So, who is Leighton Hubbell?

My name is Leighton Hubbell. I’m the guy behind the one-person design shop, Leightonhubbell.com and also Hubbell Design Works. I started out over 20+ years ago and have worked in several capacities in the communication arts industry including employment at various design firms, ad agencies and promotional branding agencies.

Even with a diverse set of design skills, I am most widely recognized for my logo design work. I’ve somehow lost count, but I’m sure there are literally thousands of logos in my archives that I have designed for this client or that. Clients have included businesses and organizations throughout the United States and other foreign countries. Larger clients have included Sheraton Hotels, Purina Pet Foods, Hanes USA, Lions Club International, Nestlé USA, Samsung and many others.

For the last eight years, I’ve had my own small studio focusing primarily on logo design, icon design, identity, branding and illustration. Although I’ve worked with many large brands, a significant portion of my business is working with small to mid-sized companies on their marketing and design efforts.

What makes a good logo in your opinion?

That really is a subjective call. What constitutes a ‘good’ logo to some may not resonate with others. A logo may not be technically well-designed, but have a rare quality or high visibility that represents the brand to the consumer better than anything else. It is a rare logo that rings true with a mass audience.

A good logo has a point of view, is well-designed and creates a visual calling card for the company or service it represents. It needs to have enough versatility to work in many situations and venues and is visually engaging.

Combined with good branding design, the logo comes to life and represents not only the company or service, but becomes the key component in the brand.

The important thing to remember is, without proper branding design even the best logos won’t get noticed. All you have to do is look at the world’s top brands and this comes to light.

What makes a good logo designer?

I think it has a lot to do with how visually a designer can think. In some ways, a logo is like a visual puzzle that the designer works out and presents the solution to the viewer. Some solutions are more obvious and some are more conceptual. Although there are several styles of logos (type only, illustrative, abstract, etc.), the designer needs to be open-minded enough to find the best solution for the client and situation.

Having a signature style is great, but it should compliment the brand and not overshadow it.

The designer needs to be able to communicate ideas quickly and clearly, and be able to find several solutions to the same problem.

The best logo designers I know of are all great draftsmen, which is to say that the visuals are well crafted, tightly rendered and accurate. I really enjoy a well-designed mark from a truly great artist.

And above all, a good logo designer has to be a well-versed typographer. Having a sense of appropriate typefaces is very important, especially since this is a purely commercial art form. Being able to select the right font can make or break a logo mark. The type sets the mood or compliments the visual. If the typeface isn’t quite right, then the designer has to know what will make it right.

These days, there are so many similar businesses and business models that it is difficult to differentiate yourself. Consequentially, it makes it that much harder to create a truly original logo visual. Which is why I think that the overall logo design community - the real logo specialists - is rather small.

What are your main methods of finding new clients and which of those methods work best?

In the past, most of my new clients came from referrals, either from past clients or agencies I have worked with. After being in the industry for a number of years, I find maintaining contacts is part of the job. Until recently, that would have been enough. But now, the internet and social networking are becoming more and more of the norm.

In my self-promotional mix, I have a combination of source books, mailing lists and of course, website presences. When I get new inquiries, I try to inquire how they found out about me, just so I can keep track of what’s working and what isn’t.

By far, the website is an invaluable resource to have available. In the old days, all you had was your portfolio, mailers and a phone list. If you could afford it, you got a source book page. Most of the time, you worked by referral and it was very hard to get a following built up. Now, anyone with a computer can find your work on a website to view at any time. The key now, is building up your site traffic. Everything works in tandem from your site, to your blog, to design sites, to postcards, to e-mail blasts to build the self-promotion machine.

What information do you gather from a client before starting a logo?

I try to have a formal meeting or conference call to try and get as much information about the assignment as I can. I used to have a much more detailed form to fill out on my site, but I think some might have found it overwhelming to complete. I have since culled it down.

More so, I ask lots of questions about their business. Who are they now? Who do they want to be? Where are they going? Where have they been? Who is their audience now and do they want to broaden or narrow it? What sort of applications would this logo be used for? Any visual preferences or messages you need to communicate? Who are your competitors? Budget?

