There are several ways to design a logo.

1. First, clarify the positioning of logo design

2. Analysis of several common logo design forms

3. Several common logo design directions< /p>

4. Precautions for logo design

5. Summary

Next, let’s look at them one by one! ~

1. First figure out the positioning of the logo design

When designing a logo, you also need to consider the positioning, and you must even consider the positioning, because the logo, like our names, will always be there. Following every occasion or corner, such as on TV/billboards/leaflets/websites/various peripheral products, you will find that a logo is made up of things visible to the naked eye, such as color/texture/form/ It is composed of shapes, etc., and at the same time conveys an intangible thing to people, such as the nature/temperament/idea/vision of the company, etc.

For example, when you see the logo of McDonald's, you will never think that it sells arms, but that it is accessible to the public. For example, when you see the logo of Dabao, you will never think that it sells arms. I would regard it as a luxury skin care product brand, and the visual effect will give people the psychological feeling. This is roughly the principle.

In this way, a complete logo contains two levels of meaning, tangible and intangible, and there is also the theory of positioning.

This is why many companies will continue to upgrade or revise their logos as the times change during the development process. Because the positioning or the aesthetic direction of the times has changed, everything has to change, but there are Some movements are larger, and some movements are smaller.

Taking QQ’s logo as an example, we will find that the penguin has gone through a process from flat to textured and then to flat again. Its shape has changed from short and fat to a tall and thin penguin boy, with facial expression lines. It is also more concise and calm, and the colors look cleaner. These subtle adjustments, on the one hand, indicate that it is growing with the audience and becoming more international. This is the need of business development and situation.

At the same time, a good logo can also be used as a visual extension to facilitate its application in a wider range of scenarios. When people see this visual element, they will immediately think of it in their minds. , that is, occupying the user's mind, thereby increasing the emotional stickiness between the user and the brand.

For example, Tmall’s cat head element:

Having said so much, I just want to say that before designing a logo, it is best to consider the following three levels: tangible vision level/invisible positioning level/visual extension level.

2. Analysis of several common logo design forms?

Now that we have finished the early positioning analysis, let’s take a look at some common logo routines. I found that there are so many logos in the world, but the design forms are just the following: text deformation type/English abbreviation type/English font type/English font deformation type/graphic + text type/graphic + English type.

Let me give you a few examples:

1. Text deformation:

Each of our Chinese characters is a graphic, and the same character There are many ways of writing, and each Chinese character has evolved from thousands of years of cultural heritage. Therefore, logos with text deformations are not only good-looking, but also always give off a literati atmosphere. This type of logo is more Suitable for brands such as tea drinks/bookstores/cafés/restaurants/jewelry that need to reflect a humanistic atmosphere.

However, due to different fonts/colors/texture processing, it can actually take various routes, not necessarily just the literati route:

But this kind of text font deformation type Logos are more suitable for domestic use. It is still a bit difficult to take the international route. After all, graphic symbols or English letters are the universal international language.

2. English abbreviations:

For example, L'Oreal acquired the Magic Mask on August 14, 2013, and immediately revised and upgraded the Magic logo in 2015, which was designed by Japanese design master Kenya Hara. The knife is completed and now it does look more international than the original logo.

3. English font type:

I found that many digital technology categories/high-end skin care and beauty categories/luxury luggage categories/high-end clothing and accessories categories use English font logos, or Some English fonts are slightly deformed to reflect internationalization. Once something is internationalized, it will give people a sense of identity, quality and fashion. Perhaps this is also a need to satisfy the vanity of customers. .

For example, the clothing brand Peacebird is now renamed peacebird. It does immediately sound more foreign. Or wasn’t there a joke before? Liushen toilet water is translated into English as six god, and it immediately sounds like the name of a famous perfume from a certain country.

Then Baidu translated it, and it really did exist. . .

However, for new brands, if you do not have strong technology/features or capital, it will be difficult to blindly implement this method in the country. After all, where is the public perception? It is difficult to give an English name to a new domestic brand. , I really can’t remember it when making an English logo~

In addition, some English font logos can at least be seen as fonts, but some changes will be relatively large, and it is basically impossible to see that they are fonts, but Graphics.

