I showed you my book‘s table of contents, and asked what chapter you wanted for free. Many of you said, “All of them,” but alas, I doubt my publisher would approve, so you’ll have to settle for the most popular chapter vote—seven: From pencil to PDF.

From pencil to PDF: sub-headings

• Mind-mapping
• The fundamental necessity of the sketchpad
• The Tenth Commandment
• Pinning the map
• Internationally recognized
• No set time
• Dress for success
• Black and white before color
• Where Photoshop comes into play
• The pen is mightier than the mouse

All you need to do is click on the link or the image below to get the chapter. No strings. The PDF download is 1MB in size.

Logo Design Love chapter seven: From pencil to PDF

If you like what you see, and if Twitter’s your thing, you can help me out with a quick tweet:

Get a free chapter from the Logo Design Love book: http://bit.ly/50dEBX

(The bit.ly link directs back here.)

Or earn mad props from your designer chums by sending them a link to this page.

And of course, please tell me what you think of the content. I may write another book one day—your feedback helps immensely.

As a Christmas gift, I’m giving away 5 free copies of the book to fans of the Logo Design Love Facebook page. One winner will be drawn each day next week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday or Sunday, depending on how much I’ve eaten for Christmas dinner.

Published on Logo Design Love

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• Available book translations
• Your book feedback needed
• Process Visual by Wolfgang Schmittel
• Another free chapter: staying motivated
• Choose your free chapter

Some recent Tweets

• How to choose a new logo — by Marius Ursache
• 8 Bits Of Perfect Geometry In Classic Logos
• RT @zeldman Value of “winning” logo to Netsol is presumably $ six figures. Value of your time: $0. Crowdsourcing is theft.
• Fonts used in logos of popular websites — via @chrisspooner

If Twitter’s not your thing, no worries. I’ll periodically publish my favourite logo links right here, with some images and additional commentary.

Published on Logo Design Love

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• How Twitter helps designers
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Feedback from other designers

When you don’t receive constructive criticism, it’s all too easy to believe your work’s the best thing since Doritos and hot dip. Clients are normally the first to open your eyes, but it’s always good when a fellow designer gives it to you straight prior to any client communication.

There’s an excellent community of logo designers on Twitter, and if you ask nicely, they’re more than happy to offer advice. You’ll also find collections of talented web designers / developers who tweet, though I’m not too sure why you find me via that second link.

Unless you genuinely respect the designer giving feedback, take comments with a pinch of salt, because not everyone’s as competent as you, and not everyone will have time to familiarise themselves with your design brief.

Help with client concerns

There are ways to address this, and there are ways to avoid. I don’t recommend naming your clients (feathers can easily be ruffled), but if you mention the important points of your concerns, we’re a friendly bunch, and it’s likely that one of us has experienced the same issue.

Twitter can also help you out of a website fix.

General chat

Especially when working from home, on your Todd (like me), Twitter can act as a welcome break from work. One of the things I miss most about an office environment is the regular interaction with colleagues, so it’s nice to see what’s happening, real-time, in the lives of people in know.

Image copyright: Overthinking it

Sharing resources

How many of you still use del.icio.us? For me, it’s not nearly as much as I used to, and I’m sure the site has taken a hit with more and more of us sharing (and collecting) our bookmarks via Twitter.

Twitter’s like del.icio.us with conversations.

Driving traffic

I’m guilty too. Via swissmiss. Image by Danny Jones.

How are you using Twitter?

With deadlines to meet, I don’t use it too often — though it’s all relative, as I still tweet almost every day. I’m sure I could make more use of the resource when a question crops up, but it’s a (bad?) habit of mine to try helping myself before asking others.

Actually, the search tool is an excellent way to find answers, or to find feedback on a particular product or service before buying anything, so Twitter does help even if I don’t take up your time by posting a question.

Have you been guided through a fix on Twitter?

Are you borderline obsessive? ;)

Share your Twitter tales of wonderment.

Ps. Thanks so much to you kind folk who continue helping me on Twitter (find me @DavidAirey and @LogoDesignLove).

Published on Logo Design Love

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I’ve learned from quite a few mistakes during my time as a designer, and to save you from doing likewise, here are 10 logo design tips I picked up.

1. A logo doesn’t need to say what a company does


Restaurant logos don’t need to show food, dentist logos don’t need to show teeth, furniture store logos don’t need to show furniture. Just because it’s relevant, doesn’t mean you can’t do better.

