Design Basics by ADMEC Multimedia Institute

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A Workshop on
Designing Logos and Corporate Stationery A
Presentation by ADMEC Multimedia Institute
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What is a Logo?
A logo is often a company's first impression, one
that can impact a customer's brand perception,
purchase decisions and overall attitude towards a
product. We live in a society painted with brand
logos. Even toddlers who can't yet tie their own
shoelaces recognize many logos or are able to
deduce what a company sells just by looking at
its brandmark.
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Types of Logos
We need different types of approaches to design a
logo, especially for small to medium businesses.
Types of Logos 1. Abstract 4. Descriptive 7.
Woodmark 2. Emblematic 5. Illustrative 3.
Letterform 6. Typographic
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1. The Abstract Logos
This type of logo is like an abstract idea which
does not contain any specific idea in your brain.
Usually it contains a non-descriptive message
with a particular graphic image. Usually, this
kind of abstract logos are good to convey a
generic idea uniquely. It is also good to express
feelings in a deep way rather than the facts.
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2. The Emblematic Logos
This type of logos consist of an emblem symbol
with the brand name and pictorial elements. Here,
there will be no difference between the emblem
and the words. The text and the icon become one.
The peculiar difference comes when using this
kind of logos especially in small sizes because
the name and the detail may become invisible and
very difficult to read. This kind of logos are
especially good to convey the value of
protection. Further, they are also recommended
for package designs and entertainment teams.
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3. The Letterform Logos
This kind of logos are usually designed by using
acronyms or one or more letters from the brand
name, product name or business name. As a result,
the combination of two or three letters become a
symbol and gives peerless design which acts as a
focal point for your product name. This
Letterform logos are usually good for fortifying
the acronym or initials of the product and brand.
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4. The Descriptive Logos
Descriptive logos mention the name, benefits or
character of a brand indirectly with a clear
image. It is usually good for brand recognition
proceeding with a very specific message or
feeling of trust when interacting with a brand or
product.
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5. The Illustrative Logos
The illustrative logos are designed with special
drawings and characters. They are very good to
express a great deal about the brand/product or
business. They are designed by taking into
consideration the overall visual identity of the
business or product.
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6. The Typographic Logos
This type of logo does not use any special
characters or symbols. It needs only letters or
words to design an image. It is very simple
yet very effective. Typographic logos are good to
start up a business and labels.
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7. The Wordmark Logos
It uses the brand, business or product name as a
root for logo design.The typography logo can be
designed first either from the scratch or from
the commercial font. After that, images can be
added into the typography logo. It will
definitely give a great look and feel. The
Wordmark logos are good to create a mental
picture of a business.
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Establish Your Own Design Process
1. Brief 2. Research 3. Reference 4. Sketching
Conceptualization 5. Reflection 6. Revisions
7. Presentation 8. Delivery 9. Support
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Establish Your Own Design Process
Every designer has his or her own process, and it
is rarely linear, but in general this is how the
branding process is completed, which can be used
as a guide to establish your own. Design brief
Conduct a questionnaire or interview with the
client to get the design brief. Research
Conduct research focused on the industry itself,
its history, and its competitors. Reference
Conduct research into logo designs that have been
successful and current styles and trends that are
related to the design brief.
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Establish Your Own Design Process
Sketching and conceptualizing Develop the logo
concepts around the brief and research.
Reflection Take breaks throughout the design
process. This allows your ideas to mature and
lets you get renewed enthusiasm. Receive
feedback. Presentation Choose to present only
few selected logos to the client or a whole
collection. Get feedback and repeat until
completed.
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5 Principles of Logo Design

• What makes a good logo? A good logo is
  distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic,
  simple in form and conveys an intended message.
• There are five principles that you should follow
  to ensure that this is so
• An effective logo is
• Simple
• Memorable
• Timeless
• Versatile
• Appropriate

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1. Simple
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition
and allows the logo to be memorable. Good logos
feature something unique without being overdrawn.
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2. Memorable
Following closely behind the principle of
simplicity, is that of memorability. An effective
logo design should be memorable and this is
achieved by having a simple, yet, appropriate
logo.
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3. Timeless
An effective logo should be timeless that is,
it will endure the ages. Will the logo still be
effective in 10, 20, 50 years? Probably the best
example of a timeless logo is the Coca-Cola logo
if you compare it to the Pepsi logo below, you
can see just how effective creating a timeless
logo can be. Notice how the Coca Cola logo has
barely changed since 1885? That is timeless
design.
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4. Versatile

• An effective logo should be able to work across a
  variety of mediums and applications. The logo
  should be functional. For this reason a logo
  should be designed in vector format, to ensure
  that it can be scaled to any size. The logo
  should be able to work both in horizontal and
  vertical formats.
• Ask yourself is a logo still effective if
• Printed in one color?
• Printed on the something the size
  of a postage stamp?
• Printed on something as large as a billboard?
• Printed in reverse (i.e. light logo
  on dark background)

