Objectives:
Explore ideas related to branding, audience demographics and logotype design. Create logos though complex mark making using painting and drawing techniques in Adobe Illustrator. Become comfortable with using a Wacom tablet when working in Adobe Illustrator.
Visual Identity Design - the development and application of a distinct logotype and/or symbol that makes a company or organization recognizable.
Branding - the establishment of value and status for a unique product, service, or organization through the careful application of an identity.
When it comes to both visual identity design and branding: appropriate visual elements - typefaces, groupings and colors need to be brought together cohesively to represent the distinct characteristics of the brand.
Elements to Consider:
-typefaces
-colors
- compositional relationships
-spatial distribution
(Often when designers are working on an overall brand identity, they keep at least one of these elements fixed, but introduce variety through some of the others. Often it is the palette of brand colors that is consistently standard, allowing the brand identity to remain strong.)
Tips For Effective Logotypes:
- Always use vector software to create logos because logos need to be adaptable to any size. A company might want to put their logo on both business cards and billboards. A vector file will make that possible.
- Think about the negative space around your logo design. Often companies have a set "exclusion zone." This is a certain amount of space around the logo that shouldn't have any other content in it, so the integrity of the design isn't disturbed. Also, think about the Fed-Ex logo with the secret arrow in the design. Think about how you can incorporate negative space, so that it becomes part of the logo.
- Don't add a bunch of extra stuff to your logo just because you can! It should make sense for the overall design!
- Don't use more than 2 fonts. (All rules in art and design are made to be broken, but this is a good rule of thumb if you are trying to create a clean, modern design.)
- While not always possible, it's always nice if you can make your logo flexible. Would it still work if it didn't have color because sometimes logos appear on materials in black and white? Would it take a lot, or just a few small tweaks if the company wanted the logo to work over a dark instead of light background?
- Often a logo will come with a tagline, for instance, with the brand Nike, there is the swoosh, but also the tagline, "Just Do It." If a logo has a tagline, the two should be able to work together but they should both be able to stand up and represent the brand alone.
- Think about what tone you're going for and try to make the typeface fit. For example, do you want to communicate a tone that is authoritative, friendly, serious, fun, etc.?
Overview:
You will be creating 4 logos for 4 different demographics, also known as demographic profiles. Demographic profiles are usually based on one or more of the following: age, social class and gender. For people working in any field that relates to marketing/advertising, demographic profiles are incredibly important.
Process:
1. First, you'll need to pick an appropriate product and a company name for each of the following four demographic profiles. The more research you do, the easier this project will be.
- Girls, ages 9-13
- Women, ages 40-49, income of $100,000-$124,999
- Men, age: under 25, income of $25,000-$49,999
- Men, age: 70 plus, income of $50,000-$74,999
It will help if you look into what sorts of advertising is often directed towards people who fit into these profiles. Once you've researched enough to feel comfortable making choices, pick a fitting company name and product for each category
Also, if you'd like to also look at examples of logo designs, try checking out these websites:
- http://www.logomoose.com/
- http://www.logogala.com/
- Top voted logos: http://www.zankrank.com/Ranqings/Default.aspx?currentRanqing=logos
After selecting company names and products, you will then need to design a logo for each one. The logos should each make sense for both the audience and the product. Remember, a good logo is not simply visually appealing, it must also work to sell the identity and message of its brand!
When you open a new file in Illustrator, you can select to have 4 artboards instead of 1 if you'd like space to work on the individual logos; however, please put all for logos together on one file when you post them to the blog and to Canvas. the file for your four logos should not be any smaller than 12"x12".
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