The logo design process can be done in many ways by different designers. The following is the approach that the Vissol Design Team takes. Enjoy!

Step 1 – The Brief

This is the first step of the logo design process; it is the most crucial and requires good communication between both designer and client. A well written initial brief can mean the difference between a project that goes smoothly, and one that encounters many problems. In the brief, the client addresses questions such as; what products or services does your company/business offer, what attributes of your company/business would you like reflected in the logo, are there any specific images or icons you want included in the logo, where will the logo primarily be used (web/print/both), and when is the deadline for the project. Each question is just as important as the previous one and should be answered thoroughly to avoid any confusion down the road. Once the client addresses several questions from the brief, the project is ready to move to the next step.

Step 2 – Brainstorming & Sketching

After the designer has reviewed the client brief, they are now able to begin brainstorming ideas for the project. Brainstorming can include making a list of words or ideas, constructing a chart showing all the possible characteristics and attributes, or even making simple sketches of icons that closely tie in with the company/business name. Once the designer compiles sufficient information from the client brief, they begin to make sketches for initial concepts. While several pages of the sketchbook may be filled with various ideas and concepts, usually only three to four are chosen. Those chosen are now ready to be turned into digital vector files on the computer.

Step 3 – Going Digital

Bringing sketches to the computer is an exciting part of the logo design process. This is where the designer really gets a chance to see their work come to life. While there are many methods to creating vector images from sketches, the most popular is by way of scanning. This allows for easy management with the files and the ability to open them with just about any program. The most popular program for creating logos is Adobe Illustrator. It is the industry’s leading design software and has been around for nearly 25 years.

Step 4 – Presenting to the Client

After the designer has finished designing each concept, they are now ready to be presented to the client. This is an important part of the process and usually determines which direction the project will head in. The client will give feedback on each concept and suggest changes they feel are necessary. These changes may include minor alterations such as size and position of text and/or color of the designs. Typically, one concept is chosen and takes precedence over the others. Once the designer has made those changes they present the revisions to the client for final approval.

Step 5 – Finalizing

There are many different possible applications where logos are used. These include websites, business cards, advertisements, fliers, banners, avatars, etc. Because of these varying situations, the designer has to provide all the necessary file formats, size and layouts to the client. While the typical web-file formats are JPG and PNG, unique circumstances prompt the need for other formats such as TIFF or EPS which are generally used for print. Several different sizes are chosen accordingly and saved in each format for the client’s use. Good designers always keep a backup of the vector source files should the client ever need a specific format in the future.

We are proud to announce the release of Maven! Over the past few months we have been hard at work creating a stunning new sans-serif typeface. Maven is available for FREE download right here on the Vissol blog. Maven comes in 3 variations (light, book & bold). If you use Maven in any of your creations we’d love to see it; feel free to link to your work in the comments.

Click here to download.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading and we appreciate any feedback you may have!