Logo Creed - The Mystery, Magic, and Method Behind Designing Great Logos (Bill Gardner & Catharine Fishel, 2013)

wW o Vv e n Lippincott, Meredith Corporation
Paul Black Design, Polly Ellerman
This is a visual metaphor that is used again and again, yet
because of its versatility/malleability, it remains fresh. Think
of a tapestry or the seat of a caned chair. These designs
represent many items of little strength coming together to
form something of great strength. It also demonstrates how
unexpected value can come out of almost nothing.

sS u g g Ee Ss t Ss :

F o r mM i n gG

C o Mm Bb i n i n gG

sS t r e n Gg t h

Bb r i n Gg i n gG t o gG e t h e r d i vV e r Ss e a sS Pp e C t sS

d i vV e r Ss i t y

Sound Mind Creative, Rivercane Village

Karl Design Vienna, Wickerwork, City Identity

Jase Neapolitan Design, Students for Humanity Riza Cankaya, Ertan
C H A P T E R 12 Did you try…
151

CHAPTER Incubation

13

It’s crucial to reserve time in your ReseRve time to Relax
schedule for this valuable step.
To ensure you have enough time to let your ideas breathe:
Thomas Edison fElT that his best ideas came Reserve time in your schedule that is expressly for incubating.

to him right before he fell asleep. Trouble was, he could not On logo design projects, I share the following schedule with
remember those ideas when he woke up the next day. So he clients:
came up with a trick: He would perch himself in a chair and
hold ball bearings in his hand. When he started to drift off, 1 week is spent on research.
the heavy balls would fall out of his hand. The sound would
wake him, and he would immediately write down the ideas 1 week is used for sketching.
that were germinating in his head.
1 week is reserved for incubation and
The human brain is often more creative when it is relaxed: letting ideas mingle.
You already know this. Your ideas need time to percolate, to
swim around, to incubate. But you also already know that 1 week is spent paring things down to a final solution.
there is seldom time for this kind of thing. You have a meet-
ing in an hour, and there are other projects demanding your Of course, this is an ideal schedule, and things rarely work
attention. out so perfectly. To be truthful, when we’re short on time, the
incubation period is typically the first to go.

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leaving time to grow time shines through

Kansas hEalTh EThics is an organization whose norThrocK is a holding company whose
members include clergy, doctors, and caregivers. Its func- name, although sounding epic, does not have a good
tion is to help families facing a terminal health dilemma of story behind it: It is simply the name of the street it lives
a family member. It does not counsel people concerning on in Wichita, Kansas. In addition to being a for-profit
end of life—instead, it works to bring the family together business, it was founded by a philanthropist and major
to make a decision. charitable giver.

To create the group’s identity, we thought a lot about life We began by trying to connect the direction north and
and death. There were plenty of symbolic opportunities, rock. We created iterations of rocks, compasses, and
including the four seasons. We considered concepts in- mountains, but the terrain suggestions seemed very
volving trees, but they were too complicated. The design wrong for plains-based Wichita. We had a type solution
team put the material away to incubate. that we felt the client would like, however. So we put the
job into incubation. During that time, I came across a pic-
One of our designers had done some reading on when ture of a star sapphire. This stone has a star inside that
a person is down to his last moments of life. It made us is like the rose on a compass. What if we inserted the
think of the last leaf on a tree—or maybe the first? It was graphic element of the star sapphire into the wordmark?
the perfect way to illustrate the cycle of life. A sapphire is a stone, with an innate, internal quality that
reflects light—the light said “philanthropy.”

Without a incubation, this idea would never have shown
through.

But being able to set down a project helps you gain perspec- My original idea now has time to mingle with other ideas.
tive. Something that seems like a fantastic idea today might Things are swirling in the back of my mind, finding inspira-
seem less so tomorrow. I might be designing a development tion in unexpected places. So I may put the idea away, but I
connected to a wooded reserve. I might start thinking about am still ruminating on it. You can mentally double task at an
a squirrel as a symbol of the natural surroundings and be- amazing rate when you are working off the clock. Jot down
come very focused on drawing the squirrel. ideas or make sketches, but during the incubation time, try
not to work on this project. Even if you don’t come up with a
But I am becoming less focused on whether this is a good fresh insight during the incubation period, you will be able to
idea or not. Can I really sell it? I may not be able to see this recognize which of your original ideas is best for the project.
until I walk away from the project for a while.

C H A P T E R 13 Incubation 153

CHAPTER What defines
a great logo?
14

There are concrete ways to judge For example, say there is a company that makes wonderful
whether or not your solution is shoes, and there is a specific style of shoe that the company
the best one. is known for. A designer is brought in to draw a logo, and he
produces a design that is a very literal drawing of that shoe.
iT’s simplE To form a quick opinion on
There is nothing that I, as a consumer, can get out of that
whether or not we like a logo. That’s an aesthetic judgment, logo other than the fact that the company makes shoes. I
but a superficial one. The first section of this chapter takes have squeezed all of the meaning I can from it.
a closer view, identifying six attributes that make a logo not
only beautiful, but effective as well. In the remainder of the But if the designer wants to convey more information than
chapter, I share the perspectives of other designers on ex- that, he could consider what else he can say with that shoe.
actly what they believe are the components of a great logo. Maybe it’s an Italian design, so maybe the shape of the coun-
try could be built into the shoe or its shadow. This immedi-
it lives on (at least) ately gives the design more depth.
thRee levels
Let’s say the shoe company’s signature is that it works with
I am committed to the idea that if you present a very literal alligator hide, which is very tactile. So now the logo shows
idea in a logo, it will have a much shorter life because there the shoe with a shadow of Italy that has the alligator hide
is simply no room for the consumer to add her own story or texture. Or maybe the designer found a way to include alliga-
information to it. tor teeth on the edge of the shoe. Now he is layering ideas
together—they do need to be nicely synced—but he is trying
to find a way to make the design exist on multiple levels.

154

Gardner Design, Wichita Parks Department Today, Telegentis
Even though this design immediately conveys the idea of a person with
This logo could be a leaf drifting on the water, or the green portion could outstretched arms, the line used to create the mark has been reduced to a
represent trees reflected on the water. The stem of the leaf represents the bare minimum, conveying personality through just the essence of the flowing
walking and bike paths leading through the parks. All of these could also b o d y.
convey the attributes of this park district.
it has quality
Now, most consumers don’t appreciate all this hard work, at cRaftsmanship
least not initially. Most people don’t sit and stare at logos in
an effort to decipher them. Maybe now they will appreciate Excellent craftsmanship is a commonality. It’s like shopping
that the shape of Italy is incorporated into the design, and lat- for a new house. How well are the corners mitered? How well
er they will see the teeth. These multiple “Aha!” moments are do the cabinet doors shut? You can sense a level of crafts-
wonderful. They help keep the design fresh and interesting. manship. You don’t have to be a carpenter to sense this. The
same thing is true of the craftsmanship that goes into a good
Think about when you have heard a song for years and logo—it might be 90 percent good, but there is a nuance in
years, and suddenly you hear something in it that you never there that is just wrong.
have before. Now you have a whole new ownership of that
song—you have a new meaning, a new secret. The same Miles Newlyn, Wolff Olins
thing happens with brand identities. The craftsmanship in the Unilever logo design is deceptive. As you study
the logo, the individual icons seem simple and freeflowing. They create an
it has economy of line intricate and perfect balance of positive and negative space, masterfully
forming the letter U.
This is pretty basic stuff. Design students learn to knock
more and more detail out of their logo designs until they get
to the point where the design has moved past recognition
and needs to move back one step. Not every logo follows
this rule, of course: Some are very detailed indeed.

But, in general, economy of line is critical to ensure memora-
bility in logo design. The more complex a shape is, the harder
it is for someone to recall and redraw. So your design is not
just about beauty, but preparing it in such a way that it em-
beds itself neatly in the viewer’s brain.

C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo? 155

The Garage, skischule mittberg Getting to sweet

the “sweet line” is theRe lET’s say i havE hand-drawn a stroke of the let-
ter S in a vector program. By clicking on the points, the
If I drew a line in the shape of the letter S, I would hope handlebars will appear. Unless the bars are directly paral-
to produce a beautiful, curvilinear line. But since it is hand- lel with each other, it won’t be a perfect curve. If I swing
drawn, it’s likely to be somewhat imperfect, and it might have them so that they are parallel, there will be a perfect flow
a little bump in it. If I can draw and redraw it to fix the sym- with no humps in it. I can make the line longer and the
metry and eliminate the bump, then I will have produced the curve more extreme, but it will always be smooth.
“sweet line.”
Think about the gibbous Moon. You may not be an astrono- it has cleveR
mer or know anything about Moon phases, but your brain juxtaposition
can see that the Moon is a sliver and is less than full.
A sign of a quality logo is one in which the designer has cared Thoughtful juxtaposition that melds concepts and visuals into
enough to produce that sweet line. If there is something off a single message moves your design beyond the literal. It
about the line in your logo design, consumers may not be creates the unexpected twist in your design that makes it
able to figure out what is wrong, but they will see it. It’s a dis- memorable.
traction that will interfere with the logo’s effectiveness.
An example: A plastic surgery center contacted us to visu-
Fernandez Design, Sima ally rebrand its practice. A very literal solution might show
The mane and head of this lion for Sima Financial Group are crafted with a woman’s figure, a silhouette of a face, or a smile. But a
simple, flowing strokes that have no unnatural anomolies to jar the eye. The symbolic design would be so much more memorable. We
strokes easily convey a natural sense of rhythm. decided to go with the concept of the ugly duckling, a crea-
ture that is not beautiful, growing into something that is.
156
In the finished design, you can see the mother swan, but
then you see the duckling. You get the sense of caring and of
the gosling blooming into the beautiful swan. Toward the tail,
though, you get the idea of fire or flame that represents the
surgeons’ eternal torch of knowledge. You might also see the
hand of a surgeon starting under the cygnet’s neck, with the
fingers coming up and cradling the swan.

The design feels soft and feminine, and does not suggest
pain.

There’s a lot going on here, much more than a viewer would
see at first glance. But everything is in place, waiting to be
discovered.

Gardner Design, Plastic Surgery Center Get out the vote

What do you see in this logo, created for a plastic surgery center? A swan? whEn iT comEs To a logo dEsign, people can
An ugly duckling? An eternal flame, or a hand? They are all there, living on have a positive impression, a negative impression, or no
different levels. impression at all. No one wants to make no impression.
We always err on the side of creating designs that have
Another example is our design for Books for Life, an organi- to be aggressive or confrontational enough to make some
zation whose goal is to get books into Third World countries. sort of impact. In the process, we might have a few more
We could have simply gone with the lower part of the logo: a negatives, but we will also dramatically increase the posi-
B formed out of two books. tives. You don’t want people to sit out the vote.