The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an aeroplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer. Etc. Etc.

2. Not every logo needs a mark


Sometimes a client just needs a professional logotype to identify their business. Don’t be afraid to ask what they think.

3. Two-way process


Remember, things might not always pan out as you hope. Your client might request something you disagree with. If that happens, try giving them what they want, then show them what you believe is an improvement, and why. They’re less likely to be so resistant if they already see how their thoughts pan out.

4. Picasso started somewhere


You don’t need to be an artist to realise the benefits of logo sketching. Ideas can flow much faster between a pen and paper than they can a mouse and monitor.

5. Under-promise, over-deliver


If you’re unsure how long a task will take to complete, estimate longer. Design projects are like construction work — you piece lots of little elements together to form a greater whole, and setbacks can crop up at any time.

6. Leave trends to the fashion industry


Trends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key.



Don’t follow the pack.


Stand out.

7. Work in black first
By leaving colour to the end of the process, you focus on the idea. No amount of gradient or colour will rescue a poorly designed mark.

8. Keep it appropriate


Designing for a lawyer? Ditch the fun approach. Designing for a kid’s TV show? Nothing too serious. I could go on, but you get the picture.

9. A simple logo aids recognition


Keeping the design simple allows for flexibility in size. Ideally, your design should work at a minimum of around one inch without loss of detail. Look at the logos of large corporations like Mitsubishi, Samsung, FedEx, BBC etc. Their logos look simple and are easier to recognise because of it.

10. One thing to remember


That’s it. Leave your client with just one thing to remember about the design. All strong logos have one single feature to help them stand out.



Not two, three, or four.



One.

More logo design tips

This is just a snippet of what has followed in the Logo Design Love book. Plenty more in there, but I’m always interested to learn from you too.

Do you have any additional tips to share? Have you had a problem in a project that was eventually overcome (or not)? I’d love to know.

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The World Trade Center Logo Preservation Project was created by Korean designer, Ji Lee, currently working as creative director at Google Creative Lab, NYC.

“World Trade Center buildings are present in thousands of classic New York skyline logos owned by local businesses in the city. They tend to belong to small businesses that are likely to disappear over the years to come. So are their logos and the Twin Towers.

After 9/11, I started to photograph and archive these logos in order to preserve the many different graphic expressions of these important historical buildings.” Ji Lee

Brings back a lot of memories from a visit to Manhattan in 2001. I arrived in New York in June, after winning a student travel bursary and arranging an internship. I spent a few days in Manhattan before catching a Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh, where I spent three fine months with the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (and working part-time in the Sewickley Country Inn).

My return flight to the UK was via New York, where I spent a few more days between September 13th and 17th, 2001. In a way, the people on the street seemed closer together, but witnessing the hundreds of thousands of ‘missing person’ flyers pinned throughout Manhattan was heart-wrenching.

The WTC Logo Preservation Project. Worth building upon.

Via swissmiss.

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• One small step for man…
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I was chatting with my friend Randa, a successful WordPress designer, and she posed an interesting question:

“I often look at the work of other logo designers in admiration and wonder what they have that I don’t. What is it that makes someone really good at identity design, and is it obtainable through practice or is it a “gift” that some have and others don’t? There are zillions of logo designers out there — what separates the good from the great?”

With enough hard work, I believe you can excel in any profession. There are, of course, certain age barriers. For instance, and I’m very sorry say, you won’t see me strutting my stuff in spandex anytime soon — I’m just too old to achieve olympic gymnast status. Trust me, that’s a good thing. On the other hand, however, if I was to study medicine, and with enough dedication, I could become a doctor.

So for me, creating effective identities certainly isn’t a gift, but rather a skill to be learnt.

What do you think separates the good from the great?

Published on Logo Design Love

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• Ask Tom Geismar
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Here’s a novel idea from Kolbrener, a table of brand elements based upon the scientific periodic table.

Lg = Logo
A logo, or logotype, is the letters, words or phrase that identifies an entity, similar to a trade name. In advertising, the logo, also referred to as a mark or identifier, typically incorporates graphic design elements to create an evocative and memorable identifying symbol for a company, organization or brand.

Ty = Typography
The use of type fonts and styles, in addition to the logo and brand signature, to create a memorable look and feel in communications materials. Typography usually involves existing fonts, but also may use a uniquely modified or custom-made font.

Thanks Paul.

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• Thoughts about Pepsi

I’ve searched my bookmarks and gathered your top tips, culminating in this selection of sites, books, articles and designers.

