Instead of explaining how to create a logo, I am going to share my experience with my business logo.

Gather Info and Sketch

Usually when I start to design a logo I gather information from the client first (history, years in business, area located, why people buy from them) then I put the pencil to the paper. I write down the name of the business in all caps and all lowers. I then alternate caps and lowers sometimes to see if I see any odd shapes jump out at me. After I write all these down I hit a thesaurus for the meanings of some of the words in the text. Then I just doodle and doodle some more. I have to take a step back and squint my eyes to see if anything become evident. After I feel I have some ideas to work with I open up Adobe Illustrator.

Design the logo

I then start implementing my ideas in Illustrator till I get a few that are great. I present the client with a black and white version (some grays) to see if I am moving in the right direction as the one below. Why design in black and white you ask? It is quite simple, black and white design forces the emphasis to be on the design of the logo and not the color. You can have a wonderful colored logo but it still lack structure, placement and design. Another reason for the black and white is that the logo must be designed with the worst common denominator in mind. When a logo is faxed or ran through a copier these pieces of equipment will not do your logo design justice. Please read Tara’s post Do You Design in Black and White and James Dempsey post 9 rules to creating a logo you can live with and still get paid.

Structuring the Logo

I then start to structure the logo with a spacer that I create in Illustrator. I space out every character and piece of the design so there is a structure to the logo.

Coloring the Logo

I then proceed to introduce colors into the logo for the completion of the design. This is the last and final part of the process.