Logo Design Print Promotion
The Integration of Branding into Print based promotional design
Introduction.
During the past 3 years i have learnt more and more about myself as a designer, and at this point in time my passion lies within Corporate identity and Logo Design. I found that this became apparent from the briefs i was choosing, the design studios i were looking at and the type of design. I found myself quickly going to look at the identities these companies had designed and how they had applied them onto print based media. Some studios work really well, applying their logo’s onto innovative surfaces which really gives the identity that something which is a bit more special. This book will show the design studios which have really infulenced me throughout my time at university and the interviews which i have looked at which will help me in my future career as a Graphic Designer.
Contents.
What is Logo Design?
A logo is the visual representation of a company or business, which forms the base of its corporate identity. It is a name, symbol, monogram, emblem, trademark, or other graphic device designed for easy and definitive recognition by the company’s audience. Logos trigger people’s memories of previous experiences with the company and other implementations of the logo, leaving a greater impact than words alone can do. This is the simplest and most direct way of promoting a business presence; a logo describes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation. If a logo appears unprofessional or unoriginal, so will be the public’s perception of the company it represents. A well-designed logo will help to increase visibility and, in turn, sales. Logo design started many years ago and has its roots in Ancient Greece with the use of symbols consisting of one or more letters. These typically represented the initial letters of a person or place for use on stationery and signs. Many early Greek and Roman coins bear the logos of rulers or towns. During the Middle
Ages, similar logos were seen in abundance in ecclesiastical and commercial use. By the thirteenth century, these simple letterforms had evolved into trademarks for merchants. These early examples of logo design include marks for masons, goldsmiths, paper makers, and nobility. By the 1700s, every trader and dealer had a trademark or stamp. The industrial revolution caused a dramatic gain in the value and importance of trademarks. By the 1950s, with the emergence of national and multinational corporations, trademarks began to move beyond symbols, using larger design systems to unify all communications, to accomplish identifiable goals. Today, company logos have become the faces of business and our economy. The general public has become very responsive to logos, their meanings, and their implementations. Because of the diversity of products and services available, the need for innovative and well thought-out logo and corporate identity design is central to a company’s success.
Why are logos important?
Logos trigger people’s memories of previous experiences with the company and other implementations of the logo, leaving a greater impact than words alone can do. This is the simplest and most direct way of promoting a business presence; a logo describes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation.Try to think of such companies as Coca-Cola or FedEx without recalling their logos. These companies have established an identity with their logos, which greatly impacts their sales. If a logo appears amateurish or derivative, so will be the public’s perception of the company it represents. A well-designed logo will help to increase visibility and, in turn, sales.
“The trademark should embody in the simplest form the essential characteristics of the product or institution being advertised.� Paul Rand
A good logo is...
Simple*
A good logo is one that is simple. Trying to include too much information can have a negative impact and complex illustrations representing all aspects of the business and long taglines should not be part of the logo. The type and imagery should be recognised instantaneously, up close and at a distance. There should not be a lot of colours used because these distract people from the logo’s central theme. Also the more colours used means a higher production cost.
Versatile*
Logos which use several colours, photographs or detailed illustrations may be difficult to use in certain applications. A good logo should consider all potential implementations. (Often, several versions of a logo will be designed to use in different contexts.)
Distinctive*
Logos should be unique and different from any other companies or organizations. Using familiar or common styles or typefaces defeats the purpose of having a logo, and can even have a negative backlash among customers who might see the company as being derivative. Besides this, there are also copyrights and trademarks of companies which should not be violated.
The evolution of successful logo design.
Evolution is a process of change or development. It is when one version of a product is better than the previous one. This type of change was first catalogued by Darwin over a hundred years ago. But in the truest sense, evolution occurs in nearly every aspect of our lives, and especially in the business and consumer worlds. It seems that companies find themselves needing to be fast-paced, up-to-date and ever evolving to stay ahead of the competition. If you think about the world’s most prominent brands, Nike, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and others, it is easy to visualize their respective logos. Those designs have become the visual representation of the company brand, which is what people think about your company and their experiences with it.