4. Graphics + text:

The combination of graphics + text is the most commonly used and versatile logo form in China. There are horizontal and vertical versions, and this kind of combination Form is also applicable to any temperament and any brand, except for those who want to play with individuality or niche. They don’t want to follow the crowd, they want to be different~

5. Graphics + English category:

The combination of graphics + English fonts is the most commonly used logo format in the world. There are also horizontal and vertical versions, and this form is also suitable for any temperament and any brand, but niche brands or It’s hard to say about designer brands, after all, they also want to be different~

3. Several common logo design methods

Since we mentioned several common logos before Form, then let’s take a look at several common logo design methods:

1. Font deformation method

The so-called font deformation method is to modify the original brand name or company name. Basically, to do some effects or deformations, it is best to be creative by combining some of the personality or nature of the brand. Taking "designed noodles" as an example, we can embody the direction of "design" and give it to everyone. Take a look at the font deformation work that one of our flour designers made for the noodles he designed during the design exercise. It almost means this:

It’s just that I think this work can be done better, so I gave it to him at the time. Here are some comments and suggestions, you can also take a look:

2. Graphic association method

For example, taking the words "noodles for design" as an example, we can start from the relevant Think about things and goals and visions from two aspects:

Related things:

We can think of many things or scenes related to design and noodles, so when doing design we will What is used? I will use some tools such as brushes/ps/computers, etc., I will think of things that can reflect creativity, such as light bulbs/brains/colorful color blocks, etc., I will think of how female designers work, etc.;

See What do we think of when we hear the word noodles? Think of long noodles/noodles in a bowl/a noodle/many noodles/straight noodles/curly noodles, etc.;

So we combined all the design-related images that we can think of (assuming the quantity is a) combined with images related to noodles (assuming the quantity is b), there will be axb kind of logo creative direction, and so on, in fact, it is equivalent to the permutation and combination formula in advanced mathematics (if you forget this For mathematical knowledge, just go to Baidu yourself).

Still taking "designed noodles" as an example, let me show you some of the creative directions our flour has made for public accounts before (with my comments):

Another example is this foreign splicing photo of brushes and noodles, which is also very useful for reference. It just matches my name:

Goal and vision:

We can Thinking of Noodles for Design is actually a platform that connects people from all walks of life related to design and e-commerce. It is both an information transmitter and an information receiver. It can also become a part of everyone's life or work. There are questions. You can come to her if you have any needs, or you can come to her to tell her anything happy or unhappy. What will you think of at this time? I think of companionship/space/data language symbols, etc.

But thinking from this direction may make people feel a bit distant and difficult to understand, because ordinary people literally cannot understand these meanings, so if you want to take the affinity or popular route It is not suitable for this direction. You can try it by positioning it at a relatively high price or determined to follow the route of Maslow's high level of needs.

For example, Nike sells sports shoes and sportswear, but it is not just to solve your lowest-level needs of having clothes to wear or shoes to wear, but to meet higher-level needs. A level of demand that represents your beliefs, and what it will convey to you is a spirit: just do it!

Of course, it is not cheap. Even a pair of shoes can be sold for tens of thousands (well, faith is expensive...)

3. Initial letter extraction method

As the name suggests, the first letter of the name is used to design the logo. For example, after the initial letter of the noodles is extracted, it is zsjdmt. However, my name is too long, so this method is not suitable. It is neither easy to remember nor easy to design. If the name is shorter, for example, within 3 characters, you can try it. It would be great if you all know this method, so I won’t go into details.

4. Letter deformation method

As before, extract the first letter of the name to deform it, so as to get a new graphic for the logo. This method is also more suitable for 3 people. A short name within two characters, such as LG/SF from SF Express:

5. Physical derivation method

This method is suitable for companies or brands whose names themselves are more concrete. , their logos are often slightly modified on the shape of the corresponding object. For example, Shell’s logo is a shell shape, Apple’s logo is a bitten apple shape, and Hammer’s logo is a hammer shape. A cat logo is a simplified graphic of a cat. Even if I don’t mention the names of the following logos, you will know what they are~

6. Positive and negative shapes

Some names are more flattering , the graphics composed of the graphics he associates or her initials can be processed into positive and negative shapes. No matter how many logos you have, you will never get tired of looking at such logos, and they will make people smile and deepen their impression. It is worth recommending~< /p>

IV. Logo design precautions

Now that the positioning direction has been established, the design method has also been established. Next are some logo design precautions, mainly the following 6 avoidances and 4 shoulds:< /p>

6 things to avoid:

(1) Avoid being too scattered

When making a logo with font deformation or piecing together multiple derivative graphics, the flat surface People who don't have a good command of composition are always prone to make logos that are scattered or look inconsistent. The solution is to learn the basic knowledge of plane composition.

For example, the following type of logo has a bit of literary and artistic flavor or emotional thoughts in it. If it is a person who does not have a strong foundation in plane composition, the shape may be very scattered and not good-looking. , looks random, but actually has a composition principle, this is the foundation:

(2) Avoid inconsistency

When some people are making logos with font deformation, the same The strokes are processed into different forms, which easily causes the overall logo to look inconsistent. The solution is to unify the same strokes.

