I believe that the most important stage of a Logos development is the time spent developing ideas on a sketch pad. It is very tempting to rush to the computer as soon as you have something scribbled out that works but if you try and develop six to eight good ideas on paper first this will make a huge difference to the level of creativity within your designs.

So How Long Does It Take To Design A Logo?

There is no precise answer to this question other than it will take a s long as it takes but this is not always possible for designers that have to meet tight deadlines. If you have to complete work within a restricted time I would advise a minimum of 2 hours for idea generation. This time is essential and will make a big difference to the end result and could even save you time if you can impress a client with a good concept from the very start. A further 2 hours should be allowed for generating the initial computer visuals and another hour to refine the details. If you are creating a number of concepts so as to give your client a choice then these times will be considerably longer. This probably sounds like you might be able to complete a logo for a client within 5 hours but this is usually not the case as there is often research to be done before the idea generation stage and there is also the many revisions to produce that a client is likely to request not to mention the time spent communicating with a client either by telephone, e-mail or in person.

Logo Designers often do not get the credit they deserve for the designs they create as people often see logos as simple graphics and they do not see the huge amount of time and effort that preceded a logo’s creation.

So How Long Does It Takes To Design A Logo? Usually Longer than anybody will give you credit for!

I have done my best to list these common practices below to clarify the things that are considered to make a logo designer good at what they do.

1. Being equipped with a knowledge of logo design

A logo designer must have some knowledge about logos if they are to be considered to be good at what they do. This knowledge I believe should consist of an understanding of how a logo is usually used and what makes an effective logo that would fulfill the requirements of an individual or company’s needs.

An understanding of how to communicate through a visual language is very important and this is why many designers have had some sort of training or education within the area of graphic design to develop this ability to communicate though what is visually perceived by others in the form of graphics.

2. Experience

A logo designer needs to have experience with designing Logos. Experience comes with time and so for designers that have just started out on their logo design career this experience will not be with them but over time this experience will grow and with this experience a designer will also develop a confidence in their work which will also communicate to others that they are good at what they do as having confidence in your own work will inspire confidence in others that you know what you are doing when it comes to logos.

3. A love for logos

In my opinion this has got to be the most important factor. A logo designer must genuinely love designing logos if they are to be any good at it as enthusiasm will show in a designers work from the generation of ideas to creating the final artwork. There will need to be an attention to detail and this attention usually only comes from a love towards what it is you do. You will spend a lot of your time designing logos as a logo designer so you will also need to have a love for logo design to keep up the enthusiasm from project to project.

4. A knowledge of file formats and the use of design software

It is expected that a logo designer cannot only create the final artwork for a logo but can also supply the artwork in the necessary file formats. A good knowledge of a professional vector based design program like Adobe Illustrator is necessary for creating the final artwork and supplying clients with a vector based version of the logo is also usually essential so that they can then give this file to sign makers, vehicle graphic applicators, uniform printers, etc.

5. An understanding of print

If a logo designer has a reasonable knowledge of the printing industry then they should be able to design artwork that reproduces well in a printed format. Considerations such as colours, text size, line weight, transparencies, etc all need to be taken into account when creating the final logo artwork to ensure a professional reproduction at the printing stage.

6. The ability to take criticism

As a logo designer you will probably receive criticism of your work on a daily basis. At first this can be a little difficult to get used to but it is important to not take this criticism personally. Every body has a different point of view and what one person loves another hates. The important thing is to find a solution that a client is happy with and not to be too attached to the work you create. This does not mean that you do not care about your work it just means that you do not need to defend your work fiercely when a client does not feel totally happy with what has been presented.

7. To know that there is always more to learn

There is no limit to design and there is no limit to what you can learn about it. As design changes with the times so to does a designer have to change. If you just create the same things over and over again it gets boring for you and for others. It is exciting to develop your style further and experiment with different design possibilities and styles. This helps to keep a designers creativity alive and to continue the love for design.

I hope the above has been of help or interest to somebody and please feel free to leave a comment if there is anything else you would like to add. Thank you for reading.

Another factor that makes finding regular work as a logo designer more difficult is the growing competition. There are now many large corporate organisations that have taken an interest in the area of logo design offering cheap design packages which makes finding work as a logo designer that little bit more difficult plus there is the more recent development of online logo design template websites and logo template software packages.

With all the above now said this article has been titled “How to find work as a logo designer”, so I will now offer a few suggestions as to how a designer might go about finding work as a logo designer.

The Freelance Designer

If a designer wishes to find work as a freelance designer then one of the most reliable sources for finding regular work might be for the designer to approach graphic design agencies and offer their services to them. design agencies will usually not pay huge amounts for projects but they can be a solution for finding work on a regular basis. Finding work can be difficult for a designer especially if they have recently started out on their freelance career as it takes time to build a good reputation.