Ford
Most people know that Ford was founded by (who else?) Henry Ford. What most people didn’t know was that this was his third automobile company. Ford experimented with cars while working for Thomas Edison, and left to found his first auto company, The Detroit Automobile Company, which went bankrupt in just 2 years. He then built a race car and founded Henry Ford Company. Ford left that one after just one year (the company later became Cadillac – see above). In 1902, Ford went on to create his third automobile company, the Ford & Malcomson, Ltd., and almost lost that one when sales were slow. He was unable to pay his bills to John and Horace Dodge, who supplied parts. Ford’s partner brought in a group of investors and even convinced the Dodge Brothers to accept shares in the company, which was renamed Ford Motor Company. Later, the Dodge Brothers went on to form their own car company (can you guess what?) In 1909, Childe Harold Wills, Ford’s first chief engineer and designer (who also help to design the Model T), lend a script font that he created to make his own business card, to create the Ford logo. The famous blue oval was added later for the 1927 Model A – it remained in use until today.
Pepsi V’s Coca Cola
Coca-Cola is the world’s most popular soft drink. Sold in more than 200 countries, it is produced by The Coca-Cola Company and is often simply referred to as Coke. The Coca-Cola logo, like the product itself, is rated among the most recognized logos and brands in the world. The first Coca-Cola logo was created by Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885. Thinking that the two Cs would look well in advertising, it was Robinson who came up with the name and chose the logo’s distinctive cursive script. The typeface used, known as Spencerian script, was developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant
form of formal handwriting in the United States during that period. The red and white coloured scheme in the Coca-Cola logo was kept simple and distinctive to lure young minds. The Coca-Cola logo was first advertised in the Atlanta Journal in 1915. A Coca-Cola dispenser with a Cola-Cola logo was later created by Raymond Loewy. The Coca-Cola logo got registered as a trademark in 1887 and has since then become the brand’s corporate identity.
Pepsi-Cola is one of the most famous soft drinks consumed worldwide. Manufactured and marketed by PepsiCo, it was first developed and produced in the early 1890’s by Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in New Bern, North Carolina labeled as “Brad’s drink”. In 1898, Bradham renamed his drink into “Pepsi-Cola”. On June 16, 1903, the title Pepsi-Cola was trademarked and had since remained unchanged. But one aspect of Pepsi-Cola that witnessed many transformations over the years is the Pepsi logo. The Pepsi logo is one of the most famous and well-recognized logos in the world. In 1898, Bradham used a scribbled logo script as the first Pepsi logo to brand the product. When his business got established and people started enjoying his drink, Bradham decided to modify the Pepsi logo into a more customized version of the previous logo script. Thus, in 1905, a modified script logo was introduced, followed by a second change in Pepsi logo in 1906. In 1940, Walter Mack introduced the new bottle design with crown, labeled with the Pepsi logo. In 1941, the Pepsi bottle crown colors were changed to red, white and blue, along with the Pepsi logo, to commemorate the war efforts of the
country. Later, in 1962, the Pepsi logo was replaced with two bulls-eye marks encircling “Pepsi”, and then again in 1973, into a boxed Pepsi logo with minor typeface changes. In 1991, Pepsi commemorated the evolution of its scripted Pepsi logo by featuring a logo design with an italic capital typeface. Later at the company’s 100 years celebration in 1998, PepsiCola unveiled a new logo that symbolized the brand’s innovation and global recognition. The new Pepsi logo consists of a three-dimensional globe against an ice blue background, with the inclusion of the previously designed Pepsi typeface. It has been the official Pepsi logo of PepsiCo, till date. Over the past century, the Pepsi logo has been evolved into remarkable designs with significant modifications. All in all, Pepsi logo is an exemplary piece of creativity and innovation. No doubt, it is one of the most recognized logos, ever.
Shell
For more than a century, the word ‘Shell’ has immensely acknowledged the Shell brand and endorsed the commercial character. Undoubtedly, the Shell logo, highlighted in red and yellow since decades, has played a vital role in the promotion of the company. Shell logo holds distinctive qualities that draw audience’s attention to itself. It projects an emotion of professionalism and defines the company’s outstanding position and stupendous products. Over the years, the Shell logo has been renovated quite a lot of time but the shell graphic has stood courageously to benefit the logo design. The current Shell logo was sketched by a pre eminent designer Raymond Loewy in 1971. Shell logo has proved to be the most impressive design by the contributions of the great designer.