(3) Too complex

The logo itself is a graphic design in a small area, and it will be used in different situations, so the shape must be eye-catching and concise. The simpler the graphic, the more concise it is. The wider the scope of application, and you will find that the logos of bigger brands are basically very simple.

What’s a concise way? For example, if your logo is taken from the shape of a white cloud, why should you retain the winding lines of a real white cloud? In fact, just use smooth circles and straight lines. For example, if your logo is taken from the shape of a hill, do you want to keep the real twists and turns of the ridge lines? In fact, just use a triangle or a few smooth arcs instead.

Those so-called real small details can be removed, and they will become simpler after being removed.

(4) The model is unsatisfactory

A few days ago, a fan sent me a platform logo about C2M. One of the models looked okay, but it was different from the previous one. The literal meaning itself is inconsistent. His logo looks like C2C instead of C2M, which is wrong.

While the logo should be beautiful and creative, it should also be accurate in expression.

(5) Unbalanced

If the final logo feels unbalanced, it is probably because of a poor grasp of basic composition knowledge, which is the same as the picture looking scattered. It makes sense, so the solution is to lay a solid foundation for composition and practice more frequently. This also requires long-term practice to form a sense of visual balance.

(6) Mismatched temperament

A few days ago, a fan sent me a logo design to seek advice. When I saw it, they were an e-commerce platform for art derivatives. Yes, the target group is young people. It stands to reason that the logo should be designed in a more tonal and artistic style, but what he made is a very round cartoon shape, and the color is green, so the overall temperament does not match. This is caused by not considering positioning at the beginning. Of course, it may also have something to do with aesthetics.

In short, the solution is to read more, observe more about all kinds of people, their preferences and habits, and over time you will be able to figure out what positioning is suitable for the type of design.

Four tips:

(1) Can be visually extended

It is best if the logo you make can extract elements and graphics that can be visually extended. It is easy to use the Internet to spread, such as the extraction and application of the "O" element in the 1 yuan cycling event poster planned by ofo Xiaohuang Che some time ago, and the extended use of the cat head image in some large-scale events on Tmall, which are all very In a good case, users will know who you are as soon as they see this color or shape element, and the brand image has already been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

(2) There are rules to follow

The so-called rules to follow actually refer to two aspects. On the one hand, it means that the logo graphics have a source and are not fabricated out of thin air; On the one hand, it means that the various elements that make up this logo are related and regular to each other, rather than a very unusual and abrupt graphic element suddenly appearing that does not match the whole.

(3) Make a good fortune

Someone asked me about the relationship between design and Feng Shui before. Actually, I don’t know much about Feng Shui, but generally Generally speaking, some taboo colors or digital graphics can be used without them. For example, as I mentioned before, some business owners don’t like yellow or green, and some bosses don’t like the shape of X, or they don’t like things that are too sharp. Form, in short, before starting to implement the design, it is best to ask the boss or company if there are any taboos, and then just avoid it.

For example, if you imitate 3M and make a logo that looks like 2B, will Party A have to punish you? . .

(4) Distinctive

Distinctive means that compared with your peers, your logo is more creative, interesting or controversial, rather than ordinary or similar, which others have no idea about. I can’t remember you, so at this time you can learn from other industries or do some competitive product analysis, learn from each other’s strengths, do something that others have not done or do it better than others, and you can make your own logo look unique.

As for how to make it unique, the methods are listed above. You can consider various aspects such as expression form/creativity/crafts/materials/display methods.

Write it at the end?

Many people may like to focus on the golden ratio or silver ratio and other grids when making logos. There are also some people who may not even know why they want to make this logo. I didn’t even figure it out, so I found a reference and copied it. I also considered various visual extensions later, and a logo came out. I can’t say whether these methods are correct, but I think it is a more suitable logo. The design steps should be like this:

1. First have a general understanding of the design requirements, and then do a survey or competitive product analysis (if you don’t have time or money, just do it privately, experienced people don’t need to There will be a judgment in this step). After clarifying the concept and positioning of the enterprise or brand, give appropriate creative direction and design form based on this positioning;

2. Draw a sketch, which is not needed in the creative sketch stage. Consider the issue of golden ratio or mesh or visual extension, give a rough shape first, and then decide on the creative direction;

3. Optimize and standardize your own design according to those taboos and appropriate conditions logo, at this time, you can follow some grid rules or proportions to standardize the shape of the logo, and simplify it if it can be simplified into basic graphics, such as circles/squares/triangles and other regular graphics;

4. Extract graphics that can be used for visual extension, and finally further adjust them to make them look balanced/expressive/distinctive/concise and unified;

As a result, a complete logo comes out .