One of the most important tasks when creating a logo is to know your client
and also the audience of that client. For example, if you're creating a logo for a
restaurant, you need to understand what distinguishes that restaurant from
others and what types of people eat there, and what types of people that your
client want to eat there. What new customers can they try to get?
What does the restaurant want to accomplish with the logo? What values do
they want to appeal to in the minds of consumers? For example, do they want to convey
a warm family-friendly atmosphere or are they going to do more of a late night
restaurant, kind of more of a nightclub. So what is the client's goal or objective
in rebranding or having a new logo designed? So if you're designing a logo
for a photographer, here's another example, you need to understand what that client's
looking for in a logo and how it can help his or her business. So are they an
extreme sports photographer or are they a wedding photographer or landscape
photographer, or portrait photographer? That is actually going to affect what kind of
branding and logo is going to be designed. So do as much research as you
can on the client. If they already have a website, if they're not just launching
something, and they need you to design a logo for their newly launched company.
If they already exist and been running for a while, go ahead and peruse their website and
take notes. If they have a physical location check it out as well.
Ask about the history of the company What products or services they provide of
course and any other relevant information about the client that they
want to provide. I also suggest working with the client to come up with a list of words
that are associated with the brand. So these can be nouns such as an example,
products they sell like simply insurance or financial services or things the
client wants to be associated with, like strength or endurance and also suggest
coming up with adjectives to describe the product or service.
So is it a strong or economical?
What kinds of adjectives do they want to be associated with? Also ask the client to
describe what they definitely want in a logo such as specific colors, shapes and
of course, the text. Also ask them, do they want just the company name or do they
want a shape as well? Of course you're designing the logo so you're the expert but
many clients will have preferences about the things they definitely do not want
in a logo and things that are "must haves", things they really need and want in a logo.
This can be concrete such as a specific shape
or that they want a bold strong font, or it can be more abstract such as an idea or
some kind of ethos that they want to communicate about their company, like
they want an elegant or high-end character to their car company for
example. So ask the client what kind of logos they like from competitors or
non competitors? Ask what kind of logos they don't like, so that will start to give you
an idea of the range of different possibilities we have in designing their
logo. Of course this doesn't mean we're going to copy a competitor but it does
help to show what kind of logo the client's looking for. So browse the
websites of competitors or businesses that are closely related to the client such
as other companies in the same business category. For example, if you're designing
a logo for, say an accountant, look at other accountants' websites in the area
and even outside of the physical area of your client to get more ideas.
If you're designing a logo for a golf course, look at other local golf courses but also look
at large well-known golf courses that might be outside of the same area that
your client is based in because you can get a lot of ideas from that as well.
Now if you and the client have some ideas for logos and you come up with a logo
you both like but the client's potential customers don't like the logo, and it
doesn't resonate with them or communicate effectively to them, then it doesn't
really matter that you and the client like the logo. So do as much research on
the potential customers as you do on the client. So ask the client to describe
their current and potential customers. What types of people does the client
want to appeal to with their branding and logo? Are they trying to expand to
attract even more types of people,
other demographics or are they trying to reach more of the same demographics
that they're already reaching? For example, if your client is a recording studio and
their current clientele are, say classical artists who are in their
forties and fifties. Do they want to keep appealing to them or do they want to
branch out and appeal to alternative rock artists and other classical
musicians too, say in their twenties and thirties, or are they trying to completely
rebrand and appeal to different values, kind of like a fast-food restaurant trying to
rebrand itself as being healthier.
with a new healthier menu and a logo that matches their new kind of character
thery're trying to establish. So know your client, know their preferences of course.
They still are going to look to you for the expert opinion and analysis of their branding
and their logo and you're actually going to be designing, it coming up with the ideas
of course. We need it established up front. Are there any things they absolutely need
in the logo and they don't want in the logo and also just as importantly, know that
client's audience. So which customers are they trying to reach out to?
Thanks and I will see you in the next lecture.