Shape of Shell Logo: Shell logo consists of a shell image which has served the emblem since decades. This illustration was adopted after the company name. It certainly narrates the company’s high corporate reputation and class. The image of the shell in Shell logo has been redesigned quite some times but it still continues to hold supremacy, power and strength. Color of Shell Logo: The use of highlighting color is gracefully adopted in Shell logo. Red and yellow are the colours utilized to enhance the beauty of the Shell logo. Font of Shell Logo: A very simple and easy to remember typeface is employed in Shell logo to enhance the characteristics of the company and its high quality products. The alphabets are done in bold font to impose a high status of the corporation market position.
The 10 commandments of logo design.
1. A logo doesn’t need to say what a company does Restaurant logos don’t need to show food, dentist logos don’t need to show teeth, furniture store logos don’t need to show furniture. Just because it’s relevant, doesn’t mean you can’t do better. The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an aeroplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer. Etc. Etc. 2. Not every logo needs a mark Sometimes a client just needs a professional logotype to identify their business. Don’t be afraid to ask what they think. 3. Two-way process Remember, things might not always pan out as you hope. Your client might request something you disagree with.
If that happens, try giving them what they want, then show them what you believe is an improvement, and why. They’re less likely to be so resistant if they already see how their thoughts pan out. 4. Picasso started somewhere You don’t need to be an artist to realise the benefits of logo sketching. Ideas can flow much faster between a pen and paper than they can a mouse and monitor. 5. Under-promise, over-deliver If you’re unsure how long a task will take to complete, estimate longer. Design projects are like construction work — you piece lots of little elements together to form a greater whole, and setbacks can crop up at any time.
6. Leave trends to the fashion industry Trends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key. Don’t follow the pack. Stand out. 7. Work in black first By leaving colour to the end of the process, you focus on the idea. No amount of gradient or colour will rescue a poorly designed mark. 8. Keep it appropriate Designing for a lawyer? Ditch the fun approach. Designing for a kid’s TV show? Nothing too serious. I could go on, but you get the picture. 9. A simple logo aids recognition
Keeping the design simple allows for flexibility in size. Ideally, your design should work at a minimum of around one inch without loss of detail. Look at the logos of large corporations like Mitsubishi, Samsung, FedEx, BBC etc. Their logos look simple and are easier to recognise because of it. 10. One thing to remember That’s it. Leave your client with just one thing to remember about the design. All strong logos have one single feature to help them stand out.
“Don’t fo pack. Sta
ollow the and Out�
LogoDesignLove
Successful campaigns through branding into print.
B&W Studio T +44 0 113 245 4200 E info@bandwstudio.co.uk Castleton Mill Castleton Close Leeds LS12 2DS
Pentagram T +44 (0)20 7229 3477 F +44 (0)20 7727 9932 E email@pentagram.co.uk 11 Needham Road London W11 2RP
Design Project T +44 (0)113 234 1222 E enquiries@designproject.co.uk Design Project Second Floor 80A York Street Leeds LS9 8AA United Kingdom
Effektive T +44 (0)141 221 5070 M +44 (0)7590 928 187 E studio@effektivedesign.co.uk Suite 1/1 6 Dixon Street Glasgow G1 4AX The studio blog www.effektiveblog.com
Experimental Jetset T +31 (0)20 4686036 F +31 (0)20 4686037 E info@jetset.nl Marieke Stolk Danny van den Dungen Erwin Brinkers Jan Hanzenstraat 37/1 1053 SK Amsterdam The Netherlands
Made Thought T +44 (0)20 7378 0099 F +44 (0)20 73780173 E info@madethought.com Studio 6 Jamacia Wharf 2, Shad Thames London SE1 2YU UK
RGB Studio. Rob Brearley E info@rgbstudio.co.uk
Sea Design T +44 (0)20 7566 3100 Bryan Edmonson E bryan@seadesign.co.uk John Simpson E john@seadesign.co.uk Employment/Placement E placement@seadesign.co.uk
Studio Laucke Amsterdam: T 0031 (0)20 673 04 51 Dirk Laucke E dirk@studio-laucke-siebein.com Studio Laucke Siebein Zeeburgerpad 75 1019 AD Amsterdam Berlin: Johanna Siebein E johanna@studio-laucke-siebein.com Applications to: E work@studio-laucke-siebein.com Studio Laucke Siebein KlosterstraĂ&#x;e 44 10179 Berlin
Un.Titled T +44 (0)116 247 1111 E hello@un.titled.co.uk Factory 21 Wellington Street Leicester LE1 6HH
An interview with David Airey
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Personal Branding Interview with David Airey By: Dan Schawbel on February 9th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