Click a topic to jump to that section.

1. Where to find excellent typefaces
2. The history of logos
3. Logo books
4. Logo design trends
5. A selection of logo articles
6. World-renowned design agencies
7. Independent logo design portfolios
8. Logo design awards
9. Blogs talking about logos
10. Adobe Illustrator tutorials
11. Showcases
12. Style guides and manuals
13. Further resources

// Back to resource topics

• Hoefler & Frere-Jones, H&FJ works with brand leaders in every sector, developing original typefaces and licensing fonts from its library of nearly 1,000 designs
• Porchez Typofonderie, an independent digital type foundry in France, designing, manufacturing and selling high quality typefaces
• OurType, founded in 2002, OurType is managed by three partners: Fred Smeijers, Corina Cotorobai and Rudy Geeraerts
• Village, the union of eleven young type foundries who have decided to go it alone, together
• P22, creates computer typefaces inspired by art, history, and sometimes science
• FontShop, around for 16 years, since the dawn of digital type
• Fonts.com, searchable database of more than 150,000 fonts

// Back to resource topics

• History of popular logo designs, categorised in alphabetical order with a search feature, too
• The Evolution of Tech Company Logos, how famous logos came to be, from Neatorama
• The Evolution of Car Logos, more historical insights over on Neatorama
• Branding Firefox, a short insight into the history of the Firefox browser

// Back to resource topics

• Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities
• Logo by Michael Evamy
• Decoding Design by Maggie Macnab
• Marks of Excellence
• cidoc.net’s corporate identity book list
• Identity Crisis
• LogoLounge 4 // LogoLounge 3 // LogoLounge 2 // LogoLounge
• Tres Logos // Dos Logos // Los Logos

// Back to resource topics

“Logo trends” is a bit of an oxymoron. Granted, a logo should live and grow with a brand, but it shouldn’t adhere to the latest, greatest fads. Because of which I don’t much like these trend features, but I know they prove popular, so here you are.

• 2010 trends // 2009 // 2008 // 2007 // 2006 // 2005 // 2004 // 2003
  Bill Gardner of LogoLounge takes us through trends from the last decade according to the logos that have been uploaded to his website — and that’s a lot of logos.
• Logo trends in 2009 // and in 2008
  From LogoOrange.com.

// Back to resource topics

• 100 unused logos and what they reveal about my design inclinations
  An excellent insight behind the designer by Armin of Speak Up.
• 6 reasons why a logo should cost more than your lunch
  Tara of Graphic Design Blog writes a short but sweet article.
• Logo Notions
  Jeff Fisher’s insightful collection of logo design articles on Creative Latitude.
• Logos with a meaning
  An extra insight into a selection of logos, by Ivan of CreativeBits.
• How many speech bubble logos have you seen lately?
  A fraction of what’s going down out there in Web Bubble Logo Land.
• Logo design guide
  youthedesigner.com offers some stellar advice for designing logos.
• The LogoWorks saga
  A huge collection of articles about the multi-million dollar business, LogoWorks.
• Is your logo design phallic?
  A little logo humour to lighten the mood.

// Back to resource topics

• Lippincott
• Pentagram
• Johnson Banks
• The Brand Union
• Tayburn
• The Partners
• ico design
• Minale Tattersfield
• FutureBrand
• Chermayeff & Geismar

// Back to resource topics

• David Airey
  That’s me. Nothing much to write home about. Have a look at these guys instead.
• Miles Newlyn
• Jerry Kuyper
• Andrew Sabatier
• Denis Radenkovic, of 38one
• Nancy Wu
• Roy Smith

// Back to resource topics

• Wolda // 2008 winners showcase
  This is what used to be called Eulda (below), but has since expanded into the World Logo Design Awards (Wolda)
• Eulda 2007 winners // 2006 winners
  The winning entries from the European Logo Design Awards (Eulda) from 2007 and 2006.
• Identity: Best of 2007 winners // 2006 winners
  The results of an international logo design competition, judged by a very experienced panel.
• Logo Design Love Awards
  View the winners from the inaugural Logo Design Love Awards, featuring the best blog logos around.

