symbolizing an organization

Makes company easily recognizable Can appear on advertizing materials,

letterhead and signs as an emblem

Selecting the logo concept

determine what your logo should say about your company

May be an image related to businessMay be an abstract image Shouldn’t be too trendy- should be

relevant in 5 or 10 years

3 key elements of a credible, high quality logo design:

Does it say you are an expert in your field?

Is the logo “contemporary”, symbolising “forward thinking”?

Is the message to the consumer clear?

Important points to consider:

A logo should:Attract attention and leave an impressionCreate a look that is uniqueReflect the personality of the company

So… consider….

Reproduction costs:More details & colours = $

The sizeWill look great on a sign board as well as on

business card or pen

Check your competitionWhat designs, graphics, colours do they use?

Last but not least…

When in doubt, K.I.S.S.!The right logo can be one of your

strongest marketing toolsMake it stylishMake it elegantMake it an impact

Tips for Designing Basics are simple geometric shapes!Use lines in logo design

Vary thickness of lineMake lines of dots, dashes or

combinationsLook at patterns that a series of lines makeUse lines to direct eyeflowUse lines to form barriersUse lines to indicate connectionsUse lines to show movement

Use shapesBasic shapes of circles, squares, triangles

can be very effectiveHave subconscious meanings:

Circle is protective or infiniteSquare denotes stability, equality, honestyTriangle suggests tension, conflict or action

Group several together to form patterns

Using shapes continued…

Keep it SIMPLE!Replace letters in word or name with

shapes that suggest those letterstriangle for A or VStack 2 circles for SA pair of triangles for an N (one up, one down)

When designing, keep these 3 points in mind:Black & white first!

Get a better ides of shape, design, & readabilityShape & style next

Recognize shape then colourShape must be simple, clean, quickShape must be easily recognized in a blink of the eye

ColourNeeds to be simple, easy to recognize & memorizeShould be unique so it doesn’t blend in

What colour should you use?

Green = goRed = stopYellow = speed upNeed to find colour combo that maintains

its appeal and meaning over time

Logo colour checklist:

Does logo work in black & white?Can you accurately reproduce it?Do the colours work well against coloured

backgrounds?Does logo look as good on black as it does

on white?Can colours be embroidered on apparel?Do they translate accurately to video? To web

site?

Remember….

Less is more!

GESTALT PRINCIPLES

Gestalt = psychology term meaning "unified whole".

refers to theories of visual perception developed in the 1920s.

attempt to describe how people organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes when certain principles are applied.

Similarity

when objects look similar to 1 another. often perceived as a group or pattern.  

The example (containing 11 distinct objects) appears as a single unit because all of the shapes have similarity.

Unity occurs because triangular shapes at bottom of eagle symbol look similar to shapes that form sunburst.

When similarity occurs, an object can be emphasised if it is dissimilar to the others. This is called anomally.

Continuation

Closure

  Proximity

Figure and GroundThe eye differentiates an object from its

surrounding area. a form, silhouette, or shape is naturally

perceived as a figure (object), while the surrounding area is perceived as ground (background).

Balancing figure and ground can make the perceived image more clear. Using unusual figure/ground relationships can add interest and subtlety to an image.

FigureThe word above is clearly perceived as

figure with the surrounding white space ground.

In this image, the figure and ground relationships change as the eye perceives the form of a shade or the silhouette of a face.

This image uses complex figure/ground relationships which change upon perceiving leaves, water and tree trunk.