(Japan). David Airey, a graphic designer from Northern Ireland, has been intrigued by brand identity since the 1990s, when he enrolled in his first graphic design course. He writes two of Dan Schawbel spoke to David Airey, who the most popular graphic design blogs is the author of Logo Design Love, and on the Internet, logodesignlove.com and a very popular blogger with over 17,000 davidairey.com, attracting more than subscribers. David is a famous graphic 250,000 online visitors per month and designer from Northern Ireland, who approximately 1 million monthly page knows a lot about branding from creating views. logos for many successful companies. In this interview, he talks about why a logo How important is a logo for a personal is so important to a brand, how a bad or corporate brand? Can a bad logo logo can hurt your image, the process of ruin everything for you? creating a logo, and much more. A logo’s main purpose is to identify a David Airey, a graphic designer from brand. Logos help people to quickly Northern Ireland, has been intrigued by remember their experiences with brand identity since the 1990s, when different companies. For instance, if we he enrolled in his first graphic design like a food product we’ve had in the past, course. Having honed his skills working we’ll be looking for the logo when we’re in the United Kingdom and the United next out grocery shopping. Look around States, he then made a conscious choice you. How many logos do you see? If to specialize in brand identity design, they weren’t presented differently from where his passion lies. Self-employed one another, it would take us longer to since 2005, David has amassed an visually recall our brand experiences. impressive global client-list, including the likes of Yellow Pages (Canada), Giacom Can a bad logo ruin everything? (England), and Berthier Associates No.
Can a bad product or service ruin everything? Yes. If a company has been using a certain design for many years, building a strong amount of brand equity, it needs to be very careful if changing the appearance (think Tropicana’s failed packaging redesign), but the highest level of importance will always be placed on the product or service that’s offered.
and the client plays an important role in the success of the outcome. Communication is interspersed by in-depth research of the client’s industry, competition, stakeholders, history, and goals.
Do you feel that people should have their own personal logo’s for their brands? I believe that every brand can be helped with the consistent use of a simple, Iconic logos, such as Apple and Coca distinctive, appropriate, and emotive Cola can’t be missed. How can someone logo. create a logo that’s this memorable? A vast marketing budget is needed to While writing your book, how much reach the recognition rates of Apple and did your blog help you? How did the Coca Cola. A good logo alone won’t get book come about? you there, and your brand identity design Both of my blogs were a huge help, in no needs to be part of a much larger small part due to the fantastic offering. contributions my readers make with their comments. It was October 2006 when Before you create a logo, what work I began publishing my first blog. Since needs to be done? then, I’ve learned a great deal from the The process begins with a Q&A session. input of my readers. It’s vital that a designer asks the right questions of his/her client from the I owe them a lot. outset — questions that set the tone for the duration of the design project. Answers often generate more questions,
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The logo design process
The creative brief*
Refinement*
Most of the time, the designer and the client work together to outline the purpose and limitations of the company’s logo in the form of a creative brief. This will outline the design specification of what the company wants for their logo. Within the brief, the user’s demography should be analyzed so that their individuality can be understood and seen by audiences. This will create a set of rules for design decisions that can be made to target particular groups. For the designer it is important not to input too much of your own artistic preferences when designing a logo because a logo’s key purpose should be to communicate with the company’s audience, not to satisfy the preferences of the designer.
Through a process of three or four revisions, based on an analytical dialogue between the designer and client, the logo is taken from a series of rough sketches to the final polished and cohesive logo design. At this stage, colour is often introduced. Colour specification decisions are based on an understanding of colour psychology, colour theory, the contrast between colours, and the limitations of available printing budgets.