Adding the bird made from the book brings in a completely it tRuthfully conveys
different level, though. It introduces to the design an in- who the client is
tangible element about the client’s work, that it strives for
peace. It also challenges the viewer: Why is a bird stand- Some identities have a very hollow feeling to them. They just
ing on the books? Does it deliver the books to the distant don’t match the client, and this will leave the consumer with
countries? It engages the brain and makes the viewer want a sense of unease—the feeling that something is not right,
to find out more. though it might defy description.

Clients seldom wish to look smaller, or less transparent, or
less ecological. At the same time, you cannot give the cli-
ent too much largess, inflating claims or introducing things
that don’t pertain to them. A one-person shop on the corner
cannot have a logo that insinuates it is a global entity. Your
design should tell the truth. It can be aspirational, but not
untruthful.

Gardner Design, Books for Life Hulsbosch, Woolworths

Two books forming the letter B could have been enough for this logo, but The green apple/letter W, which Hans Hulsbosch created for Woolworths,
adding a third book that turns into a bird creates the clever juxtaposition. conveys the friendliness and fresh nature that are hallmarks of the store. It
does not feel contrived or pretentious.

C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo? 157

moRe peRspectives Smiley A symbol of synthetic emotion and, therefore, the mascot of positive
consumerism.
We all see things differently. Each of us has our own frame of
reference. The rest of this chapter will share what some very That’s all folks! Narrative punctuation that is both terminal and joyous. Good
talented people recognize as their definition of quality. Look enough for my tombstone.
for commonalities in their opinions, but take note of their dif-
ferences, too.

The goal of this section is not just to show and-tell, though.
It is really intended to reveal factors and signals that you can
watch for as you observe new logo designs, including your
own. You need to develop your own standards.

felix sockwell

A great logo, to me, is also a great icon, poster, illustration,
and tool for a wide variety of uses. One of my favorite lo-
gos of all time is the smile/arrow for Amazon.com, by Turner
Duckworth.

I love the way this mark has a dual meaning: It’s a smile; it’s an arrow. It
reproduces small, large, in black and white. And it isn’t fussy; it’s instantly
recognizable, smart, and memorable.

miles newlyn

MGM Lion An impressive manifestation of realism in the evolution between
heraldry and branding.

No More Tears Why try to communicate with symbolism when you can Queen’s head A symbol of the classical world before economics replaced
simply say what you mean? order, before experimentation replaced craft.

158

DaviD aiRey The all-seeing eye of CBS was appropriate alongside a televi-
sion network goal of showing the viewer everything, and the
Each of these designs is simple enough in appearance to be symbol still appears unaltered since 1951 across many CBS
recognizable at practically any size. This trait plays a key role subbrands.
when it comes to building equity, because a simple visual aids
memorability, and the easier a symbol is to remember, the Although the British Steel logo isn’t used today (the company
quicker it becomes ingrained in our memories. At the same merged with another to form Corus), it’s a great example of
time, there still needs to be a level of distinction that sets the an appropriate symbol, showing how steel performs under
mark apart from the competition; otherwise, every company stress by remaining intact: a truly timeless design.
would be identified by a circle, a square, or a triangle.
paul howalt
But it’s not just about combining basic shapes. The design
must be appropriate for the company it represents. Is it solid Trying to edit down to a list of my favorite logos of all time
enough? Playful enough? Fluid, serious, friendly? proved to be one of the most difficult tasks I’ve ever been
handed. I first determined that I must establish a system for
The square framework of the Deutsche Bank logo was used gathering and editing a list of logos to make the final count.
to symbolize security, and the upward stroke was incorpo-
rated to portray dynamic development. These were both at- To begin, I pulled together the most graphic marks I have
tributes well-suited to the banking industry. Whether you’d come across over the years; then I rated them on their con-
say the same today is another matter. ceptual communication. After that, I scored them on simplic-
ity, use of color, reducibility, and rendering skill. After three
days of stewing over my choices, arranging, adding, delet-
ing, and rearranging, I figured it was time to finally sit down
and review the set of marks that had risen to the top before I
went and changed my mind again.

Deutsche Bank (1974), Anton Stankowski

CBS (1951), William Golden David Bowie, Jay Vigon
British Steel (1969), David Gentleman
When I first saw this custom-rendered wordmark, I was struck by how
conceptual most of the letterforms were in the name. There’s the Bow, the
bull’s-eye, the arrow, and the sound wave. They are all joined together in an
almost script like fashion, with the arrow to unify the logotype. For me, this
graphic has always been right on target.

C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo? 159

Team Mad Dog, Ken Shafer

This motorcycle racing logo is probably as close to perfection, in my mind,
as anything I’ve ever seen. The concept is flawless: three aggressive dog
profiles chasing one another in the shape of a tire. The mark is graphic, bold,
and reducible, and has a great balance of positive and negative space. This
logo will forever remain on my favorites list.

Hot Shot Logo, Mikey Burton

A brilliant name with a perfect mark to match. I’m always on the lookout
for cleverly conceptual combinations of imagery. I couldn’t imagine a more
communicative blend of imagery here. The simplified camera body becomes
a Zippo lighter delivering a flame, representing passionately hot work
emanating above. If I was to go to New York, I would be compelled by the
logo alone to pay a visit to Jen Bekman’s Hot Shot photo gallery.

Target Bookmarked, W ink

W ink’s logo refresh of Target’s book club is one of the most brilliant redesigns
I’ve seen signed off on by a big brand client. The B letterform is created
by the book stack, and the simple red, branded bookmark completes the
concept, hinting at reading in progress. The script was unexpected for me,
but I like how it feels a bit like an author’s scribblings or a reader’s notes.

Party Safe, Craig Frazier Dewy and the Big Dogs, Gardner Design

Craig is the grand master of visual concept. This illustrated graphic, done Okay, I’m a sucker for a great trademark character. This heavy-handed yet
for Marin Public Schools, needs no explanation. It is bold, graphic, and, I’d lovable masterpiece is a work of graphic genius. It depicts a mean, bold,
imagine, pretty effective among the targeted student audience. This logo spike-collared mutt that is rendered tall enough to play guitar (one built with
poster has been etched in my brain since the first time I saw it in 1990. This a bone-shaped headstock, no less). This mascot is perfect for a classic rock
easily scores high marks on the “memorable meter.” band that probably doesn’t take itself too seriously. This mark is appropriately
masculine, and the balance of negative to positive space is spot on.

160

one designer’s quality checklist BRian milleR

paul howalT on what makes a good logo: Brian Miller explains what he believes makes an exceptional
A good logo should be memorable (achieved by be- logo:
ing conceptual, unique, bold, elegant, outrageous,
etc.). s p e c i f i c i t y / / / There are a lot of logos that you could pull
A good logo should be reasonably simple, but not at out of their context and put with any business, or even worse,
the expense of being boring. with a competitor, and they would look like they could make
A good logo should appear as timeless as possible. sense. That’s not good. A logo should speak directly about
A good logo should look appropriate within the that client. It can’t always happen, because you might run
industry’s established visual language. into a circumstance that the subject is quirky, or they don’t
A good logo should be legible when reproduced as really have anything that sets them apart. We will have to
small as a dime or as large as an elephant. represent those clients in a more abstract way.
A good logo should have a proper balance of posi-
tive and negative space. Specificity is especially important in this age when there are
A good logo should be as conceptual as possible, logo sites selling them by the dozen. You simply have to un-
displaying a clever interplay of imagery and/or cover what is special about your client.
typography.
A good logo should attempt to tell a story, but not at c R a f t a n D e x e c u t i o n / / / A logo that has a genius idea be-
the expense of reducible simplicity. hind it, but is reproduced or rendered poorly, really misses an
A good logotype utilizes customized or custom- opportunity to bring a higher artistic level to how the com-
rendered letterforms. pany is portrayed.
A good logo should distinguish and elevate a com-
pany above its competition. Your designs must only contain what we call the “sweet line.”
A good logo attempts to communicate the core You could view 100 logos rendered by 100 different people,
values of the organization as well as the tone of its and you could be able to spot the one with the sweet line.
message with a smart color palette and appropriate It has the gestural ease, a minimalist ease, while every other
rendering style. one would look forced or clumsy. That comes from 10,000
A good logo should be desirable to the brand’s hours of practice, or taking gestural life drawing classes, or
target audience. just natural talent.
A good logo should not confuse the public by
resembling a competitor’s logo. u n e x p e c t e D n e s s / / / If a design is exceptional, it has an un-
A good logo should be able to be rendered convinc- expected level to it. You see what it communicates on the
ingly in vector format, even if the visuals suggest surface, but suddenly another meaning comes through when
that it has been created in a traditional method such you study it.
as watercolor, photography, wood burning, letter-
press, chiseling, and so on. We make this a mantra at our studio: Every logo needs to
A logo should be reproducible in a single color (posi- have two, three, or more surprises in it.
tive or reversed).
A good logo should also be reproducible with con- (continued)
sistent color in both reflective and emissive media
(such as RGB monitors, CMYK printing, spot color,
embroidery, vinyl, silkscreen, enamel, etc.).

C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo? 161

Webdrop Logo, Paul Howalt Soleon Logo, Andreas Karl

Paul is, to me, a master of reduction. I’ve followed his work for what seems For me, this logo is a great example of what I call “the sweet line,” a phrase
like decades, and I can spot a Howalt mark in all its beauty from a mile I once heard a retired landscape designer/sculptor/almost graphic designer
away. This logo (for Webdrop) does the right number of things for me to call from the 1950s use (and I immediately I knew what he meant). The genius of
it genius: 1) It works as a sort of monogram with the W in the spider’s web this logo is that besides the sweet line, that flow of line so few seem able to
“tank” or abdomen area; 2) It visually plays out both parts of the client name capture, it also uses a great metaphor for power—the lion in shield shape—
(both WEB and DROP); 3) It stylistically handles the spider in a very modern and cleverly turns the mane of the cat into sun rays (the core of the business).
and client-appropriate way; 4) It maintains a great balance of positive-to-
negative space (so great in fact, that you can see the spider as black or
white!); 5) It finds a perfect way to work in what I’ve always referred to as the
“Howalt line trick” in the area where the web line leaves the body (the implied
“white” line); 6) Finally, it even somehow finds the restraint to boil itself down
to an overall simple geometric shape. A+ genius in my book.

