Brand Systems
Logo Design That Has Somewhere to Go
Process Highlight
Brand Systems
A logo is usually one of the smallest things I design, but once it is approved, it may end up almost everywhere.
The examples span very different organizations, including nonprofit initiatives, financial services, commercial real estate, tobacco-prevention work, and a Disney property. The visual answer changes with every assignment. The underlying process is much more consistent.
01 / My Process
My Process
Understand the job first
Before drawing, I want to know who needs to recognize or trust the organization, what it wants to communicate, where the mark will appear, and what the visual landscape around it already looks like.
Explore before polishing
I sketch symbols, letterforms, typography, and combinations without getting too attached to the first promising direction. Early exploration should be broad enough to uncover something unexpected.
Reduce and refine
Once an idea starts working, I usually begin taking things away. I adjust proportion, type, spacing, and shape until the concept reads without needing decoration to prop it up.
Test beyond the presentation board
Promising marks get viewed small, large, in one color, on different backgrounds, and in rough applications. A logo that only works beautifully in the slide where it was presented is going to cause problems later.
Give it room to grow
When the assignment extends into a full identity, the mark becomes the starting point for typography, color, imagery, layout, and the practical rules teams need to use it consistently.
02 / Why It Matters
Why It Matters
The logo is rarely the whole brand, but it is often the piece that gets repeated the most. It needs enough personality to be remembered and enough discipline to keep working long after the launch presentation is over.