You’re a brand!

By / 2nd November 2017

For this exercise we are going to assume that you are a freelance designer. You need to promote your services through different channels, such as a website, business cards, mailings, etc. You need to stick out and be remembered. What you need… is a logo.

Time: 150 minutes

Steps

1. Concept (60 minutes)
  1. Collect keywords
    1. Describe the values you hold in high regard (in general; in life).
    2. Describe your virtues (what people praise you for).
    3. Describe what you value in your services.
    4. Pick top three most important keywords: this is your message
      Optional: make these into a slogan / tagline
  2. Collect fonts
    1. Collect a couple of fonts that you feel resonate with the keywords.
      Resources: fontsquirrel, google fonts, dafont, 1001fonts
    2. Install these fonts onto your computer (check the faq how to).
  3. Collect colors
    1. Collect a couple of colors that work well together and that convey your message.
      Resources: adobe color, colormind, canva (image-based).
  4. Sketch
    1. Make as many little sketches as you can.
      Do not call sketches failures: any sketch may lead to a good idea
    2. Draw several ideas, don’t draw varieties of the best or first idea
      If you get stuck; use the keywords, and use point 3:
    3. Think of meaning; what is it that you’re saying? What does a sketch feel like?
2. Design (60 minutes)
  1. Open up Illustrator and create a new 10×10 cm document
  2. Work in CMYK color mode (Select File > Document > Color Mode > CMYK
  3. Logo mark tips
    1. Use basic techniques like the Pen tool and the Path Finder to create a shape.
    2. Keep it simple! Also, keep it playful.
      TIP: Use negative space as a design tool.
    3. Look for meaning and feeling in the shapes.
  4. Word mark tips
    1. You can make letters into shapes by choosing: Type > Path > Outline strokes. This lets you edit the letter shape itself.
    2. Analyze the negative space; is it balanced? Does it offer room for design?
    3. Create hierarchy in your letters/words by varying size/font/color/placement
  5. Refinement
    This is more of a by trial and error process:

    1. Find the right colors (color schemes may be helpful)
    2. Relative size and positioning (vary size and positioning of elements in your logo to find what works best).
3. Delivery (30 minutes)
  1. Place your logo on a 100% transparent background
  2. Place only a single logo(-version) in your file
  3. Make sure your design is 100% vector
    1. Select all type in your layout and select Type > Create Outlines
    2. Raster images can never be part of a logo!
  4. Create the following files:
    1. Editable PDF
      1. Choose File > Save As > Adobe PDF > Save
      2. Check “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities”
      3. Click Save PDF
    2. PNG and JPG
      1. Change the color mode to RGB color by selecting File > Document Color Mode > RGB
      2. Select File > Export > Save For Web (Legacy)
      3. Use the PNG-24 Preset
      4. Repeat this for JPG (make sure to set the Compression Quality to Maximum or 100%)
    3. Editable AI file
      1. Remember how we turned text into outlines? This means it is not editable anymore. So first go back to your document en undo the last step (which was Create Outlines).
      2. Now Save your document.
  5. Collect all
    1. Put the following files into a ZIP file:
      1. Editable Illustrator .AI file
      2. Editable PDF file
      3. PNG file
      4. JPG file
      5. Photo’s of your sketches & keywords (mark the 3 chosen ones)
    2. Name the zipfile ‘logo design’
    3. Upload the zipfile to Dropbox

Materials:

Presentation: Logo Design

Hand in:

Upload the zipfile you created in step 3 to Dropbox.

 

Scroll to Top