Ian Landsman is Starting From Scratch, January 31, 2005:
Creating a Business Logo
If you're in the market for a powerful and user friendly Help Desk solution, please take a look at my company's flagship product HelpSpot.So you want to be in business? You need a logo! This article documents the process I went through to create the logo's for UserScape (the company) and HelpSpot (our new help desk software). Hopefully this can provide some guidance for future ISV's on how the process goes.
The first step was contacting Mike Rohde of MakaluMedia. I found him via the NSLog weblog, which was having a design contest that Mike won. While everyone may not be able to get this lucky and find a great designer by accident, I do encourage you to look through the weblog world for one. Many many designers have blogs and it's a great way to see what a designer is about. Usually they'll have samples on their site, but more important is that you can go back through their blog and get a feel for how they work, their style and so on all without a lot of phone calls, emails and general back and forth.
Once I contacted Mike we went over my business plans, what sites I admire and the general feel I was looking for. Mainly I was looking for something modern, but I explicitly did not go into any great details. I prefer to let the designer come up with a variety of options first with only rough guidance. I find this usually works the best as they'll often take the design in a direction you haven't thought of. Remember you're no designer! Let them go and be free to create beautiful images, your job is to rope them in when they go too far and keep the process moving in the right direction.
Mike is the first designer I worked with who does all his conceptual drawings on actual paper (fancy that). Below are the first sketches he sent. As you can see there are a bunch of ideas on here. This is why I love letting the designer do their thing first. This is so much more productive as a first pass than if he went off and came back with 2 options because I specified everything down to the inch.
Some of the ideas here include "text as logo", a helping hand, a group of users, small group of users, and some abstract users/symbols based on an @ sign.
After some discussion we focused in on trying the "text as logo" based approach using dots to represent different features in each one. In the UserScape logo it represents a user and with the HelpSpot H it forms an exclamation point. The dot worked nice because it carried through from company logo to product logo.
Mike then went to work doing a more detailed version as well as taking one more pass at the "helping hand" theme. In the end I thought the hand was just a bit creepy and I preferred the connected feel between the UserScape and HelpSpot logos that the dot provided.
Now that the dot's were agreed upon it was time to build them in a digital format and decide on fonts. Mike has a rule about not talking about color until the end and I think it's a great rule. I know whenever I've built websites for people in the past that they always get caught up on color. It doesn't matter how much functionality is there all they want to know is if mauve would look better than magenta. Leaving the color out definitely helps keep you focused on the structural design decisions.
Here we have the initial go at it and #4 (lower right) is actually very close to the final product. It's Interstate Condensed Bold (for start of word) and Regular (for back half). Interestingly Interstate is a font that was developed for the interstate highway system. It's what you're looking at on all those big green signs.
Things were looking good, but I wanted to checkout Futura a bit more. We also decided to change the cut style on HelpSpot from rounded above the dot to flat above it. Here you can see the one we went with (lower left).
With the tough stuff over it was time to finally get down to colors. Here's the first stab at it. We tried a few different ideas here. Different colors for first word and second word, same color, same color with different first letter. They were good but nothing really stood out to me. #5 down was probably my favorite, but it was a bit too "Mets" for me, though it made me sure I wanted the dot to have a color which stood out from the rest.
For the second round a few new color combinations were added. I really liked #5 and it almost won out.
Here's the final layout. It was a very close call between #1 and #2. In the end, the way the orange dot contrasts with the darker colors works a bit better. Also Mike's wife and my wife preferred the second one so that's what we went with
Here are the final versions:
I'm extremely pleased with how they came out. They look good on the web and will also perform well on business cards, print brochures and so on. Their simplicity makes them very easy to recognize and the strong colors attract the eye.
Hopefully some of you have found this pictorial interesting and informative. I encourage everyone to leave design to designers. This work is not that expensive and having it done professionally makes all the difference. You don't know Photoshop as well as you think you do! Using Visibone to pick your colors isn't going to cut it. Get it done right the first time so it doesn't need to be done again later.
Check back soon for my next article, which will document the process Mike and me are going through now to design the page template for the UserScape website.
Discussion
Leaplogic Gets a Logo Nice logo Chris. Glad to see you went about it the right way. My company, UserScape, is currently develo [...]
