In this post I will be explaining the process I have carved out for myself in the Logo Design process. I have been asked a few times by readers and peers and always by prospective clients:

"How do you design a logo?"

"What steps do you take?"

…amongst others…

This article is to answer these questions as well as give you a little insight as to how I work with clients and the logo design project I have been lucky enough to be a part of.

This logo is for Bumper To Bumper Ads—a mobile billboard advertising company who caters their services towards local businesses, both big and small, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They started with just a few trucks driving around town, but now have about two handfuls of trucks and two bicycles with a new in your face logo that will be incorporated into their branding of media kits, website, business cards, and multiple elements to create brand awareness and identity. Here is my logo design process. You may check out my other logos on my portfolio.

The Design Brief

Libby and Robert, owners of Bumper To Bumper Ads, first contacted me after browsing my graphic design portfolio. Interested in my style and needing a professionally designed logo, they proceeded to fill out the design brief. The design brief is a series of questions pertaining to the person in which to contact and questions that are both general and specific about the clients business and the graphic design project(s). The more important questions relate to the company name, industry, colors, company values and visions, its target market, and budget for the project. In short, Libby and Robert needed a redesign of their logo (below).

They wanted their new logo to be professional and contain a sense of friendly service with a splash of character. Three main colors were given to me: yellow, blue, and green. The final logo contained only two of those colors: yellow and blue. Too many colors in a logo are bad and will confuse your potential customers.

The logo will be used on their trucks in a few different places, business cards, stationary, media kits, brochures, sell sheets… The endless amounts of selling tools and marketing avenues are endless. The end result has to be able to be printed on many different objects and different sized spaces, so you have to take into consideration the layout and composition of the objects and type within the logo before taking your sketches and ideas to the computer. Therefore, two versions of the logo had to be produced. One is a lot longer than the other.

Research

At the time of this project, I had not completed my contract and forms fully enough. So Libby and Robert got away without having to submit a 50% deposit. However, I now require a 50% deposit before starting on any project. This is done for multiple reasons beyond the scope of this article. But I will say that it is important for designers to implement a contract or two because if I was to work on a logo for 12 hours, then a client back out at the last minute, I just spent 12 hours designing nothing for nobody.

Nonetheless, this is where the research stage begins. Here, I develop a better understanding of the clients industry. For this project, my client was a B2B (Business to Business model) mobile billboard advertising company offering friendly and affordable services. Here, I researched mobile advertising (bikes, cars, trucks, and people alike), their direct and indirect competitors, and logos of others within the industry both in New Mexico and throughout the nation.

Brainstorming, Sketches, and Reflection

This is where I start brainstorming ideas by writing down words associated with the company and the industry. I usually take up a quarter or half page with two or three columns (depending on how many cups of coffee previously consumed). I then continue jotting down images in my head and sketches. I start doodling my out-of-the-box ideas in what could be potential logo designs. Some are plain, some are boring, some are extraordinary, and some are too out-of-the-box. No matter how dumb or too intricate the idea may be, always jot the idea or image in your head down. Not doing so will not give you an idea of what is too vague or what is too much. No idea is a stupid idea and this saves a lot of time because sketching on the computer takes longer than a plain pencil and paper. Start with the basics.

Then comes the time to take off and reflect. Reflection is extremely important and a vital role. You have to take a break and reflect upon your ideas because too much at one time causes you to over work and go off on unnecessary tangents, get frustrated, and unproductively waste valuable time.

This allows me to come back to the project with a clean slate of fresh ideas and a cleaner look at the project as a whole. I do this once or twice and proceed to my vector art program of choice, Adobe Illustrator. Adobe is the leader in vector, image editing, and web development programs, staying on top of the industry and consistently creating cutting-edge software for designers and developers.

Logo Concepts/Completed Logo

After spending hours upon hours in front of the computer and a short amount of time reflecting on the computer generated artwork, I send the client a couple of  near complete logo concepts through e-mail or a face-to-face meeting. Here, the client chooses their favorite logo out of the two or three that I propose to them. So, I sent over three different logo design concepts. I knew in the back of my head which was my favorite and which concept was most likely to be chosen. I sent this concept last. However, here are the computer generated mock-ups after the sketches on paper.

A lot of professional designers go black & white from the start, I do as well but this screenshot is obviously colored.

After they chose their favorite logo design concept, we then proceeded to the final finishing touches such as different element sizes, font choices, and colors. Here is the final approved logo for Bumper To Bumper Ads.

Version 1 is a bigger, bolder layout that will be used on most of their materials.

In some cases, this being one of them, there is a required version of the logo where the composition of the different elements within the logo have to be justified to fit different mediums. Below is the version where this will be applied to the space above the advertisements on the side their trucks. The layout required the logo to be long and wide. This may also be an alternative to use on things like pens and pencils and anything else that requires (or would look better with) a logo that is longer in size and composition.

Version 2 is the longer format design that will be used on their trucks, where height is limited due to the multiple billboard ads on their trucks.

DD – Design Decisions

Along the way of every design project, graphic designers make a lot of in-depth, important decisions regarding the design of a logo. Including the main principles of a professionally designed logo, we also have to consider colors (why this color and the meaning behind it), typeface or font (playful, serious, serif, sans-serif, sharp lines, curves), spacing between objects and letters (kerning), leading, placement, height, width… The list goes on. Quickly, here are some decisions I made in the process of this particular logo design.

I chose a sans-serif font—a font without feet (a serif would be Times New Roman)—that has sharp lines but nice curves that displays good in bold lettering. I then opted to push the letters closer than normal because the name Bumper To Bumper Ads suggests that the mobile billboard advertisements are in traffic or displayed in high traffic areas all the time. This reason alone made me think of the road being a perfect symbol to include in the logo. Makes sense, right? It totally makes sense!

The colors of choice the client wanted to use were blue, green, and yellow. Like I previously stated, I opted out in using green, primarily because I asked which two colors would be preferred. Too many colors are bad in a logo and will confuse those who see it. Yellow, in this case, was obvious because of the road symbol. This logo is going to virtually always be on a black background so the yellow pops off right away. Blue was constrained for the lettering alone. I wanted to shy away from using just a plain hue of blue and yellow and give it a more eye catching touch and make it pop, so there is a subtle gradient in both elements of the logo.

In summary, this is my favorite logo design I have created thus far. I was able to play with my ideas and have more creative control than previous clients allowed me to have. I love the modern look, in your face feel, and attention grabbing effect it has. This is the start to a fantastic identity and a vital role in the long list of branding projects that are currently in production for Bumper To Bumper Ads. Updates of our long-term relationship are sure to come, so stay tuned.

Deliverables

Along with every logo design project, there has to be different file formats delivered to the client for multiple mediums and applications for future use. This includes a color version and a black and white version. The logo has to look good in black and white as well as color to be effective. I deliver to all of my clients the most common file formats and necessary resolutions (for websites and various print material) in an e-mail and/or on disc. I will always ask to be able to include the work I have completed for every project for every client on my portfolio website along with a testimonial regarding my work and the relationship we have.

Now that you know how hard I work and what goes into all of my design projects, Hire Me so we can cross off the graphic design projects that are on your to-do list. If you are just reading in your past time, what do you have to say about this logo? What is your logo design process? If you are a business owner in New Mexico, contact Libby or Robert by visiting their website to promote your business with their fantastic marketing service that works!