The first thing I need to do is find out what your requirements are. This is a chance for me to get an initial understanding of your business or service, whether you require a new logo or rebranding and how the logo or brand is to be used. I will then supply you with a written quotation which would need your signature and returning. For all new clients, a deposit payment of 50% will be required prior to the commencement of the project.

In order for me to gain a full understanding of your requirements I will require you to complete a logo design questionnaire. It is quite detailed, however the more information and thought you put into it, the better the end result will be in terms of the design solution. The reason I doesn’t ask these questions face-to-face is that from experience, clients spend more time thinking about their answers and writing detailed responses when they can do it in their own time. It also means, things aren’t forgotten by the client that could be overlooked in a face-to-face meeting.

Once the questionnaire is returned to myself, I will breakdown the information and produce a tight design brief that will outline the objectives of the logo design/rebranding. A solid design brief is essential in ensuring a solid design outcome.

Research is critical to the logo design process as it ensures that your logo will differ from your competitors whilst also setting a benchmark. This is also my opportunity to really gain an understanding of your business or service, examine your competitors, history and the industry itself. The amount of time I can spend on this stage is dependant on the size of the industry and your budget.

The next stage of the logo design project is for me to start getting creative! The information on the design brief and the research undertaken form a solid foundation for letting my ideas run wild. Initially I will brainstorm words and ideas relating to the brief. Sketching out many idea concepts and experimenting with them. From here I will narrow down the stronger ideas and start to experiment and conceptualise them on screen. Unless certain colours are a specific on the project, I will generally produce these ideas in solid black to ensure the form of the logo works rather than being distracted by colour.

I will generally narrow my ideas down to 3 solid concepts which will then be presented to you over email or preferably in person as I can really explain the concepts to you and critique the ideas. Form here one design concept will be selected for design development.

Design Development

During this stage I will further develop the chosen concept, looking at the overall form of the logo mark by examining the specific elements that make up the design, experimenting with typography to ensure it conveys the right message whilst sitting firmly with the logo mark and finally producing colour options based on the brief requirements and colour psychology. The time spent on this stage is very dependant on your budget but it’s worth remembering that original and standout logo marks are made with strong development work.

During these stages, the logo will be presented to you to critique. Again, whether this is in person or via email will depend on your budget.

The final design will be signed off by you and the logo files will be produced for use across all print and digital mediums.

If you are a larger organisation and other companies/external service providers are likely to use your logo in their print and digital activities, it is highly likely that you will additionally require branding guidelines that will ensure that 3rd parties correctly use your logo as bad external usage and reflect badly on your business or organisation.

For new clients the final payment on the project will be required prior to the release of the logo files.