What is the Purpose of a Logo?
A logo is a unique design or label that identifies a product or business. It should become synonymous with the company, product or service it represents. It must be memorable and recognizable at a glance, and of course it should always stand out from the competition. The logo design must also be used in a consistent manner, to maintain the brand identity. That is one of the reasons why many Graphic Designers keep the native Adobe Illustrator file, and only provide the logo in a jpeg format so the original artwork can't be altered. Graphic Designers often produce extensive guidelines about how a logo can be used and reproduced, and many Designers add Trademarks and Copyrights to protect their original artwork.
Since logos need to be used for long periods of time, they need to be created to stand up to the test of time in terms of style and trends.
The Coca-Cola logo, designed in the middle of the 19th century is a prime example of a logo that has kept it's integrity over time. Although there has been minor changes to the Coca-Cola Logo over the last 125 years, the overall look has been consistent. Can you imagine the negative impact on royalties if 'The Coca-Cola Company' changed the logo's distinctive red and white colors or the extremely recognizable hand-drawn Spencerian script font?
A logo must be designed appropriately in terms of style (the characteristic manner or appearance), type, symbols, and shape. A logo should express the spirit and personality of the product, service or organization. For instance, 'The Nike Swoosh' designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 represents the wings of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory. It was an appropriate and meaningful symbol for a company that initially just marketed running shoes. However, the "JUST DO IT" slogan and the advertising campaign that followed communicated such a strong message to it's target audience that the meaning of the symbolic logo design evolved into a 'battle cry' for an entire generation. When you really think about it, isn't it absolutely mind-blowing that a small iconic symbol such as a logo, can have instant worldwide recognition and have the potential to make a company a huge success?
A logo should also express your company's purpose and vision. Some companies simply advertise their product, but the most successful and innovative companies, such as Apple promote their beliefs, and they have a well defined mission that customers can relate to. According to author and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, the Apple company demonstrates his 'Golden Circle' concept perfectly. He believes that 'people don't buy what you do, but why you do it'. Apple's customers rally behind their vision of bettering the current 'status-quo'. Biological evidence has proven that the Limbic System in our brains controls our behaviors and gut feelings, the strongest drivers in the decision making process. Therefore, having an inspiring and well defined mission helps Apple instill the feeling of trust and an emotional attachment to their products. For a more in-depth explanation of this theory, I recommend watching this insightful speech by Simon Sinek -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
I am sure you will agree having read all this compelling evidence, that a well designed logo plays such a vital role in the success of a company, expressing your mission and identity of your brand or business in today's market place. So you should not hesitate in getting your logo designed by a professional Graphic Designer. Personally, I am inspired by all areas of design, and although the process of creating a powerful logo is a huge responsibility, it is truly one of my favorite tasks.
December, 2013
Since logos need to be used for long periods of time, they need to be created to stand up to the test of time in terms of style and trends.
The Coca-Cola logo, designed in the middle of the 19th century is a prime example of a logo that has kept it's integrity over time. Although there has been minor changes to the Coca-Cola Logo over the last 125 years, the overall look has been consistent. Can you imagine the negative impact on royalties if 'The Coca-Cola Company' changed the logo's distinctive red and white colors or the extremely recognizable hand-drawn Spencerian script font?
A logo must be designed appropriately in terms of style (the characteristic manner or appearance), type, symbols, and shape. A logo should express the spirit and personality of the product, service or organization. For instance, 'The Nike Swoosh' designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 represents the wings of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory. It was an appropriate and meaningful symbol for a company that initially just marketed running shoes. However, the "JUST DO IT" slogan and the advertising campaign that followed communicated such a strong message to it's target audience that the meaning of the symbolic logo design evolved into a 'battle cry' for an entire generation. When you really think about it, isn't it absolutely mind-blowing that a small iconic symbol such as a logo, can have instant worldwide recognition and have the potential to make a company a huge success?
