A couple of weeks ago, I had three concurrent logo design projects. While even one logo can be a bit stressful for me, having three at once forced me to use a process I have never tried before. At the end, I feel I presented a handful of logos to all three clients that were some of my best. This post gives some insight into what helped me that week, which is a strategy that I will continue to employ for future logo work. I’ll also provide some additional tips for designers to consider that may improve their process and overall quality of work when designing a logo. These 5 tips are in no particular order.

1. TAP YOUR CREATIVITY WHEN IT’S PRIME, & DESIGN IN CONCENTRATED BURSTS

I find that my best creative work comes in the morning. Logo design require a substantial amount of creative energy (at least for me), so I’ll typically set aside 2-4 hours in the morning each day that I need to work on a logo. When I have concurrent logo projects with similar deadlines, I’ve found that spending 2 hours on one concept for one logo, and 2 hours on the other is a good strategy.

Unless I have pushed the limits of a deadline, I don’t work on logos in the afternoon because I know I will be less creative and less efficient with my work. Knowing your strengths and limiting yourself to shorter bursts of creativity may actually improve your design work. Being self-employed works to my advantage, while those working at agencies may not be able to work in this manner.

2. REQUIRE YOUR CLIENT FILL OUT A LOGO DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRE

I’ve found this logo design questionnaire to be extremely helpful when it comes to obtaining important information regarding a client’s business, target market, and design preferences before beginning a logo design. If you don’t ask the right questions, you may not get a critical piece of information from the client, which could mean the difference between finishing the job and designing another round of logos.

3. GET INSPIRED AND SPEND TIME SKETCHING IDEAS

Like any technology, software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop can limit our creativity as well as open our eyes to possibilities we don’t get from pencil and paper. Take advantage of both by not skipping a good 1-2 hour sketching brainstorm. I’ve actually been able to refer to my sketches to produce 3-5 good designs to present to the client. At times I discover an option or two by simply working in Illustrator and playing with objects, effects, and type, it’s often the sketched concepts that are more creative ideas than my sometimes accidental discoveries in Illustrator.

4. KNOW YOUR LOGO STYLES

In my opinion, the best collection of logos can be found in the multiple volumes of Logo Lounge, which happens to organize their logo collection by style and type of logo. Below is a more condensed category list of logos that you should be familiar with. Know your options, and you’ll probably feel like you have more weapons at your creative disposal when designing logos.

a. “The Basic” – I made this category up to include logos that combine type and image. Some of the below categories fit within this category, but not visa versa.

b. Typography – These logos are composed of lettering only

c. Initials – Where initials, such as the first letter of the company name, compose the logo mark

d. Enclosures – Where the entire logo in contained within a shape, such as a circle

e. Crests – These logos are more ornamental in nature, are enclosed, and typically look illustrated on some level

f. Abstract Shapes/Symbols – Logos comprised of abstract shapes or recognizable symbols (such as a heart)

5. KNOW WHAT LOGO STYLES YOU WILL PRESENT BEFORE YOU BEGIN DESIGNING

I typically have a really good idea what stylistic direction(s) to take a logo after talking with the client and/or reviewing the questionnaire. If you don’t know what direction(s) to take the logo (modern, vintage, ornamental, ect.), then you may want to revisit your pre-project notes or you may be in for a difficult project.

For instance, I recently designed a logo for a high-end dentistry located in New Orleans. I knew that I was not going to work on logos with abstract shapes or symbols, or enclosures. The client did mention that the business name is closely tied with the surrounding environment (marshy bay area), so I decided to present one logo as a crest that’s more illustrative, and the others of “The Basic” variety. A lot depends upon the business name used in the logo and answers to the questionnaire that should allow you to hone in on 1-3 styles for your initial design concepts.

Challenge yourself.

Like almost any job, designing can become routine. Utilizing a few styles, layouts, fonts, patterns, or color palettes that are proven to work can be a huge time-saver. I recommend taking note of the reasons why a design is successful, but be careful not to use the same strategies and techniques for every project.

Another roadblock to becoming a better designer is the nature of the designer-client relationship. A designer gets paid when the client is satisfied with the product, and that often means you must put creativity aside to please the client.