Of course, sometimes clients aren’t always ready to answer everything but it does get them thinking in a parallel direction. At first they are looking for a logo, but these types of questions show that there is a much broader process to the design and they can be a part of it.

What is your typical design process when designing a logo for a new client?

My first phase is going through the information that they shared in our meeting. I then take that knowledge and put together an estimate. My typical procedure is getting a signed estimate, a purchase order and a deposit before any work starts. If they are really serious, the deposit requirement usually gets things moving right away.

After the contract is approved and the deposit is received, I start working out thumbnail sketches in my sketchbook or any scrap paper I can find. Usually my brain is working concepts out during our first meeting. So, by the time I start to formally work out sketches, my brain has been processing the designs for a while. I fully believe that your brain is working on problems in the background while your doing other things. Sort of a brain simmer. Nothing interesting comes from staring at the paper and beating it out of yourself.

If needed, I do additional research to find out more about the client’s company history, present design and any related subjects. I may go to the bookstore, talk to consumers, tour their manufacturing plant, visit a retail store or whatever venue that seems appropriate to glean more background on the project.

During the sketch phase, I decide what kind of styles might be appropriate for the logo. Is it geometric, clean, rustic, hand-tooled or illustrative, etc? I work in about 15-20 minute stretches and stop for a bit. I come back to it periodically until I think I have enough concepts to start on the computer. Some projects come to me right away and some take more time to process.

If I am doing an illustrative logo, I will show sketches at this point. I used to do that with all my logo projects, but clients aren’t as visual as they used to be. When you show a sketch these days, people get scared or concerned over things they probably wouldn’t notice in a completed vector concept. It’s too bad, but that’s what everyone is used to.

For the more geometric designs, I can usually create them from looking at my sketch. I also have an archive or ‘parts bin’ of elements I may use from past jobs that may be faster than redrawing the whole thing. The more illustrative pieces are traced from a scanned-in sketch and fine-tuned from there.

At some time during the process I may have inspiration for an appropriate typeface. Some logos are driven by the font and some are matched up upon completion of the mark. I have no set process for that.

While I am assembling the concepts, I am thinking about color. What kind of palette would work here? How many colors? Muted or bold? Vivid or conservative? I have many color books that I reference, including tear sheets of work I like in my sketchbook. Sometimes I try to match those color selections.

If I am able to present the logos in person, I make a nice color output of each concept so they are not confused or influenced by the other designs at the same time.

How do you present your concepts to your clients and how many do you usually provide? What final files do you deliver to your client?

Well, since most of my clients are not local to me, I have had to send them in PDF form via e-mail. The primary reason for this is that although I do like to present the work, it is not often that our schedules will always coordinate. In the past, I’ve tried to follow the e-mail up with a phone call, but by the time I reach them, they have already looked at the work. Sometimes, this spoils the surprise.

With each concept, I write a brief creative rationale for the design, colors and typefaces. This ensures that the client understands what the concept and my thinking is and why it’s designed that way - even if they don’t get a chance to talk to me right away.

As far as a count, it really depends on the size of the project and whether or not I feel like things are progressing enough. Some more and some less. Believe me, I am no ‘wallpaper’ designer. There is usually a minimum of designs that I actually submit for client review.

Final files are usually delivered in the standard EPS, TIFF and JPEG forms with a logo collection PDF that I include for a guide to the files and colors.

Has there ever been a case when the client was not fully satisfied with the suggested logo designs? If yes, how did you handle that? Did you charge extra for the additional designs? How often does this happen?

Yes, there have been a few that have not been completely satisfied with the work. Most of the time, that is found out in the first couple of rounds and can be attributed to a lack of communication or bad information in the creative brief.

I’ve also had a situation that the agency owner loved my work and logo styles, however when it came to her own company’s logo, she couldn’t be satisfied. Nothing I presented to her was suitable or appropriate. There is rarely a time when I come away from a meeting with absolutely no leads or possibilities for the next round. I rarely strike completely out.

