Research in Logo Design
Many designers focus solely on logo design. It can be rewarding to create logos for businesses ranging from large to small. The concepts and the thought that goes into each logo speaks of their importance. However there are some designers that forget a vital step when designing logos for businesses. The important step I am referring to is the research step. Let’s take a look at the research you should be doing and its importance when designing logos for businesses.
Competition
It’s important to look at the business’s competition, to see what they are doing. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses ca help you to focus on an area where your client can stand out. It also gives you insight into what their competitors are doing that you can do better.
Existence
You want to take a look at the different logos that are available within the industry itself. It gives you an idea of what’s been done before, so you don’t accidentally emulate or copy an existing logo. This should be done in the early stages of the project, as well as once you’ve narrowed down your ideas to the top 3.
This helps you to avoid claims of plagiarism, and makes sure that your logo design isn’t violating any copyright or trade marking laws. You can get into some hot water, and create a lot of negative publicity for your client, too. A couple of hours of research can save you a lot of money and headaches.
Culture
You want to look at whether or not the logo has any cultural significance or implications. A good question to ask your client is if they plan on expanding to other countries in the near future. If so, you may have to consider this, making your logo design more adaptable to these changes in the future.
Cultural implications can be anything from symbols and graphics, to color choices. They all have a cultural impact, and they can all be different, depending on the culture or area of the world your client is marketing to.
Understanding
Before even sketching out concepts for logos, you should do plenty of research. You’ll want to look at the industry as a whole, as well as how your client’s business fits within it. Looking at the history of the company you’re designing for will enable you to make connections you might not have made before.
Research gives you a deeper understanding of the company you’re designing for, which means you can create a logo design that means something special to the company. Remember, people like stories. How can you tell a good story for the company if you don’t know anything about it or why it’s significant?
Conclusion
Research is a vital step for any logo designer. It’s important not to skip this step, because it helps you to create a better logo for your client. Your logo design will have much more impact after doing research than if you simply throw something together. Can you think of anything else you might want to look into as far as research is concerned when designing a professional logo? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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