Logo
Design Techniques 1
Example 1
CREATING
PATTERNS
Symmetrical
forms like our snowflake are ideal for creating repeat patterns.
They fit together like tiles.
Note
how a cube or box is formed at the centre of the design
on the right. Designs within designs are often waiting to
be discovered. A good designer should always be awake to
the possibilities that lie within a shape.
LESS
OR MORE?
This
Christmas card pushes the technique to extremes. However,
in graphic design 'less is more' and consequently
we are looking for a simpler idea.
ARRANGING
IMAGE AND TYPE
The
cube or box at the centre of the design suggests an appropriate
use for the image: a logo for a refrigeration company named
'The Ice Box'.
The
visual relationship between image and type in a design is
very important and there are many ways of linking them.
'Arial Black' was chosen as the font for this design
because the breadth of the letters match the thickness of
the lines in the image. The triangular arrangement and placement
of the type also mirrors the composition of the snowflakes.
'The
Ice Box' idea now needs some further work to transform the
basic image into a unified design.
COLOR
LINKS
Three
icy blue tones were added to the image to emphasise the
three planes of the 'box'. The same three colors were also
used for the type to strengthen the link between the image
and font.
DEVELOPING
THE DESIGN
The
process of trial and error is essential in developing any
graphic idea. In order to try to increase the chill factor
of our logo design, its black outline was removed and replaced
by a cold green backdrop. This, however, did not work well
as the image lost some visibility which weakened the impact
of the 'cube'.
IMPROVING
THE DESIGN
In
an attempt to improve the design, a drop shadow was added
to increase the visibility of the image which had been weakened
by the changes at the previous stage. This worked well and
restored the impact of the logo.
FINALISING
THE DESIGN
As
the drop shadow dramatically increased the visibility of
the design, the background was deemed unnecessary and removed.
Finally, the type was changed to a single colour to improve
its legibility.
The
solution to 'The Ice Box', like most graphic designs, is
the product of trial and error, where error plays a positive
part in the success of the work.
Example 2
DECONSTRUCT
AND REBUILD AN IMAGE
Try
breaking up an image into its basic parts and then reorganise
its design. Picasso and Braque were the first artists to
use this technique in a style of art called Cubism.
Designers often pinch ideas from the fine arts.
A
PLAYFUL IMAGINATION
Here
the idea is reconstructed as a nursery game. A playful imagination
is a must for any graphic designer.
SWITCH
AN IMAGE FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE
Try
changing the image to generate an idea. A switch from positive
to negative provides a spark of inspiration.
ONE
IDEA OFTEN LEADS TO ANOTHER.....
Our
sad and happy faces outline the objective of every 'Customer
Services' department - to turn angry frowns into sunny smiles.
......AND
ANOTHER
A
set of traffic lights that reflect the drivers' emotions.
| Logo
Design Techniques |
In
this lesson we use the images below to demonstrate a range of composition
techniques that are helpful in developing ideas for logo designs.
Once
you have studied these examples you can use our free Image
Resources to adapt what you have learned to create your own logo
ideas.
Click
on the images below to see how they are developed into ideas for
logo designs.
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