New Project: Logo Design and Development

Students,

For this in depth project, you will create a series of logo designs to explore different logo creation styles and then sketch and design a final logo design for use in your portfolio as a work sample. Once complete you will use this logo to create an identity package, which is our next project. Read the assignment details thoroughly!

I recommend you use Illustrator for this project. You could use the final logo design as the center piece to your final portfolio website, so consider logo themes that describe you and will work well in different environments.

Overview - Rules and Principals of Logo Design:

1. A logo must me describable

2. A logo must be memorable

3. A logo must be effective without color

4. A logo must be scaleable. So it should look good at 12"X12" and 1"X1"

5. A logo should be appropriate for it's audience and brand

Logo Design Vector Exercise:

Logo designs must be created as vector art, and must be created for stability and use with multiple media in mind. Vector art should not use strokes, only fill to ensure that artwork doesn't alter when scaled improperly. Fonts must be converted to outline in case the target user lacks the font family TTF file. Colors should be prepared for both print and screen use, with all these details you can see that logo design has technical challenges and not just creative ones as well.

Many students struggle with the vector illustration process, refresh your skills by downloading the following image and creating your own versions using FILL ONLY... NO STROKE in Adobe Illustrator. Once complete you may proceed to the 5 Styles Exercise. Post your results to your blog when complete and email me the link.

Open this image in a new window and save it to your desktop for use in this exercise...

Final results should mimic the images above....

5 Styles - Logo Design Assignment Details:

There are 5 logo examples below, you will create your own logo designs, 3 for each of the 5 styles for 15 designs. You will then design a final design utilizing the best of all styles, for the final design you will pencil sketch 3 different designs before evaluating the best choice and completing final artwork.

Create an imaginary company, organization or think of what you would like to do if you begun your own business. For instance if I was doing this assignment I would create logo's for Wilson Enterprises, Wilson Design Group or Wilson Co. etc...

Research, look at logo designs for similar companies or check out logo design collections online for inspiration. Here is a cool collection of vintage logo designs to peruse.

Create 3 versions of each of the 5  logo style examples below:

1. Typeface only: Create 3 logo's using a different font for each one. Pay attention to spacing between your letters. Think of clever ways you can make a simple font-only logo have impact. Use color, proximity, contrast to your advantage.

2. Typeface's combined: Create 3 logo's that use 2 different fonts, make your font choice strategic to add emphasis and draw attention. Check out this link on effective type combinations

3. Typeface plus an abstract art element: Create 3 examples of an arranged logo that uses a typeface plus some simple elements, rectangles, lines or dots, but they must be abstract. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed. Check out this gallery of abstract logo designs.

4. Typeface plus a shape or symbol: Create 3 examples of a logo that uses a typeface and an image or symbol that is relevant to your logo's subject matter. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed.

5. Shape or Symbol logo with typeface: Create 3 examples of a logo that makes the symbol or shape dominant and the typeface subordinant. Sketch on paper to aid your creativity if needed. Include a written explanation and description of your symbol or imagery.

Due Dates: Logo designs 1-5 are due Friday

Previous Student Logo Designs:

Logo Design by Finley Pederson
Client: The Dye Project

Logo Design by Finley Pederson
Client: MY-TE-FINDS

High Performing:

These examples show strong design development, consistency and good application of the principles and elements of design. Additionally they all show strong technical skills.

 Medium Performing:

This set of designs shows progression and focus on design elements and principles up to a point.  Perhaps too much polarity in the more advanced designs failed to yield a refined conclusion. Sometimes a train of thought must be explored deeper to yield an effective resolution to a design problem.

Low Performing:

This low performing result fails to meet assignment parameters. Additionally it does not display mastery technical skills or understanding of design elements and principles.

- Mr.W