The trouble was, she couldn’t remove herself from the project and think objectively about what was working and what wasn’t. She was too close. So, we agreed the project was not going well and that there were no hard feelings. I told her that I felt that I was not the right fit for the project and billed her only for the work submitted.

Usually when I can see the project going in that direction and we are at our estimated limit, I will mention that we have exhausted those hours and that we will be going over. From there, I let them decide how to proceed.

The key to keeping this professional is in the project estimate. The designer needs to state to the client exactly what they are providing them for that price. If the designer is vague, then the client’s expectations can be quite different than what the designer is willing to do. If the client has signed the estimate with the terms the designer stated, than there are no mysteries when the bill shows up.

It took me a long time to figure that out, but since then there have been very few truly bad projects. With good communication and a thorough contract agreement, the project should go smoothly.

How long do you spend on average creating a logo? What are the factors that contribute to how long you spend creating a logo?

It really depends on the scope of the project. The inspiration can come directly from them, or from what I glean from our first meeting. Sometimes I can even have a couple of ideas rolling around in my head while I’m talking to the client. They may take a matter of a few hours, but not all the time.

I have had a few concepts that I have sketched out that I want to make sure are figuratively accurate. So, I will do additional research online, at the library or bookstore, or even shoot reference photos to make sure the image is right.

With logo illustration, there is usually some time spent doing thumbnails, rough and refined sketches before moving on to the computer. Some of the bigger jobs require client sign-off on the sketches and often have tweaks that need to happen along the way.

I have several styles that I use for different logos. Techniques like woodcuts or textures can take additional time, but it has to be appropriate for the client to be worth the time.

How do you choose the right colour and font for each logo design project? Do you have any favourite or most used fonts that you use in your projects? Why?

Color selection is definitely an art unto itself and I have been told it is one of my strengths. Part of my interview questions and creative brief cover the information I need on the subject of color. The other part is instinctive to the design and usage of the logo. Factors like demographics, branding image and mood have a lot to do with the color palette that is selected. Some colors have specific things associated with them and therefore can help shape the viewer’s perception of the logo design.

I do have some favorite fonts that I use rather frequently, but they are always evolving. Kind of like a favorite classic shirt that you keep buried in the closet. Every once in awhile, you get it out for something special. One of my more commonly used techniques is trying to pair up a serif face with a complimentary sans-serif face.

I love type, so if I come across a new one on HF&J’s site, Veer or say FontHaus, I’ll try and keep it filed for a new project. Every once in awhile I get to use it. Like a kid in a candy store.

Do you have any main influences that affect your work?

My interests have a fairly wide range, which have a direct effect on anyone’s design style. I enjoy the outdoors, cycling, woodworking, music, movies, technology, art and car stuff. Pretty diverse.

I own a pretty large collection of logo design, illustration, photography and design books. My obsession with magazines has me thumbing through new ones all the time. There’s a lot of great art direction happening in magazine design these days.

Growing up, I followed quite a few cartoonists and illustrators from the books and magazines in my parent’s bookstores. Now, with the internet I find myself admiring many of the great illustrators I see on the dozens of inspiration sites posted everywhere. The creativity, styles and diversity are amazing.

What is the most challenging part about logo design and how do you deal with it?

The negotiation and business part tends to create the most challenges for me. Many people aren’t used to working with a logo designer and have their own expectations. Some have a great respect for what we do, but most people need a little education. I think the bulk of the population have no idea how much impact logo design has on product and service branding and how much it should cost. It is very much taken for granted.

I think the single best action I have taken to improve my business and business relations has been updating my estimate or project agreement form. After some research, I found some excellent sample forms in the Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook for Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. Upon incorporating the very thorough itemization and legal terms into the form, it has helped improve the tone for the business portion of the jobs.

The new project agreement has dramatically weeded out the ‘tire kickers’ and potentially difficult clients for sure. The professional tone it sets also smoothes out both my intended deliverables for the assignment and the client’s expectations. There is much better communication and it is less likely to create disputes. I highly recommend it.