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5. Appropriate
How you position the logo should be appropriate
for its intended purpose. For example, if you are
designing a logo for children toys
store, it would be appropriate to use a childish
font color scheme. This would not be so
appropriate for a law firm. It is also important
to state that a logo doesnt need to show what a
business sells or offers as a service i.e. car
logos dont need to show cars, computer logos
dont need to show computers. The Harley Davidson
logo isnt a motorcycle, nor is the Nokia logo a
mobile phone. A logo is purely for identification.
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Branding, Identity Logo Design Explained
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A logo is not your brand, nor is it your
identity. Logo design, identity design and
branding all have different roles, that together,
form a perceived image for a business or
product. What is brand? The perceived emotional
corporate image as a whole. What is identity? T
he visual aspects that form part of the overall
brand. What is a logo? A logo identifies a busi
ness in its simplest form via the use of a mark
or icon.
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Logo Design Mistakes to Avoid
1. Typography Typography in logo design can
make or break a design, so its
vital you know your typographic ABCs. A logo
should be kept as simple as possible while still
portraying the intended message, and for this to
happen, one must consider all typographic aspects
of the design. Dont use too many fonts or
weights (two maximum). Dont use predictable,
crazy, or ultra thin fonts. Pay close attention
to kerning, spacing, and sizing and most
importantly, ensure youve chosen the right
font(s) for the project.
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2. Too complex, too abstract
Simple logos are more memorable as
they allow for easier recognition
however, for a logo to be memorable and stand
apart from the crowd, it must have something
unique about it, without being too overdrawn. Not
only does simplicity make a logo more memorable,
but it also makes the logo more versatile,
meaning it can work over more mediums. For
example, a logo should work on something the size
of a postage stamp and on something as large as a
billboard.
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3. Relying on special effects or color
If a logo requires color or special effects to
make it a strong logo, its not a strong logo.
To get around this, work in black and white
first and then add the
special effects or color later. This allows you
to focus on the shape and concept rather than the
special effects. Dont use drop shadows,
embossing, or other layer styles to gloss up
logos a good logo will stand on its own. You
can also make different variations of a logo to
ensure it works in colour or grey scale.
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4. Using raster images
A logo should be designed in a vector graphics
program such as Adobe Illustrator to ensure that
the final logo can be scaled to any size,
enabling the logo to be applied easily to other
media. A vector graphic is made up of
mathematically precise points, which ensures
visual consistency across all mediums and sizes.
A raster image (made out of pixels, such as what
you would find in Photoshop) cant be scaled to
any size, which means at large sizes, the logo
would be unusable
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5. Settling for a monogram
One of the more common mistakes of the amateur
logo designer is trying to create a monogram out
of the business initials (e.g. Bobs Hardware
would become a logo made out of B H). Although
this sounds like a smart solution at first, its
rather difficult to build credibility or convey
an intended message with just the initials of a
company. You can certainly explore this route,
but dont settle on it unless you can create an
original, creative, and memorable solution that
reflects the business goals. HP, FedEx, IBM, and
GM never started out as acronyms they became
acronyms after many years of high-profile
exposure.
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CORPORATE STATIONERY
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Guidelines for Corporate Stationery Designing
Corporate stationery is a common item branded by
companies. Branding includes placing your brand
name, logo, tagline and other symbols on
notepads, business cards, letterhead and
envelopes. Although the process is a subtle way
to promote your brand and establish a
professional image, stick to some basic
guidelines in branding stationery.
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1. Stay Consistent
Consistency is key in building an effective
brand. This is true across all types of
communication and within specific tools, such as
stationery. To deliver a consistent image in
stationery, maintain a similar color scheme,
placement and implementation with your logo,
tagline and whatever other symbols you use. You
might place a logo, name and tagline with a
constant color pattern in the upper left corner
of a business card, letterhead and envelopes,
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2. Don't Overdo It
Stationery provides functional purposes. A
business card is a tool to share contact
information with people you meet. Letterheads and
envelopes are used to type memos or letters and
send them to others. While you want to brand
these items, keep the branding simple enough not
to detract from the functional value.
Additionally, you want the logo and branding to
mirror what people see in other print ads, such
as in newspapers and magazines.
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3. Devise a Color Scheme
Color schemes are an important design aspect in
branded stationery. According to the
International Paper Company, standard color
design for stationery is simply black ink on
white paper. If you want a highly professional
image, this is likely the way to go. However,
many companies want to present a different image
with a color scheme. Bright colors, such as red
and yellow, may align with a company's emphasis
on intensity, action or energy. You may also want
to use a color scheme that matches store colors
or colors used in other ad branding.
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4. Balance Design with Readability
On your business cards and letterhead, balance
design with readability. This is especially
critical in selecting typefaces and font sizes.
A creative or clever-looking typeface that
people can't read isn't effective. Similarly,
cramming a bunch of contact details and company
information at the top of a letterhead won't work
well if the font size is too small too read
without a magnifying glass.
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Few Examples
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for Your Time