Creating a Logo: Catch the Vision Before You Go Bankrupt.

A huge problem facing people who want to make a great logo for a company or a product is that they haven’t a clue as to what they want their logo to look like. They’ll often hire a designer and expect him or her to know intuitively what pleases them without giving them a whole lot of direction. Well, unfortunately, they can't read minds, let alone if the pages are empty. Fill the pages, and then show them to the designer. Otherwise you'll waste a lot of time and money when they're not quite understanding what you're laying down. I’ll show you how to do it, but you’re going to have to get yourself alone, and take 30 minutes to do it. If you can spare the time, then keep reading.

Step 1: BRAINSTORM

Brainstorm images that are associated with your product name or function. ie: Apple created an image of an Apple to reflect its name The NBA uses the image of a player dribbling. Don’t worry about how hard it will be to draw the image in your mind, just jot it down and move on. Everything is possible when you’re brainstorming. Don’t hold back.

Step 2: SKETCH

You don't need artistic skills to do this, just get out a piece of paper, a pencil, and draw the images that are in your mind to the best of your ability. Don't be afraid to scratch a few ideas out every now and then, but don't make it a habit. The point of this exercise is to get as many images as you can think of on a piece of paper to get you ready to experiment.

Step 3: EXPERIMENT

When you find one or two that you want to start working with, try writing your company’s name in all caps to the right of the Logo. Does it look good? Darken the letters to see what it would look like bold. Redraw your logo and put your name somewhere else. Keep doing this until you’re struck in awe thinking, “That could really look good.” If you don’t reach this point after working with it for a time, don’t worry, maybe that image isn’t the best one to use. Go back to the paper you used in step 2 and either 1) pick a new image to experiment with, or 2) create a new sketch of a few new ideas you got since you were last here.

Rinse and Repeat until you feel satisfied with an idea. Heck, make multiple ideas and bring them to a designer, ask them to sketch them up quickly and pick 2 or 3 you'd like to see high def. If you have an idea of what you want ready before you talk with a professional, you’ll save a lot of valuable time and money as he or she will be able to work quickly and efficiently. If you still doubt, then let me tell you that it worked for me. Therefore, I believe you can do it. You should too.

I'll post again soon on some tips on making your own logo. As always, please feel free to comment or post based on what you like, don't like, or have suggestions that can be helpful to our readers.