Designing a logo

Brainstorming ideas for our new magazine’s logo (which needs to incorporate letters “B” and “L”) is a new experience for me. Being outside of my comfort zone, I am forced to go way back to basics and research the fundamental principles of logo design. Here are some basic concepts of what make a good logo.

A company logo is intended to convey a distinctive identity, but achieving this on something that would be printed on something as small as a postage stamp or as large as a billboard is not trivial. Perhaps, it is not surprising that distilling the principles of a good logo design to a concrete recipe is challenging. After all if it would be easy, everyone wold be a great logo designer. Still, some basic principles can be discerned by studying the common features of famous logos.

Perhaps, the most important attribute is simplicity. Being simple achieves two objectives: it has a potential of being effective (i.e. visually appealing) regardless of size and it can be easily recognizable.

Another important property is versatility. A good logo should be recognizable and effective when printed in one colour or in inverted tones, for example. Many designers suggest starting the process of designing a logo in back and white only. Doing so allows one to concentrate on the concept and to express it in a shape, rather than relying on colour, perception of which is inherently subjective.

Here are some early sketches of mine – exploring the smooth and edgy curves…