Virgin Australia Logo, Hans Hulsbosch
I chose this mark as an example of “genius” more for how the form is
handled—the absolutely beautiful craft that went into its creation. It also still
manages©tAoll ribgrhitns sgtriacklmy restearvpehd.or into play, and one that has the ability to serve
even further purposes (the woman sends a positive, friendly message of on-
board service; her form mimics an aircraft and almost an elegant bird; and
she proves the perfect “vehicle” for carrying the Australian flag symbology).
The grace, elegance, and motion that Hans delivered in this mark, while
combining these with the above-mentioned connotations, makes this logo a
great reference to which anyone should aspire.

162

sSheRrwin sSchwaRrtzRrock Duffy & Partners, Thymes
Chase Design Group, Columbia Pictures
Because I’m not really a historian, it’s tough for me to say
where my greatest influences came from. But I look to de-
signers who are currently my peers, and I admire work that
will last a long time. Those people would include Chris Parks,
Paul Howalt, VVoonn GGlliittscchhkkaa,, JJoonn FFllaammiinngg,, TTrraaccyy Sabin, Ty
Wilkins, Sharon Werner, Sara Nelson, Ty Mattson, Andres
Carl, and, for an organization, Landor.

The best thing you can do is study brand and market-
ing books on the origins of Starbucks, Target, or the major
brands. These will show you the strategy you need to know.

The artist cannot live outside the practical and strategic
world. Apple is an example of what can happen if simple
design comes together with great strategy. My tingle comes
from when our design works and kills in the marketplace.
Beauty can’t save companies, but beauty plus good strategy
can make them successful. Beauty is irrelevant by itself.

Felix Sockwell, Apple Sabingrafik, Inc., Harcourt & Co.

Tactix Creative, Lot 44 Gardner Design, College Hill Neighborhood Association
C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo?
163

von Glitschka The Graphic Language of Neville Brody

i n f l u e n c e R s / / / Everything I designed in art school I did Neville Brody is a London-based designer and a very early
traditionally. Digital wasn’t part of the mainstream design ver- adopter of digital design methods. I was in awe of what he
nacular at that time, and drawing was an expected skill set did with software tools long before I ever got a chance to
for every designer. It didn’t matter what the specific project work with them myself. His book, The Graphic Language of
was: Drawing was still the best way to work out your ideas Neville Brody, was my design bible at the time. I marveled at
and create your design, be it a layout or a logo. his digital creations.
Computers have forever changed our industry in both good
and bad ways. We’re far more efficient and flexible with So much of his early work was experimentation in the con-
software-oriented tools, but the age-old skill of drawing has text of his client work, but it was so captivating and fresh. It
taken a back seat in many designers’ creative process and broke all the rules regarding identity design and did things
that’s a shame. that would have made Paul Rand cringe. And that’s why I
I’m glad I learned traditionally. I’m using the same core skill loved his work. I didn’t always like everything he did, but I
set of drawing now that I did twenty-five years ago. A few appreciated his adventurous design. It was uniquely his own
years after I graduated, when digital came on the scene, I and inspired me to experiment more with my own work in-
eagerly adapted to it. There were three designers who fun- stead of playing it safe.
damentally changed the way I looked at logo design and the
process of creating identity: Neville Brody, John Sayles, and In 1994, his second book, The Graphic Language of Neville
Tracy Sabin. Brody 2, came out, and it too was filled with wonderful exam-
ples of pushing design comfort zones. But it wasn’t merely
J. Sayles Design Co., Blue Crab Lounge aesthetic: Neville is a very smart professional, and he did a
good job of providing coherent and substantial rationale for
why he designed what he designed. That was the balancing
factor I needed to bring to my own work. In other words, an
artist is good but a “smartist” is better.

164

Sabingrafik, Inc., Harcourt & Co. For years, I’d see logos in Communication Arts or Print mag-
azine and look over at the credit, see the name Tracy Sabin,
I’ve followed John Sayle’s work for nearly twenty years now. and think, “Man alive, she’s a good designer.” I was stunned
I first spotted it in the magazines Communication Arts and at the diversity of style in her work.
Print in the early 1990s. His work was fun and had its own
quirky style, and he was doing all kinds of creatively unique Years later, I found it difficult to find anything in the body of his
identities for small-town clients. John isn’t a big-city designer, work that is less than stunning. I consider Tracy a preeminent
located as he is in Des Moines, Iowa. illustrative designer of the highest order. Yes, he’s that good.

Regardless of his location, his design got a lot of national at- What influenced me most about his work isn’t just the qual-
tention without having to be based on big multinational brand ity but his diversity of style. He’s like a graphic chameleon,
budgets, and I loved that. This showed me that design reality changing to whatever style is appropriate for the given cre-
can be present no matter where you live. It’s said that politics ative task at hand. This convinced me that design is style-
are local, and I’d say that design is, too. driven. When it comes to logo development, being a one-
trick pony is a handicap.
When you look at the body of work John has created, one
common denominator is clear: It’s all fun and the style is all Years ago, I saw a logo he did for Browndeer Press. It was
his own, even though it’s created for a client. I remember elegant, simple, clever, and appropriate for the given audi-
seeing his design for Blue Crab Lounge and just loving the ence. These were all design traits any designer would want
simplicity of it and the fact that even though it is digital, you in his or her creative arsenal.
knew he hand-lettered the name.
There’s a fine line between illustration and illustrative design.
I can’t say I like all his work; then again, I can’t say I like all of One can do illustrative design and never be a full-blown illus-
my own work, either. But I can say that John’s logo designs trator. But this also means you have to embrace analog skills
showed me that it was okay to have fun with client work. It such as drawing and make it a daily habit like Tracy has. The
was okay to let your own style shine through a client’s project only way to get better is to do it, and do it often. That’s when
because it makes the design more authentic, which in the good creative things will begin to happen.
end will resonate better with the audience.
I’ve never had the privilege to meet Neville Brody, John
Sayles, or Tracy Sabin, but they played a key role in shaping
my work and the process I use to develop my logo designs. I
have a quote in my sketchbook that reads, “Each one’s per-
sonality creates another.” I feel my creative personality has
been shaped in many ways by these three designers, and I
hope I can do the same for others.

C H A P T E R 14 What defines a great logo? 165

CHAPTER Rrefinement

15

Here’s how to pick out your best Moving Brands uses idea walls to help its designers find the very best of its
solutions and build your best solutions.
presentation.
As you make your selections, it might help to remember that
your crops have been growing for a while, and you aren’t selecting the final logos: Your client will do this
at the presentation stage later (although the nugget for that
now you are going to go out and pick the best of the best to solution is probably in the mix). Instead, you are selecting
take to market. the best ideas that should move forward to the presentation.

At this point, you should have investigated many directions
for this identity. If you have played with fifty-plus ideas for
possible directions, it’s time to knock it down to the five to ten
solutions you are actually willing to share.

You want to show only the best of the best. You’d have to
be relatively arrogant to show everything you have done, be-
cause this means you believe every idea you came up with
is a valid solution, and I don’t buy into that. Designers come
up with all kinds of ideas that they have to abandon, even
ideas that are valid. They just aren’t right for the assignment
at hand.

166

But how do you pick? Involve other people in your studio, or the stone that is discarded
if you are relying on outside people, thoroughly explain that
you are only looking for the best directions. You will eliminate When a designer creates
much more than you are willing to show. a logo, the standard process is
to sketch an idea, then draw it
If you work with another designer or if you have an art direc- again, or scan it and draw over
tor, present to him or her everything you have done. (You the scan. Then print it out and
saved everything, right?) It can be tracings, or drawings, draw over the top of that … and
or computer renderings. The reason is that your eyes and on and on.
someone else’s eyes are going to see very different things. I
can’t recall the number of times I have found the nucleus of a Your process will have different
great idea hiding in the cast-off pile. paths, but every one creates a
long string that may have viable
Ss e l e c t a dD i v e rR sS i t y solutions embedded in it that
o f c o n c e p t sS others will see even when you
cannot. So do let others look at
It’s not uncommon to be working with a specific analogy for your discard pile.
the client, like a ladder or set of stairs that help describe how
a social agency can move its clients to the next level. Part of Think of this step as bring-
the selection process is to not end up with ten ladders or ten ing extra value to the project,
sets of stairs. Which one of those ten variations presents the from things you would have just
best idea? You have to be the editor: You know better than thrown away. The missing puzzle
anyone which ideas will present the most problems, which piece, the idea that turns ev-
will speak most clearly, and/or which will have the production erything around, can be found
issues. Be honest with yourself. among the debris. I can’t tell you the number of times a
client selects a design we had originally thrown out. That
abandoned idea, once resurrected, can be one of the
most valuable solutions. It is still your solution: Someone
else just found it for you.

This sequence, created for a program on addiction recovery,
shows why it is crucial to keep all iterations of your work.

There needs to be plenty of differentiation among ideas, even
if they are built around the same concept (i.e., if the concept
is “climbing,” present different modes of climbing). When you
get to the presentation stage, it is fine to allude to the number
of iterations you have been through. It is not uncommon for
me to tell a client, “We will show you eight logos today. But
we will have looked at hundreds of variations to get to these
ideas, which we think are the best.”

Gardner Design, Ketch preliminary studies

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 167

prove that you’re worth it who are you working for?

your ulTimaTE prEsEnTaTion to the client should i puT mysElf Through collEgE doing magic
not consist of the same logo in five different colors. There shows. During that time, I attended magic conventions
is a real sense of disappointment in the client when you where I would inevitably see a curious thing happen:
present only that one idea. They are hiring you because Magicians would try to fool other magicians by dreaming
they believe you have lots of ideas; the rainbow of colors up a new way to do an old trick, like forcing a card on
doesn’t fool them in the slightest. someone.

Remember: There is no idea as dangerous as the only This always struck me as strange, because in the real
idea you have. world, magicians don’t do shows for other magicians,
so they really don’t need to waste time and energy try-
select a DiveRsity ing to figure out new ways to force a card on their peers.
of styles Magicians do shows for the general public, and the old
methods work just fine on them.
Styles may be the wrong word here. Perhaps it would be
better to say, “Select a diversity of ideas or themes, not ten Designers are guilty of this same thing, sometimes. We
different paint jobs on your favorite design.” need to remember that we are not performing for other de-
signers: We are supposed to be serving our clients. When
There is no doubt that you will have your favorite design on you are more concerned with the reactions of the design
any particular project. Should you be objective as you prepare industry, you are working for yourself, not your client.
what will ultimately be presented and give your favorite design
the same attention you give all the other designs? Or will you All that being said, you can do both, if you are a really
flesh this one out a bit more, doling on more affection and talented designer.
detail? Show it in different iterations or in more applications?
pRepaRinG foR
I guess the answer is in why it is your favorite. If it’s because pResentation
it’s the best solution for your client, then yes: Go for it.
I used to hand-draw all of the designs I had chosen for a pre-
But if you have visions of design awards or even the admira- sentation because in the time it took me to do that, my mind
tion of peers dancing in your head, the answer is no. The was racing ahead, thinking about how each was serving the
solution may be the cleverest and most well-crafted design client. These thoughts formed the foundation for my oral pre-
you have ever created, but if it is not appropriate for the sentation later. It is an internal dialog that I worked through in
client—in their opinion—it may actually be a solution that my mind that allows me to be a much better presenter when
needs to be set aside. the time comes.