Employment

It is possible to find employment as a logo designer. These jobs are not so common as the placements that are available to the general graphic designer but they can be found. If a designer wished to become a logo designer through employment then it would be advised to not wait for a placement to be advertised but to contact design studios that are likely to have the facilities to be able to offer such a specialised placement. A designer should also have an impressive portfolio ready that is filled with logos they have designed. These logos do not necessarily have to be created for real projects but they should show the best of a designers ability for creating logos from concepts to final artwork.

Start your own business

It would be advised to start out as a freelance designer first before making such a leap especially if you do not intend to complete any work through other design agencies. The biggest hurdle for a designer wishing to start their own business is finding enough work to make the business worthwhile and profitable. Advertising is a common source for businesses that find new projects to work on but effective advertising is usually quite expensive and so this expense can have a big impact on the profit that is left at the end of a project. Having said this if a designer feels confident about starting their own business and believes that they can acquire enough regular work by profitable means then starting a business may be the best solution for them.

The above is only my thoughts on how a logo designer might go about finding work but I would be interested to hear from other logo designers about the advice they might offer other designer to enable them to find work. Thank you for reading.

Design books are often quite pricey due to the expensive full colour quality printing required to present the featured work as professionally as possible, so purchasing a long list of logo design books might leave a designer with very light pockets!

So the question is, will the purchase be good value for money for me? If you intend to read through the book cover to cover and really look at the details of the work presented with the intent of learning something new then a book may well be worth it. If however you would just like to flick through a few pages, put the book on the side to collect a little dust and then put it away in a draw then it may not be such a worthwhile purchase. You will only get something out of a design book if you invest some time and enthusiasm into reading it.

Some designers like to have lots of books so that they can flick through them when they are feeling a little less than inspired and this is certainly useful but I believe that this inspiration is quite costly if that is all the books are used for especially when inspiration can quite easily be found on the internet for free. It could also be considered to be a waste of resources if many of those full colour pages are barely glanced at.

I feel I should say at this point that I am not saying that books on logo design are a waste of money as I have read many excellent books on logo design and have been inspired by the excellent work they feature but I do believe that you will only get your money’s worth if you read through and investigate the details of the content of a book pretty much cover to cover. If you read through a book cover to cover and then later use the book for flick through inspirational purposes then you can be sure that you have done all that you can to make your purchase worthwhile.

So to summarise my approach to purchasing books on logo design is to first read some reviews about the book and then ask myself if I would actually read the book. I believe that books on logo design can be most useful and informative for logo designers and can also help them to develop their own style further as well as to keep a designer informed and aware of the latest popular styles and trends being produced by other designers. There is always more to learn about design and books are full of information that can aid this learning process but it is up to the individual to make this effort to read and investigate the content.

The above is only my opinion on logo design books so I would like to hear from other logo designers what their own feelings are towards design books and the way they should be used. If you have something to say please feel free to submit a comment and thank you for reading.

If you have ever visited a logo designer’s blog you may well see images of initial thoughts for a Logos development in the form of a sketch created by the Logo Designer. I believe that this is really an essential stage in a logos development if you are looking to find the best possible solution you can create for a logo.

It is possible for a logo designer to sit at their computer and just design on screen but really I believe the computer should be seen more as a tool for visually creating existing ideas rather than trying to use the computer to create ideas. Designers that usually skip the sketch pad stage often have very computer based work in that the logos they design are often created using different computer based effects. I believe that this is done as there is less thought behind the concepts and so they have opted for a more visually focused design rather than a design that is based on a most thoughtful concept. If a logo does not have a strong concept behind it the only way to make it appealing is to make it visually attractive but if a logo has a strong concept behind it then it can be appreciated from a different angle in that it can be appreciated for the concept.

I feel I should say that I am not saying every great logo was created in a sketch book first but I believe that most probably were. From experience I have seen a big improvement in my own work due to spending more time using the sketch book and less time clicking away on the computer during the early stages of a logos development.

So why is it that many designers find it more productive for idea generation to use a sketch book? I believe that this is because when people sit staring at a computer screen they develop tunnel vision. The mind stares with a blank focus at the uninspiring screen waiting for the idea to be presented rather than actively and consciously looking for a solution. This is much like when people watch TV, they stare with a blank focus at the screen waiting to be presented with information.

A designer needs to think sideways to develop creative ideas and to actively and consciously search for a solution. A sketch book is less visually stimulating and mesmerizing than an illuminated computer screen so the individual has to bring something to the sketh book to make it appealing.

