IDENTITY & BRAND DEVELOPMENT / A PROCESS OF CREATING A LOGO

Part of my job as a graphic designer is to help clients understand how good design can help

their business. Take, for example, a logo, a design element that is sometimes misunderstood.

Here is how Paul Rand — one of the most famous and respected graphic designers — has

identified a logo:

▪ A logo is a flag, a signature, a street sign.

▪ A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies.

▪ A logo is rarely a description of a business.

▪ A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes,

not the other way around.

▪ A logo is less important than the product it signifies;

what it represents is more important than what it looks like.

▪ The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.

Guided by these principles, I create functional, memorable logos for clients.

TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA ABOUT THE PROCESS OF CREATING A LOGO,

HERE IS A STEP-BY-STEP ACCOUNT OF HOW I DEVELOPED MY OWN.

STEP ONE. Identify your brand

My brand is ME — freelance graphic designer Annya A. Uslontseva. In my case, a company name

is unnecessary. What I need is a signature that builds recognition.

STEP TWO. Concept

Since the brand revolves around me, I logically select my initials, AAU, as the subject matter for my logo. My primary concern is the aesthetic appeal of the mark, so for a more balanced composition,

I rearrange the letter into AUA. This is how I arrive at my web site domain name and the initial concept for the logo.

STEP THREE. Form

Next step is a play with letter forms. With a trained eye, I study how the letters relate to each other and what shapes can be derived from them. Then I simplify the design, getting rid of any unnecessary details. I am done once the client (me, in this case) is happy with the result.

A good logo is a flexible logo. It should work in a variety of applications; for example, as a singular element, stacked and as a texture.

In the end, not everyone will see the AUA letters in the final logo.

Some people will see letters, some will see a cat’s head with big ears and some will see hoof prints. But this is the kind of symbol that makes people wonder, makes them smile and makes them want to figure it out.

ONCE A PERSON FORMS THIS KIND OF INTIMATE CONNECTION WITH

A LOGO THEY WILL REMEMBER IT AND THEY WILL REMEMBER YOU.



A little bragging… here you can see my business cards being featured on Cards Observer. Cards Observer is a site used mostly by other designers to share and find inspiration, it is a place we go to see and show off cool business cards designs.