Monday, August 29, 2011

Logos


logos

“Some wonder what’s so difficult about creating a good logo. They’re small, they look easy to do, so no problem, right? When you only see the result of a designer’s efforts, the logo creation can look like it was a simple task. But it’s not. A logo takes thought and creativity, and many elements combine to make a good one.” -Harrison McLeod

The process of creating a logo is not always easy, for one must consider more than just whether the logo looks good. You must understand the purpose of your logo – who you

are designing for, what their company is about, you must research. A logo is a visual representation of what a person or company is about – it should therefore require careful consideration.

Further, it is extremely helpful to take the time to sketch out all your ideas. It does not matter if they seem stupid or generic, get all your ideas out. Fleshing out your ideas can lead to combinations of design or simply allow you to get your first ideas out of your head allowing you to move onto more designs.

Below are some examples of great logos and what makes them so good:

Popchips

This logo uses negative space in order to bring attention to the pop.

MC: "This is a nice use of negative space that adds some fun to lettering. The missing 'o' and 'i' mess with your eyes and give the mark character.

RH: "A nice use of positive/negative space that has a relevance to the product. More animated bounce might help (although that is somewhat of a cliche in snack lettering). It looks somewhat formal as is. The white line clipping the c' indicates there may be even more invisible white elements to be found if we looked
more closely."

AW: "Proportional thickness defines the ring of the 'o' and the circle around the smaller dot - a sign of the designer's control over every detail of this tasty mark."

Creative firm: Turner Duckworth SanFrancisco, CA
Client: Popchips
Industry: Food


Silverhook Alaska Coffee

MC: "This illustration skillfully incorporates several images into a wonderful whole. The type is a nicely selected mix that works well together...

RH: "The colors are coffee colors, which is entirely appropriate, and the blue is a nice, harmonious counterpoint."

Creative Firm: IE Design + Communications, Hermosa Beach, CA
Client: Silverhook, Alaska Coffee
Industry: Coffee



8 comments:

  1. As said above, the positive and negative space is what really makes the first logo work. It actually "pops". Some logos that use positive/negative space end up being hard to read, but this logo is completely understandable. It's readable. The same as if the o and i were still there.
    The color choices and rustic look make the second logo very appealing. The image it portrays to me, makes me believe the coffee is going to have a rich and natural taste. The blue and brown is relaxing, which seems to be the way you should feel when drinking a good cup of coffee.

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  2. I LOVE both of these logos. Though they are both very different, they each do an excellent job capturing the "feel" of the product they are trying to sell.
    The Popchips logo is particularly impressive to me because, like Danielle mentioned, often logos that incorporate positive and negative space into their type are often hard to translate. But this logo reads flawlessly while still looking like it pops. It uses nice bright colors without being too blinding or childish.
    The Silverhook logo is also very nice because it incorporates both a cup of coffee and a mountain to represent what they are marketing to their consumers. I'm particularly impressed by how detailed this logo is without being too busy or hard on the eyes.

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  3. I really consider that the first logo.. Its amazing.. I love logos that have something that makes them unique.. the fact that some letters are missing makes it unique because even though they are missing.. it is really easy to understand.. I love the colors on the first logo because I personally like logos that you use bright colors and that still look elegant and fun.. and that's something hard to accomplish because in my opinion really bright colors can be associated with cheap things..
    when it comes to the other logo.. I think its really cool how both the idea of Alaska and the coffee are well designed and combined together.. I really like the color that they used.. specially the contrast between the blue and brown.. I also like that they incorporate text with the logo and that makes it even more clear.. I think both logo show the idea of the product perfectly..

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  4. I really love both of the logos. The first one has energy to it because of the negative space, it really makes it feel like it is popping out at you. I love the flow of the second logo. I really like how the steam of the coffee makes an S. The logo is really effective in conveying what Silverhook is and makes me want to go there.

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  5. I definitely agree with the post. I feel that both of these logos are very good and very clearly work well for the product they are representing. The Pop Chips logo feels very energetic and exciting while the Silverhook logo feels very calming. Both of these are just like the products. I also like how both of the logos are so creative. The use of the negative space is very nice in the first one, and the way that they incorporate a coffee cup into the landscape in the Silverhook logo really impressed me.

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  6. Both logos are very well designed and have a subliminal message to them besides the words that are written. The Pop-Chips logo creatively uses the negative space to play a trick on the mind and reveal something that is, and isn't there at the same time. In an essence, it makes the word "pop" itself and is perfect for the company and what the logo is trying to convey.

    Silverhook Alaska Coffee's logo is very unique and my favorite of the two. The mountains are descriptive to Alaska, the coffee cup is descriptive to the product being sold, and the steam rising from the cup is an "S" which is descriptive to the Product name. The logo is descriptive to every aspect of the product name, and the product being sold. That is why Silverhook Alaska Coffee's logo it is my favorite of the two.

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  7. I really do like the Popchips logo. The use of negative space is nice. The outer part of the 'o' becomes the positive space by cutting parts out of the two p's. It is also nice how the red inner part of the 'o' echos the circles that are inside the p's. It's interesting how the designer continued to make invisible circles by cutting out come of the 'c' and the 'h' and 'p.' The logo is very fun and unique.

    Silverhook Alaska Coffee's logo is very nice as well. It is much more sophisticated than Popchips. It's nice how the designer made the steam swirl of the coffee cup reflect the mountain and tied those two together, while also creating on 'S' for Silverhook. The blue also goes well with the brown; it reminds me of cold weather and snow. The logo does a great job describing the 'coffee' part of the company and the 'Alaska' part.

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  8. Both of the logos are very well done. Of the two my favorite is the Pop Chips one. The coffee one is good for the company it is representing but i love creative use of negative space within designs. I love how the letters in the words are created by creating space around the existing letters. I don't think i would have indented the C like that however. I don't think it helps the design any. Other than that i really like that logo. The Silverhook logo is also very good. It's very nice how the S becomes the steam coming off the mug of coffee. Very thoughtful and well done logo.

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