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Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah alot of people seem to be picking up on that aspect of it. I think it's great, it really keeps you focused on the structural aspects of the design. Color's bring in alot of emotions so leaving them until the end keeps those emotions out of the process.
ps. fixed!
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Nice article, Ian! One personal take away for me was to using color as the last stage in logo design process. Thanks!
JD
P.S.: The text 'Email must be filled in' next to 'Subscribe to Comments' is not required as you have already made email field as compulsory.
Created by JD on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
No problem. It's an interesting process and one I think many folks don't know too much about before they start it.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Ian, this was interesting to read from the clients (your) perspective. I'll have to do the same and link to this description, so readers can see the different thought processes on each end of the project.
Thanks again for the opportunity to work with you on this one.
Mike
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Leaplogic Gets a Logo Nice logo Chris. Glad to see you went about it the right way. My company, UserScape, is currently develo [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Stealing Your Design Must be something in the air. This is why you cough up the few bucks for a designer, the bad press just isn’t worth st [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow Ian, this thread is quite interesting! Glad to see designers weighing in as well as developers and clients of design.
Something I'm discovering as I continue to share in-progress sketches with those I work with, that it encourages a unity between us. The client sees things taking shape, has input to the direction and feels part of the progress, because they are.
I remember leaving college that one instructor I had suggested including in-progress sketches to my portfolio, which I did. I was surprised at how consistently those who saw the portfolio enjoyed seeing steps in the process and my sketches.
Since then I've realized showing sketches is a way to share the process with others. That, comibined with good defense of ideas either in notes or verbal discussion often resolves questions and issues before they even arise.
I would suggest to designers to make your work a conversation as the Cluetrain Manifesto suggests. For us, we can share our sketches as well as words to involve clients in the "conversation" to great benefit for everyone.
It takes some guts to open up and share your sketches, because there's a good chance some crappy stuff will be right next to good stuff. My solution is to tell clients which ideas I think are crap and why, as well as telling them what's good. Again, it opens your process to others, and makes choosing the "right" much easier.
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
f That Blogs Equal Good Business I just heard from my designer tonight that the article I wrote up about the design process for my companies logo has gotten h [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah this tread is really turning into a nice resource. That's one of the things I don't like about how Joel Spolsky does his articles. He doesn't leave the comments on the page with the article, they're only in the forum. I think having all this great conversation right with the article adds so much to the experience.
Great points. Working with the sketches definitely made me feel very involved in the process. It also really gives you and understanding of the "history" of the design. You've seen the transition and have a real understanding how it formed. I think it also creates alot more opportunities to have this 2 way conversation where you're getting feedback from the customer, which will let you shape the next revisions.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
it was very nice discussion on building a logo , we do graphic desinging work for different companies but i always think, is it really important that the logo should have some relation with the work company is doing ?
Created by Raza on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow that's really interesting. I wouldn't have thought that, since I've never seen it before and worked with many designers. I'm glad I could help! I definitely think it helps build trust and shows commitment on the part of the designer.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
The fun fact is that almost every designer does mockups on paper, but do not show this mockups to clients. Maybe they feeling embarrassed due to "non-glamour" look of paper sketches. So, when i told my designer friends your sentences about how paper sketch is appreciated, they was really wondered and pleased. I think this is the communication issue, and thank you for clearing this issue 
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Working it out on paper first was great. I think it also really made me appreciate the fact that Mike is a really good designer and not just someone who knows how to work Photoshop well.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
I am a designer, and i have found many interesting and informative things in this article, especially in phrases: "Mike is the first designer I worked with who does all his conceptual drawings on actual paper" -- very helpful!
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Ugh, it always comes down to the wife making the decision
That was a great article, even though I only had time to skim it. I especially like the part where you and Mike talked about your business plans, so the logo could be the summary of your plans. It makes my skin crawl everytime I get spammed about "get a logo for $5" because obviously the results will not embody the unique personality of your company and product.
I'll have to check out the other articles on your site later, to see if you have thoughts about your business plans, and how your concepts of your intended audience (customers) translated into your thoughts on a logo design (make it look modern). It's also interesting to learn that you didn't apply any color theory such as red is a motion color, blue is business like, etc. You jsut went with what you feel. Proving that design can't be reduced to a recipe. Unless you're making vanilla cookies ;-0
Created by Steve Wasiura on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wednesday February 2, 2005
Creating a logo
Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new busin [...]
