Monday, January 4th, 2010
The best logo identities and branding work in black and white as well as color. Graphic design trends are now driven more by computer capabilities than by talent and vision. If a designer can’t draw he can always click simple repeated shapes, or plug in some gradations, or stripes, or dots, or lines. All are easy computer task. But, the most successful brand designs start with a compelling concept that functions well in black and white and small. In other words, the best logo designs work small in website or news paper ads as well as full color brochures. It takes hard work though, there are no computer tricks for that.
Old Town logo • Renovated business and entertainment district
Brad Bachman logo design • Home builder specializing in homes by water
Spring Crossing Cattle Company • Free range beef brand identity design
ComSmart corporate logo design • Communication training for executives
Lost Art Development Co.• Developer of artistic gift products for retail
QuickerTek corporate identity logo design, Wichita, Kansas. • Wireless products for Apple computers
Love Match • Assist singles in finding a love match
Exultia brand logo design • Software design company
My Volunteer Center logo identity design • Community volunteer center, Orange County California
Gear-Up brand logo, Wichita, KS. • Educational program preparing middle school children for college
Physique Enhancements brand logo design, Wichita, Kansas. • Spa, body sculpting and hair removal
Cargill event logo identity, Kansas. • Employee talk radio event
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Category 03 Logo Design & Branding, 04 What Makes a Great Branding and Logo Design Company? | Tags: Tags: best, brand design, Branding, corporate, corporate identity design, Design, identities, insight design, kansas, Logo, Logo-Design-Kansas, logo-design-wichita, trends, Wichita,
Saturday, April 25th, 2009
#1. The ability to illustrate and design in any style.
A good graphic design studio or firm should have the capability to design and illustrate in a wide range of styles because every client and every logo design should be unique to the brands marketplace situation. A diverse illustrative and design repertoire enables a good graphic design agency to generate ideas without limitations or boundaries. For example, if a graphic design studio can only execute simple clean design because they lack illustrative abilities then you can count on getting a limited range of ideas that only promote simple clean branding concepts. On the other hand, when a logo design studio has the ability to design simple and clean logos, figural logo design, complex and highly illustrative logo designs, typographic logos, funky hand drawn logo designs and conceptual logos then the ideas you get will explore all possibilities. The end result is that the client will be presented more options and from greater logo design options will come a better logo that will best brand your company, product or service. So don’t look for a logo you like in a studio’s portfolio but rather look for a variety of well executed styles. Scroll down to see examples.
For Timberline Steakhouse and Grill we developed a hand drawn woodcut illustration and graphic design style to match the name and casual eating concept of the brand. Illustrating the typography made it possible to use large readable type for signage while giving the logo design an engaging character and style.
For the Hayes 25th anniversary logo design we created a three dimensional illusion of chrome, copper and other surfaces. To create these effects we used hand drawn elements, vector illustrations and layered combinations with a variety of Adobe Photoshop filters.
The Pulse Systems logo design has a conceptual graphic design style. Everything in the entire logo is based on a square even the typography.
The Ballet Wichita logo has a stylized figural illustration of a dancer entering the performance area. This design and illustration style uses flowing curves to create the image of a woman and the feeling of graceful movement.
The Floating Swimwear logo has an expressionistic and abstract illustration style of a wave.
The Freddy’s Frozen Custard logo has a retro or old fashioned illustration style with graphic vintage ribbons.
The Spring Crossing Cattle Co. sells natural free range beef. The illustration style is simplified and stylized realism to capture the ideal image of the rancher in the open prairie and allow the brand image to be reproduced on small package labels.
The Waterbug brand logo for Floating Swimwear is illustrated in a cartoon style with bold stylized lines and shapes for excellent shelf projection and visibility at retail.
The Bighorn River Lodge brand image has a distressed realism to impart a sense of the rugged outdoors.
The GooGoo Wonderland branding is illustrated in a style that I can’t quite categorize. It’s eclectic, vibrant, and whimsical to convey a feeling of magic and fun.
The With A Twist brand logo has a funky hand drawn visual style to compliment the unique and natural product mix of the retail stores.
The brand name Anvil is a metaphor. An anvil is a tool used to create other tools. The business Anvil is a company created to create other businesses. The brand image to the left is one step in an infinite pattern. It’s a circle of dots around the center dot. This is repeated at the red dot which could be repeated again and again indefinitely. This purely conceptual design style is ultra simple to emphasize the concept.
