So we at Intrigo have been working with a client now for about a month and a half, and I personally spent about four to five hours a week meeting with them discussing their logo, going over revisions, and trying to find a direction that works. Combine this with the fact that we have had three designers work on directions, and one exclusively focusing on this project, and you can see how this has been a somewhat frustrating experience for everyone involved. We’ve been able to pull a few very valuable lessons from this, and some tips that hopefully can help anyone when they start to work on their own logo.

Get on the Same Page

This particular client, more so than any other client I have ever worked with, typifies this point.  Combine the opinions of three managers, six investors, all of us at Intrigo, and the friends and families that get their input on the logo, and it’s incredibly easy to see how you can have fifty different directions going.  The best logos we’ve designed, and the best that I have seen, come from an established vision and message that creates focus for the designer. Focusing on your message and the meaning gives clarity to the designer and to yourself.  But most importantly, it helps you as the desicion maker figure out what it is that you are actually looking to see.

The process of focusing on your message is much easier when it’s just one person making the decision, as more minds means more ideas and more directions.  That’s why it’s imperative as a group to first discuss your message and goals for the logo before you even begin to work with the designer. The group that we are currently working with continues to struggle with this fact. They don’t convey their ideas to the investors properly, and allow themselves to get pushed around by their investors.  The investors are of a different market and different mindset, and don’t fully understand the medium of the company or the goals of the management team. Those things combined means that you get no vision, and eight voices. That’s just not a good situation for anything.  So make sure that there’s a vision first.

Let the Designer Help You

Now, if you’re working with a designer it’s generally because you’re not one, and are looking for the help of a professional in crafting your logo and message. So listen to them, and don’t be afraid to ask questions throughout the process.  The best place to start is to come up with what message you want to convey, then sit down with your designer and look at some of their past work, and other work you like. Have them show you logos, and describe the message that you see, and what you like and dislike about each logo.  This is generally tough for someone who isn’t used to thinking in this fashion, but that’s why you have a designer there to help. A good designer can interprete your statements and begin to narrow in on your aesthetic.  Plus, they can combine what you like to see with what they have been trained to do, create in a way connects with your customers.

Now there’s a hundred more pieces that go into this process, but these two tips should really help get your logo started in a direction that you like.  It’s also something that we tend to see our clients too often neglect.

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