Development of logos

How to create a successful logo ? A professional logo can benefit a company, an organization or a product.

Conversely, a non-professional logo has the power to ruin a brand and disqualify a design regardless of its quality. Many logos in use are not professional and report all the characteristics of the brands created by an amateur or a beginner. Many think they can design a nice logo, but simply knowing how to use Photoshop is not enough: Gruppo DiGi can assist you step by step in creating a logo that is right for your company.

Here are some examples of work:

1. Design
Sketch . The best way to start is with a sheet of paper and a pencil, reflecting on the sense and the feeling you want to convey to the viewer. What is the company's activity? Should it be complex or simple? While reflecting you can squander these ideas , not worrying that the design is perfect: this step serves only to facilitate the flow of thoughts and the expression of creativity, without being conditioned by the possibilities of software. Once you have sketched several options, you eliminate the designs that seem weak or inadequate. When you find an idea that satisfies you can switch to the computer (for those who use graphics tablets, you can try to draw ideas directly on the computer, trying not to use brushes and special effects). If you design a logo for a customer, remember that it may not be in keeping with your ideas . So, before spending too much time on a project, it is advisable to present some work in progress to assess the level of interest of the final owner of the work. This can be a huge time saver , especially if the customer has not given precise directions and suggestions.

2. Realization
Vector graphics . The world of vector graphics often creates confusion among beginners and some professionals. In recent years, software like Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and Fireworks have blurred the boundaries between vector and bitmap graphics . Common image formats such as GIF, JPEG, BMP and TIFF are all bitmap formats. Digital photos are perfect examples of bitmap graphics (also known as "raster" images) in which they are composed of dots, pixels. Bitmap graphics have a specific resolution: if you enlarge a digital photo you can see the individual pixels. You can reduce a bitmap image and get decent results, but increasing its size means altering the pixel size and getting worse results with the enlargement. Photoshop, Pixelmator, Paint Shop Pro and Painter are all good examples of applications designed primarily for creating bitmap graphics and photo editing. They are therefore not the best tools for designing a logo . In contrast, vector graphics files are not made of dots or pixels but of mathematical formulas that delineate shapes. They can therefore be enlarged or reduced to any size, without loss of detail and sharpness of the image. For example, the lines and curves of a vector graphic will be as crisp on a business card or a giant advertising billboard. Professional logos are made with vector graphics so that they can be used indiscriminately for commercial printing, websites, television and all other media. Files of this type include EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), PDF (Portable Document Format) and AI (Adobe Illustrator). If you learn how to use vector drawing software to create specific logos, you can quickly and easily create perfect straight lines, curves and soft and precise shapes. Adobe Illustrator, Lineform, FreeHand and Corel Draw are excellent commercial vector drawing programs. In addition, there are excellent free alternatives like Inkscape. Using pencil sketches as a guide, you use vector drawing software to recreate a digital version of your ideas . If you are new to using vector software, take a few minutes to learn the basics of the pen tool to create straight lines and curves. Keep in mind that the vector shapes can have a variable thickness (the line that surrounds the shape) and that the internal shapes can be filled with different colors or textures.

3. Decorate
Color schemes . When thinking about choosing colors for shapes (fill) and contours (stroke), try to use color combinations that make sense for the logo . For example, bright pink and orange can not be used for an investment bank. To get an inspiration on color matching you can consult Kuler, a free service on the Adobe network, or purchase a copy of Jim Krause's Color Index.

4. Versions
Black and white . After revitalizing your logo with the color you must also consider how it will appear in photocopy or by fax , ie if it can be kneaded and inconsistent when used in black and white. It is therefore time to go back to the computer and prepare a separate version exclusively in black and white, ready for every use. This black and white version may differ slightly from the original but must maintain its general appearance and meaning. For example, you might find yourself converting a solid form into a quarry or vice versa.

5. Planning
Media . The development of a logo must bear in mind the destination support. If you only see it on a website you can brighten it up with more colors, gradients or even special effects. However, if it will also be used on printed paper, the complexity of the logo and the increase in printing costs for colors and added effects must be taken into account. For some logos it is possible to create a version for the network and another (less elaborate) for printing. In typography each color is called "spot" in color and the more spots are used, the more expensive the print will be . You should also consider the "trapping" settings for the logo graphics ("trapping" refers to the space between two colors). On a press, each color is usually printed separately and any slight movement of paper or machinery can affect the final result. These movements, even slight, can cause empty spaces (even very thin but visible) between two colors. This is equally important for the colored shapes that are illustrated in black. In the design it is possible to create an overlap (known as "starter" or "spread") between adjacent colors to reduce the possibility that any movements during printing produce unpleasant results . However, if we consider different professional logos, we note that the different colors are not always in contact and often there is an empty space incorporated in the design. This empty space ("white space") is not only an important visual tool, but also offers the possibility of eliminating the concerns of "trapping".

6. Finishing
Typography . Words that are part of a logo are just as important as graphics . Different beginners use any type of character, penalizing the final result: the characters and style (uppercase, lowercase, mixed) can have a dramatic impact on a logo! The need to use effective typographic techniques should never be underestimated. Also, consider if the logo uses a font that uses software to convert letters into shapes / outlines. This way, if you need to send the vector file to someone, they will not need to have your font installed on their operating system.