Creating a logo

Introduction

There are as many ways to create a logo as there are designers. The following description is one way of thinking, but that doesn't mean it's the only way. Read this and then read about how other designers work and think, but above all, consider what feels natural to you in your creative process to find your own creative voice.

If you, as a reader, have other thoughts and ideas, you are more than welcome to let me know what you agree with or what you do differently. I never learn as much as when I receive your comments on what I write.

I hope you can take something away from this text.

Theory

The purpose of a logo

The primary purpose of a logo is to identify a company. When your logo is seen among other logos, on a store shelf, or in a social media feed, the viewer should be able to recognize it and the company it represents.

It is therefore important to create a symbol that can be recognized multiple times before a potential customer becomes aware of the company, product, or service. We humans are creatures of habit.

The subjectivity of the logo

Perhaps you have heard the idea that a logo should represent a company's values or its activities. I believe this is only half true. A newly designed logo cannot signal anything on its own without context. Someone must first tell us how we should feel about a specific symbol. An example of this could be how political symbols can give a viewer a positive or negative feeling depending on their own political views.

How a person feels about a logo is entirely individual. As a designer, you cannot determine this, but you can influence it. For example, you can use already established symbols. A leaf can be used to convey a sense of nature, a heart to convey a sense of caring, or a lightning bolt to convey a sense of speed. But perhaps you, the reader, do not agree with me on the meaning of any of the above symbols? If so, that would prove my point that you cannot determine what someone associates with a symbol.

You can also use marketing to influence how a viewer feels about a logo.

A modern example is how the German low-cost grocery chain Lidl has used marketing to influence perceptions of its company — from scepticism to acceptance to popularity. They have achieved all this without changing their logo.

Your logo means nothing without context. But by using symbolism that already has meaning and through marketing, you can fill it with the values you want your audience to feel when they see your logo.

A good logo lasts forever

Many of the world's strongest brands have logos that have looked the same for decades, sometimes for over a hundred years. This is despite the fact that the brands have constantly evolved over time. A good symbol can and should therefore last a long time, as the strength of the design lies in its recognisability.

Examples of this are Coca-Cola and McDonald's, which have largely retained their logos since 1941 and 1961, respectively, unlike Pepsi and Burger King, which change their logos every decade. I consider it symptomatic that the leading companies in their category have been able to retain their logos, while the "second-tier" companies have more often wanted to update theirs.

Nevertheless, many companies update their logos approximately every five to ten years. Why? If I had to venture a guess, I would say that it is the simplest and relatively cheapest way for a CEO or CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to make their mark on the company.

I don't necessarily mean that it's always wrong to change a logo (after all, designing and creating logos is my livelihood). But I do mean that you should carefully consider whether it's important to change your logo. Designing a new logo may be relatively inexpensive, but replacing all your signage and teaching potential customers what the new logo looks like is considerably more expensive.

When designing a new logo, I urge you to think long term. How can you create a symbol that won't need to be replaced in ten years' time?

Good brands are constantly evolving

The fact that a good logo lasts forever should not be understood to mean that brand building and marketing cannot evolve over time. Companies that are good at brand building constantly renew their marketing to keep up with the times.

One example is Nike, which develops its expressions over time, but has retained its logo throughout the ages.

Even though a good logo can last a hundred years, the brand and advertising must always be renewed to keep up with the times.

Craftsmanship

Type of logo

Now it's time to design your logo! Simply put, there are two categories of logos. Logos based on the company name in text, such as FedEx, or logos that focus on a symbol, such as Apple. Note that logos based on a symbol usually also feature text, typically to the right of the symbol, but the text is more restrained so that the focus remains on the symbol.

That said, a logo does not have to look like either of these two examples. There are countless examples of well-known logos that combine symbols and text in other ways.

Amazon has combined its symbol with its company name. The symbol shows an arrow pointing from A to Z to symbolise that Amazon has everything you can imagine from A to Z (Z is the last letter of the English alphabet). But the symbol can be broken out and used on its own, forming a small smile, for example on their boxes.