A logo should also express your company's purpose and vision. Some companies simply advertise their product, but the most successful and innovative companies, such as Apple promote their beliefs, and they have a well defined mission that customers can relate to. According to author and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, the Apple company demonstrates his 'Golden Circle' concept perfectly. He believes that 'people don't buy what you do, but why you do it'. Apple's customers rally behind their vision of bettering the current 'status-quo'. Biological evidence has proven that the Limbic System in our brains controls our behaviors and gut feelings, the strongest drivers in the decision making process. Therefore, having an inspiring and well defined mission helps Apple instill the feeling of trust and an emotional attachment to their products. For a more in-depth explanation of this theory, I recommend watching this insightful speech by Simon Sinek -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
I am sure you will agree having read all this compelling evidence, that a well designed logo plays such a vital role in the success of a company, expressing your mission and identity of your brand or business in today's market place. So you should not hesitate in getting your logo designed by a professional Graphic Designer. Personally, I am inspired by all areas of design, and although the process of creating a powerful logo is a huge responsibility, it is truly one of my favorite tasks.
December, 2013
Principles of Design
There are a few fundamental 'Principles of Design' that all Graphic Designers must keep in mind when they design any piece. These well established principles are not even unique to graphic design; just take the time to look around and you will see these concepts applied to the design elements in architecture, interior design and even engineering. I have tried to briefly summarize these established principles that I use everyday, to hopefully give you a better understanding of these concepts.
Balance
We all strive for balance in many areas of our life. For instance, most of us try to balance work and play, in the meals that we plan, or when we simply arrange and re-arrange the furniture in our homes. Somehow, we just know when it looks and feels 'Right'. Similarly, a Graphic Designer strives to balance elements of a design to create equal distribution of weight. When a design is unbalanced it can make us feel uncomfortable. When it is done correctly, the design appears unified and it looks harmonious to the eye. There are basically two approaches to achieving balance on a page. The elements can be arranged evenly on either side of an imaginary vertical axis, and most of us know this is called symmetry. However, to achieve asymmetrical balance, a designer must consider visual weight, position, size, value, color and shape of the elements, when arranging the elements in a design or composition.
Focal Point or Hierarchy
In today's society we are constantly bombarded with 'visual noise' - which comes in many forms of advertising such as Posters, Billboards, Magazines, Brochures and Junk Mail. It is absolutely impossible to absorb all the information around us, so a designer has to try and direct the audience's attention to what is important. Basically, when you glance at a poster or billboard what do you notice first? We call this point of emphasis the focal point. This emphasis can be created by making the focal point, bigger, bolder, brighter than the surrounding elements. Emphasis can also be achieved by isolating the focal point, or by making it clearer than an out of focus or transparent background. The general line of thought here is that if you emphasize everything equally, then you have in essence emphasized nothing, and only created visual confusion for the viewer. Visual hierarchy just means arranging the elements of a design according to emphasis and in order of importance. Firstly, you want the viewer to notice the primary focal point, and then the secondary supporting focal points or accents, thus creating a visual flow of information for the eye to follow.
Rhythm
From an early age, we all understand rhythm when it relates to music; you just need to observe a baby moving or drumming to music to confirm this theory. We think of rhythm as the 'beat' of the music, or the sense of movement from one chord to another, a sort of flow accenting patterns or stresses. But believe it or not, rhythm can be established by visual elements rather than sound. Rhythm is a pattern that is created by repeating or varying elements or the space between them to create a sense of movement. When lines are evenly spaced on a page, you establish a steady repetitious rhythm as our eyes move from one line to another consistently. However, when the same lines are spaced with varying distances between them a completely different type of rhythm or pattern is created.