What are your most favorite design resources? What gives you inspiration and where can we find it? How do you deal with creative blocks?

In the past, I would go to different art events, museums or the like for a recharge on creativity. A few times a year, I’m a guest instructor at a class at my alma mater Art Center College of Design. Seeing what other people are creating is always inspirational to me. Being a one-man show can be very isolating sometimes. Not much on water cooler chat.

My favorite books at the moment are a lot of the Rockport titles like the LogoLounge series, the Letterhead and Logo Design series, the 1,000 series. Other favorites are the Type Directors Club annuals and Von Glitschka’s texture books. I’ve got the entire TDC library from Volume No. 1 on.

Websites include Logopond.com, LogoLounge.com, Little Box of Ideas, LogoDesignerBlog, David Airey, Smashing Magazine, Behance.net, Dexigner.com and others.

Now, I find sites like Twitter, Digg and StumbleUpon are a huge, almost overwhelming resource for new and inspirational nuggets of information and imagery. Especially, Twitter. I have met some really great creative people that I can chat with all over the world. Before, you might see their names in a magazine or book. Today you can chat with them in real time. It’s amazing.

For creative blocks, I find that having a little balance in your life helps work those out. By balance I mean, getting out and doing something else besides design for an hour or two. Get off the computer, phone or whatever and take your mind off of things. I go hiking, or mountain biking to get some exercise. Many times during my rides I’ll come up with blog article ideas, logo concepts, promotional ideas or whatever. You’ve got the wind in your face, the sun is out and your feeling good. Sweat is very inspirational.

What are your plans for the near future and where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

For now, I am continuing to challenge myself and improve my work. What’s great about this industry and the pace that it is evolving is, you never quite know what’s around the corner. Just when I thought I would never work on this or that, someone inquires about a project. Trying to keep abreast of the print and online world and where I can continue business is my present plan.

In ten years, I will be hopefully continue to work in the industry in some capacity, whether as a designer or an illustrator. Ten years ago, I’m not sure I could have imagined what we are doing now as an everyday thing. Technology has exploded in that short time.

In any case, it won’t be something in concrete. I’ll try and keep my options open.

Lastly, what advice would you give to an aspiring logo designer? And any last words?

Always, always, always work on your portfolio. Your portfolio is the single best investment you can make in your working career. Unlike any other industry, your work and your presentation have got to be well-crafted, displayed and up to date, or you won’t last. Take the time to do that right and it will pay off in big dividends.

When you’re just starting out, you need real assignments to cut your teeth. Just about everything I’ve learned in this business has been learned the hard way-by making mistakes. But, rather than give up, I persevered and learned from the experiences being wiser the next time. It takes time, but it’s really the only way to gain the knowledge.

Instead of entering contests, find yourself some worthwhile start-up business or charity that you can spend your time on and really craft your work. You have the satisfaction of helping someone boost their business and you get real world business experience in return. And, hopefully some cash for the efforts.

Connect with Leighton:

Portfolio: http://leightonhubbell.com
Blog: http://leightonhubbell-blog.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/leightonhubbell
Facebook: http://bit.ly/kdBtV
Studio: http://hubbelldesignworks.com

Related posts:

• Logo Design Tips & Interview with LoGoBoom (17)
• Insider Tips From Professional Logo Designer: Von Glitschka (19)
• Insider Logo Design Tips: Mike Erickson (Logomotive) (36)
• Insider Logo Design Tips: Alen Pavlovic (Type08) (31)
• 13 Logo Designers Share Their Love of Logo Design (Part 2) (12)

This is a personal project that I have been working on. The poster features the (reversed) logos of the top 100 top global brands of 2009 as ranked by Interbrand, formed into the shape of the copyright symbol. The bottom right text says: “Good artists copy, great artists steal” ~ Pablo Picasso.

The idea behind the poster was to question the blurring lines between art, design and copyright. Can one just take a whole series of others work, put it into a new shape and call it art? Or is it design? I think Picasso’s quote also draws on similar thoughts… what’s the difference between copying and stealing? What is the secret to creativity?

