Design your own logo

Posted on 12 Oct 2009 at 12:47

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Bold, glassy shading is associated with Web 2.0 trends; sites such as www.tonido.com and www.atebits.com show typical examples. You can see how shiny surfaces are simulated by overlaying gradient tints within curved shapes. Applications such as Photoshop Elements also come with gel effects, which can be applied to shape layers. This style is becoming a cliché, but if done well can freshen up the image of a down-to-earth business. One fashion best avoided is the floor mirror, popularised by Apple. This rarely works as well in print as it does on screen.

Making modifications

There may be times when you need a simplified, monochrome logo - for example, in a telephone directory advert, on a fax cover sheet or for screen-printing or embroidery. In vector graphics programs, it's easy to create a copy of the artwork with colours changed to greys and complex shading removed. Try this before settling on your final design, and ensure it's still identifiable.

A logo will need to work in many contexts, including business cards, letterheads, web pages, signage and packaging. Make sure the text is readable at all sizes and, if necessary, create alternative versions for very small or large uses. Also consider tall, wide and square variants, so that if your logo is to be featured in a third-party website or publication you can supply the shape that will fit best. Besides the logo itself, establish a palette of related colour tints and abstract shapes that you can use as backgrounds, giving each item you design a branded feel.

You'll need to store your logo in multiple formats, especially when supplying it to other people. From vector drawing or DTP software, save a plain logo as an EPS or a more complex shaded design as a PDF, using the options recommended for press or print quality. Convert all text to paths, so other users won't need the fonts installed. Opting to embed the fonts is a less foolproof option.

If the logo is to be used on other websites, ask whether these formats are acceptable or if an image file is required. A high-quality JPEG is the usual option if your logo sits on a rectangular background, but if it's an irregular shape you'll need a PNG or GIF file with transparency. Depending on your software, this may mean going through a separate image-editing program. Find out the size required, in pixels, and resize a copy to this; if unsure, supply larger than needed.

Professional corporate identity designers deliver logos with a guide explaining exactly how they should be used - how much space must be left around the mark, for example. Whether or not you go that far, you must insist that your logo is always reproduced correctly. If someone asks what font your logo is in, remind them they need to use the graphics you've supplied, not cobble up a facsimile. Your corporate identity is too important to compromise.

Author: Adam Banks