Volvo has its symbol, the "iron mark," with the company name inside. This version of the logo appears on the front of all their cars. But they also have a version with only the company name Volvo in text, which appears on the boot lid of all cars. Both versions of the logo are used equally by Volvo.

As you can see above, logos can look very different. Creativity has no limits, and you are free to design logos however you want. But if you are new to logo design, my advice is to start by choosing between creating a logo that focuses on text, like the FedEx logo, or one that focuses on a symbol, like the Apple example. Although you can explore both options, you should decide early in the creative process which path to take. As a new designer, it is rarely wise to combine both text and symbols, as this can easily become too much.

Less is more.

A good logo

According to Israeli-American designer Sagi Haviv, a logo should meet three criteria: it should be "simple, distinct and appropriate". Translated, this means that your logo should be simple, distinct and appropriate. These are good rules, but I personally think that "appropriate" is a little too vague. So I usually replace it with "tell a good story".

Simple

The logo you design should work in both large and small formats. On a sign on the side of a building and on the company's social media profile picture. It is wise to try to make your symbol as minimalistic as possible. This will ensure that it will last for a long time to come. Think of Apple, Nike, McDonalds.

Distinct

The main purpose of a logo is to identify a company. Therefore, it is important that the logo you design differs from other logos within the same field of activity.

It should be noted that there are so many logos out there that your logo will most likely resemble another logo out there. But don't worry. All you need to do is make sure that your logo differs from other logos within the same field of activity so that they are not confused.

If you want to trademark your logo, this is also done per country and per field of activity. In practice, similar logos can therefore exist in different countries and fields of activity without any legal problems.

Tell a good story

This is, in my opinion, where the magic happens.

Strictly speaking, a logo does not have to tell a story at all. But here you have a chance to make the viewer remember your logo. Otherwise, there is a risk that they will forget it completely.

There are several ways to tell a good story. But over the years, I have found three overarching themes. Using symbolism, hiding a secret message or filling the symbol with value through marketing.

Tell the story

Symbolism

Using symbolism is an effective way to tell a story.

Apple uses an apple. The first version of Apple's logo showed a full image of Isaac Newton, the scientist who discovered gravity in the 17th century when he saw an apple fall to the ground. The fact that it is an apple is fitting because in medieval art, the apple has long symbolised knowledge. This in turn stems from the Christian creation myth in which Adam and Eve eat fruit from the tree of knowledge. This fruit is often referred to as an apple, even though the Bible never specifies which fruit they eat. The apple is only a later interpretation, but has nevertheless symbolised knowledge for many hundreds of years. This makes the apple a perfect symbol for Apple computers, which help you to think differently (their slogan is "Think Different").

Hidden message

Another way to tell a story in a logo is to create a kind of rebus by hiding small messages in it. This gives the viewer something to look for and point out to others.

It is important that the logo works even if the viewer does not solve the rebus, as most people will probably never discover your rebus. But it is this little extra detail that creates a story to tell and point out to others. Here you have the chance to create something that people will remember!

One example is the FedEx logo, which hides a small arrow between the E and X to indicate movement and transport, as FedEx's business is based on handling shipments.

Recommended reading: "A Smile in the Mind" is an excellent book for learning more about hidden details in design.

Marketing

The last category, which most logos fall under, includes neither symbolism nor hidden messages. Here, the story behind the logo is told through marketing instead.

A symbol without deeper meaning or symbolism can still tell stories. An example of this is Coca-Cola, whose logo does not conceal any deeper meaning. Instead, their logo is filled with meaning depending on their marketing, whereby the Coca-Cola word mark can stand for both macho ideals and friendship. This is demonstrated by two previous advertising campaigns launched by Coca-Cola, namely Cola Zero and “Share a Coke with...”.

The previous sugar-free product, Coca-Cola Light, was perceived as feminine, which meant that men did not buy it. Therefore, a new product was needed — Cola Zero. When it was launched in 2007, the product needed to quickly establish itself as macho in order to capture a male audience. Watch the film. (It should be added that Cola Zero no longer tries to appear macho).