Anyway, you can interpret as you wish. The good news is that it is available as a free PDF under a Creative Commons 2.0 license. This means you CAN copy, print, distribute, display, and use this work for any purpose under the conditions that you give me credit for the work and that you do not make money from it.

>> Download A3 Sized Logo Copyright Poster (4.3mb)

The design (without the quote) is also available to put onto apparel in my Zazzle Store.

Related posts:

• 100 Best Global Brands of 2009 (15)

Interbrand in conjunction with Business Week has just released the best global brand rankings of 2009.

The Top 10 Brands of 2009 were:

1. Coca-Cola
2. IBM
3. Microsoft
4. GE
5. Nokia
6. McDonald’s
7. Google
8. Toyota
9. Intel
10. Disney

>> View the full 100 best global brands on the Business Week web site.

What can we learn from looking at the logos of these top brands?

Based on the 2007 top 50 brands, the % below identifies the percentage of the top 50 brands that hold to this view:

• The name does not describe the product sold (94%) (ie. in most cases a logo is used to identify a company, not describe what it does.)
• The by-line tag is not included in the logo (90%)
• The font style is clean and clear (84%)
• The logo design uses one colour only (74%) (white & black not counted as a colour)
• The logo design uses letters only without the symbol (74%)
• The logo design is a made-up name or ACRONYM (72%)
• The logo design is rectangular in shape (66%)
• The logo design is one word only (62%)
• The logo design includes the trademark symbol (54%) and is placed in the top right (48%)
• The name is 6 letters or less (52%)
• The name uses upper & lower case (44%) (excluding ACRONYMS)
• The background is filled and solid. (52%)
• The pronunciation includes three sounds/syllables (44%)
• The predominant colour base is blue (40%)

You can also download a poster (PDF) of the 2009 top brands as seen above.

There is also a video to watch regarding the top brands list.

(I apologise for the auto play - I couldn’t disable or link to the video any other way.)

Related posts:

• Free Logo Copyright Poster (13)

So, who is LoGoBoom and what is his story?

LoGoBoom is Glen Hobbs of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I define myself first as a husband and father. Of course, to be good at that, you’re pretty much obligated to provide a roof over their heads, food on their plates and trips to Chucky Cheese. There’s where design comes in.

As a teen approaching high school graduation back in the same year that George Michael’s “Faith” topped the Billboard 100 (that’s as close as I’m getting to giving you my age) I had zero idea what I wanted to do for a career. It’s not that I was stupid. I was a straight A student with a lot of options. It’s just that none of them was of any interest to me.

One of my older brothers, who was gainfully employed, asked me “So what do you want to do?” We were sitting in our parents’ den watching television. I remember it well. I replied with a confident “I dunno.” He probably said something back or slapped me in the back of the head. I don’t remember that. But at that moment the logo graphics for the television show we were watching animated on. “That. I want to do that.” I said. He simply replied “Well that’s graphic design. There are schools for that.” I don’t think I ever thanked him. Thanks bro! And five bucks to anybody who emails me a correct guess at the name of the show.

What? This is a business? People get paid to do stuff like that? And there I was. Headed down the path. I did no research at all regarding the industry. Knew nothing about what I was getting into. I just enrolled and showed up for the first day of classes knowing absolutely nothing about the world of graphic design. So maybe I was stupid after all. But I remember on that first day thinking to myself “this feels right.” I also met my wife while attending that school. Boy was it ever right. Hi Trish!

Before I fast-forward to modern day… a shout out to a couple of my instructors: to Tony Gresham for challenging me to challenge everything and to James McCullough for encouraging me to trust my instincts. Moving on…

What is your typical design process?

See this is tricky. Do I “clean up” the description of my process so I come across as a consummate professional? Or do I lay it on you all candid and raw like? Raw it is. Warning: I am not a good example.