Your maturity as a designer comes into play here. The suc- I also have a very specific way of working with tracing paper. I
cess of your client is your primary objective. You will gar- usually have two sheets going at the same time, with multiple
ner many more assignments by providing ideas that make drawings going. It is a layering and refining and evaluating
your client successful than you will by creating ideas that process where you draw the same thing over and over again.
designers love. Other designers don’t hire you, but other
clients might.

168

one bird in hand worth nothing pressure treatment

whilE wE wErE crEaTing a new brand identity for ThErE arE Two main ways that designers come
a home furnishings store with a great sense of style, we up with design solutions: Either we are crunching under a
played out and presented to the client a number of itera- deadline and have to come up with something right now,
tions centering on birds and feathering your nest. or we become so focused on something that we can dip
At a follow-up meeting, we found out that the owner’s under the surface to come up with something that no
wife was deathly afraid of birds. All of our trial balloons one else could have. I, for one, infinitely prefer the latter.
had birds in them, so clearly none of them were going Anytime you can push further or dig deeper, your solu-
to work. We did find a good alternative for the client—a tions will be better.
thistle used as a traditional sign of welcome—but it goes
to prove that you should not center all of your solutions on Make sure to really build uninterrupted time into your sched-
a single premise or style. ule. We all work differently, but the most successful solutions
happen after many layers of focused investigation and de-
Gardner Design, Ferguson Phillips Homeware sign. Sometimes an idea just occurs like an epiphany, but
The best bird-in-a-nest logo is not going to fly if the client’s wife that moment usually follows several hours or days of running
hates birds. into obstacles. Just waiting for the solution to come with-
out effort is like expecting a lamp to come on when it’s not
plugged in. The very best designers have faith in this process
because they have seen the miracle of persistence revealed
to them many times before.

You start to like it, and then add tone or texture. You are sort Working on tracing paper versus working on the computer compares favorably
of “dating” the logo, getting to know it, where it lives, what it to the difference between traditional dating and speed dating. Tracing paper
could be like. You are refining the idea to the sweetest lines. really helps you get to know the design.

Today, when working on-screen, this same process can go
on. It’s as much what you are doing as it is your state or
mind. Your focus on getting to know this new being is crucial.
For me, this process can’t happen during the day, because
I am running a business then. I really have an opportunity to
get into a project in the evening or on a weekend, when I can
lose myself in the project and I don’t have to worry about
time constraints.

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 169

finessinG The behind-the-curtain view at left reveals all of the shapes that were used
to build the final logo. But when the design is presented, this Frankenstein
The critical thing with finessing is in figuring out when to do version needs to be cleaned up to produce a sleek vector version.
it. You don’t want to do it too early, when you are still con-
cepting. Think about building a piece of furniture: You don’t In addition to the big fixes, there are other techniques you
upholster the seat before you have attached the pieces of can use to make your presentation logos (and other work, for
the chair together. that matter) even better.
D R e s s a c o R n e R / / / Higher-end designers will take two in-
What is finessing? It is taking the concepts you want to show tersecting lines to create a corner, and then they will round it
and perfecting them until they really sing. They need to be as out ever so slightly. We often will take a shape and expand it
perfect as they can possibly be so that your client isn’t distract- by one stroke, which rounds its corners.
ed by the art—say, a less-than-perfect line or awkward propor- Imagine a hexagon with its six points: If I expand that stroke
tion—when they are supposed to be focused on the concept. by one unit, I can contract the shape by one unit and set it to
round the corner. That corner is ever-so-slightly eased. This
For me, finessing is one of the biggest differentiators between pulls the sharpness off the mark, which can be a challenge
a logo design that is great and a logo design that is only so- for reproduction as that fine a point can be hard to hold. Also,
so. The concept may be there, but the level of finessing is it can feel sharp and jaggy to consumers. After it has been
not. If it looks clunky, then that idea was never really finished. dressed, the point is still there, but it does not feel as abrupt.
It’s like coming in with fine sandpaper and smoothing it out.
I can bake a delicious cake, but I can’t bake a wedding cake.
Someone who knows how to bake at that level has thought To soften the overall effect, sharp cor ners in this design were eased. This
through and perfected every aspect of his creation, and that creates an almost imperceptible, yet noticeably more approachable, design.
attention to detail makes that creation all the more delicious.
The craftsmanship is easy to appreciate.

what to finesse

If you look at your art in keyline view to see all the vectors on
the screen, you’re viewing a Frankenstein. If you have drawn
a letter D, for instance, and you have visual elements of the D
that actually run outside the letter, you may have built patch
boxes to clean up edges, experiment with effects, and so on.
You might need to patch here and there, or add highlights or
veins or stems, or redraw some parts. All of those tasks need
to be completed before you flatten the art in preparation for
presentation.

Say you were just estimating a vanishing point in your
sketches. Now you really have to do it. All visual guesstima-
tion needs to be fixed at this time. Don’t settle for what you
first drew. It isn’t good enough unless lack of perfection is
the message you want to send, and then it still probably isn’t
good enough.

170

The gridwork overlaid on this design shows how angles were kept consistent This entire logo is built from the same weight lines. If the aim of branding is
throughout the logo. You can also see how the repetition of line groups to communicate consistency to the public, it should be revealed in the logo.
builds consistency and rhythm. Consistency delivers a subliminal message
of consistency of the client. k e e p w e i G h t s c o n s i s t e n t / / / Weight refers to both lines
and spaces in your designs. Items should be the same dis-
k e e p s h a p e s a n D a n G l e s c o n s i s t e n t / / / Imagine that you tance apart, and if lines contain tapers, they should taper off
are building a shape with triangles. You may have done some in the exact same way as well.
estimating when you originally made those triangles. But if
they are supposed to be replicating one another, they have All of that being said, for a lot of logos out there, lack of con-
to be redrawn to match. sistency is part of what makes them work. In these cases,
inconsistency is part of the message.
If your design contains repeating angles, make sure they
match dead on. If one part of the art has 45-degree angles Design depends in large part on repetition, which demands
and an opposing angle is 47 degrees, it will feel like some- consistency. Any break in the pattern will stick out. Unless
thing is off. inconsistency is part of the message, create a field of
consistency.
Another example: Imagine a four-leaf clover. Ideally, all of the
leaves on the clover will be exactly the same, as they are in a D D s u R f a c e t R e a t m e n t s , i f a p p R o p R i a t e / / / You can add
nature. If you make the clover dimensional, make sure the information and interest to your designs by adding surface
shapes are still consistent if placed back in one dimension. treatments. When appropriate, this is a great opportunity for
you to give your designs greater depth.
But identical leaves may not be your objective. You may want
hand-drawn quirkiness—and that is absolutely fine. If your Texture: This could be a stipple effect or tactilelike appear-
intent is that each leaf is unique, make sure it is clear that you ance (as though the surface is wet, for instance). A nut could
are doing this intentionally and that your logo wasn’t drawn have the texture of a nut, or it could be something totally
by a first-semester designer. It’s like when you are on stage: If different. This adds dimensionality and allows a flat image to
you’re going to make a mistake, be sure it is a big one. breathe and have substance.

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 171

Pattern: If your client is McCoy Realty, and their logo is a p o s i t i v e / n e G a t i v e l i n e c R o s s o v e R s / / / This is an excellent
castle tower, that might be an appropriate symbol for home way to define dimensionality in a shape.
and Scotland. But if you could put in the McCoy family
tartan, it now has a whole new dimension. It brings extra Look at where the heart crosses the flame. In the image on
understanding. the left, the heart is on top of the flame, and on right, it is be-
low the flame. The visual language of a line break where one
G R a D i e n t s / t R a n s p a R e n c i e s / / / For all of the bad-mouthing line crosses the other helps the viewer understand the sep-
some designers will throw on an identity that uses transpar- arateness of the lines as well as the dimension of the entire
ency or gradients—“Let me see it reproduced in black and structure. But placing breaks on both sides of the crossing
white” is the usual argument—both treatments can be valu- would have been busy and distracting.
able. Perhaps a red-to-yellow transition can add warmth, or
suggest fire or dawn. Transparency can allow other mes- This shows another example of how to handle line breaks. In
sages to show through. For instance, a transparent logo can the lower part of the design, the arm is defined with a blue
contain photos or other visuals, allowing you to create an line, but where it enters the screen, a white line takes over. It’s
entire family of logos with the same basic shape. a more mature way to define where one line breaks into a dif-
ferent area than butting two colors together on the same line.

Gardner Design, Ember Hope

You can visually represent lines crossing over one another with breaks in the
lines, but this gets very busy. Using the breaks on just one side communicates
the idea elegantly.

Gardner Design, McCoy Realty

Adding pattern can add a whole new level of message. This logo for McCoy
Realty, overlaid with the family plaid, delivers a richer message.

Gardner Design, ViziWorx Enhanced Television
As an image crosses from positive to negative, it can be held together with
a simple offset line break.

172

consiDeRinG coloR the value of color

Color is a design element that everyone is familiar with, so ev- T-mobilE was vEry smarT in its use of pink (or
eryone has an opinion about it. People definitely know what magenta) as part of its identity. Early on, the company
they like and dislike. This includes your clients. They may registered the use of the color within the telecommunica-
come to you preloaded with what colors they want in their tions industry and since then has won many court cases
new logo. Maybe it’s a color from their preexisting identity, or in its right to continue doing so. Why did T-Mobile pick
maybe they have seen a color scheme they like. this color in the first place? Probably because most of
the other colors were already taken, but registering the
As a designer, though, you have a different opinion—an in- T-Mobile color still made it very valuable.
formed one. It’s our job to guide a client to the best use of
colors for their organization. They need to understand that
designers usually have solid reasoning behind the colors that
they select, and it’s not based on likes and dislikes. When
you are on the subject of color, there are certain things that
can be helpful to share with new clients early on, particularly
if they have never been part of a logo design project before.

ceRtain companies, inDustRies, anD cateGoRies “own”
c e R t a i n c o l o R s / / / Home Depot is orange and UPS is
brown: Your client likely knows this already. But do they know
that red is a very common color in identity systems for archi-
tectural firms? Or that royal blue on milk packaging signifies 2
percent milk? If you are working on a logo redesign, you may
discover that your client “owns” a specific color or colors for
their category or geographic area.