Unity
When you flip through a magazine, or look at an advertisement, have you ever wondered how a Graphic Designer manages to get all the type, photographs, illustrations and other graphic elements to work together as one unit? There are many ways to achieve unity, where all the individual elements of a design look as though they belong together, and create a integrated whole, rather than unrelated parts. Really achieving unity relies on understanding the formal elements in the design, as well as the other basic design principles. In other words, a designer must know how to organize all the elements and establish a common bond among them. There is scientific evidence in visual psychology that the viewer wants to see unity; if the viewer cannot find unity in a design, he or she will lose interest. It has also been proven that unity also contributes to the memorability and the clear communication of a message in any promotional piece.
So, next time you look at a Poster or an Advertisement that grabs your attention, ask yourself why? The Graphic Designer has probably done a great job designing the piece, and I can guarantee that the designer has conformed to the above mentioned Principles of Design. To the untrained eye, you are not always aware of why you think it looks appealing, all you need to know is that somehow it just looks 'Right'!
April, 2014
Balance
We all strive for balance in many areas of our life. For instance, most of us try to balance work and play, in the meals that we plan, or when we simply arrange and re-arrange the furniture in our homes. Somehow, we just know when it looks and feels 'Right'. Similarly, a Graphic Designer strives to balance elements of a design to create equal distribution of weight. When a design is unbalanced it can make us feel uncomfortable. When it is done correctly, the design appears unified and it looks harmonious to the eye. There are basically two approaches to achieving balance on a page. The elements can be arranged evenly on either side of an imaginary vertical axis, and most of us know this is called symmetry. However, to achieve asymmetrical balance, a designer must consider visual weight, position, size, value, color and shape of the elements, when arranging the elements in a design or composition.
Focal Point or Hierarchy
In today's society we are constantly bombarded with 'visual noise' - which comes in many forms of advertising such as Posters, Billboards, Magazines, Brochures and Junk Mail. It is absolutely impossible to absorb all the information around us, so a designer has to try and direct the audience's attention to what is important. Basically, when you glance at a poster or billboard what do you notice first? We call this point of emphasis the focal point. This emphasis can be created by making the focal point, bigger, bolder, brighter than the surrounding elements. Emphasis can also be achieved by isolating the focal point, or by making it clearer than an out of focus or transparent background. The general line of thought here is that if you emphasize everything equally, then you have in essence emphasized nothing, and only created visual confusion for the viewer. Visual hierarchy just means arranging the elements of a design according to emphasis and in order of importance. Firstly, you want the viewer to notice the primary focal point, and then the secondary supporting focal points or accents, thus creating a visual flow of information for the eye to follow.
Rhythm
From an early age, we all understand rhythm when it relates to music; you just need to observe a baby moving or drumming to music to confirm this theory. We think of rhythm as the 'beat' of the music, or the sense of movement from one chord to another, a sort of flow accenting patterns or stresses. But believe it or not, rhythm can be established by visual elements rather than sound. Rhythm is a pattern that is created by repeating or varying elements or the space between them to create a sense of movement. When lines are evenly spaced on a page, you establish a steady repetitious rhythm as our eyes move from one line to another consistently. However, when the same lines are spaced with varying distances between them a completely different type of rhythm or pattern is created.
Unity
When you flip through a magazine, or look at an advertisement, have you ever wondered how a Graphic Designer manages to get all the type, photographs, illustrations and other graphic elements to work together as one unit? There are many ways to achieve unity, where all the individual elements of a design look as though they belong together, and create a integrated whole, rather than unrelated parts. Really achieving unity relies on understanding the formal elements in the design, as well as the other basic design principles. In other words, a designer must know how to organize all the elements and establish a common bond among them. There is scientific evidence in visual psychology that the viewer wants to see unity; if the viewer cannot find unity in a design, he or she will lose interest. It has also been proven that unity also contributes to the memorability and the clear communication of a message in any promotional piece.
So, next time you look at a Poster or an Advertisement that grabs your attention, ask yourself why? The Graphic Designer has probably done a great job designing the piece, and I can guarantee that the designer has conformed to the above mentioned Principles of Design. To the untrained eye, you are not always aware of why you think it looks appealing, all you need to know is that somehow it just looks 'Right'!
April, 2014