Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1490460
G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 • G R A P H I C S P R O 2 5 through a lot of hoops. However, now they plan on expanding and want to start using a more consistent-looking logo for all of their marketing. And isn't that the challenge — creating a logo design that has to look right when it's used on everything from being reproduced on a laser pointer, a cup, a T-shirt front pocket, the front of a cap, the side of a semi-trailer, and potentially an outdoor electronic advertising display. is client has not really thought much farther past the imme- diate need for a logo that they are working around. For them, it's always been a matter of making the old logo fit, and then hoping it's readable. eir new marketing opportunity is now forcing them to finally address the logo design process that they have been dragging their feet on for years. Mind reading in 2023 One way to quickly narrow down the client's scope of design-ex- pectation is to ask them to go to Google/Images and search for logos related to their industry. I tell them to select three or four that they like, and a few they absolutely don't like. Now, please remember the rules about copyright; if you are finding it online, it's owned by someone, so you can't use it as-is, or copy it, (and modifying it by any amount is also not permitted). Sorry, but you can only emulate the look, feel, and flow of the examples they will show you, and you must create from scratch, organi- cally, the new design you propose that emulates the average look and feel of the examples provided. Copyright infringement Doing your due diligence to assure yourself and your client that you created an original design now takes a bit of time on your part to reasonably execute. Most likely there are thousands of new logos being designed daily around the world. If in doubt, hiring an attorney for an interstate trademark search will run you a small fortune, so be diligent in your searches to make sure you have covered your bases. Here is the last option I shared with David, and it ended up being the one that he chose. I have it shown in its completed state on the right, in black. In this case, I created such a strong selection of black and white logo options, David decided to just keep the logo black and white. Easy peasy, and no need to spend hours showing color options. Do it right in grayscale and you may just save yourself a bunch of time and save your client a boatload of money when it comes to reproducing it. During the design process, I already knew I would be able to make his logo work horizontally, even though it was a square logo. Notice how I chose to use the font, how I kerned it, shaped it, and how I fattened up the strokes to accommodate channel letter fabrication. This layout also works well for his embroidery by enlarging the square icon just a bit. It also could work well for other horizontal uses of his logo. "I created the horizontal layout to fit the space provided. This also became the layout for other logo options for use in other marketing areas" Most importantly, when reducing the size of the logo, it's important to pay attention to minimal details that if enlarged, would take away from the impact of the logo. Just like in this example, I have removed the dashed line that got so fine and thin that it would be problematic to render. Let's not forget the reverse version of this logo. Sometimes you can be painfully surprised when you find out that the icon just won't reduce down to a small size without some help. In this case, the box becomes an issue at a very small size, when reversed (printed in a light color on a black or very dark background color). In this case, the fork and bowl graphic can hang out all by themselves as it helps the read on this version of the logo. The once-desired box is now a burden when it's reversed and very small in size. Flexibility is key, and planning ahead is the best way to assure your client they will get a logo that won't give them fits down the road.