What does this mean for your design? If your client is a home
improvement center, it would probably be unwise (from a
branding or legal standpoint) to choose orange. If your cli-
ent is an architect, maybe selecting a color other than red
will make her stand out more. If your client is a dairy, using
anything but royal blue for 2 percent milk labeling is probably
going to be very confusing for their customers.

The lesson here is to carefully think through what connec-
tions your colors already have.

some visuals aRe moRe quickly unDeRstooD in theiR
n a t i v e c o l o R / / / By “native color,” I mean that people know
that living leaves are usually green. If you choose to make
your leaf design blue, it may confuse your message. But then
again, it could be awesome.

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 173

coloR may Be moRe impoRtant than a loGo’s shape ///
Especially at a distance, color and pattern are more identifi-
able to the human eye than shape. People recognize color
first, pattern second, and shape third.

c o n s u m e R s w i l l o n ly a l l o w s o m u c h / / / If your client is a
bank, a pink logo is not going to work. But if you are design-
ing for a lingerie store, pink might be perfect.

That’s because consumers have certain strong expectations,
based on experiences since birth, when it comes to color.
Using colors that run contrary to what they expect to see can
make them uneasy or suspicious. But if you select the exact
colors they expect—that is, what everyone else in a category
is using—you run the risk of becoming invisible.

It’s up to you to find that sweet spot between what the con-
sumer will allow and a completely new direction. In my opin-
ion, it is nice to err on the side of being risky in the interest of
being memorable.

m u l t i c o l o R l o G o s c a n h a v e i s s u e s / / / You are usually
not talking about a single color. Keep in mind, though, that
the ownability of colors does get watered down the more
colors you select for an identity, but then your options are
increased. There are also reproduction and cost consider-
ations with a multicolor logo.

Some colors have very strong cultural ties Colors can very
easily flip in popularity. For instance, pink was considered
masculine before World War I. By World War II, use of pink
to suggest masculinity was taboo. Fluorescent lime green
was a fashion statement in the 1980s. Tangerine comes and
goes. Colors can be cleaner or crisper, or softer and more
muted, as preferences shift.

So, be cautious to not get too focused on what is popular
today. Nothing dulls as quickly as the cutting edge. A color
can be good while it is good, but it can become very bad
very soon.

Another issue with trying to create a family through differently colored logos
is that you can inadvertently dilute a company’s equity in its original brand
palette.

174

If this necktie was worn in France, it might be to a funeral. In England, the color and readability
wearer might be going to a formal wedding. In the United States, in the midst
of an election, the wearer might be trying hard not to show preference for blacK on yEllow is the most readable color com-
any major political party. bination. So why aren’t books printed black on yellow?
Because the combination really works best from a distance.
From country to country, color evokes cultural considerations Yellow can be a tremendously challenging color to own for
as well. In India, orange or saffron is a sacred color asso- an identity, because it has so many reproduction issues.
ciated with the Hindu religion. In Ireland, it represents the A straight yellow is the lightest on the color wheel, and in
Protestant religion. White is associated with death in Japan, a world where the background palette is white, you can
and with weddings in European cultures. Do a bit of research quickly have visibility issues. Just imagine printing yellow
if your logo needs to travel abroad. on white paper. Yellow can also shift cool or warm, but it
is a thin line before it shifts to green or orange. Adding a
c o n s i D e R h o w t h e c o l o R w i l l B e R e p R o D u c e D / / / It may neutral such as black can deaden yellow down and cause
not seem like a big deal to select a color as part of a logo it to lose its cheery appeal. Yet yellow in combination with
design, but over time it will be a very big deal for your cli- different colors is very popular.
ent. Whether you pick a Pantone Matching System color or a The more common way to use yellow is as a background
four-color process, that choice will affect your client’s budget color, as Caterpillar does. Yellow clearly is part of the Cat
for years to come. If you pick a spot color that is not easily identity, but its logo is always shown in black.
replicated in four-color, this will affect who can print jobs for
your client, and again will affect cost. Can the client achieve Yellow is an attention grabber, but it has to be corralled in to
color fidelity between print and on-screen uses? Think ahead keep it from vanishing into space. The Best Buy logo uses a black
for your client: They likely do not realize how color selection outline to avoid this disappearing act.
now can affect their bottom line later.

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 175

Many presses can’t produce less than a 3 percent screen, which results in a Gardner Design, HMiVgPh Touch Technologies
sharp line where the ink stops.
Don’t need all four colors in the CMYK printing process? Leave out the
inCludinG a Color Gradient in a desiGn Can Be Beau- unneeded color(s) and save your client some money. For example, there’s
t i f u l o r i t C a n C r e a t e i s s u e s / / / First, different design no magenta in this design. Or, substitute a spot color for one of the CMYK
programs assign different mathematical processes to make colors.
a gradient. So a file may end up changing as it is moved from
one environment to another. Also, there is no magic to CMYK for printing: You can substi-
tute other colors on press. If your design contains a vibrant
Second, if your gradation goes from 100 percent through an pink color, substitute pink for the magenta and stay on four
easy gradation down to white, know that most presses can’t colors on press (but only if the pink is not part of the makeup
go lower than a 3 percent screen. So you will get a sharp of other colors on the job).
edge where the color stops and defaults to white.
m e t a l l i Cc s l o o kK G rR e a t, B u t … / / / It is not uncommon for
Finally, applications such as embroidery can’t handle gradi- designers in my office to look at metallic colors for an iden-
ents at all. So think ahead before you specify one as part of tity. Metallic inks in any color—not just coppers, golds, or
a logo. silvers—provide a certain tactile sense that is very appealing
and can give a design better hang time so that it can capture
Be creative in finding ways to save money and hassle for your more attention.
client. For example, the lines in this design transition from
dark to light. The job also included printing black for type. We But you can’t fake a metallic on the computer screen. You
considered whether we should print in spot color or go with can’t print metallic color in an industry publication without
four-color. It really had to be four-color to get the dark-to-light paying dearly for it. It’s likely you won’t be able to achieve
shift. But there is no magenta in the design, so we shifted the the same effect in embroidery. What will your substitute be?
art to three-color process in order to keep the cost down.
t h i n Kk a B o u t t h e s u B s t rR a t e , t o o / / / When you and your
176 client have selected that perfect robin’s-egg-blue spot color
for their identity, be sure you show them both the coated and
uncoated versions of the color chip. You would swear some-
times that they are completely different ink colors. If you don’t
share this information with the client now, they will definitely
be unhappy later.

You may need to work with the client to develop two sets of When the original Microsoft Network logo debuted in 2000 it was panned by
colors: one on coated and one on uncoated applications. designers as impractical. It was responsible for heralding in a generation of
But this can be dangerous when the project is complete and design that challenged arcane rules in an age of changing technology.
you are out of the picture: There is always someone who
does not get the memo, and this can create some conten- The first to cry foul is the designer concerned about clients
tious and potentially costly outcomes. that need to live in the newspaper or yellow pages. Very few
clients live there anymore. Years ago when MSN created their
Cc o l o rR i s n o t a n e x a Cc t s Cc i e n Cc e / / / Unless you fully disclose little transparent multi colored butterfly logo, the old school-
this fact, you will end up paying for it eventually. A print off ers gasped. Take a breath. MSN was one of the early advo-
your office printer will send the client in the wrong direction cates of a paperless corporation. They lived in and on RGB.
unless you fully educate the client on all possibilities. Colors
glowing off the screen in glorious RGB are almost always If you have a current telephone directory you are one of less
going to look much different from the same colors printed on than 10% of the American population according to a Gallup
paper. Ambient light changes affect color perception. There survey. The reason folks trip over the stack of directories left
are plenty of variables: Just make sure you and your client sitting inside office park or apartment doorways isn’t be-
understand this when making choices. cause that’s the most convenient place for tenants to keep
them between calls. If we need a plumber we go online. Last
a s h i f t f Rr o m cC m yY kK t o Rr G B I checked, the internet still doesn’t charge extra for color.

There was a time when the cardinal rule of logo design man-
dated a mark must be reproducible in solid black and white.
Even the use of a halftone was consider verboten. When we
lived in a black-and-white world, this rule made pretty good
sense. No one lives there anymore. At best this was in the
CMYK world, but we moved out of that neighborhood and
are now ensconced in the RGB district. Red, Green, and
Blue dots literally light our life. We visually consume informa-
tion from our phones, our pads, our flat screens, and our
computers, and if we need to print it, guess what, we have
a color printer.

These rules were established at a time when color anything
was a premium. As consumers our preferences and buying
patterns shift with societal and technological changes. Yes,
even color is different today than it was twenty years ago.
RGB screens project light at us, and this means we have
grown accustomed to a very rich and bright color palette.
A review of color trend forecasts shows that despite the oc-
casional desaturated palette, we have acclimated toward a
vivid chroma-rich environment over the last two decades.

C H A P T E R 15 Refinement 177

CHAPTER Designing

16 lockups

Consistent use of a new identity
comes from your guidance.

pEoplE maKE assumpTions based on

what they see about you; what visual signals you send. One
of the strongest signals a brand can send out is whether or
not it is being used consistently.

People make a lot of bold assumptions based on consis-
tency. If a consumer is trying to choose between two homo-
geneous products, he is likely to lean toward the one that
has better brand consistency because it creates a sense of
confidence. People recognize attention to detail, and they
extrapolate this to how a brand will handle other areas of
business, such as product or service quality. You assume
they will complete the job on time, answer the phone in a
friendly fashion, have the proper qualifications, and possess
the financial wherewithal to pay for the project.

No matter how big or small your client is, you must build flexibility into the
logo so that it can be applied to many spaces.

178

This exceptional value through the consistent use of an iden-
tity by the client after you are no longer involved is not likely
to build unless you create a solid lockup for your design.
Lockup is a euphemistic term that refers to the visual linkage
between the logo and the wordmark. It explains to the client
and vendors in specific terms the way the elements are used
in conjunction with one another, as well as with a tagline if
there is one. It is the visual relationship and orientation for the
components of the design.

