Designing Logos & Branding is one of the most satisfying projects for me as a graphic designer. A logo must do so many things, in all the right ways, across a wide range of applications, all while standing out and being memorable. The process is all about research, sketching, and being clever in simple ways. I just wrapped up this exploration for the new tea brand Elevation Tea. The evolution from brainstorm to final mark was a fun one so I've posted that below as well with a bit of the thinking involved.
There are a few key principles and practices I always follow when working on logo designs. First, I always begin with a 1-color mark (black on white). Why? Because that is how many logos will live in real life (ie. Business cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc.) It is the core blueprint. If a logo cannot work as a B/W mark there is a good chance it will be problematic sometime down the line. Also, I am always mindful of scale. A logo must have strong impact and readability when it is the size of a penny, and when it is the size of a city bus. The level of detail is very important. Finally, when in the exploration phase, more is more. Often times I will make dozens of options and iterations before sending a handful to the client for review. From there we decide which direction is the strongest, and why, and further explore with color and illustrative elements. A fun process indeed. View Logos & Branding Archive.
