Stretch tasks Designing a good logo

Round 1: Quiz Blitz

1. It must be recognisable even at 16 pixels A logo appears on browser tabs as well as on posters.
2. True It may appear on a stamp, a fax or an engraving.
3. Client brief → Research → Mood board → Sketches → Digital version → Review Brief, research, mood board, sketches, digital version, then review.
4. A collection of colours, fonts and images that capture the feel It gathers ideas for the look and feel before designing.
5. Opening the software before sketching Ten minutes of rough sketching produces better ideas than an hour of dragging shapes around.
6. What the client wants, who it is for and what it must convey The brief is the starting point for the whole design.
7. Simple; Works in one colour; Distinctive A good logo is simple, works in one colour, and is distinctive, appropriate and scalable.
8. So it is scalable, from a tab icon to a billboard A logo is used at every size, so it must stay sharp.
9. False Quantity first, quality later: draw many rough ideas quickly.
10. Test it small, in one colour, and get feedback Testing it small and in one colour shows whether it really works.
11. distinctive A distinctive logo stands out from its competitors.
12. The style must suit the audience and purpose A logo must be appropriate for its audience and purpose.

Round 2: Quick Fire

1. • Simple, so it is recognisable even when tiny
   • Works in one colour
   • Distinctive, so it stands out
   • Appropriate for its audience
   • Scalable, as a vector
   Model answer

   It should be simple and distinctive.

2. • Sketching lets you try many ideas quickly
   • On the computer you waste time on details too early
   Model answer

   Sketching on paper lets you try many ideas quickly. On the computer you waste time dragging shapes around and polishing one idea too early.

3. • Collecting colours, fonts, shapes and images
   • That capture the feel the design should have
   Model answer

   A mood board collects colours, fonts, shapes and images that capture the feel the logo should have.

4. • It may be used on a stamp, fax or engraving
   • Its shape must be recognisable without colour
   Model answer

   It may appear on a stamp, a fax or an engraving where there is only one colour, so its shape must still be recognisable without colour.

Round 3: Big Think

1. • With 12 colours it will not work in one colour
   • The tiny text will be unreadable at small sizes
   • A photo means it must be a bitmap, so it goes blocky when enlarged
   • It is not simple
   • It would be better as a simple vector with few colours
   Model answer

   The logo is not simple. With 12 colours it will not work in one colour, for example on a stamp. The tiny text will be unreadable at 16 pixels on a browser tab. The photo means it has to be a bitmap, so it will go blocky when enlarged. It would be better as a simple vector design with a few colours and bold shapes.

2. • The client brief: what they want and who it is for
   • Research into what similar organisations do
   • A mood board of colours, fonts and images
   • Many rough sketches on paper
   • Building the strongest idea as a digital vector
   • A review: test it small, in one colour, and get feedback
   • Quantity of ideas first, quality later
   Model answer

   First comes the client brief: what the client wants, who it is for and what it must convey. Next is research into what similar organisations do. Then a mood board collects colours, fonts and images. Then you sketch lots of rough ideas on paper, quantity first. The strongest idea is built as a digital vector version. Finally you review it: test it small, test it in one colour and get feedback.

This or That

1. A simple bold shape A logo must work at 16 pixels, so simple shapes win.
2. The client brief You need to know what the client wants before designing anything.
3. Quantity Draw many rough ideas quickly. Quality comes later.
4. Vector Vectors stay sharp at any size.
5. It fails on a stamp or an engraving A good logo must still work in one colour.
6. Colours, fonts and images A mood board collects the ideas that capture the feel, before any designing.
7. Distinctive A logo must not look like others in the same industry.
8. The client and other people Other people spot problems that you cannot see in your own work.

Memory Match

• A 6 Client brief: What the client wants and who it is for
• B 5 Research: Looking at what similar organisations do
• C 2 Mood board: Colours, fonts and images that capture the feel
• D 3 Sketches: Many rough ideas drawn quickly
• E 4 Digital version: The strongest idea built as a vector
• F 1 Review: Testing it small, in one colour, with feedback