From mid-2008 to mid-2009, I lost some interest in designing. There were several reasons why I fell into a rut, but I realized that I had become comfortable with my work. I became discouraged until I decided to do something about it, and dig myself out of the comfortable hole that was slowly turning me into a design robot. I decided to challenge myself by doing one thing in each design I had never done before. You ask, “What is that one thing?”. Well, that one thing could be using a font you have never used before. It could be breaking the template of a website design in a new way. I’m talking small things here, because you still have to please the client and finish the project in a reasonable amount of time. If you tend towards minimal/modern, push yourself to incorporate a little texture to fill some space. Use a tertiary color that surprises you or a new tool in Photoshop. By trying new things while not abandoning good design principles, you can improve your design skills and get out of your comfortable rut.

Interact regularly with other designers.

There are many beautiful things about freelancing, but there is also a danger. The danger is isolating yourself from other designers. I think every designer needs the advice, critiques, and friendships of fellow designers. I’ve recently begun meeting regularly with a group of 5 friends: 2 designers, 2 developers, and 1 marketing guru. These aren’t formal meetings, just casual coffee shop gatherings. We share client horror stories, talk business development, share advice, get opinions, and build each other up. I have realized that these interactions are important to my growth as both a designer and a business owner. These interactions may also give you opportunities to have your work critiqued, as I suggest in my next point.

Have your work critiqued.

This should be a no-brainer, but is obviously something that all designers need, no matter their experience or skill-level. Our personalities and life experiences shape our designs – things we’ve seen, techniques we’ve learned, places we’ve traveled, etc. Everyone will look at a design from a unique perspective, and you will gain invaluable insight into your work from the interpretations and critiques of others. If you’re in a group, ask them to critique your work. Family, friends, and old classmates can be good critics. Pleasecritiqueme is a free site that allows you to get free critiques for print or web design, and there are many others.

If you weren’t in design school, you may have trouble emotionally receiving critical feedback. This is normal, and is something you need to overcome to become the best designer you can be. You also need to know how to weigh the feedback. Sometimes you need to stick to your guns, and other times you should revise your work due to the feedback you receive. This process leads to my next point.

Be humble and have perspective.

When you receive critical (and negative) feedback from another designer, you need to be able to take the hit and move on. Sometimes moving on means keeping your cool and trying again, and other times you will trust your gut and go with what you feel works. Designers who have egos the size of Texas are no fun to work with. I’ve had several clients come to me after working with designers who thought they were the only designer in Austin and treated their client accordingly. Be humble, and realize that you’re just one of hundreds of thousands of designers across the world. Be confident, but not cocky.

Receiving critical feedback from clients is another story. Sometimes a client will hire me and then decide they want to be the designer. In those cases, you have to decide whether or not the project is worth your time. If you choose to stick with it, then have perspective that this is just one project and that perhaps the next project will allow you to be creative. If it’s not worth your time, then do what you have to do. Being humble and having the right perspective will make you a better designer.

Get inspired, and aim to inspire.

Inspiration is a huge component to becoming a better designer. Numerous online resources exist including sites like csselite, cssbeauty, logofaves, and logopond. Bookstores and libraries give you opportunities to get off the computer and refresh the creative side of your brain. If I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll pick up a Logo Lounge book (one of several volumes) and flip through hundreds of logos, all of which are professional and inspiring. When you see great work, you have the opportunity to apply the strategies that make that work great to your work. Don’t copy other designs, but analyze them and understand what makes them successful and inspiring. Take that knowledge and aim to become a designer that creates inspiring work. You’ll get there – it just takes a lot of practice, sweat, and tears (no blood, fortunately).

If you created a really nice piece of work, submit it to one of the many design gallery websites out there. They may choose to list your work, which is good for marketing and a confidence booster.

Remember your roots.

I recently designed and built this website for Sko Design Lab. In the process of revisiting my portfolio I found some four-year-old work that I really liked. I had a moment where I realized why I liked the piece. The design was minimal and clean, and the typographical treatment was creative and modern. More importantly, I found that I have strayed from the design style that originally sparked my passion for graphic design. I’m returning to my roots. I encourage you to remember what it is that sparked your passion for design and do what it takes to keep the fire burning by remembering your roots.