I am not saying that the computer is not an essential tool when it comes to designing logos in this digital age but if the computer is used more as a tool for expressing your creative ideas that were initially created on paper the results are often greater. These ideas need only be rough sketches as it is the idea that is important and the visual representation of this idea can always be developed further but if you do not have a good concept for a logo in the early stages it is very unlikely that further visual development will enrich the concept. I believe it is best to begin with a solid foundation that you can really build something impressive on.

The above is only my opinion based on my own experience and so I would be very interested to hear from other designers with regards to their approach towards initial idea generation. Thank you for reading.

After being a Logo Designer for a number of years now I have quite a lot of logos that I have created for various clients that could be featured in both my online and paper based portfolio. It is tempting to put them all in and many logo designers choose to feature all their logos within their portfolio which makes sense to show potential clients that you have the experience but is it possible to over do it?

I myself am a big believer that “Less is More”, but having said that it is quite impressive to see lots of work in a designers portfolio if the work is of a high standard. So when is enough logos enough within a portfolio?

My approach to this is to select the best designs I believe I have as well as to get feedback from others about which of the Logos I have designed they feel are in their opinion the best. An excellent way of getting feedback is to post your logos on a blog and ask for feedback on the designs. You can do this on your own blog if you have a good number of daily visits or you can ask to post your logos on a logo design based blog that features designers work. You should be prepared for some negative feedback as well though as not everybody likes the same things and some people just like to be negative

Another point to make here is to not only get feedback from other designers as designers appreciate logos on a more complex level and your potential clients will not usually be other designers. Having said that it is still a very good idea to get some opinions from experienced designers that have been working in the industry for a while.

Once you have received some feedback for your logos you should be quite well equipped to begin putting a list together of your logos that you and others believe to be the best of your work. You should put the strongest logos at the start of the portfolio as you need to impressive from the very first example to keep people interested enough to move on to the next example. If you keep adding the logos in this way until you come to the logos that you feel unsure about.

If you feel positive about adding the logos at the start of your portfolio and not so comfortable with the later ones this probably means you are now adding work that is not showing the best of your ability. I believe that it would be better to add only 8 logos that you felt confident with than to add 16 that you felt unsure about half of.

For Logo Designers just starting out picking and choosing logos is not an option as you will probably have to feature pretty much everything you have just to have 8 logos but if you stick to around this number and replace the weaker ones over time with some stronger examples this will help to build a strong portfolio and when you have lots of logos that you feel confident about you can extend your portfolio until your heart is content.

This is only my opinion and approach to selecting the best logos for a portfolio so I would be interested to hear from any other designers about their approach to this.

I hope this is of some use to somebody and thanks very much for visiting and reading.

Clients have asked me before if I am a Logo Designer or a Graphic Designer and my response usually is that I am a graphic designer that specialises in the area of Logo Design. I do also complete other graphic design projects such as brochures, stationery, flyers, leaflets, etc but the majority of my time is devoted to designing Logos and developing identities for businesses usually based in the UK.

So can Graphic Designers provide Professional Logos?

Yep, they sure can. A graphic designer may not specialise in logo design but most can still create logos and provide them in the necessary formats. One thing I have noticed about general graphic designers though is that they sometimes provide image based logos which look great but this does cause problems when it comes to resizing the logo. A designer should always provide a vector based logo if the client wishes to use the logo at many different sizes. For more information on this please read my article on Digital Files for Logos.

Why Specialise in Logos?

If you are looking to get rich then logo design is probably not the most profitable area of graphic design as there is a lot of work that goes in to creating a logo and clients do not always see this so they often have budgets for you to work with. Large print projects like books and booklets however is probably a different story as clients expect that these items will cost more with all the pages. It would look to a client that they were getting more for their money if they have a booklet designed than just one single logo even if the same amount of time was spent on each of them.

The profitability from designing logos is also reduced now that there is such a great amount of competition within this area. This is not to say that you cannot make a living from logo design, I just think that there are other areas of graphic design that would possibly be more profitable. There is also more ongoing work from clients with design for print projects where as with a logo once the logo is done sometimes its all over if all they wanted from you was the logo.

So if you want to be a logo designer because you enjoy designing logos more than other areas of graphic design then go for it! You may not be rich but at least you will get to design the things you like to design the most

A List of things that help a Logo Designer do what they do.

1. An Education in Graphic Design – I have been to both college and university to study graphic design but whilst I think a university degree is helpful it is not really essential. It is certainly a good idea through to study a course in graphic design and there are many excellent colleges that offer this.

2. Industry Experience – This is even more important than the education. Get as much industry experience as you can and it is also essential to have a good knowledge of the printing industry as that is where all your hard work is sent to and if you know a little about printing this can save some unwanted disasters and even open up some new creative doors.