Concept development*
Delivery*
The designer develops conceptual pathways for the logo, transforming ideas into simple sketches. Then, these sketches are presented to the client and one or two pathways are chosen for further exploration. This is where the logo begins to take shape. In some cases a unique text treatment and a distinctive colour palette is sufficient however both text and image can also be used. A logo’s simplicity and distinctiveness are the primary considerations in determining its form.
Once the client has approved the final logo design, the designer assembles a package containing an assortment of logo files for different applications and a manual outlining how the logo should be applied to different media. The strict and consistent adherence to the manual is crucial to the success of a logo.
“The biggest designing log buy-in from decision maker, that, you will alw an uphill
challenge (in gos) is having the ultimate , if you can’t get ways be battling l battle.�
Identity Designer, Armin Vit
Interview with Armin Vit
Armin has worked for a number of notable identity design firms including Norman Design in Chicago, Decker Design in New York and Pentagram Design in New York. He now runs UnderConsideration’s Department of Design.
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What are the common criticisms of identity design and is there any validity to them? There are a few recurring themes: - The client is a douchebag: This is when the client does not allow the designer to do anything and instead enforced his or her poor taste on the unsuspecting designer. - The designer is a douchebag: Most identity design projects for large corporations or popular consumer products or services are excruciatingly complex and there are so many decisions that determine the final logo or identity that the result can rarely be pegged to the designer or the client. It’s a mutual relationship and when things turn out well, it’s the result of a visionary client and his or her committee and an engaged designer or design firm able to listen to the client. In the end, it’s 25% design and 75% seeing that design through. -Another common criticism is that a logo looks like another logo. Although there may be some similarities it’s not the end of the world for two designers to arrive at a similar idea twice. Business owners often pay to have everything taken care of by professionals except their identity
mark. Why should a business care about its logo? It’s as important as the shoes that the receptionist is wearing. It’s really all about the appearance one wants to portray. You pay $50 for a pair of shoes you get crappy shoes. You pay $50 for a logo, you get a crappy logo. It’s about investing in your image, and a good professional logo with a fee of at least four figures is well worth the investment. What constitutes a good identity mark? The answer is different for many designers, for me it’s something that is individually crafted for the client, something that no other organization or service could use. If it’s an icon it should be clear and memorable, if it’s a wordmark it should be superbly crafted if custom or carefully chosen. It’s about creating a mark that stands strong in its context and can serve as an identifier for the corporation or product in the eyes of its intended audience. What are some common mistakes which identity designers make? Not listening to clients and thinking their feedback is useless. Clients know their audience, and designers need to interpret that feedback into something
What are common challenges which identity designers encounter? The biggest challenge is having buy-in from the ultimate decision maker, if you can’t get that, you will always be battling an uphill battle. This is especially important in large projects, but even if you are doing work for a five- or sevenperson organization, if you don’t have access to the CEO or founder or principal you are kind of doomed. How do you account for the great disagreement over the quality of identity marks even among identity designers ? It comes down to subjective opinions. What’s good for me is not good for someone else. And it’s about the standards that one judges the designs against, some might have lower standards, other higher. In your opinion who are the top five identity companies in the world? Wolff Olins Pentagram Turner Duckworth johnson banks Studio Dumbar
Can you list a few of the best well known identity marks and what makes them good? I’ll just do one, because I could spend weeks alone in this question: Nike. It may seem obvious, but I like this mark for some non-obvious reasons. Most clients will tell you they want something on par to the Nike swoosh for their logo. The swoosh represents some sort of ideal in logo design: It’s memorable, it’s simple, it’s successful, it’s the visual epitome of a profitable business with infinite cultural impact. But none of that has anything to do with the logo. The logo says absolutely nothing at all. It’s a check mark. Is the logo one wing of Nike, the greek goddess of victory? Maybe. Is it a positive reinforcement? Maybe. Is it cool or pretty? Maybe. But it doesn’t matter, because the logo takes on the meaning of what Nike stands for: the athletes, the Just do It tagline, the amazing commercials, the prospect of victory through hard work. The logo represents that and nothing more. I like to remind clients that the logo will only have as much meaning as they put behind it through their actions.
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useful for the project.
Evaluation
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