Over 35 years ago I was designing my earliest logos. Since then some basic principles, or rules, about designing identities have always stuck with me and guided my efforts in the development of graphic symbols to represent businesses, organizations and events. Curiosity about the rules used by other designers, led me to ask Jeff Andrews of Jeff Andrews Design, SKA Studios' Sheri Audette, and Steve Gordon, Jr. of RDQ to share their personal experiences in regards to logo design guidelines.

Basic logo design principles
The first rule of logo design I learned evolved from the restrictions of the methods used to create the images at the time, rather than from a lecture in some education situation. Designing logos in black and white initially came out of using India ink, rapidiograph pens and other pre-computer devices to develop the graphic symbols on white illustration board. Color was always added later in the printing process – after the design was approved. Even as technology has advanced there are still needs for a logo to work successfully as a one-color element for photocopying, faxing, low-cost printing and other usage. I will not even consider submitting color suggestions to a client for review until they have signed off on a final black and white logo.

While in college in the mid-70's an instructor introduced me to the K.I.S.S. Principle of design; which translates to: Keep It Simple, Stupid. It does convey a very important design consideration. Simple logos are often easily recognized, incredibly memorable and the most effective in conveying the requirements of the client. A refined and distilled identity will also catch the attention of a viewer zipping by signage at 70 miles per hour, on packaging on the crowded shelves of a store, or in any other vehicle used for advertising, marketing and promotion. Remember, the basis of the hugely effective international branding for the world’s largest shoe manufacturer is a very simple graphic swoosh.

In association with the simplicity of the K.I.S.S. Principle is my requirement for initially creating a logo in a vector-based illustration program (such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand), allowing for digital flexibility and easy translation to all applications a client may require, from stationery package to signage. Those basic files will allow a designer to create and provide all the digital resources required to implement the identity into your internal systems. The frequently misused "bells and whistles" of some computer programs, put into action for 3-D effects, beveled edges, skewed type, gradients and other often-unnecessary graphic treatments, may create distractions from the readability and success of a corporate identity.

My own logo, for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is a great representation of the implementation of the rules I learned early in my career. The design was initially created as a one-color design. In fact, it has never been used in a color other than black. My initial design concepts for my identity were fairly complicated. Over the ten-year process (yes, ten years) of designing my logo, the more elements I took away from the design; the more successful the image became in conveying the desired message of who I was and what I did. The simplicity of the design has made it a very effective logo with longevity.

Jeff Andrews' top three logo design rules can be simplified down to "distill," "simplify" and "translate."

"These were rules I learned early on in my art school education, and I now use them as a sort of bible when preparing to design a logo," says the Oregon-based designer.

Andrews explains that "distill" is simply taking the time to collect all of the information necessary to determine the best course of action with the mark. This involves researching the client’s business, their mission statement, their competition and other aspects to actively lay the foundation for a successful logo. He also studies and researches existing logos and brands for similar products and services in attempting to create a logo that is unique and appropriate.

"My second rule, 'simplify,' is just that," says Andrews. "I work the mark to be as graphically simple as possible; it must be equally viewable on a computer screen as on a billboard or truck panel.

His third rule, "translate," describes the process of translating all of the information compiled and transforming it into the ideal representation of the client's business or product. This procedure involves experimenting with typography, illustrative style and techniques, line weight, figure-ground and other qualities.

Andrews feels the logo he created for the National Communications Group (NCG) in Pennsylvania best exemplifies the rules he presented. He conveys that weeks were involved in research and development of this mark, eventually settling on what at first might seem like a cliché solution, the word balloon, which ultimately proved to be the most appropriate one.

"By translating and simplifying the essence of the business into the simplest of terms, the word balloon seemed to best represent what the company was all about - communication," Andrews remarks. "We then spent a lengthy period of time experimenting with a number of different typefaces, and color schemes settling on a shade of rich blue which distinguished them from their competitors and a bold unique typeface which best denoted strength, trustworthiness and resilience."

In creating logo designs, Sheri Audette subscribes to the guidelines of: a.) Avoid too much detail. When a logo is scaled down it will not be readable with a lot of small elements; b.) A logo should work in black and white, not grey scale; c.) Design a logo within dimensions to appropriately fit on a business card - this size will be used for nearly all business papers and will help to ensure the scalability of the design. Audette learned these rules from her design instructor Sigrid Cannon, at The Art Institute of Seattle.

Audette recently designed the identity for the New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Texas, looking to update their look in attracting more members, and presents it as her rule-following design.

"They have an older congregation so going too extreme wasn't an option in the process - a design that was clean and represented the Baptist faith was still in line with the elders, but was welcoming for new members," explains Audette. "The colors were used with thought of printing in a four-color process, but after stripping away the color, the logo works perfectly and beautifully in black and white."