Those elements have to work with one another and have
a consistent scale and nature regardless of the size, place-
ment, and nature of the application. If you have specified that
the logo should be placed dead center over your wordmark,
with one-half the height of the wordmark between the two
items, this is a lockup.

pP rR e Dd i c t i n gG u s a gG e

With lockups, the trouble lies in being able to anticipate every
possible use or application for a particular design. How could
you know all the ways it will be used in the future?

s pP e c i f y m i n i m u m s i z e / / / Perhaps one way to start is by
anticipating how the identity could be misused. For example,
you know that if your design is reduced beyond a certain
size, the wordmark or other word or letter content in the logo
will not be legible. So start there: Indicate the minimum size
for the design.

So it’s not uncommon for a logo to have several iterations to
accommodate size issues, but it makes more sense to de-
sign in such a way that such challenges are not introduced.

i dD e n t i f y Pp o t e n t i a l Pp rR o bB l e m s / / / Earlier, you should have
done a visual audit of everything the client needs, so ideally,
you already have a list of all the ways the organization might
use the logo. Due to time and budget constraints, you may
not be prepared to design a lockup for every single applica-
tion, but you can identify a) the most common uses, and b)
the most problematic uses.

The IBM and Minolta logos were designed to accommodate various use sizes.
The original IBM logo (by Paul Rand) had more lines, but by 1972 it had been
simplified for reproduction issues. The original Minolta logo (by Bass Yager)
had a piece of art in the wordmark; a simpler logo was devised for small
format use, as shown in this vintage ad.

C H A P T E R 16 Designing lockups 179

simple square

onE of ThE EasiEsT locKups to work with is when
the logo and wordmark fit in a relatively square configura-
tion. A balance already exists between the horizontal and
vertical spaces. The more vertical the orientation is, the
more challenges you will run into.

You may have to fur nish other orientations of a lockup to Lockups need to be created with enough flexibility to accommodate sizes as
accommodate difficult applications. Imagine trying to work diverse as business cards and fleet vehicles.
delivery scooters into your system. Signage is notoriously an
anomaly when it comes to maintaining lockups. It is costly to It’s pretty simple to create a lockup for the common uses.
produce, it is large, and it has to be superlegible. Vehicles present But if you don’t provide instructions for how to handle the
a highly defined space for an identity—trim and door handles are more problematic applications—vertical signage, fleet graph-
in the way, and it’s not uncommon to find that every van in a fleet ics, and so on—your client will figure out a way on their own,
has differing window configurations or none at all. and this is usually not an ideal situation.

s e t t h e R u l e s / / / Say your client’s initial logo is a giant let-
ter A for Atlas, and it looks like Atlas holding the world on
his shoulders. Someone in your client’s office sees that A
and believes it would be a good idea to make that A part of
a word in a headline. This is clearly not good for the brand
or the design, but the person who has this idea thinks he is
being very creative.

You want the client to use the identity in a creative manner,
but not in ways that diminish the value you have created (and
the money they have spent). Anticipate such misuses, and
clearly explain how they will be throwing their money and
equity down the drain if they do not follow the lockup(s).

180

on standards manuals e s t a B l i s h a p R o t e c t i v e z o n e / / / Visually, an identity must
appear as a separate component from any other visual
somETimEs cliEnTs wanT To hop ahead and ask ephemera that surround it—text, art, whatever. There should
you to do a manual first. Personally, I can’t do this unless be no question in the consumer’s mind where the identity
we have already implemented the identity in ads, collat- begins and other ephemera end.
eral, and more. We need to work through all of this first so
that we can suggest what is best. p R e p a R e f o R a D D i t i o n a l l a n G u a G e / / / An identity has vi-
sual DNA or visual vocabulary that goes with it. Your lockup
Graphics standards that are developed before the appli- must be designed to integrate with color, textures, typefaces,
cation are incredibly thin. And they don’t work. There is a photography, and more. A strong set of visual standards will
sequence to these things. explain how these items coexist.

A tagline, for example, may exist right under the name of the
company. This may be a long-term component of the identity,
or it may be a very short-term one. Maybe it changes from
season to season. Because you want to have that tagline of-
fered in a consistent location, since sometimes it will be there
and sometimes it won’t, you need to offer guidance for both.

A final note: You simply can’t anticipate every misuse of your
design. Sometimes a client will look at your lockup as a chal-
lenge and think, “Well, he didn’t say I couldn’t do this…”

There’s no way to fight this sort of mentality. All you can do is
to present your best work, offer your best advice, and then
move on to the next project.

The guidelines you establish will graphically show the client how all elements 181
relate to one another.

C H A P T E R 16 Designing lockups



delivery

CHAPTER PresentatIon and

17 preparation

It’s time to introduce your presenting remotely
solution to the world.
if you cannoT be at the presentation, you may have
wE arE moving into a whole new stage now. Up to send a PDF. It always gives me a bad feeling in the pit
of my stomach when I have to do this, because I know I
to this point in the process, we have been in a sort of cre- won’t see the expressions on their faces, or sense what
ative cocoon, working in private and investing an enormous the mood of the day is, or hear what is said.
amount of inward focus to produce solutions that we under-
stand inside and out. And now it’s time to roll it out. It works better if I can be on the phone with the client
before the art is sent. Then, when they open the files, I am
Whether you are experienced at making presentations or there to walk them through them.
not, this moment is something you should prepare for. You
probably have an idea from earlier meetings who you will If a remote presentation is mandatory, consider present-
present to, and you have the brief that reiterates the project ing with Skype or other teleconferencing technology that
goals. What you don’t know is how the client or client team will allow you to control the reveal of the art and view the
will react. response at the same time.

After presenting hundreds of logo designs, I know certain
client objections may come up that will impede the under-
standing of the concept. You can overcome most, if not all, of
them if you can prepare the client for the presentation.

184

on design modifications Before we begin, I ask the people to whom I am presenting
to be as open as possible. I tell them that what we pres-
anyThing can bE modifiEd. You know this is true, ent may or may not have the right color now (this inevitably
but it’s not really what you want to hear at this stage of causes a response), and that we can easily adjust this and
the game. it should not influence their opinion about the actual design.
Designers simultaneously want and hate input from the
client. You are at the presentation, and you are asking for The objective here is to let them know they should not cast
their feedback, so you have to be willing to modify the out any solution because of a component that can easily be
design according to that input. fixed—color is a good example. (To forestall the color objec-
The fact is, you have to have their okay in order to move tions, you could present in black and white only. But it’s good
forward. But they have to understand that they hired you for the client to know you don’t pick colors blindly. You just
for a reason. Explain your choices as clearly as possible, need to be ready to explain the reasoning behind the choice.)
and even if they ask for something else, they will respect
the thought behind your choices. When we are looking at combination symbol–wordmark so-
lutions—I tell them that if there is something they love or hate
Preliminary design about one or the other, they should let us know. Too many
great logos have been trashed because they were linked to
Finished design type that didn’t make the cut, or vice versa. In fact, if there
is anything about the design that is tripping them up, they
This identity for a trucking service went through a robust change should speak up.
between initial client approval and final art. Jerry Kuyper and Joe
Finocchiaro recognized greater possibility and pushed the mark enteRinG Discussions
to its full potential.
Your client has been successful in whatever they have done
so far, and you have to credit their taste since they selected
you. So, as the presentation proceeds, don’t be a know-it-
all. You are leading the discussion, but they have critical in-
formation that you need. Listen to their objections, even if
you see them as invalid. They too want to bring this project
to completion, so try to understand their perspective before
responding.

One of the first things I will tell a client is that designers are
very accustomed to rejections. “We are going to show you
eight logos today, and our objective is for you to be happy
with one of them,” I might tell the group. “This means seven
will fail.” You will always have more work rejected than ac-
cepted, so it’s best to get used to this early.

I share the rejection comment with clients in jest—and par-
tially to gird my own loins—but also because sometimes a
client can feel bad about “insulting” you by throwing out so
much of your work. Let them know this is how the process
goes: They simply can’t have eight logos.

C H A P T E R 17 Presentation and PreParation 185

the unchosen the pResentation pRocess

if you worK wiTh a group of other designers, it’s Have you ever attended a conference where everyone starts
inevitable that only one person’s logo design will be cho- to adopt the same mindset? You become really good friends
sen. This means everyone else will go home without that with people you just met and share stories that you never
little victory, including you. Each person put an enormous would have otherwise. It’s invigorating and a blast. Then,
amount of thought and energy into his or her design. Not when you go back to the office and try to share this amazing
having your work selected is often enough of an incentive feeling with others, no one else gets it.
to work harder on the next project. But also be honest
with yourself and make note of a client’s objection to your Such an experience is analogous to the logo design and
design. Blaming their objection on their sense of taste will presentation process. You just came out of this trying, en-
not result in your design being chosen in the next project. ergy-sapping, emotional, frenetic process of designing this
logo, and in the presentation, it’s common to want to share
Determining a client’s sense of taste, likes, and dislikes what that extraordinary experience was like. But your client
gives you a much better chance of crafting the selected was not there as part of the process and likely does not care
solution. Waiting for a client to come along that likes the much about it: They are interested in the results.
same thing you do is waiting for failure, or waiting forever.
When you present, every time you say “me” or “I” you are
ReiteRatinG oBjectives no longer talking about the client. This is their logo, and their
presentation. Talk about them. You might think about writing
Another thing I do before the actual work is shown is to re- down your presentation to help you stay on track.
view the original design brief. We do this for a number of rea-
sons. One is that the client has not been intimately involved Some designers show only one solution at presentation time,
with this for the past month or two (as we have), so they need and some show many. Some elect to show the objective/
to get reacquainted with the project. Maybe they have had goal statement again and reiterate points before they show
some additional thoughts since our last meeting: Reviewing solutions, trying to build the sale. Others offer explanations
the original goals underlines the fact that this is not a moving of their designs before they show them. Any of these tech-
target. Remind them of what the original objectives were and niques is fine, but remember that in the real world, there is no
how the designs meet those objectives. one standing there to explain your design or provide a setup
for it. It’s usually better to let the client see the logo as early
It is also helpful to reiterate some of the thoughts and insights as possible in the presentation, even sans story.
they shared at your first meeting, particularly as the new de-
sign ties into them, and it should. This isn’t to be patron- w h a t D o i s a y ? / / / Before we make the actual presenta-
izing, but if the client mentioned earlier that the company is tion, back in our office we lay down all the solutions we want
nimble, and your design contains a fox, this shows a direct to present, and I walk through the presentation with all the
correspondence to their wishes. They will feel a much greater designers present and actually say what I plan to say at the
sense of ownership in the concept. meeting. The other designers may prompt me to recall other
elements that I have forgotten.

