- When I was a young designer,
I used to stress when it came to the design process,
especially with logo design.
I was always anxious about what to do, in what order
and how much time to spend on each step.
Stress and anxiety can reduce your creativity
and take the fun out of the design process.
So over the past 10 years,
I have been really focusing on my process
and refining my process
so I can be more efficient as a designer
and spend more time being creative
rather than stressing about the process.
Today, I have a really methodical process
that I have been using for the past seven years
as a freelance logo and brand designer,
which allows me to focus more on creativity
and has yielded amazing results for me over the years.
In this video, I'm going to share with you
the logo design process I use
and what we are going to undertake on this course.
So let's get into it.
(gentle music)
So here I am with a design process checklist.
This is a document I have prepared,
and it's a document that I use
every time I undertake a logo design project.
This is a checklist that I follow
to help me stay focused and move through my process.
On this course, we are going to be covering each step
and crossing them off as we progress.
If you want to get a copy to follow along with,
you can get it in the course folder.
The course folder,
comes with my complete logo design solution
I will be demonstrating on this course
including all my design example files
and documents at each step
to aid your learning and experience.
The folder also comes with design resources,
such as a logo design process checklist,
process documents and templates, a project folder structure,
color sample charts, and a logo proposal document example,
all of which you can not only learn from,
but you use in your own design process.
To get the full learning experience
and use the resources to help develop your own logo project
I recommend you get the course folder,
download link with instructions is in the description.
So with the course folder open,
click into the RESOURCES folder
and open the PDF document labeled LOGO DESIGN CHECKLIST,
and you will have the same document I have open here.
Now, you can either look at this on screen
or you can print this out.
I would recommend printing this out
because we are going to be crossing this off as we progress.
Okay, so let's take a look at this.
So when I develop my logo design
I undertake four key phases:
phase one, learn and discover concept territories,
phase two, visual concept and design,
phase three, visual artwork and design
and phase four, present to client.
Now, each phase is designed to compartmentalize
each crucial part of the process,
which allows me to focus and organize my time.
When I start a design project,
I will always start with phase one
and I won't progress onto the next phase two
until I am happy and satisfied
with the results from the first.
And I won't progress onto phase three
until I'm happy with the results from phase two and so on.
This process guarantees
I spend adequate time on each key parts in the right order
so I can initially discover ideas,
progress and develop designs and produce great results.
So before we begin our project and stop the design process,
let's take a quick look at each phase.
So when beginning any design project
I will always start with phase one,
learn and discover concept territories.
Now, when and to take in design,
you want to avoid making arbitrary decisions.
Good design has meaning and substance.
And this phase is all about discovering
that meaning and substance.
Young and new designers, may be inclined to jump
straight into the creative part of the design process
and think about the end solution
as soon as they receive a brief.
But I always find taking some time
to think about the project and discover ideas first,
can make my design solution far more impressive.
This initial stage of the project
can possibly be one of the most important
because here you will be looking to discover and generate
lots of ideas, which we will be taking forward
to develop our visual design on later in the process.
The initial stage of a project
can require a fair bit of work
though the more time you spend on this,
the more you can generate
and discover cool ideas for your design.
So in this phase, I will undertake the following steps:
step one, design brief review, recap, and understand it,
step two, project research, understanding and inspiration,
step three, brainstorming,
step four, plan creative direction,
and step five, visual research and inspiration.
So for step one,
we'll be taking a closer look at the design brief
where we will be looking to get a full understanding
of the requirements and look to highlight
and extract any key bits of useful information
that may influence any ideas
and themes to inspire a possible creative solution.
Now, they maybe occasions
where you may not be provided a brief in that case,
there are steps you can take to build when yourself
which I will be talking about later in the course.
Once we have reviewed the design brief
we should have clear understanding of the project
and the requirements
which will give us direction on what to research next.
In step two, we will undertake project research
to expand our understanding
and learn more about the product company or business
and the context of what we will be designing for.
We have taken project research
we should then have even more insight
and understanding about the project.
