What Goes Into A Logo Design?

A professionally designed logo is worth the investment since it will be the face of your business for a long time (logos often have a lifespan of 10 years or more) and it'll appear in lots of locations: your website, social media, swag, banners, publications, and more.

Because of the importance of a logo you should expect it will take some time, starting at around 20 hours, which allows for research, design, revisions, and delivery of finished materials.  Here's an overview of my process for creating your logo:

I begin any logo design project by first getting a sense of what you’re looking for. I’ll ask you questions like:

  • What style are you looking for? Something contemporary and cutting edge? Something with a vintage, handmade feel? Something with a retro mod feel?

  • What are you trying to say about your company? Are you looking for something warm and accessible? Something that will inspire confidence? Something geared towards youth culture?

  • Are there existing logos you love? This doesn’t have to be a logo from your industry... maybe you’re a restauranteur but you really love the way the Instagram logo makes you feel. Maybe the font from that one movie poster you saw has the sort of sleek look that matches your interior design. 

  • Is there anything else you love? Anything you hate? Do you hate script fonts? Do you love the bright colors of tropical beetles? I will do my best to incorporate stuff you love and avoid showing you any concepts that are definitely not you. 

After that I’ll do some research on my own and look at other logos in your industry. You want to differentiate yourself from your competition, but you also don’t want to stray so far that someone looking at your logo doesn’t understand your product. I’ll also look at contemporary trends... for instance the past few years have favored script fonts. Of course current trends might not be the right look for you, but knowing what not to do is as helpful.  

Next I’ll deliver 2-3 concepts to you based on our conversation and my research. Once you’ve had a chance to look those over I’ll refine the design you chose over the course of 1–2 rounds of revisions.

Finally, once we’ve nailed the design, I’ll deliver the following package:

• a CMYK and a B&W vector version with and without text for print. A vector file can be scaled to any size so they are usable on banners, advertising, programs, tee-shirts, etc. There will be an EPS and an AI file of each. These are meant for professional printers/designers, so they require special software to open, but your printer/designer will thank you. (CMYK is how color is broken down for print)

• an RBG and a B&W JPG with and without text for more general use... in people’s emails, web ads, websites, PowerPoint presentations, social media, etc. (RGB is the way color is broken down for screen use)

• an RGB simplified version with no text for times when the logo may need to appear as a tiny avatar, such as on Twitter.

• a basic brand guide that gives you color breakdowns, font names, etc in case they’re needed for other projects, as well as any other file formats agreed upon at the beginning of the project.  

(Check out my glossary of design terms for more info on what each of these files are.)

This is a typical design process, obviously your situation is unique and there may be other factors to consider. Sometimes when an entire committee needs to sign off on a logo it can take many more rounds of concepts and revisions. Or perhaps you only need a logo for an event as opposed to an entire business identity, and the time may be shorter. But this gives you a general idea of what to expect when you hire me to design your logo.