Then, when I reach the client’s office, I am thoroughly re-
hearsed and have the support of the entire team. Being a
good presenter is so important. If you are not prepared, you
will not be able to sell your work. Some people are comfort-
able doing this, and some are complete introverts.

186

When we at Gardner Design do a presentation, we show complete logos, either on cards or on-screen. In the case of Anjou Bakery, these were the nine options we
presented. We don’t use additional slides restating objectives or anything else; I do all of that verbally, before the visual presentation. We want them to focus completely
on the logos at this time. We present all of the logos at the same time, just as you see them here, then walk through each one to explain our creative decisions. (The
version with the rooster and rolling pin was ultimately chosen.)

C H A P T E R 17 Presentation and PreParation 187

Changes on the fly ntainlkeinsglidtoesuwcceeresssfeulebcutesdinefrsosmpeaopsliex:tyT-hselidyewpillreastterinbtuatteioynoutor
LnienrevaoguesnLeosgsisotricsst.umMbarlisnhgatlloSintreaptetigtuydcereaactreodssththeenbaomaerda. nd
It Is not uncommon, during a presentation, for a brand strategy, and I partnered with them to create the logo
client to ask to see a color tweaked or a different typeface Idebseiginn. logo presentations with a reprise of the agreed-on
in place. brand strategy and criteria. This includes the positioning, de-
“sLiriendeaimgeagLeoagtistrtiibcusteiss,aanwdarkeehyoauusdiniegnacneds. lIobgeisliteicvse tchoamt tphareney
Consider carefully whether you want to make these tboufilitvetolodgeolidveirrecstoiopnhsisatirceattheed,opctuimstaolmniuzmedb,ear nodf cdheopiceensd.aTbhle
changes while the client is sitting there watching you. ncoinled cshlidaeinsswoelurteiosnesl.e”c—teldinefraogmeloagsisixtitcys-.scliodme presentation to
While a small modification might not mean anything, if you Lineage Logistics. Marshall Strategy created the name and
start to make lots of changes three things happen. First, Lboragnod sretrfaintemgye, natndcaI nparletnaedredtowisthignthifeicmantto cimrepartoevtehmeelongtso.
you are getting deep into the design process with them, Tdhesroigung.h careful examination the following were significantly
and they may start to make unwise design decisions that changed:
you know are wrong. Second, they may become strongly “Lineage Logistics is a warehousing and logistics company
attached to “their design” because they had a part in the built tTohedefolivrmer asnodphciosltoicraotfetdh,ecluosgtoomized, and dependable
creation process. cold chain solutions.” —lineagelogistics.com

Third, and this is possibly the most damaging in the long The logotype, to be more distinctive
term, there is something to be said for maintaining the Logo refinement can lead to significant improvements.
mystique of design. If a client sees it only takes ten sec- ThrouTghhecpalarecfeuml eexnatmofintahteiosnymthbeofloallnodwilnogowtyepre significantly
onds to make a change, they start to think that all de- changed:
sign work is that simple. They don’t realize the effort and What I try to achieve:
thought that went into the whole design. They see only
the simple mechanical fix, something they could probably The form and color of the logo
do if they knew how to use your software. A relaxed, pressure-free setting where everyone is
cTohme lfogrtoatbylpeee,xtporebsesmingorheisdiosrtinhcetrivpeoint of view
When changes are requested, it’s probably best to sched-
ule a second meeting and come back with modifications TDheecipsiloancsembaesnet dofotnhemseyemtinbgolsatrnadteloggicootybpjeectives
then.
What I atrvyotiod:achieve:
Jerry Kuyper is the genius behind some of the world’s most
beloved identities. He was a critical player in the design of ATryreinlagxteodc, rperaetsesluorgeo-frdeierescetitotinnsgtwhahtehreaveevebreyeone is
the Bass/Yager and Associates, AT&T globe, and in subse- ocovemrlfyorteafibnledexpressing his or her point of view
quent years, directed or designed the logos for the World
Wildlife Fund, Touchstone, and Sprint. Today he partners DSpeceinsdioinngs ebnaosermdoounsmameeotiunngtsstoraf teimgeiccorbejaetcintigves
with others from his offices in Westport, Connecticut, where prototypes
he has crafted identities for the likes of Cigna and Cisco. What I avoid:
What follows are thoughts on presenting and an abbreviated Expecting the client to select one single logo during
presentation for Lineage from Jerry Kuyper Partners. tThryeinfigrstopcreresaetnetalotigoon directions that have been
overly refined
If you are not a good presenter, get some coaching or train-
ing: Make yourself get better, or ask someone else in your of- Spending enormous amounts of time creating
fice to do the presentation. The presentation is everything in prototypes
some ways. All of your hard work might be for nothing if you
can’t show and explain it properly. Remember that you are Expecting the client to select one single logo during
the first presentation
188
has color and reverse-use options.

Provides useful information on effective decision Begins with the logo shown alone, allowing the Uses a business card to show the logo in context
making. client a moment to see and absorb the direction. I and at a smaller size. In demonstrating the logo
then follow with a brief explanation of the concept options on prototypes, I tend to avoid unusual,
and the text at the bottom of the slide. The logo edgy designs that may distract the client from
represents different elements uniting to make a focusing on the logo directions.
whole, just as Lineage brings together smaller
companies to form one strong entity.

Shows the direction in the context of key competi- Demonstrates the logo on an employee shirt. Has color and reverse-use options.
tors, which allows the client to see a very useful I select four to six applications that are most
comparison. relevant to the client.

Has four of the logo directions placed next to Demonstrates the original direction and the final
one another for easy comparison. I also show the refined logo.
directions in small sizes to help the client make an
informed decision.

C H A P T E R 17 Presentation and PreParation 189

CHAPTER application

18

Your design must have its own Like trees, brands without roots are short lived and devoid of strength.
dna if it will continue to succeed.
Think of a tree: The actual structure of the root system of a
you havE passEd the presentation stage, and tree often mirrors the shape and structure of the plant that is
above ground. If a big tree has a compromised root system,
your client has selected their final logo. That is, they have a it will be more susceptible to disease or being blown over. If
logo printed on a white piece of paper, centered, and looking you want the tree to be healthy, you do what you can for the
very pretty indeed. This is as idyllic a situation as you will ever entire organism.
see for this logo. And the fact is, unless the client is keeping
you onboard past this point so that you can teach the team
how to use this logo, the design may not have a whole lot of
value anyway.

After all, there are plenty of amateurs, websites, and group
sources who could also have brought the client to this point.
However, not only can identity designers create the logos,
but they can also put the logos into actual and effective ap-
plications. That’s what actually builds value for the client, and
that’s why you can charge real money for your work.

190

A logo is very much the same. It has to be nourished and The combined DNA of this couple will likely result in children who look very
have a good foundation. This is the difference between just much like their parents. Even by mistake, they would be hard pressed to give
buying some logo off a group-sourced website and invest- birth to anything but a redheaded child. Your brand DNA should have this
ing in an identity that can live and serve and function well for same power.
many years to come. Even when you are no longer working
with the client, the logo will continue to be strong. what shoulD
the Dna contain?
I share all of these points with the client. In fact, I actually
show a diagram of a tree, and then a diagram of a tree with The logo is still at the heart of the application, but this is a
its complete root system below. It drives home the message. wonderful group of support elements that come together to
You can design a logo for the client for X number of dollars. build a very strong visual brand. As I talk about all of these ele-
But if they are willing to make the full investment, they will get ments, I am not just talking about printed material or elements
a solid root system as well. You can provide far more for them on a screen. These could be applied to fleet vehicles, interior
than others are willing or able to do. You are building for them design, architecture, signage, packaging, or even a product.
a brand DNA that helps ensure that the entire organism will On the next few pages, we’ll use an example of DNA built in
continue to be healthy over time. our office for Kroger convenience stores.

the BRanD t y p o G R a p h y / / / When I talk about typography as part of
the visual vocabulary, I am not just talking about fonts. I am
I also have a photo that I share with clients to explain the also talking about the scale of the font as related to other
brand DNA that we can build for them. It is of a mom and elements, the kerning and whether it is variable, its leading,
dad with red hair, with two kids who all look exactly the same. changing the outlines of characters in the font, and much
It would be very unlikely that this couple is going to get any more. Maybe one line has one font and then changes to an-
other color of hair or eyes on their children. The DNA of these other font. Maybe you are using a professional level of a font
people guarantees that this is what they will produce. that has numbers with a different baseline.

The same principle holds true for a brand’s DNA. If a com- It is so much more than just typing words. It’s how the ty-
pany has an effective DNA, it will work even when you are no pography relates to the logo (and you should consider type
longer involved with the project, even if the company is very as separate from the wordmark, too). How do you bring the
large and has many offices, and even if many different peo- text to life?
ple are involved in implementing the brand. They can even
try completely new campaigns or directions, and as long as
these come from the original gene pool, they will work with
everything else.

If a company does not have the design DNA it needs to guide
it, it will begin to introduce new genes, and pretty soon the
outcome will no longer look like the rest of the family. No one
senses relationships anymore. The value of the original logo
has withered, and with it, the organization’s investment.

With all of that being said, if all the client wants is a logo, give
them one. But don’t be guilty of not explaining the greater
value of the full identity and its guiding DNA.

C H A P T E R 18 Application 191

c o l o R / / / This is not just the color of the logo. There may be For an identity developed for Kroger convenience stores, we selected four font
a wider hierarchy of color that complements the entire iden- families and used only these in all applications in order to maintain consistency.
tity. How do you use colors? Is there strong color use or large
blocks of it? Is the logo shown on a large field of bright color, pP a t t e Rr n s / / / The shape of your logo might integrate into a
or is it subtler, with gradations or just hints of color? How pattern that is used on print materials. Maybe you are using a
does color relate to the logo? Will transitions of color guide plaid or tweed pattern or a photographic or illustrative fill. The
the viewer? How will color be used with type? patterns can also be translucent, which allows more informa-
tion to be introduced.
t e x t u R e / / / I use the word texture instead of pattern to de-
fine three-dimensional surfaces. It might be the finish on a mM a t e Rr i a l s / / / When we were developing the look of the
piece of paper, whether it’s laid, smooth, or woven, or it could fascias and canopies for Kroger convenience stores, we se-
be a wood grain or the surface of cement. If you are design- lected a brushed steel that repeated itself on 2-D and 3-D
ing a retail space and you consider surfaces there, they might surfaces. It was a good fit with the overall brand message of
reflect the same sorts of textures as the main identity. Or they a clean, contemporary environment. Materials also include
may be different, perhaps carrying a ribbony effect, which elements such as woods, fabrics, organic materials, and
might be carried on in the packaging. These are tactile things plastics. Imagine how a fashion house might integrate ma-
that can be blended between print materials and the physical terials such as signature textiles in unexpected applications.
world. You can also create the appearance of texture through
printing or on-screen effects.

