How Many Logo Options Should You Present To Your Client?
As a logo designer, I am constantly immersed in the meticulous craft of shaping a brand's identity. One question that often arises in my work is: How many logo options should I present to my client? In this article I answer this mysterious question and draw inspiration from a recent project where I had the privilege of revamping the logo for 'Hercules Moving.'
Understanding Your Client's Vision and Audience
Before embarking on the creative journey, it is paramount for me to grasp my client's vision and their target audience. I dive deep into their business, products, goals, and the demographics they aim to reach. This profound understanding sets the stage for a logo that seamlessly integrates with their brand while resonating with their customer base. The knowledge of my client's audience also guides my choice of colors and fonts, ensuring that the logo stands out amidst the competition.
Do your research
When designing a logo, it is important to do your research. You need to understand the target audience and the purpose of the logo. Design trends are constantly changing and you should take this into account when creating your logo. Research other brands in the same industry and look for graphic techniques that could be used for your logo. Be sure to find out the key values of the business and the message they want to convey with the logo. This information can help you create an effective logo design that meets their needs. Keep in mind that a logo should be unique, recognizable, and simple. By researching other logos in the same industry, you can ensure that your logo is truly one-of-a-kind, stands out, and conveys the right message.
Create a mood board
Mood boards can be a great way to organize and refine your logo design ideas. A mood board is a collection of images, colors, and words that help to create the overall look and feel of your logo design. As a graphic designer, it’s important to capture the essence of the company or brand you are creating the logo for. This can be done by exploring various elements such as color palettes, typefaces, shapes, and textures.
By collecting inspiring visuals from other logos and designs, you will be able to build a better understanding of the type of logo you want to create. Once you have gathered your inspirations and narrowed down your options, you can start to create a mood board to help shape your logo design.
To create a mood board, you will need to find the right software for the job. There are many online tools available that can help you collect and arrange visuals in a visually appealing way. Once your mood board is complete, it can serve as an inspirational reference throughout your logo design process.
Sketch some ideas
When it comes to logo design and graphic design, sketching out ideas is a great way to come up with creative concepts. This is the time to let your imagination run wild and explore all the possibilities. Start by brainstorming a few words or phrases that describe what your client wants their logo to convey. Take these words or phrases and draw multiple rough sketches, incorporating them into different designs. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect at this stage. Your goal is to capture the overall idea of what you think your client is looking for. Once you’ve explored a few options, you can then move on to refining each one until you have your final designs.
Choose your colors
Choosing the right colors for your logo design is a critical part of the graphic design process. The colors you choose will not only convey a certain message or emotion to your audience but also influence how memorable your logo is. When choosing colors for your logo design, make sure to consider the following factors:
1. Your Audience: What type of message do you want to convey to your audience? Choose colors that accurately portray this message.
2. Brand Identity: Do the colors you choose to match your brand identity? Ensure that your logo colors are in line with the rest of your branding.
3. Color Psychology: Colors can evoke different emotions, so consider the psychology behind the colors you choose. For example, blue represents trust and reliability, this was crucial for my clients company.
4. Color Combinations: Consider both complementary and analogous color combinations when designing your logo. Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel and can create a more dramatic look, while analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel and can create a more subtle look.
5. Limitations: Consider any color limitations you may have when designing your logos, such as color restrictions imposed by the printing company or web platform.
By taking all of these considerations into account, you’ll be able to choose the perfect colors for your logo design.
Create your final designs
Once you have a general idea of the direction you want to go in, it’s time to create the actual designs. Logo design and graphic design both require careful attention to detail, so take your time to get everything just right. When creating your final designs, make sure that they are professional and eye-catching. Keep your logo design simple, but make sure it’s also memorable and distinctive. You want to make sure your client can recognize the logo even when it’s small or presented with other logos. Experiment with different fonts and colors to ensure that your design stands out from the rest. Lastly, use vector graphics for your logo design to ensure that it will look good no matter how it is scaled or used.
Send your designs to your client
Once you have your logo designs finalized, it’s time to send them over to your client. Before sending anything off, it’s important to review your work and make sure that the final product is of high quality and meets all of the criteria set by your client.
When sending your logo designs to your client, it’s recommended that you provide a minimum of three options for them to choose from. This gives them a variety of choices and allows them to pick which design best reflects their needs and wants.
When submitting your logo designs, make sure to include multiple versions of the logos in different file types and sizes. This ensures that your client has access to the logo in the formats that they need. For example, you may send a vector EPS file, a PNG file, and a JPG file. You can also offer various sizes of each file, such as small, medium, and large so that the logo can be used in various applications.
Finally, it’s important to include a brief explanation of each logo design and why you believe it works best for the client. Explain why you selected certain colors or fonts and what benefits they may provide. Make sure to provide detailed feedback on each logo design so that the client can make an informed decision.
By providing your client with multiple logo designs and thoughtful explanations for each one, you are making sure that they feel confident in the final product of your graphic design work.
Coming Up Next Week...
Next week we will discuss what "Logo Clear Space" is and why you need to include this in your final designs file to your clients!