3. Books – Yep lots of books on logos, always handy when you have designers block and need a little inspiration but remember there is a big difference between being inspired and being a copy cat

4. A computer – an Apple imac will do the job nicely. It is tempting to blow the whole budget on a super fast computer but the processing power that now comes as standard with the latest Apple imacs is certainly enough for creating logos and other design for print based projects. The super mega fast computers available now are really more for video and animation intensive requirements and also for individuals and agencies with too much cash!

5. A Sketch book – spend more time using your sketch book than your computer and you will create some amazing work. From experience the concept is usually always created using the good old fashioned pen / pencil and a sketch book. Spend a little longer on the ideas and the results will be many times better.

6. Software – In my opinion Adobe Illustrator has pretty much become the industry standard for logo artwork creation. It is also very handy to have Adobe Photoshop to provide clients with various image previews and additional image based files but this can all be done using Illustrator if you wish.

7. A portfolio – It is best to have both an online portfolio and a paper based portfolio. Your online portfolio can be in the form of a website or you can place your work on an existing design based website that allows the promotion of your own work.

Its essential to have a paper / non digital portfolio so that you have something to show clients when you go to meet them as the conversation may soon dry up if you are just looking at a blank sketch pad ready to take notes, Clients need inspiration too and reassurance that you are up to the job.

8. A network you can turn to – It is a good idea to join an online community that shares an interest in logo design and that you can turn to when you need a little help with something such as the name of a typeface or an opinion on a design. There are lots of logo design forums and blogs out there so it is just a case of finding one that suits you.

9. Impressive Knowledge – You cannot really sell a logo until you know what you are talking about so learn as much as you can about typography, design and printing. This will also help to build confidence when talking to clinets.

10. A love for logos – you will really need a genuine love for logo design as you will spend much of your time doing it and if your heart is not in it then it will show in your work and clients will pick up on this too.

Hope that is of some use and if you have any thoughts of your own please share them. Thanks for reading.

Reason Number 1: Real Creativity

Although template logo design software packages and online logo template sites have improved a great deal over the last few years they still lack the personal touch of real creativity. A logo should be unique to your business and communicate something meaningful about your business, this requires the creativity of a free thinking mind not an automated template based application. If for example you are an accountant and all you require is an image of some notes of money positioned next to your company name in a suitable typeface then the template based applications and sites might just be right for you but if you require something more original and unique with a concept that has not been used over and over again then you will probably need a designer as template based applications and sites usually only offer very obvious solutions and concepts when it comes to logo design.

Reason Number 2: The importance of being original when it comes to Branding

When it comes to branding a business a strong identity that is both original and recognisable is essential. Imagine if all the large mobile phone companies like O2, Orange, T Mobile, etc all used the same symbol within their logo! People would not know one company from another which would be a disaster from the start when it came to any of the companies trying to strengthen the brand of their own company.

You may think that the above only really applies to large corporations but small businesses depend on their reputation as lower marketing budgets mean that a small business really generates new business and survives on recommendations and keeping a good reputation. The need to be unique in the eyes of your clients and customers is very important when it comes to business.

Reason Number 3: File Formats

Often the logos generated by template based applications and sites are image based which is not so good when it comes to logos. A logo needs to be used at a variety of sizes from being very small on a business card to being very large on a banner, sign or shop front. This versatility can only be achieved with a vector based file that can be resized to almost any size without loss of quality unlike an image that will distort. A professional logo designer will be aware of this and should be able to provide you with the correct file formats that are essential for the development of a versatile business brand.

The alternative to an image based logo is the more popular and reliable vector based solution for a logo design. Using professional design software such as Adobe Illustrator, logos can be created in a format that can be resized as necessary without any loss of quality. This is simply not possible with image based logos as images are not nearly as versatile when it comes to resizing. Images will distort when they are stretched which is not really an option if you require professional results.

Another issue that occurs from image based logos is larger file sizes when compared to vector based Logos. If you have an image based logo and need it to fill a large corporate sign or banner this can generate massive files sizes and this can cause problems for printers, designers, sign makers and vehicle graphic applicators that have to work with the artwork. Often the solution for this is to reduce the resolution of the image which results in a poorer quality image.

So for me creating a vector based logo and providing my clients with the vector artwork as well as image based files of the logo is the best option as this provides them with the original artwork that can be resized without a loss of quality as well as providing images that they can use as they please.

I would however be interested to hear from logo designers that choose to create image based logos and do not doubt that some impressive results can be achieved. So if you are a logo designer please add a contribution to the article by posting a comment and providing an insight in to your solution for logo artwork file formats.