~ YOUR CREATIVE JUNKIE PRESENTS ~

The

ANATOMY
OF

AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

~ A 10 STEP PROCESS ~

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

We all want to be creative rockstars.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

NO ONE EVER SAID DESIGNING A LOGO WAS GOING TO BE A

Piece of Cake

If they did, they were lying through their teeth. Or they simply
lack understanding of what goes into quality logo design. Ive
designed 100s of logos over my 20+ years in the Design industry.
Ive learned the hard way there are certain

things you need to be aware of to do your best work, to create

work that matters. Its true we all want to be creative rockstars
of Logo Design. But it takes time, persistence, and process. This
information will help you on your journey to rockstardom.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

WHAT IS

Authentic?

Authentic logos visually translate the

companys offerings in 3 seconds.
They emotionally speak to their intended
audience and move them into action.

Its true many things have to align in the

universe to really knock it out of the park.
Thats where correct planning and process
come into play.

Because we can always improve on our

craft, and creating something of value and
authenticity for our clients is our #1 goal. Lets
get started.

~ This is a Guide to all graphic designers out there, both newbies and veterans alike ~

Authentic logos visually translate the companys offerings in 3 seconds

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

THE BUSINESS STUFF

The agreement

THE BUSINESS STUFF

The phone rings. A prospect is calling you about a need

for a new logo. Someone needs your expertise, cool.
HEAD NOD

Dont yammer on about how amazing you are, youll

fuck it up. Always ask about them, their needs are first.

BLAH
BLAH
BLAH

CLIENT DESIGNER

Request Creative Discovery

How Can YOU reduce their pain?

The Phone Rings

Creative Discovery

Get a Signed Contract

Designer Recieves 50% Deposit

(Client Completes)

(Client & Consultant)

(from Client)

BRIEF: TAGLINE: Smart Toys for your Dog. create an approachable and friendly
dog illustration with Harry Potter glasses using a retro modern motif.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

Ask them to complete your Creative Discovery

questionnaire so you can fully understand their needs.
If they are not open to this, then get off the phone,
theyre not a good fit for you.
The Creative Discovery information you receive is the
basis for the Creative Brief - your marching orders for
the Design phase.
First, write a proposal. Get it signed and get your 50%
deposit before starting ANY creative work. Now you can
start on the pre-creative work.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

TIME TO GET CREATIVE

THE CREATIVE STUFF

start with research

Current
Competition
Design
Blogs

Logo
Lounge

Stock Photo
Sites

RESEARCH

Visual Approach

Behance

Books

Pinterest
Word
Associations

Find Creative Inspiration for your Visual Approach

through research: Current Competition, Stock Photo
sites, Design Blogs, Logo Lounge, Word Associations,
Behance, Books, Pinterest, etc.
Anywhere and Everywhere.
Here are some websites to get the juices flowing:

Logo Focused Inspiration:

logoed.co.uk, logolounge.com, logopond.com

logooftheday.com, logogala.com, logomoose.com
logofromdreams.com, logofaves.com, logosauce.com,
logospire.com.

General Creative Inspiration:

designspiration.net, designiskinky.net, behance.net,

typeverything.com, visualgraphc.com
formfiftyfive.com, abduzeedo.com.
Some Logo Humor: Make my Logo Bigger Creme.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

COPIOUS SKETCHES
grab your sketchbook
The Creative Brief will fuel the direction of your
sketches to solve the creative problem. Which
approach do you take? Choose your poison.
The 5 basic types of Logos:
1. Font Based Logos
2. Icon or Symbol Based Logos
3. Banner or Emblem Style Logos
4. Hand Drawn Letterform Logos (WordMarks)
5. Integrated Logos
Your decision on approach depends on your need, your
audience, and how you plan to use your logo. Since a
logo is the visual representation of the promise you are
making with the customer, youll need the personality
of the logo to reflect the right emotional tone. Knowing
your audience is the most important factor when
deciding what type of logo you want to pursue. If you
are creating a logo for a company or a client, this
logo is not for you, nor your client, this logo is for the
audience of the client. Very important to know what
that audience will find appealing and compelling.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

I AM THE CHOSEN ONE..

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

SKETCHES TO VECTOR
Launch adobe illustrator
Once the client has selected a single conceptual sketch
(one sketch, not 5) for further development, you can
start transforming this sketch into vector artwork.
Paste the sketch into Adode Illustrator, make it 50%
transparent, and trace it into shapes you can fill.
If you are confident in your color palette, work in
color, if the basic color decisions are in question,
work in grey scale and black and white until the basic
shapes of the logo are approved. THEN dive into color.
This is because color is so subjective. A client can
inadvertantly nix a great concept because they hate
your color decisions... so if youre not sure, start in
black and white first.
Create the main visual element of the logo in vector
first before you start deciding on your font choices.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

GRAPHIC EXPLORATION
Have fun with it!

canine genius color palette

First make sure the client is on board with the

vectorized sketch you have created. As mentioned in
Step 4, if you have not added color yet, do so in this
step as you choose your fonts.