The advertising campaign “Share a Coke with...” chose a different path. It put different names on the Coke bottles, which led to increased sales as people bought Coca-Cola for their friends. The logo stood for friendship instead of macho ideals. The same “empty” logo, but two different stories.

Choosing how to create a logo

I don't think any of these approaches is better than any other. Different company names call for different kinds of solutions. But it can be useful to keep in mind the different approaches that are available.

On the other hand, I am convinced that a logo needs to say something in one way or another to make it easier for us to remember. A logo that uses neither symbolism, hidden messages nor marketing is difficult to remember and therefore fails to fulfil its primary role – to contribute to recognition.

My creative process

All designers have their own creative process. But broadly speaking, it can be divided into three stages: research, sketching and refinement, leading to the finished product.

I often read that in the creative process, you 'should' start by sketching different ideas and then take the best idea forward from there. But even though I think this is a good approach for many people, it doesn't work for me.

The legendary American designer Paul Rand used to say to his students: "Don't make any sketches. Just think first, get an idea, and then put it down."

This is more representative of how I work. My preliminary work involves familiarising myself with the company's operations and business objectives, and then trying to come up with the basic idea for the logo by thinking about what I want it to convey. Here, I consider what aspects of the company I want to highlight or what will be central to the marketing. Then I try to figure out how to visualise this. For me, sketching comes after I have thought through the central themes and possible ways to visualise them.

In most cases, I only present one logo proposal to my clients. But I always go through my thought process carefully and explain how I arrived at the final proposal.

My solution never comes out of thin air; instead, I present my thought process so that the client can draw the same conclusions about the new logo as I have.

Pretty much all the logos I design fall into categories one and two, as described above: symbolism or a hidden message.

Example 1: Symbolism

One of the larger branding projects I have worked on was for SMP, a Swedish company that manufactures buckets and tilt rotators for excavators. What makes the company stand out from its competitors is primarily its long history. It began in 1919 when two brothers started the business in a smithy in the village of Ilsbo in Hälsingland. SMP's production still takes place in Sweden. This became the central theme of the graphic identity and logo I designed for SMP.

The logo is inspired by Scania's logo. Scania is the Latin name for Skåne, and the logo consists of the Skåne griffin — the heraldic coat of arms that symbolises our southernmost province.

The solution for SMP was a modernised symbol based on the coat of arms of Hälsingland, the Hälsingland goat. In this way, the logo symbolises the connection to history through the heraldic coat of arms, but also the local connection. Products that are produced in Sweden.

Example 2: Hidden message

Another branding project I worked on was for BokaBord, an app and online service that helps you book restaurant tables.

The goal of the new brand was to shift the position of when hungry people should think of BokaBord. Previously, BokaBord was perceived as just a technical booking service. Customers went to BokaBord to make a booking when they already knew which restaurant they wanted to go to. Instead, the aim was to capture restaurant visitors' attention and inspire them on BokaBord as soon as they became hungry, but before they had decided which restaurant to go to. The new brand would shift from being perceived as a technical product to becoming more human by capturing the joy of sharing good food with friends.

The logo uses the two Bs found in BokaBord. In the logo, I turn them back to back and connect them at the top and bottom, forming a restaurant table with four chairs from above.

A hidden meaning in the symbol to describe the company's business and the idea behind a shared meal.

Conclusion

Creating logos is one of the most enjoyable things I know. For many companies, if not all, the logo is the most important graphic element they have. So it's no small task to be responsible for a company's public image.

But even though it's important, I also think it's good to maintain a certain distance from your work as a graphic designer. Even if we think graphic design is the most important thing in the world, most people out there won't be that interested. Nor will they necessarily think that logos matter.

Even though advertising affects us more than we want to admit, we don't necessarily have to think it's important.

For me, this insight contributes to a humility towards the work of graphic design. Our job is to get people who don't think they're interested in design to pause for an extra second in front of our clients' advertising and design.

We cannot force people to be interested, we can only entice them.

Finally, this text is a summary of my experience to date. It will likely change and evolve with more experience in the future. That said, I would love to hear about your experiences and thoughts in the comments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this text!

Please get in touch if you would like help with your new logo.