I don’t have a formal process. I don’t have a client questionnaire. I don’t have a contract. We agree on a fee and schedule and then I just listen. I listen to the client (whether in person or via email) describe who they are. What they want. What they need. What they like. What they don’t like. Who they are trying to attracts as an audience. What their challenges are. It’s all there. You know it’s like the old adage that the sculpture already exists in the block of marble…it’s just the sculptor’s job to take away the excess.

My mom used to ask me how I could keep coming up with new ideas. I explained that every client has a unique need. It’s like a math. You never run out of answers because every problem has it’s own solution. But then again, not so rigid as math because with design, every problem can have a million solutions. I just have to find one of them that works.

So here’s what I do. And I even tell my clients this so my ugly habits have already been outed. If I have a set amount of time to work on a logo, I do absolutely nothing with it for the majority of that time. I just go about my business of eating, sleeping, watching the tube, playing with the kids. But it’s in there. In the dusty corners of my mind. Percolating. Some of my best logo designs have happened when I’m driving or showering. Sorry for the visual. But yeah. It just happens. Then once I’ve procrastinated to the point I can’t procrastinate any further, I throw a collection of quick sketches down on whatever paper is handy and dive to Illustrator.

I don’t peruse references for inspiration. I don’t do much research (unless unfamiliar with the industry I’m designing for). I was always that way with illustration as well. I hated looking at references. A while back I heard an interview with the designers of the new Dodge Challenger. They said, and I paraphrase, that they didn’t want to build a line for line replica of the ‘68 Challenger but rather they wanted to build a car inspired by how we remember the car in our mind’s eye. The audience could relate. It didn’t have to be literal. It just had to make a connection in the mind. Brilliant. I approach things the same way. I trust my instincts of what I think will make that connection for the intended audience rather than getting bogged down in the literal. Of course I was always a terrible illustrator so… whatever.

What makes a good logo in your opinion?

I think a good client makes a good logo. You know? I mean a good client will recognize it’s not just their subjective tastes that should shape the design. A good client will let the logo do what it needs to do. A good logo serves business goals. A good logo represents well. A good logo stands the test of time. A good logo is quite often the front door to the company so it should send out the appropriate message. And again, the appropriateness of it is shaped by all kinds of factors that must be considered. So what makes a good logo? I do. I make a good logo. Ok, that’s way over the top shameless self-promotion.

What makes a good logo designer?

A healthy ego. Emphasis on “healthy”. We have to have an ego to survive in this business. And we have to have an ego to put ourselves out there on a daily basis. Here…look at what I made and critique it unabashedly. It takes self-confidence to do that. But that ego can’t get in the way. We can’t be arrogant. The client isn’t always right…but they are always the client. A designer with a healthy ego will have conviction for his choices but at the same time be open to the thoughts of others. It’s a fine line but ultimately one that determines our success.

What are your main methods of finding new clients and which of those methods work best?

Well I’ve been fortunate enough that clients tend to find me. I have a lot of repeat and referral business locally, nationally and internationally. And I’ve established long-term relationships with a number of agencies and design firms across the country from them seeing my portfolio on-line. I owe a debt of gratitude to sites like this one and LogoPond.com, as many designers do, for evangelizing our talents. Having been in this industry for quite some time, I’m still amazed at the opportunity to work with companies from around the world as if they were just next door. This internet thing just might catch on.

How do you present your concepts to your clients and how many do you usually provide? What final files do you deliver to your client?

Well, as I said above, this internet thing is a game changer. Back in the day I was always able to sit down with a client and present face to face. Today is the age of the pdf. But I do miss some of that direct interaction. I remember when I first started working for a local design firm here in Denver. I was hired specifically for my logo design experience. The owner asked me how many logos I typically presented. I said anywhere from a few to 10ish depending on budget etc. He didn’t say much. So I asked, “How many do you guys typically present?” He said “Usually around 40.” He had a great process. Very informal. We’d present a huge amount of ideas. Some very fleshed out…some quite rough. But we’d just lay them all out on a table. Without fail the client would always react with the thought that there was no way they could decide. The owner would say, “You know, just start by turning over the ones you just absolutely don’t like.” Without fail they would very quickly narrow the focus down to about five concepts making extremely valuable comments along the way.