192

regarding texture

The more mulTisensory you make an identity,
the greater value it has. Research shows that the more
senses that are used in an experience, the more the par-
ticipant remembers. Touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight:
Combined, they can make quite a brand statement.

Today, hotels and airlines use the same aroma from plane
to plane and hotel to hotel so that you get the same con-
sistent brand experience from place to place. Singapore
Airlines is known for a particular fragrance used in planes,
and attendants use a specific perfume, Stefan Floridian
Waters. Four Points Sheraton hotels went through a major
branding effort that included the development of a pat-
ented smell so that every time you visit, you always have
the same experience.

There is also a new science, called haptic technology,
that allows you to use static friction on a display screen
to actually allow the viewer to feel any texture, such as
water, velvet, or skin. So it won’t be long before designers
are creating the feel of an identity as well as its look (and
sound, in some instances).

A group of colors was extracted from the main brand identity and expanded
for use as the convenience store’s color family.

Store destination brands were created utilizing a format that related to the A family of patterns was created for use in association with various store
shape of the diamond logo. Materials, typography, and colors of the signs venues. For additional familial ties, these patterns also incorporated a
were derived from the same brand language. mezzotint texture.

C H A P T E R 18 Application 193

The Coffee Central islands of the Kroger convenience stores are designed i l l u s t R a t i o n / p h o t o G R a p h y / / / The brand DNA might se-
to incorporate the visual language of materials, patter n, texture, and color. lect a style of illustration or photography and then stick with
it. For example, if your photos have a limited field of focus, or
Coffee flavors were identified on hot pot dispensers using custom typography dramatic lighting, or even similar content (e.g., they always
based on display fonts specified for Kroger. show a smiling person or the close-up of hands), that consis-
tent element becomes critical as a design component.

meet the BRanD stewaRD

This is the person to whom you will eventually hand every-
thing off. Someone else, likely someone within the company,
has to take the brand identity and walk forward with it. It
could be a vice president of marketing, a corporate brand
manager, or someone within an in-house design group. In
some cases, the brand steward could be you, especially if
your client does not have the resources to produce a brand
standards manual (more on this document in a bit).

The healthiest thing to do is to share as much information as
possible, as clearly as possible. This is especially important
if the steward is not a designer: This means no lingo and no
shorthand. The client will be healthier and be better able to
work with you again or recommend you. You also want them
to know the brand intimately so that you aren’t getting called
back over niggling details that eat up your time when you’re
already off the clock.

This person is incredibly important to the continued life of
your hard work: About 65 percent of clients who come to us
for a logo already have an identity that has failed. No one was
watching the wheel.

the GRaphic stanDaRDs
manual

This document is the golden touchstone for the client, as you
will not always be there to answer questions. The rules are
carved in stone here. It indicates how much space must be
left around the logo, and why you can’t bevel the logo just
because it will look cool. It shares accepted and unaccepted
uses of the logo, and it usually shows the fonts that can be
used in conjunction with the identity. The larger the client is,
and the more outside vendors it works with, the more impor-
tant the manual is.

194

standards today

in ThE days when graphic standards manuals were
printed, it was a costly endeavor to update standards.
Now, with PDF, there are probably more updates, and
therefore more freshness, in these documents. But this
also leads to some designers just copying from the stan-
dards of others and pasting them into their own graphics
and guidelines. This is a recipe for disaster. Feel free to
look to other standards for guidance (search the Internet
or ask mentors to share some of theirs), but think through
your instruction thoroughly, as every identity will have its
own set of unique requirements.

A group of materials including stainless steel, matte black, and red-gloss You do need to build in flexibility, though. For a logo to main-
surfaces were used not only on signage, but also on the store structures and tain relevance, it has to stay current. The brand standards
canopies at each location. should be like the foundation of the house: strong, and sup-
porting everything else. But the outside of the house may
need to be painted and updated once in a while. In identity
terms, that outside part might be a new tagline, or a new
marketing campaign, or a change in photographic style.
Standards do need to be a living document that can endure
the process of change—but not too fast or too far.

A custom wall covering reflected the Kroger convenience store diamond. This 195
pattern was used subtly and boldly as a graphic component on everything
from merchandise and finishes to cups.

C H A P T E R 18 Application

CHAPTER Implementation

19

timing is everything when it comes Your client may also be looking at the capital expenditure of
to preparing for the public’s implementation, or they may have a huge backstock of prod-
reaction. uct, sales, or other collateral that uses the old identity. Would
it be better to introduce the new system through attrition?
if ThErE is onE Thing I can guarantee, it’s
Your guidance can talk them through the timing. This is im-
that your client will be very focused on when this new identity portant, because poor timing or an incomplete release can
can be implemented. A trade show may be coming up, or a send a mixed message to the consumer.
new product launch, or an investors’ meeting. But there is
some date that is driving this design (and it would be good to Everyone has seen an identity that has been introduced too
know this date much earlier in the process so that there are slowly or without proper steering: It feels like it lacks real
no surprises when it arrives). commitment. You might see two of the same products right
next to each other on the shelf, one with old and one with
You should consider other timing issues as well. You have to new packaging. There may be a good reason for this, but it
consider how releasing the new logo will affect what your cli- delivers a disjointed, confusing message to the consumer.
ent is already doing. Do they have a busy time of year when Make every attempt to set dates with your client for comple-
the new logo and identity should not be released? Maybe tion of an introduction.
there is a time each year when they do major promotions—
3.tif say, prior to a holiday. Or would it be better for the client if the There are ways to get around this. If the client has to do a
new plan was released slowly? gradual release, work with them to determine the group’s
top brand touchpoints, where you get the greatest num-
196 ber of impressions. If the website is the primary customer
contact, start releasing the new identity there. On the other

hand, if there is an invoice that is sent to customers every Client stories change with time. When we designed the logo at top for Ketch
ninety days, this would be among the last places to intro- in 1990, the training and the funding for it were a bigger part of the client’s
duce the new design. If your client operates in disparate story. When we redesigned the mark in 2012, the story was much more about
geographic areas, maybe you can phase in the release one the individual. The new design reflects that.
area at a time.
vertical leg of the K is a goal that they strive to attain. Finally,
But have a plan. Don’t let the new identity just leak out with the upper-front triangle represents the individual once he
no real direction. or she has completed the steps and reached the goal. The
white counterspace is the shape of the back door that the
teachinG a BRanD stoRy person is going to be leaving through.

When you are creating an identity, the audience will make One of the things the client had asked us for, because they
some broad assumptions about what is going on. I often were constantly battling for funds and having to explain their
think that releasing a new identity is like running up a new mission and process, was something they could use to help
flag on a castle. It’s a clear visual element that says some- tell their story. With the new logo in hand, when they would
thing new has arrived, and it will definitely generate curiosity. go to the legislature or wherever the people holding the purse
strings were, they could show the logo and use it as a teach-
It is this opportunity that you need to be prepared for: It is the ing tool as they shared this story. And the people they met
moment when people are primed to hear the new brand story. with would remember it.
People will ask questions of your client: Do you have new
ownership, or have the same products, or the same phone That is one way to tell the brand story. But even being able
numbers? It is a signal of a change. to explain why a certain color is being used to represent your
core mission is important. All of your brand ambassadors
People will also want to know what the logo means. There need to be prepared.
needs to be a script that details not only the meaning, but
also why all of this new work was undertaken. This script
needs to be shared with everyone in the client’s organization.
There is nothing more disarming than finding out employees
don’t know the brand story.

Sharing the brand story with the client’s entire organization
is crucial to the design’s success, and it can be crucial to
the organization’s goals. Years ago, we created the identity
for Ketch, a group that helps prepare people with physical
handicaps to live on their own. The client had an expres-
sion that they liked to use, that they bring these individu-
als in the front door and send them out the back door. I
thought this sounded sinister, so I pushed for more details.
They explained that their program was not about providing
long-term employment, but rather training the individuals
so that they could hold down a job in society away from the
training center.

Our solution was to create the logo shown here, where the
lower-front leg appears to be a set of three steps that were
involved in preparing these individuals for work. The back

C H A P T E R 19 Implementation 197

pRepaRinG the
amBassaDoRs

A brand ambassador is anyone who will be talking to the
public about the company and logo. It’s not just the market-
ing VP. It’s also the delivery guy with the logo on his van and
the receptionist who is greeting visitors. Everyone in the com-
pany should be conversant regarding the new brand story,
and they all need to be telling the same story. You want to
create a harmonious impression.

Steve Jobs became the consumate brand ambassador for Apple. Consumers
couldn’t even imagine a design introduction without Jobs at the helm. But as
powerful a representative as he was, part of the company’s success was that
its public face—right down to the Geniuses in the Apple stores—is patterned
after Jobs and maintains a congenial, helpful ethos.

Starbucks president Howard Schultz became a central figure and brand
ambassador in the release of the new company logo. He was able to directly
share his enthusiasm, which also helped in the new design’s acceptance.

198

manaGinG expectations The implementation of a new identity is generally a dramatic
thing for customers: Remember, they weren’t anticipating this
When the general public sees the new identity you want them change for months, as you have. Don’t just spring it on peo-
to have a positive reaction, so it’s important that you plan ple with no explanation. Having a cogent brand story ready
how it will be presented. What challenges might the pub- and available will allay worries across the board. Perhaps it
lic have with the new design? How can you help them un- would be wise to send a letter to primary customers ahead
derstand that the new identity is a sign of positive growth? of time to let them know something is going to change soon.
Otherwise, they could believe the worst: that their favorite rep
has probably been let go, or that prices will go up, or that one In addition, the company’s marketing department needs to
product that they like so much will be changed. have a plan in place, as those people will play a big part in
the implementation.

Starbucks did an excellent job in preparing the public for the release of its new logo. This visual was created
as part of the release. It shows a logical evolution that helped persuade possible dissenters to understand
that progression can be positive.

Sports fans build tremendous allegience with their team’s logos, colors, and mascots. This makes it a tough
industry in which to implement brand updates. When the Miami Marlins switched to a very poorly received
logo in 2012, some fans have refused to wear the new gear.

C H A P T E R 19 Implementation 199

As invested as the Gap was in its original logo, as
this store photo shows, the introduction of a new
logo in 2010 caught consumers off guard and under-
whelmed. The design was recalled before implemen-
tation could occur.

200