In step three, we will undertake a brainstorming session
where we will take all the insights we have learned
about the project and look to connect the dots,
to discover and identify any meaningful
and relevant areas and territories we can develop ideas
and base our visual design on later in the process.
With discovered areas of interest and territories,
we can then move into the next step.
In step four, we will plan our creative direction.
Here we will get decisive about our creative territories
and start to plan
exactly what we will focus our design on going forward
and outline the visual research
we can undertake to inspire our design.
With our creative direction established,
we can then move into step five
where we will undertake visual research.
Here we will look to research visual elements
that reflect the concept territories established
from the brainstorming session.
Here we will research a variety of visual elements
with the aim to narrow them down, to inspire our direction.
So the first phase is all about discovery
and the early stages of discovery
we won't be thinking of design solutions.
We will just be looking to find anything original
or profound we can take into the next phase.
So once I'm happy and satisfied,
I have some good ideas and concept territories established
I will then move on to the next phase,
phase two visual concept and design.
So this is where the creativity really starts.
And we can begin to get hands on,
put pen to paper and have some fun.
This phase is all about taking ideas
discovered in the previous phase
and looking how they can materialize visually
as a potential logo design.
In this phase, I will undertake the following steps:
step one, sketch ideas,
step two, refined sketches and draw scamps
and step three, compose logo formulas.
So for step one,
we will begin by sketching our initial logo ideas on paper.
It's here, where we will be testing and evolving
our ideas in search of a logo design.
Here, we will be looking to explore
and experiment with our thinking,
turn our initial thoughts and ideas into visual sketches,
stress test our ideas on paper
and look to identify any possible ideas and logo solutions.
During the first step,
we will be covering a lot of ground
and doing a lot of rough sketches.
Once we have spent some time sketching,
we should soon start to identify some ideas
that could lead to a logo design solution.
In step two, we will look to isolate the designs
we think work best and start to refine our visual concepts.
Here, we can look to organize any routes and options clearly
if we have more than one to take into the next phase.
Once we have refined our sketches
into more clear logo designs,
we will then put together logo formulas in the last step
to clearly show the specific ideas
that have gone into each logo design
to communicate this visually.
So the second phase, is all about exploring the ideas
we identified in phase one visually
and looking how our ideas can come to life visually
as a potential logo.
Once I am happy and satisfied
I have some good ideas and logo designs on paper
I will then move onto the next phase,
phase three, visual art working and design.
So this is where we focus on particular logo design ideas
and start to develop more final polished artwork
in preparation to present to the client.
Here, we will be looking to craft
and refine artwork on the computer.
In this phase, I will undertake the following steps:
step one, convert sketch designs into vector artwork,
step two, use typography,
step three, finalize logo compositions,
and step four finalize color.
So for step one,
we will take a chosen logo sketch design or designs,
and start to develop and craft them on the computer
using creative software tools
where we will be looking to craft
the shape and form of the logo.
Now, depending on your logo design
if you choose to use a type element
we can move onto step two,
where we will add and refine any topography.
During the first step,
we will be covering a lot of ground
and doing a lot of artwork
to craft our logo design on the computer.
As we design and craft our logo designs on the computer,
there may be a variety of routes and options that occur.
In step three, we will look to isolate the logo designs
we think we're best
and start to finalize our logo compositions
we want to present to the client.
Here, we will look to organize any routes and options
in preparation to present to the client.
Finally, once all artwork has been established
for the logo design,
we can then move into the last step
where we can focus on color.
Here, we will identify and establish appropriate
and meaningful color choices to apply to our design,
which will complete the logos
ready to present to the client.
So the third phase, is all about getting onto the computer
and bringing our logo designs to life
using creative software tools to finalize them.
Once I have developed my logo designs or designs
to a point I am happy and satisfied with,
I can then move on to the final phase,
phase four, present logo designs.
So once we have our logo designs in a good place,
we will then start thinking about
how we are going to present them to a client.
Here we will want to look at how we can make our logo design
look really impressive and make a good impression.