Created by microISV :: a community for independent software d on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Steve. Yeah a $5 logo is a $5 logo. Perhaps for some things that is sufficient but for a business you plan to make your livelihood I think spending a few more dollars is well worth it.
This blog is only a few months old and I'm really just finding my voice and getting my feet wet. This is the first piece I've done of this size, but I have a bunch more planned. It is time consuming, this took several days of on and off work, but I think it's worth it. The reaction to it has been really good.
Yeah I didn't come in with alot of preconceived color notions, I wanted to go with what felt best. The only type of thought like that I had was on the very last round of color when I saw the red with the HelpSpot logo. To me the term help seems like it should be in red. I guess it's a cultural thing, so going with the dark red gave it a little different angle while still feeling "right".
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Stealing Your Design Must be something in the air. This is why you cough up the few bucks for a designer, the bad press just isn’t worth st [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow Ian, this thread is quite interesting! Glad to see designers weighing in as well as developers and clients of design.
Something I'm discovering as I continue to share in-progress sketches with those I work with, that it encourages a unity between us. The client sees things taking shape, has input to the direction and feels part of the progress, because they are.
I remember leaving college that one instructor I had suggested including in-progress sketches to my portfolio, which I did. I was surprised at how consistently those who saw the portfolio enjoyed seeing steps in the process and my sketches.
Since then I've realized showing sketches is a way to share the process with others. That, comibined with good defense of ideas either in notes or verbal discussion often resolves questions and issues before they even arise.
I would suggest to designers to make your work a conversation as the Cluetrain Manifesto suggests. For us, we can share our sketches as well as words to involve clients in the "conversation" to great benefit for everyone.
It takes some guts to open up and share your sketches, because there's a good chance some crappy stuff will be right next to good stuff. My solution is to tell clients which ideas I think are crap and why, as well as telling them what's good. Again, it opens your process to others, and makes choosing the "right" much easier.
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
f That Blogs Equal Good Business I just heard from my designer tonight that the article I wrote up about the design process for my companies logo has gotten h [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah this tread is really turning into a nice resource. That's one of the things I don't like about how Joel Spolsky does his articles. He doesn't leave the comments on the page with the article, they're only in the forum. I think having all this great conversation right with the article adds so much to the experience.
Great points. Working with the sketches definitely made me feel very involved in the process. It also really gives you and understanding of the "history" of the design. You've seen the transition and have a real understanding how it formed. I think it also creates alot more opportunities to have this 2 way conversation where you're getting feedback from the customer, which will let you shape the next revisions.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
it was very nice discussion on building a logo , we do graphic desinging work for different companies but i always think, is it really important that the logo should have some relation with the work company is doing ?
Created by Raza on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow that's really interesting. I wouldn't have thought that, since I've never seen it before and worked with many designers. I'm glad I could help! I definitely think it helps build trust and shows commitment on the part of the designer.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
The fun fact is that almost every designer does mockups on paper, but do not show this mockups to clients. Maybe they feeling embarrassed due to "non-glamour" look of paper sketches. So, when i told my designer friends your sentences about how paper sketch is appreciated, they was really wondered and pleased. I think this is the communication issue, and thank you for clearing this issue
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Working it out on paper first was great. I think it also really made me appreciate the fact that Mike is a really good designer and not just someone who knows how to work Photoshop well.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
I am a designer, and i have found many interesting and informative things in this article, especially in phrases: "Mike is the first designer I worked with who does all his conceptual drawings on actual paper" -- very helpful!
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
You've got a very nice shiny new pair of logos there.
I agree, CEOs should never design their own logo. Usually someone with a design eye can flip through the Yellow Pages and all the "self-designed" logos jump right out at them as being amateurish-looking due to being poorly-executed, cliche'd, illegible, dated, or whatever. (My favorites are the ones where someone thought just putting the company name in one of the "Star Trek" fonts would automatically make it futuristic.) When someone asks me for my blessing of their self-designed logo, I tend to whip out the Yellow Pages -- "This one makes the same mistake as yours... and so does this one... and this one... hey, there's the same clip-art truck you pasted in... you know, if your company's important to you, you should at least pay someone to draw you a _new_ cartoon truck."