// Back to resource topics

• Brand New, great chat focusing on corporate and brand identity work
• Identity design category on davidairey.com, added insight from yours truly
• logolog, from 38one
• bLog-oMotives, Jeff Fisher’s blog
• Speak Up on Identity, the branding and identity category on Speak Up
• Logobird, a blog from down-under by Duane Kinsey

// Back to resource topics

• N.DESIGN STUDIO
• Smashing Magazine
• Tutorial Blog
• Revitalise your logo with a Crescent Swish
  “Can I get a swoosh with that?” a little humour from Logo Hell

// Back to resource topics

• FIFA World Cup logos from 1950 to 2010
• 50 Olympic logos from 1924 to 2016
• Top 10 Rock Band Logos
• The Logo Design Love category for logo designs
• 10 examples of simple effective logos

// Back to resource topics

• Identityworks: Tools – Guidelines and Standards Manuals
• Channel 4 identity style guides
• Corporate Identity Documentation
• Boston University Brand Identity Standards
• NHS Brand Guidelines
• Designing Style Guidelines For Brands And Websites
• Christopher Doyle Brand Guidelines, write-up on Johnson Banks

// Back to resource topics

• Iconic logo designers, a rundown of the worlds most iconic designers
• Corporate identity catalogue, showing typefaces and Pantone references for some of the worlds main identites
• Forums for logo design feedback, upload your designs for constructive criticism
• LogoLounge, paid registration to have your work included in the book series
• Designguide’s logo gallery
  English translation of a German site about design and logos.
• LogoPond, similar to LogoLounge, only free
• The big page of branding and corporate identity resources
  Covers manuals, guides, trademarking, laws, and more, from LogoOrange.com
• The Identity Archives Project
• Sites for vector logo downloads, for when you need a well-known EPS file in a hurry

Hopefully that lot will keep you engrossed for a while. If you know of any more excellent logo design resources, feel free to mention them in a comment.

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Brands of the World

Don’t be fooled by the raft of flashing ads and Google AdSense, which is kind of off-putting, because there are many, many vector logos available for download. Priority is put on the ‘search’ feature, but you can also list available logos by letter (found lower down in the left hand sidebar).

Logotypes.ru

A very mininal looking site, which I like (apart from the yellow text on a dark blue background). Not too much advertising either. Available in English and Russian, there are currently just shy of 5,000 vector logos available to download for free. Logos are listed by name only, but you do have the option to preview the design before downloading a .zip file, which is handy.

La Logoteca

There are over 5,000 logos on this Spanish website, although unfortunately no preview option. The files are available for download in compressed .sit format, so a program like Stuffit is needed. Logos are listed alphabetically.

Logotypes.lv

Not the largest selection, and at the time of writing, the ‘preview’ tool isn’t working, so you can’t view the logos before downloading the .zip file. According to the site, all logotypes are in the AI and EPS format, compressed to ZIP.

LaLogotheque.com

A French website, with sections in English (including the vector downloads resource). Currently over 12,000 vector logos available for download, and you’ll want to use the ‘Vectorial Logotheque’ section, which is on the right at the top of the page.

——

Update: 23 May 2010
Webchantier also has a “logos bank” where the vector files are categorised by letter combinations (e.g., A-AAO, AAP-ABB, etc.).

——

More logo design resources to follow

I’ll be featuring more logo design resources here very soon, so if you don’t want to miss out, get your free subscription.

If you know of any other vector logo collections, do let me know and I’ll update this post.

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Brand New is a division of Under Consideration, displaying opinions, and focusing solely on corporate and brand identity work.

The site contains a collection of ‘before and after’ identity re-vamps. Be sure to check out the reader comments for discussion and differing opinions.

Here’s a small sample of the identity redesigns that are mulled over:

New York City Ballet

Read the full article

Too much New York, and not enough ballet? Perhaps the right winter city look that appeals to the baby boom target audience?

Toys R Us

Read the full article

With the quotation marks removed, most designers seem happier, although a few call for an Toys R Us infrastructure change, as opposed to toying with the logo. Others believe there’s a kerning issue with the ‘US’ characters being too far away from the ‘R’. Interesting comments in the Brand New reader chat.

Business Week

Read the full article

The serifs are gone, with a typeface not too dissimilar to GOOD (Magazine) preferred.

The Science Channel

Read the full article

A clear step forward for The Science Channel, with an obvious reference to the periodic table. Too obvious? They pull it off with an in-house design that was always going to be an improvement (barring a catastrophe).

I’ve been subscribed to the Brand New RSS feed for some time now, and you can do likewise here: Brand New RSS feed.

The discussion from their readers has helped give me a fresh perspective on certain design projects.

Images courtesy of Brand New

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