From Steve Gordon's father, who initially taught him to draw, came his number one rule of "sketch incessantly!!!" He keeps a spiral notebook filled with sketches and doodles.

"I try to draw logos and sketch to exhaustive lengths, even if crammed into a few furious minutes," Gordon says. "From the smallest creative nuance to the most left-field approach to a solution, flesh out all of your ideas in sketching because a sketch ties you into nothing and opens you up to some of the most free-thinking you will creatively encounter."

Art History professor John A. Day provided Gordon with the rule of "design in black and white (figure/ground) first" which allows for establishing composition, balance, shape, form and figure without the help or hindrance of color - and usually results in a stronger mark with far more flexibility.

"Designing for the lowest common denominator" is a personal rule Gordon developed when working with limited resources in producing icons and logo marks, where the medium and usage can vary wildly.

"Design a logo that can stand up to the most minimal quality of reproduction and/or medium," suggests Gordon. "This way, the look and feel of your logo starts at a place you can live with and only gets better from there."

Gordon's logo for Camini Falsi wines, created for Corporate 3 Design, is a very intricate logo with lot of inside humor and hidden meaning for the client. He selects this image to visually represent his "rules" in action. He states that in weaving all of the necessary elements into the mark and not having the result be a mass of illegible junk, spatial composition was key. He conveys that starting with color in a design such as this would have made reaching a successful final conclusion nearly impossible. He started with sketches and drawings and then moved to working in the software program Illustrator.

"I used my rule of designing in black and white to build visual depth by shape and composition," adds Gordon. "I pushed the depth and perspective as far as I could so that when the color came into play the artwork came to life almost effortlessly."

Personal rules based on past experience

An additional personal "rule" I try to incorporate in my own design work is to not just slap a graphic element up next to a type treatment of a name and call it a logo. I most often attempt to create some interaction between the identifying art element and the type conveying the name of the logo subject. In addition to creating a unified graphic, combining the two helps produce a unique identity less likely to be copied by other business entities. I also often attempt to interject humor, or a "wink," into logo designs requiring the viewer to smile as they take a second look to determine what they are really seeing.

Andrews suggests the idea of following a grid in developing the look and feel of a mark as another possible rule. He feels that by addressing the need for a grid, and using one to construct the visual composition of the logo, the eye can be directed in the manner of one's choice in establishing the visual hierarchy deemed most critical.

"Research should be done on the company in regards to their goals, mission, services and the target audience, as well as others in the same industry," recommends Audette in adding a rule to her list. "You don’t want to design a logo to look like the competition, it should stand out from them."

Gordon's additional rule is simple and clear: "Above all else, learn to draw!" He suggests that designers should not be concerned with a specific style - they just need to draw as fine-tuning such skills will be a big career plus.

"The best logos I have seen have some kind of wonderful illustrative technique applied during the process," adds Gordon. "I'm not necessarily meaning realism as in landscape or still life, but rather being able to express an idea using linear and curvilinear elements, literal and abstract representations and once again (above all else) composition."

Musings on the abusing of the rules

The breaking of logo design rules I most often observe, in the work of other designers, are over-complicating the identity design with too many unconnected - and unnecessary - elements, focusing on color too early in the process, and trying to use software "bells and whistles" to overcompensate for a poor basic design. I suppose the computer, and the immediacy of its use, are to be blamed for making it too easy for designers to avoid giving design rules serious consideration, resulting in the abuses mentioned.

Jeff Andrews thinks that too few designers follow his number one rule of "distill."

"Not taking the time to research and do your homework regarding the clients needs and competitive market will ultimately result in an unsuccessful mark," according to Andrews.

Audette also mentions the potential detrimental use of the computer in producing initial logo design concepts.

"I see a lot of neglecting of the thought process and sketching - the computer is used as sole tool of design," says the Alaskan designer. "No thought is given to word association in building on key points of the client's company and producing sketches from the ideas developed."

Gordon most often sees an overuse of effects to convey depth and feel, and the lack of an overall visual and spatial composition. He feels that software effects are implemented as a cheap trick to get out of having to work to successfully convey the message of a logo.

"A logo must speak for what it represents on many levels fairly quickly and when the ability to bring that to light falls short, many often turn to a drop shadow or an emboss effect to pull out a 'cool' response," says Gordon. "When that logo has to go into one-color at .75" on laser printer paper from your clients desktop printer...it will never hold."

The designer also laments that composition is completely lacking in many logos as too many designers simply plop a form onto the page without consideration as to what this mark is going to have to convey and in what setting it will be speaking to the user.