To those of us listening, what they said about the ones they didn’t like was just as important as what they said about the ones they did. We’d then take that narrowed selection and do another study on those. Of course those were pretty large budgets. But it was a great experience in recognizing that initially there are no bad ideas. It’s just that the better ideas will rise up. And it really pushed me to forge ahead once you hit that designer block.

Clearly budget dictates the number of concepts that I present. That’s where the onus is on us as designers to think it through before we design. I think Paul Rand when presenting the UPS logo said he only brought one because it was the right one. It only takes one.

What final files do you deliver to your client?

Vector files (eps) and raster files (hi and lo res psd/jpg) in cmyk, pms, rgb and b&w. Really whatever the client needs. And I always tell them that I keep files archived so if they ever need a specific format down the road they can hit me up and I’ll get it to them at no charge.

Has there ever been a case when the client was not fully satisfied with the suggested logo designs? If yes, how did you handle that? Did you charge extra for the additional designs? How often does this happen?

Absolutely not! Ok, ok. We’ve all encountered this. And really it depends on the circumstances. There are certainly times where the client didn’t like anything and after hearing their comments I could see where I fell short on how I translated their direction. Other times it seems like the client gave inaccurate direction to begin with. I usually tell a client that if they just don’t like anything from my first presentation, I’ll go back to the drawing board at no extra charge. This gives them a level of comfort. And I feel if I miss that badly, it can’t be all their fault. Beyond that, I consider progressive tweaks and revisions to be within scope. But the client can’t contradict themselves or change horses in mid-stream. That will affect the budget.

What are your most favorite design resources? What gives you inspiration and where can we find it? How do you deal with creative blocks?

I think I covered this with the discussion of all my bad habits above. But I do very much like sites like this and LogoPond.com. LogoPond is a great community and you will get honest critique so be prepared. But to make it this long in this business I’ve developed a pretty tough skin. As for my inspiration? Every thing and everywhere. I just look around. And if I get blocked… I take a walk and do something completely unassociated with design. Then I come back fresh.

What are your plans for the near future and where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

Well for the near future I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m pretty fortunate to be where I’m at and surrounded by people who love me. It ain’t broke so I ain’t fixin’ it. Oh but I really do need to build myself a website to feature my portfolio. I’m a little behind the curve on that one. Did I mention that I think this whole web thing is really about to catch on?

And in ten years? I can’t say. I plan about 2 weeks ahead. Beyond that…it’s a surprise for all of us.

Lastly, what advice would you give to an aspiring logo designer? And any last words?

Any last words?

Yeah. I’d just like to share a little story. My daughter, Lindy, always offers to help me with logos. She’ll come in my office and ask, “What logo are you working on Dad? Want some help?” She has good ideas. Believe me. A couple of years ago after asking what I was working on she was clearly not interested in the subject matter so she said “I’m going to design a logo for Opal” her little sister who at the time was just crawling. Ok. Fine. You do that.

She goes away with her pencil and paper and comes back in about 10 minutes with this:

Lindy was six at the time. A six year old was able to connect the letterforms of her sister’s name, Opal, into a personal logo that captured a specific phase of development. I KNOW! CRAZY!

How is that possible? I know for a fact that I would not have come up with that idea were I tasked to do so. There’s no way. But a six year old did. I was humbled. And, of course, extremely proud as I showed the sketch to my designer friends and random strangers.

So what’s the take away from this little story? I don’t know. Maybe it’s that we should never take ourselves too seriously. We’re some of the lucky few that get paid to use our imaginations. My daughters don’t get paid to use their imaginations but they do it every day anyway because it’s fun. It’s fun. We get to work at a job that’s fun. Don’t forget that.

I’m going to go play with my kids now. That’s the best idea I’ve had today.

You can get in contact with Glen on Logo Pond:

• Profile
• Logo Showcase

More Logo Designer Interviews:

• Jeff Fisher (Logo Motives)
• Alen Pavlovic (Type08)
• Von Glitschka
• 13 Logo Designers Share Their Love of Logo Design

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A general rule of thumb in logo design is that when you have an original business / product name (ie. Sony, Kodak or Sega) you should keep the design very simple (like all logo designs) and in some cases, this means having no logo at all.