The number of steps in designing a logo varies all over the place -- sometimes the "winning" idea pops up immediately and just requires careful execution, while other logos go through iteration after iteration until the designer feels the artwork is just right and the client is satisfied and the test prints look okay. I recently did a logo which, after the concept was approved, went through 21 revisions before all issues were dealt with -- and that was just the "standard" version which then also had to be adapted to the "small" version, the "horizontal" version, the process-color version, the monochrome version, and an animated one, plus a family of custom fonts. The complete corporate identity system built around that logo was a full-time project for about two months.
Of course, such an elaborate project is only appropriate for certain big companies or mass-marketing ventures -- I recommend that startups should just ask the designer to come up with the final design for _a_ logo, a business card, a letterhead, and a single page of guidelines as to how to properly use the logo. (Many a good logo has been corrupted by being used inappropriately, so part of the package should be the "don't do this" sheet -- "don't change these colors, don't substitute a different font, don't squish it, don't put a box around it," etc. -- and of course said guidelines also need to state the rules for using "TM" or "(R)" with the logo.)
For a real glimpse into how Herculean the task of designing a corporate identity can be, refer to GE's corporate identity manual, which at one point was several _hundred_ pages... a true collision between graphic art and bureaucracy. And then there's the famous story about Saul Bass's 2000 pencil drawings while he was perfecting the first version of the AT&T "Death Star"... Anyway, I wish your company so much success that you someday have to put a designer to that sort of challenge!
-- K.
Created by James "Kibo" Parry on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
And the big problem is that when you do it yourself you always think it looks good! When I look at code I've just written 9 times out of 10 I say damn that's nice code. Then a month later I look at it and wonder what the heck I was doing and go change it, make it better, etc. The problem is that it's really hard to "go back later" with a logo. Once you've printed stuff and put up a website and started advertising with it you need to be really really careful about changing it. That's why I think it's so important to get it done right the first time. There is alot of stuff you can skimp on when starting a small software company but logo design isn't one of them.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
What a lot of people don't realise when they try to do their own logo design work is that while it is easy to design a really bad logo, a good memorable one takes much more work.
The logos of big corporations have thousands of dollars spent on them for a reason. I remember reading an article on the redesign of the BHP/Biliton logo which didn't go into as much detail as this entry, but did show some of the designer's thoughs behind it.
Thanks.
Created by Tim Chmielewski on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Excellent post. I own an internet development company so the process is all too familiar to me but I always like to hear how a client feels towards the overall process.
I also like the end result!
Cheers,
Aaron Holmes
Created by Aaron Holmes on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Designing a Logo
microISV: "Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new business logo for his company UserScape and his product HelpSpot. He documents each step of the process from the initial drawings by hand to...
Created by Business Opportunities Weblog on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
You've got a very nice shiny new pair of logos there.
I agree, CEOs should never design their own logo. Usually someone with a design eye can flip through the Yellow Pages and all the "self-designed" logos jump right out at them as being amateurish-looking due to being poorly-executed, cliche'd, illegible, dated, or whatever. (My favorites are the ones where someone thought just putting the company name in one of the "Star Trek" fonts would automatically make it futuristic.) When someone asks me for my blessing of their self-designed logo, I tend to whip out the Yellow Pages -- "This one makes the same mistake as yours... and so does this one... and this one... hey, there's the same clip-art truck you pasted in... you know, if your company's important to you, you should at least pay someone to draw you a _new_ cartoon truck."
The number of steps in designing a logo varies all over the place -- sometimes the "winning" idea pops up immediately and just requires careful execution, while other logos go through iteration after iteration until the designer feels the artwork is just right and the client is satisfied and the test prints look okay. I recently did a logo which, after the concept was approved, went through 21 revisions before all issues were dealt with -- and that was just the "standard" version which then also had to be adapted to the "small" version, the "horizontal" version, the process-color version, the monochrome version, and an animated one, plus a family of custom fonts. The complete corporate identity system built around that logo was a full-time project for about two months.
Of course, such an elaborate project is only appropriate for certain big companies or mass-marketing ventures -- I recommend that startups should just ask the designer to come up with the final design for _a_ logo, a business card, a letterhead, and a single page of guidelines as to how to properly use the logo. (Many a good logo has been corrupted by being used inappropriately, so part of the package should be the "don't do this" sheet -- "don't change these colors, don't substitute a different font, don't squish it, don't put a box around it," etc. -- and of course said guidelines also need to state the rules for using "TM" or "(R)" with the logo.)
