LOGO

DESIG

N

WHAT IS A LOGO?

A logo is a symbol that is supposed to help us easily identify a company. A strong logo can make the company instantly recognizable and can help strengthen the brand.

What brands are the logos below representing?

BRANDS

A brand is the name or symbol that helps us to identify a company. Branding is created through the use of logos. We often see brand names in very visible areas like on clothes. Why do you think companies do this?

Branding originally started with hot irons on cattle to help farmers identify their own herds. This also helped to protect their livestock from theft.

What brands do you like? Why do you like them?

THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF LOGOS

TYPOGRAPHIC

Typographic Logos use letters and different fonts to represent a company. It often uses the brand’s name, an abbreviation of it, or sometimes it is just the first letter of the name. Changing the font and layout can totally change the interpretation of the logo:

LeVI’S vs

LeVI’SThis is the most commonly used logo type because it makes

the name of the company instantly recognizable.

PICTORIAL

Pictorial logos use pictures to represent a company; they often try to capture the feeling that they want their consumers to experience when buying/wearing their products. Or they may be a representation of what the business actually does.

The use of pictures instead of text can make a company recognizable regardless of what language consumers speak. Sometimes companies use text with the pictures and when their brand becomes very popular, just use the picture instead.

ABSTRACT

Abstract logos use geometric or organic designs to create an emotional connection to the brand or to appear cutting edge and creative. This is often the most unique type of logo and can help the company to expand into other products because they haven’t defined themselves with a specific image related to one product.

5 ELEMENTS OF GOOD LOGO

DESIGN

BRANDING

Creating a logo that fits into the business brand takes a bit of thinking before the designer even makes a mark on a page. A great logo will send a message to consumers about what type of product they are buying or what type of feeling they should experience. For example, with the Harley brand you can sense the “cool factor” that is associated with their motorcycles.

What associations do you make with the logo below?

MEMORABILITY

Unique and well designed logos stay in the minds of consumers. Memorability means that when the viewer spots the logo, it is instantly recognized what the company is and likely is knowledgeable about the products/services they offer. If the consumer can’t associate the logo with the brand, there is a big problem…

How can you make a logo memorable?

How does creating a recognizable brand impact popular culture? (Think of clothing and other products you buy)

AESTHETICALLY APPEALING

Aesthetics is just a big word for attractive. A great logo will be appealing to the consumers and will create a positive image for the company. An ugly one can make us question whether or not we want to buy a product (especially if we want to purchase clothing adorned with the logo).

How important is visual appeal?

Have you ever listened to a band on the radio and thought “this song sucks”, but when you see the super cool music video you change your mind? Or have you changed your mind after seeing pictures of the band?

USABILITY

A logo needs to be able to be adapted to lots of different mediums. It should work well on a website, a letterhead, clothing, products, etc. What looks good on a large banner, may not be so nice on a t-shirt label.

Size really does matter. If your logo looks great large, can it look just as awesome when it is shrunk down to a couple centimeters? The level of detail in a logo will determine how well it can be scaled up or down. The simplest of logos will be much easier to apply to different mediums.

Colour can determine how well it can be reproduced as well. Anyone who has ever ordered a custom designed t-shirt knows that the more colours used, the more expensive it will be. It can also be difficult to reproduce in different forms of media if there are too many colours. A great logo should also work well in black and white reproductions. Colour choices can also impact your audience because of emotional associations we make with certain colours.

TIMELESSNESS

A great logo will withstand the test of time. Sometimes companies will make some updates to keep it fresh and current, but major changes can affect the recognisability of the logo. Changing it when your brand has already been well established can be bad for your logo, so you want it to be able to work for you as long as you can. Many companies that have made changes still keep the same essential design:

• Study Hall• Science Lab• Library• Basketball team (or any

other sport’s team)• Art club (or any other

club)• Tech Lab• Principal’s office• Math room• Art room• French room

• Cafeteria• Gym• River Room• Skilled

Trades room

• Fire escape route

PROJECT 1CREATE SIMPLE “STREET SIGNS” TO REPRESENT ANY 3 OF THE FOLLOWING… BUT BEFORE YOU PICK, LET’S BRAINSTORM SOME MORE IDEAS!

PROJECT 2

Create a logo to represent you! Before you start, brainstorm some ideas:

• What is your favourite colour?

• What are you most interested in?

• What are you good at?

• How would you describe your personality?

Before you begin, divide your page into small sections and quickly sketch out a few ideas. These are called thumbnail sketches and all designers use them to plan out many ideas quickly.