The definition of a logo without a mark / symbol, is a logotype and with a few small, appropriate modifications to a typeface (in this case Gotham Black) you can create a powerful brand identity.

Below you will find a diagram of a logotype designed for a recent client of mine - a business management consulting firm based in Brazil.

In this case, I modified the letters E & L to have angled slopes and to keep consistency, the angles are parallel with the angles found in the letter A , which also has a slight modification.

I am in the process of designing the rest of Beolchi Rangel’s marketing material but below you can see how another element has been brought into the design to help create the whole identity.

Have you ever designed a logotype? Did you find it difficult selling the idea to the client?

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• Logo Design Tips You Can Learn From The World’s Biggest Brands (24)
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What do you think of when you see the Harley-Davidson logo? Personally, I think of a rugged, rebellious “bikey” - one with tattoos, beard and a leather jacket.

Stereotypes aside, I find it fascinating that being what the Harley-Davidson brand is (tough & rebellious) it can turn a scrawny office worker into one mean fighting machine - just by slapping a logo on.

This has not been achieved overnight but rather has been built into the culture and beliefs of Harley since its establishment in 1902.

Marketing has played a huge role in this perceived image and I believe the video below is a great example of how they have achieved this.

“We believe the machine you sit on, can tell the world exactly where you stand. We don’t care what everyone else believes. Amen.”

Notice how the last line of the clip, as quoted above, is clear and not distorted? A very powerful, yet subtle, way to send the message right home.

In my opinion, Harley is one of the strongest “brands” in the world - right along side Apple. What about you?

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Update 2nd September: Competition has ended. Congratulations to Scott.

Logo Designer Blog, in our new partnership with UPrinting.com present you a competition to win 500 free business cards. (For 10% off your next job, you may use this affiliate link.)

All you have to do it is comment on this post letting us know how you will use the prize if you win. Winners will be announced September 2nd.

For some inspiration, check out this post of 400+ creative business cards.

All prize winners will receive:

• 500 Business Cards
• Choice of size: 2×3.5”, 2×3”, 2×2″; (If you win, you can choose between 3 different business card sizes!)
• Choice of paper paper: 14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated
• Choice of Color: (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside

UPrinting also offer Die Cut Business Cards.

Shipping must be paid by Winner and is only valid for USA Shipping.

Good luck!

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• 400+ Creative Business Card Designs (+Win 1000 of your own!) (170)

A rather long animation of the identity works done by the Chermayeff & Geismar agency. Brilliant stuff!

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Who said logo design had to be all serious? Have fun with these logo games, parodies and more.

Which is the real logo?

Guess what is the correct logo in this fun game. Comes with a timer and all.

Logo Parodies

A few logo parodies.

Brand Alphabet

Do you know your brand alphabet? Match each letter to the right brand identity… remember that some of the letters are from the middle of a logo.

Below is another version of spot the logo. Answers here.

Your Favourite Logos Go Web 2.0

Your favourite logos now with gloss, reflections and more!

Phallic Logo Designs

Some rather unfortunate logo designs that have come / gone a bit too far.

Bad Logo Designs

On the topic of bad logo design, check out these rather unsightly logos.

Speech Bubble Logos

Have you ever noticed how overdone speech bubble logos are? Here are just a few.

Guess The Logo

Similar to brand alphabet, this is a game that features only part of a logo. Can you guess the logo by only seeing part of it?

Logo Designs After The Recession

As previously posted here on Logo Designer Blog, here are some logo designs after going through the recession.

Hope this post has lightened up your day… have you got any more logo design fun to share?

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The winner of Logo Of The Month for July 2009 (from the Logo Of The Day website) is the SwanSongs logo.

A “non-profit logo that fulfills musical wishes at the end of life”.

Congratulations to the designer Macnab Design.

What are your thoughts on this logo?

Related posts:

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