For a real glimpse into how Herculean the task of designing a corporate identity can be, refer to GE's corporate identity manual, which at one point was several _hundred_ pages... a true collision between graphic art and bureaucracy. And then there's the famous story about Saul Bass's 2000 pencil drawings while he was perfecting the first version of the AT&T "Death Star"... Anyway, I wish your company so much success that you someday have to put a designer to that sort of challenge!
-- K.
Created by James "Kibo" Parry on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
And the big problem is that when you do it yourself you always think it looks good! When I look at code I've just written 9 times out of 10 I say damn that's nice code. Then a month later I look at it and wonder what the heck I was doing and go change it, make it better, etc. The problem is that it's really hard to "go back later" with a logo. Once you've printed stuff and put up a website and started advertising with it you need to be really really careful about changing it. That's why I think it's so important to get it done right the first time. There is alot of stuff you can skimp on when starting a small software company but logo design isn't one of them.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
The fun fact is that almost every designer does mockups on paper, but do not show this mockups to clients. Maybe they feeling embarrassed due to "non-glamour" look of paper sketches. So, when i told my designer friends your sentences about how paper sketch is appreciated, they was really wondered and pleased. I think this is the communication issue, and thank you for clearing this issue
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Working it out on paper first was great. I think it also really made me appreciate the fact that Mike is a really good designer and not just someone who knows how to work Photoshop well.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
I am a designer, and i have found many interesting and informative things in this article, especially in phrases: "Mike is the first designer I worked with who does all his conceptual drawings on actual paper" -- very helpful!
Created by Rostislav Siryk on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
You've got a very nice shiny new pair of logos there.
I agree, CEOs should never design their own logo. Usually someone with a design eye can flip through the Yellow Pages and all the "self-designed" logos jump right out at them as being amateurish-looking due to being poorly-executed, cliche'd, illegible, dated, or whatever. (My favorites are the ones where someone thought just putting the company name in one of the "Star Trek" fonts would automatically make it futuristic.) When someone asks me for my blessing of their self-designed logo, I tend to whip out the Yellow Pages -- "This one makes the same mistake as yours... and so does this one... and this one... hey, there's the same clip-art truck you pasted in... you know, if your company's important to you, you should at least pay someone to draw you a _new_ cartoon truck."
The number of steps in designing a logo varies all over the place -- sometimes the "winning" idea pops up immediately and just requires careful execution, while other logos go through iteration after iteration until the designer feels the artwork is just right and the client is satisfied and the test prints look okay. I recently did a logo which, after the concept was approved, went through 21 revisions before all issues were dealt with -- and that was just the "standard" version which then also had to be adapted to the "small" version, the "horizontal" version, the process-color version, the monochrome version, and an animated one, plus a family of custom fonts. The complete corporate identity system built around that logo was a full-time project for about two months.
Of course, such an elaborate project is only appropriate for certain big companies or mass-marketing ventures -- I recommend that startups should just ask the designer to come up with the final design for _a_ logo, a business card, a letterhead, and a single page of guidelines as to how to properly use the logo. (Many a good logo has been corrupted by being used inappropriately, so part of the package should be the "don't do this" sheet -- "don't change these colors, don't substitute a different font, don't squish it, don't put a box around it," etc. -- and of course said guidelines also need to state the rules for using "TM" or "(R)" with the logo.)
For a real glimpse into how Herculean the task of designing a corporate identity can be, refer to GE's corporate identity manual, which at one point was several _hundred_ pages... a true collision between graphic art and bureaucracy. And then there's the famous story about Saul Bass's 2000 pencil drawings while he was perfecting the first version of the AT&T "Death Star"... Anyway, I wish your company so much success that you someday have to put a designer to that sort of challenge!
-- K.
Created by James "Kibo" Parry on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
And the big problem is that when you do it yourself you always think it looks good! When I look at code I've just written 9 times out of 10 I say damn that's nice code. Then a month later I look at it and wonder what the heck I was doing and go change it, make it better, etc. The problem is that it's really hard to "go back later" with a logo. Once you've printed stuff and put up a website and started advertising with it you need to be really really careful about changing it. That's why I think it's so important to get it done right the first time. There is alot of stuff you can skimp on when starting a small software company but logo design isn't one of them.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
What a lot of people don't realise when they try to do their own logo design work is that while it is easy to design a really bad logo, a good memorable one takes much more work.
