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SO, YOU
WANT A LOGO? HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT.
By William Poe
Anybody wrestling with the task of logo development knows it can
be one of the most challenging areas of graphic design. As Barry
Tilson, president of Stan Gellman Graphic Design Inc., puts it,
“It’s like giving birth.”
LaBarge Inc., a broadbased provider of electronics
to technology-driven companies, worked with Stan Gellman
Graphic Design Inc. on development and application
of their new corporate identity. |
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Once delivered, the logo can be one beautiful baby for a company
or organization seeking a graphic identity. Although you can’t
bounce it on your knee, you can hang the logo on your wall, print
it on your letterhead, place it prominently on your packaging, display
it on your Web site, and otherwise create a branded identity.
To Tilson, whose well-known Central West End firm has designed more
than 150 logos over the years, logos are all about branding.
"THE
LOGO IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE BRAND; IT ALLOWS YOU
TO PRESENT A UNIFIED AND CONSISTENT VISUAL MESSAGE."
Barry Tilson
president,
Stan Gellman Graphic Design
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“The logo is the cornerstone of the brand,” says Tilson.
“It allows you to present a unified and consistent visual
message.”
When asked which logos he admires most, Tilson lists cultural mainstays
like Apple Computer Inc. and Nike Inc. Another local designer, Dave
Cox, president of Sandbox Creative Inc., names the golden arches
of the McDonald’s Corporation. Kiku Obata, president of Kiku
Obata & Company, appreciates the FedEx Corporation design. (Being
a hometown girl, she also loves the St. Louis Cardinals logo.)
The professionals agree that what makes logos great is their inseparability
from the companies they represent. “The McDonald’s logo
is an icon,” says Cox. “You can see it anywhere, even
along the side of the road, and you know immediately what it is
and what it is not.”
"WE
BRAINSTORM WITH PAPER BEFORE WE JUMP ON THE COMPUTER;
IT'S A LOT EASIER TO GENERATE 40 OR 50 OPTIONS WITH
PAPER THAN WITH COMPUTER, AND WE THINK WE OWE IT TO
THE CLIENT TO EXPLORE AS MANY OPTIONS AS WE POSSIBLY
CAN."
Dave Cox
president,
Sandbox Creative
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Developing an organization, service line or product logo can be
a demanding process. Not only does it require a major investment
of dollars from the organization, but also a huge commitment of
time from the organization’s key personnel.
Cox says the biggest pitfall to logo development “is not having
all of the decision-makers in the same room at the same time at
the beginning of the design process, and then not having all of
them back when we go through the initial logo review. It can bring
momentum to a screeching halt.”
Tilson, who has 30 years of experience in the design field, prefers
meeting with top client executives, including the CEO or product
manager. “You just have to have the sharp focus of the client,”
says Tilson.
And the client may have to maintain that focus for a considerable
period of time. Most logos take between four and seven weeks to
develop, but the process can stretch on for six months if alternate
logo designs are tested in front of research focus groups.
As to cost, Tilson, Cox and Obata agree that logos can consume as
little as $1,000 or many thousands more, depending on the number
of applications intended for the logo—letterhead, Web site,
signage, packaging, etc. In St. Louis, $2,500 to $5,000 is considered
typical for an organizational logo. Related brand name and slogan
development generally add to those costs.
Clients can expect three basic steps to the process: information
gathering, logo design and a final selection process.
Each firm starts by interviewing key company officers (Obata may
even use a written questionnaire) and other kinds of fact-finding
to set the general direction for the design work. “We want
to gain an understanding of what the organization is all about—what
the service is—and we want to flush out any conflicting directions,”
says Cox. “We also want to define terms. For instance, the
client may say he wants something ‘clean’ or ‘corporate’
or ‘edgy.’ We need to know what those terms mean to
the client.”
After the information gathering is completed, Cox brings the assignment
back to his staffers, who are invited to participate by rendering
rough pencil or marker designs on paper. “We brainstorm with
paper before we jump on the computer,” Cox explains. “It’s
a lot easier to generate 40 or 50 options with paper than with computer,
and we think we owe it to the client to explore as many options
as we possibly can.”
After this so-called “sketching and playing” phase,
the Sandbox creative team throws all of the marker, ink and pencil
drawings onto the conference room wall and decides which should
be more fully developed on the computer.
KIKU OBATA
president,
Kiku Obata & Company |
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Only then is the client going to see any logos. How many the client
views depends on the firm. Sandbox likes to present 15-20 options;
Gellman generally shows four to six concepts but may show more;
and Obata usually presents no more than a half dozen.
Clients of all three firms will initially see the logos in black
and white. “We want the client to focus on the design without
the bias of color,” says Tilson. “If you present in
color, the client will invariably ignore the visual and focus on
the color, which is highly subjective.”
Even in today’s world of high-definition computer monitors,
most clients prefer to review logo designs the old-fashioned way.
“We present logos on three-inch by three-inch foam core art
boards that we initially just spread on top of the conference room
table,” says Cox. “That way, the client can pick them
up, view them up close or far away, compare them side-by-side, and
even spin them around in their hands. It clearly puts the client
in the driver’s seat.”
When the client makes a final decision, a logo is born. Then it’s
just a matter of setting a few graphics standards in order to ensure
consistency of usage.
Tilson says the process of developing logos is demanding and challenging—for
both the design team and the client company—and can be emotionally
draining, as well. “It really is like birthing a baby,”
he says. “Everyone puts a lot into it, but the end result
is always a positive and defining experience.”
William V. Poe is principal of Poe Communications, a St. Louis
advertising and marketing communications firm. |
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