This is where we will take our final polished logo designs
and place them into a logo proposal documents
ready to present to a client.
In this phase, I will undertake the following steps:
step one, placed logo designs into in-situ visual examples,
step two, create a proposal deck,
step three, present to team members or the client,
step four, implement feedback and resubmit
and step five, deliver logo assets to client.
So up to this point in the process,
we will have been working
a lot into the focusing on the logo design itself.
Now, when it comes to presenting
we all want to make a big impression and wow, the client.
A really good technique to do this
is to place a logo design in-situ.
In step one, we will place logo designs
into in-situ visual examples,
which will help the client see
how the logo design will work in real life
in a variety of sizes,
which really helps to sell a logo design.
Once we have some really good in-situ visuals
of the logo design, we will then move into step two,
where we will prepare a proposal.
Here we will be looking at how we can put together
a logo design proposal presentation,
and look at all the variables that need to be included
ready to present to the client.
Once we have completed the proposal document
we will then move into step three,
where we will need to present our design to the client.
Once presented,
we will then move into step four and implement any feedback
from the presentation and resubmit.
And finally,
once a logo design has been approved and signed off,
we will undertake the last step in the process
where we will prepare
and deliver the logo assets to the client
completing the project.
So that is the logo design process I use
and we will be undertaking on this design course.
On this course,
we are going to be covering each step in depth
and I'll be showcasing my approach to each.
Now, some of you may be wondering
how long does this process take.
Well, I like to describe this process
as a responsive process.
I've worked on projects
where I've had six months to develop a logo design,
and I've been on projects where I've had only a week or two.
The time I have on a project
will determine how much time I spend on each phase.
With a decisive timeline,
I can decisively assign time to each phase.
So if I only have a week,
then I may only spend a few days on each phase
whereas if I have a few months, I can spend more time.
Simply put the more time I have on a project
the more time I can spend on each phase,
which means I can simply undertake more work
and discover and develop more ideas
and develop more routes if required.
Personally, I like to spend
at least a week's worth of work time on discovery
and a week's worth of work time on design art working
and a proposal prep.
Remember, logo design is not just about the end product,
it's everything that goes into it.
At least 50% of the time I spend on a logo design
can go into research and development.
I always communicate this to the client
and make them understand how valuable this is
to ensure they have an amazing logo.
Now, there is no right or wrong amount of time,
but you want to give yourself enough time to do a good job
whatever you can agree with the client
and what works best for you is what you should do.
Now, I've used my process in a variety of situations
on tight and larger timelines
and it has always worked well for me.
Now, some of you may be also wondering
is all this process really necessary?
Now, sometimes you may be in a client meeting
and come up with an amazing idea on the spot
right then and there and that's great.
It's happened to me and I have seen it happen a few times.
However, what I normally tend to do is make a note of it
and put it to one side,
which I can always come back to later.
I always like to exercise the full design process
because this can reveal
and uncover much more interesting ideas.
This is the difference between a logo you get on Fiverr
and a logo design a client is willing to pay a professional
thousands of pounds for.
When a client pays thousands of pounds,
they are paying for the time it takes for a professional
to execute a full design process,
to develop a bespoke and custom creative solution
based on careful thought,
oversight and consideration with the skills
to deliver a design solution to high standard
and present with the proposal document.
So that is a tried and tested design process
I have developed and perfected over the past 10 years,
which I have been paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for
in my career as a freelancer.
I have utilized this design process
on several projects at multiple design agencies
and also for personal clients
and it has always worked really well for me.
So on this course, I am happy to share this with you.
So right at the start of any design project,
one of the first things I do
is make sure I have a digital project folder set up
and a copy of my design process checklist
ready so I know where to place everything,
where to find everything during my project
and in what order to execute my design process.
This makes the whole process a breeze.
In the next video,
we are going to quickly set up a digital project folder,
which will organize everything we do for the entire project
and get the checklist ready to keep us focused.
So see you in the next video.
(gentle music)
(upbeat music)