The logos of big corporations have thousands of dollars spent on them for a reason. I remember reading an article on the redesign of the BHP/Biliton logo which didn't go into as much detail as this entry, but did show some of the designer's thoughs behind it.
Thanks.
Created by Tim Chmielewski on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Excellent post. I own an internet development company so the process is all too familiar to me but I always like to hear how a client feels towards the overall process.
I also like the end result!
Cheers,
Aaron Holmes
Created by Aaron Holmes on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Designing a Logo
microISV: "Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new business logo for his company UserScape and his product HelpSpot. He documents each step of the process from the initial drawings by hand to...
Created by Business Opportunities Weblog on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Steve. Yeah a $5 logo is a $5 logo. Perhaps for some things that is sufficient but for a business you plan to make your livelihood I think spending a few more dollars is well worth it.
This blog is only a few months old and I'm really just finding my voice and getting my feet wet. This is the first piece I've done of this size, but I have a bunch more planned. It is time consuming, this took several days of on and off work, but I think it's worth it. The reaction to it has been really good.
Yeah I didn't come in with alot of preconceived color notions, I wanted to go with what felt best. The only type of thought like that I had was on the very last round of color when I saw the red with the HelpSpot logo. To me the term help seems like it should be in red. I guess it's a cultural thing, so going with the dark red gave it a little different angle while still feeling "right".
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wednesday February 2, 2005
Creating a logo
Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new busin [...]
Created by microISV :: a community for independent software d on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Ugh, it always comes down to the wife making the decision
That was a great article, even though I only had time to skim it. I especially like the part where you and Mike talked about your business plans, so the logo could be the summary of your plans. It makes my skin crawl everytime I get spammed about "get a logo for $5" because obviously the results will not embody the unique personality of your company and product.
I'll have to check out the other articles on your site later, to see if you have thoughts about your business plans, and how your concepts of your intended audience (customers) translated into your thoughts on a logo design (make it look modern). It's also interesting to learn that you didn't apply any color theory such as red is a motion color, blue is business like, etc. You jsut went with what you feel. Proving that design can't be reduced to a recipe. Unless you're making vanilla cookies ;-0
Created by Steve Wasiura on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah alot of people seem to be picking up on that aspect of it. I think it's great, it really keeps you focused on the structural aspects of the design. Color's bring in alot of emotions so leaving them until the end keeps those emotions out of the process.
ps. fixed!
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Nice article, Ian! One personal take away for me was to using color as the last stage in logo design process. Thanks!
JD
P.S.: The text 'Email must be filled in' next to 'Subscribe to Comments' is not required as you have already made email field as compulsory.
Created by JD on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
No problem. It's an interesting process and one I think many folks don't know too much about before they start it.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow that's really interesting. I wouldn't have thought that, since I've never seen it before and worked with many designers. I'm glad I could help! I definitely think it helps build trust and shows commitment on the part of the designer.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
it was very nice discussion on building a logo , we do graphic desinging work for different companies but i always think, is it really important that the logo should have some relation with the work company is doing ?
Created by Raza on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah this tread is really turning into a nice resource. That's one of the things I don't like about how Joel Spolsky does his articles. He doesn't leave the comments on the page with the article, they're only in the forum. I think having all this great conversation right with the article adds so much to the experience.
Great points. Working with the sketches definitely made me feel very involved in the process. It also really gives you and understanding of the "history" of the design. You've seen the transition and have a real understanding how it formed. I think it also creates alot more opportunities to have this 2 way conversation where you're getting feedback from the customer, which will let you shape the next revisions.
Created by Ian on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
What a lot of people don't realise when they try to do their own logo design work is that while it is easy to design a really bad logo, a good memorable one takes much more work.
The logos of big corporations have thousands of dollars spent on them for a reason. I remember reading an article on the redesign of the BHP/Biliton logo which didn't go into as much detail as this entry, but did show some of the designer's thoughs behind it.
Thanks.
Created by Tim Chmielewski on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Excellent post. I own an internet development company so the process is all too familiar to me but I always like to hear how a client feels towards the overall process.
I also like the end result!