"Shape, balance, spatial relationship to a typeface, the vehicle/medium it will be used in or on...these are all things that need be worked out in the process," mentions Gordon. "That often requires careful study and forethought, not just sitting down at the mouse and keyboard."

Is it possible to "break the rules" successfully?

We are sometimes told, "rules are meant to be broken." There is a great deal of truth in that statement. While it is often the responsibility of the "creative type" to push the boundaries of convention, giving serious consideration to the tried and true rules mentioned in this article will be valuable in creating effective logo imagery. Still, fusing the use and abuse of such rules can on occasion result in a successful logo. My own identities for the Hospice of Humboldt in California, Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico and Vista House in Oregon all made use of gradients successfully - and have been honored with numerous design awards since being put into use.

For many years I avoided the initial implementation of gradients in a logo design as a rule. However, in several cases over the years I have been able to incorporate the evil shadings into designs that have proven to be very successful and basically reproduction problem-free for the clients in question.

Sheri Audette had similar results in a logo created for an awards show right after 9/11. The design was a full color logo with gradients in the flag element and the text.

"Normally I steer away from gradients in logo design but this time it worked to reflect the flag and the mood of the event, and the only way to use it “black & white” was to use it as a grey scale image," says Audette. "I created the logo to be used only a couple sizes that was needed, paid great attention to the detail and printed, printed, printed comps to ensure that it was clearly designed."

Andrews acknowledges occasionally breaking design rules in producing identities.

"Needless to say, I've had occasion to "whip up" a logo because of time constraints and not taken the proper time to develop them fully," he admits. "Those marks, despite their apparent success, were and are an embarrassment, and I wouldn't wish their viewing on anyone."

Gordon confesses that he recently abused his own rule of designing for the lowest common denominator, with his Yale Park Collective logo. The mark was designed for a think-tank collaboration of like-minded "creatives," that he started. He says the group represents the fringe of the "Creative Class" - "that area where music, fine art, design and creative thought collide before getting fully sorted out.

"The fusion in the minds of these types of people had to be shown in a way that was against the grain and not very clean and cookie-cutter," according to Gordon. "I broke a rule of using stout, strong lines to hold the mark together, but in that transgression found that this mark became almost a living, adaptive thing depending on how it was used and the size in which it was used."

"I got lucky," he adds.

Through the effective use of the traditional rules of logo design, and abusing those rules with well-defined purpose, other designers will find that they may come across as talented, skilled and lucky in their end result as well.


Contributors:

Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews Design
Blog: Design Inspiration
Roseburg, OR USA

Sheri K. Audette
SKA Studios
Anchorage, AK USA

Steve Gordon Jr.
RDQ (Rdqlus Design Quantum)
Blog: life is straight rdqlus!
Omaha, NE USA


Design book reviews:



Logo Design Workbook, by Sean Adams and Noreen Morika with Terry Stone
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Rockport Publishers (March 1, 2006)
ISBN: 1592532349

Subtitled "A hands-on guide to creating logos," the book Logo Design Workbook is a must on the studio library shelf of any designer interested in the creation of logos. Now in paperback, this Rockport Publishers offering covers all aspects of identity design clearly and specifically. From "The Ten Rules" to "Implementing Logos," the authors provide a visual smorgasbord of case studies and examples from firms such as Landor Associates, Morla Design, Pentagram, and over 45 other studios of all sizes, in explaining the basics and the idiosynchrocies of the logo design process. This book should be required reading for the students of any educational institution as they begin to study the creation of identities.




1000 Bags, Tags & Labels, by Kiki Eldridge
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Rockport Publishers (January 1, 2006)
ISBN: 1592531830

I'm usually not one to recommend design books that are just pretty compilations of hundreds of (or 1000) designs - especially when it comes to suggesting books to those interested in logo design. Page after page of logo examples does little to explain the "process" of creating a logo to a designer. However, with 1000 Bags, Tags & Labels: Distinctive Designs for Every Industry I am making an exception. It is a pretty book - filled with exceptional examples of logos and corporate identities in use. The presentation of those logo designs in use on labels, hangtags, shopping bags, bottling, promotional items, packaging and other items makes this volume a valuable resource to those designing identities. Yes, the images provide visual stimulation. More importantly, the book should inspire logo designers to think about how their designs may be implemented to best convey the consumer message desired by a client. Those viewing the book may encounter many "brain farts" in coming up with solutions to their own design challenges.

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has received over 475 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in more than 75 publications on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing. He shares his observations about the design industry on his blog, bLog-oMotives.

Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and is also on the 2006 HOW Design Conference Advisory Council. His own book, “The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success,” was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. An excerpt from the book may be found at CreativeLatitude.com. More information about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is available at www.jfisherlogomotives.com.