Stages of Logo Design and a Time-lapse to Prove it

Logo design is the heartbeat of branding, marking the moment a business gains legitimacy. Yet, what the client witnesses as the finalized outcome is a culmination of hours of meticulous work. This brief time-lapse showcases a snippet of a project in progress, currently clocking in at approximately 5 hours.

The stages of logo design are:

Stage 1: Sketching

In this phase (which is not part of the footage you are seeing), you are able to develop some roughly sketched ideas that aren’t confined by the utilization of the computer. Some times you end up with horrible sketches, sometimes with great ones. The entire point is to meerly explore. Working at the computer in the initial phases of a logo design is extremely frustrating because one, you can’t get ideas out fast on the computer, and 2 it limits your fluidity. My advice when looking for a logo designer…..ask to see their sketches. It can help to show the designers process, as well a the effort they are putting in to creating a design that is identifiable unique to your business which will ultimately serve your Anchorage Alaska brand logo design.

Stage 2: Hand Drawn Refinements

Yup, you guessed it, no computer yet. What you want to do is take your initial sketches and refine down to a simplified and refined logo direction. This is preparing the hand drawn artwork for transfer to the computer. You will want to work in pure black, or one solid color so that the transfer from sketch to logo is as seamless and easy as possible.

Stage 3: Scan

Now that you have a solid direction and refined hand drawn logo, you get to take it to the computer! Scan in your sketch and open up Adobe Illustrator and away you go to your final stage!

Stage 4: Recreate the Logo in Computer Format

If you are new to Adobe Illustrator this can be a frustrating task. Shoot, even if you’re not it can be frustrating. Trying to transfer from a hand drawn logo design into a computer version can be a headache. Not only because you need to make visual adjustments, but sometimes you lose effects. Trial and error, experience, and design education is the only way to combat these issues. You will learn what tools work best for which curves, which straightlines, etc…..and along the way in your design career you will be able to streamline the process. However, that can’t happen without experience and just getting your hands dirty so to speak.

Stage 5 and Beyond

If you believed that there were truly only 5 stages to an Alaska logo design then I’m sorry to disappoint you. There are many, could be endless depending on the budget, level of exploration and refinements. There has never been one logo that I have ever designed that I did not feel could be tweaked, trimmed, turned, and reformatted in one way shape or form. That could be my anal retentive nature, my designers eye, or a number of other things but it’s not a battle my client should feed.

Upon completion my client should feel satisfied (read: ecstatic) about the final logo outcome.

The best time for an logo is after you’ve consulted with a professional. Whether the logo is great, bad, or average there is probably some attributes of the current design that in a desire to “just get a new logo” retains some brand recognition. Brand Recognition is the pot of gold at the end of the brand equity rainbow. A professional brand designer can help to determine what parts of your brand must stay, and what elements you can lose.

Need help to update your Brand? Bianca Frank Design specializes in small business branding, marketing, SEO and design and will provide you a quote by contacting us below.

Beautiful brands, that work the way they should!