Cheers,
Aaron Holmes
Created by Aaron Holmes on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Designing a Logo
microISV: "Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new business logo for his company UserScape and his product HelpSpot. He documents each step of the process from the initial drawings by hand to...
Created by Business Opportunities Weblog on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Steve. Yeah a $5 logo is a $5 logo. Perhaps for some things that is sufficient but for a business you plan to make your livelihood I think spending a few more dollars is well worth it.
This blog is only a few months old and I'm really just finding my voice and getting my feet wet. This is the first piece I've done of this size, but I have a bunch more planned. It is time consuming, this took several days of on and off work, but I think it's worth it. The reaction to it has been really good.
Yeah I didn't come in with alot of preconceived color notions, I wanted to go with what felt best. The only type of thought like that I had was on the very last round of color when I saw the red with the HelpSpot logo. To me the term help seems like it should be in red. I guess it's a cultural thing, so going with the dark red gave it a little different angle while still feeling "right".
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wednesday February 2, 2005
Creating a logo
Ian Landsman shares his experience of working with a graphic designer to create a new busin [...]
Created by microISV :: a community for independent software d on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Ugh, it always comes down to the wife making the decision
That was a great article, even though I only had time to skim it. I especially like the part where you and Mike talked about your business plans, so the logo could be the summary of your plans. It makes my skin crawl everytime I get spammed about "get a logo for $5" because obviously the results will not embody the unique personality of your company and product.
I'll have to check out the other articles on your site later, to see if you have thoughts about your business plans, and how your concepts of your intended audience (customers) translated into your thoughts on a logo design (make it look modern). It's also interesting to learn that you didn't apply any color theory such as red is a motion color, blue is business like, etc. You jsut went with what you feel. Proving that design can't be reduced to a recipe. Unless you're making vanilla cookies ;-0
Created by Steve Wasiura on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Yeah alot of people seem to be picking up on that aspect of it. I think it's great, it really keeps you focused on the structural aspects of the design. Color's bring in alot of emotions so leaving them until the end keeps those emotions out of the process.
ps. fixed!
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Nice article, Ian! One personal take away for me was to using color as the last stage in logo design process. Thanks!
JD
P.S.: The text 'Email must be filled in' next to 'Subscribe to Comments' is not required as you have already made email field as compulsory.
Created by JD on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
No problem. It's an interesting process and one I think many folks don't know too much about before they start it.
Created by Ian Landsman on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Ian, this was interesting to read from the clients (your) perspective. I'll have to do the same and link to this description, so readers can see the different thought processes on each end of the project.
Thanks again for the opportunity to work with you on this one.
Mike
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Leaplogic Gets a Logo Nice logo Chris. Glad to see you went about it the right way. My company, UserScape, is currently develo [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Stealing Your Design Must be something in the air. This is why you cough up the few bucks for a designer, the bad press just isn’t worth st [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Wow Ian, this thread is quite interesting! Glad to see designers weighing in as well as developers and clients of design.
Something I'm discovering as I continue to share in-progress sketches with those I work with, that it encourages a unity between us. The client sees things taking shape, has input to the direction and feels part of the progress, because they are.
I remember leaving college that one instructor I had suggested including in-progress sketches to my portfolio, which I did. I was surprised at how consistently those who saw the portfolio enjoyed seeing steps in the process and my sketches.
Since then I've realized showing sketches is a way to share the process with others. That, comibined with good defense of ideas either in notes or verbal discussion often resolves questions and issues before they even arise.
I would suggest to designers to make your work a conversation as the Cluetrain Manifesto suggests. For us, we can share our sketches as well as words to involve clients in the "conversation" to great benefit for everyone.
It takes some guts to open up and share your sketches, because there's a good chance some crappy stuff will be right next to good stuff. My solution is to tell clients which ideas I think are crap and why, as well as telling them what's good. Again, it opens your process to others, and makes choosing the "right" much easier.
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
f That Blogs Equal Good Business I just heard from my designer tonight that the article I wrote up about the design process for my companies logo has gotten h [...]
Created by Ian Landsman’s Weblog » Blog Archive on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm
Thanks Ian, this was interesting to read from the clients (your) perspective. I'll have to do the same and link to this description, so readers can see the different thought processes on each end of the project.
Thanks again for the opportunity to work with you on this one.
Mike
Created by Mike Rohde on 01.31.2005 11:01 pm