Canine Genius

canine genius
Canine Genius

Canine Genius

canine
genius

Ce Gs

Canine Genius
Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

Ok, the hard part is behind me. whew! That Chihuahua

was a pain in the ass to create.
Now you can take your vector main visual of the Logo,
you can start exploring fonts that work well with
the goals of the brand. In this case, we are going for
a retro-futurist look, so I chose some retro fonts to
explore.
Time Saver: A great way to examine multiple fonts is to
use http://wordmark.it, it saves me time on every logo
project. Try it, youll see.
Once you selected some fonts, explore different
graphical shapes and proportions that fit with the
creative brief and your research. Have fun with it!
And dont edit down the ideas you create until you are
finished exploring.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

PRESENTING LOGOS
Presenting is Selling

Present

ONLY YOUR

3 BEST LOGOS

TO THE CLIENT.

Trust Me
on this
one.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

Once you have explored different variations of the logo

using your excellent font choices and your vectorized
sketch, sit on it overnight and come back to see your
work with fresh eyes. This has proven to be helpful in
weeding out the bullshit trite logos in the group.
Youre ready to edit them down to a short list. BE
BRUTALLY HONEST about what works and what doesnt.
Note: Please do not present more than 3 versions of
the logo concept to your client. Youll save a ton of time
editing your work down to your very best work. Trust
me on this.
Now you need to sell the best logo to your client.
Review the Brief and remember your research. Explain
to them WHY youve done what youve done, and how
their audience will eat it up.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

FINAL LOGOTYPE
Final Logotype
Clearly a certain number of client revisions will
precede the final Logo.
#1 Rookie Mistake is to allow the client to make TOO
MANY Freakin REVISIONS. Make sure you have a limit of
3 revisions in your initial agreement.
REALLY important shit.
Sell the best logo to your client.
I promise a final logo will finally be selected, if you have
any design chops at all.

SMART TOYS FOR YOUR DOG

TAA DAAAA!
Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

SEND FINAL INVOICE

FINAL BUSINESS STUFF

SEND FINAL INVOICE TO YOUR CLIENT

GET PAID FOR YOUR HARD WORK.

~ DONT FORGET TO THANK THEM, BE GRACIOUS & PROFESSIONAL ~

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

FINAL DELIVERABLE

FINAL CREATIVE STUFF

DELIVER THE FINAL LOGO IN MULTIPLE FORMS AND SIZES

FOR THE ONGOING USE OF THE CLIENT.
~ INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: ~

> FORMATS: .EPS, .AI (WITH FONTS OUTLINED), .TIF, JPG, .PNG (W/TRANSPARENCY) , & .PDF.
> COLORS: FULL COLOR, BLACK & WHITE, AND IN BOTH RGB & CMYK.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

10

RELATIONSHIPS 101

ALWAYS

CULTIVATE THE RELATIONSHIP! Remind them of your many creative skills, the many disciplines you cover. You are there for them.

Q: Do they Need a Stationery System? Q: Do they Need a New Website to show off their sweet new Logo? You get the idea.
this helps turn a random one-off logo project into an ongoing client with repeat business and recurring revenue.

cultivate the relationship

THE END.

now get out there and kick some graphic design ass. Thats an order.

Copyright Your Creative Junkie, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. 1994 - Today. All Rights Reserved. Not for reproduction or transmission. May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

Thank you.

Learn something? Please share this graphic.

THERES MORE WHERE THIS CAME FROM..

FOR MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN ADVICE, FREE GRAPHICS, AND TO GENERALLY SUCK LESS AT DESIGN, SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG:

YOURCREATIVEJUNKIE.COM
SUCK LESS AT GRAPHIC DESIGN
MADE WITH BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS AND

IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

VINCENT BURKHEAD STUDIO, INC, 1994 - TODAY, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE ANATOMY OF AUTHENTIC LOGO DESIGN

about the author

Greetings earthlings, my name is Vincent. Im a certified creative junkie with 20+
years in the design world; an award winning designer and authentic brand builder
collaborating with start-ups and fortune 1000 companies, and everything in between.
The Creative Junkie blog is a way to share my experiences with other like-minded
right-brained creatives in the universe.
Visit Your Creative Junkie Blog

PUBLISHED BY: Your Creative Junkie

YourCreativeJunkie.com, dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc.
Address: 4676 Adams Avenue, San Diego California 92115
Copyright 1994 - Today YourCreativeJunkie.com dba Vincent Burkhead Studio, Inc. All rights reserved.
May be shared with copyright and credit left intact.