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12 Essential Rules to Follow When Designing a Logo

The logo is the face of any brand — the very first impression — so its design is extremely important.

When executed correctly, a logo is a powerful asset to your client’s brand.
However, creating an effective visual representation of a brand requires much more than just graphic design.
Like any line of work that involves a set of specific skills, logo design requires plenty of practice and experience for it to be successful; knowledge is definitely power for any graphic designer.
For this reason, we have outlined 12 essential rules to follow in order to design an effective logo.

1. Preliminary Work Is a Must

Preliminary sketches are an important first step in designing an effective logo.
These can be as simple as paper and pen drawings or drafts made using a vector program, such as Illustrator.
The bottom line is that you compromise the final result if you rush, or skip, this step.
Start with 20 to 30 sketches or ideas and then branch out to create variations of the original ideas.
If nothing seems to work, start over and begin sketching new ideas.
An effective graphic designer will spend more time on this preliminary work than any other step in the design process.

2. Create Balance

Balance is important in logo design because our minds naturally perceive a balanced design as being pleasing and appealing.
Keep your logo balanced by keeping the “weight” of the graphics, colors, and size equal on each side.
Though the rule of balance can occasionally be broken, remember that your logo will be viewed by the masses, not just those with an eye for great art, so a balanced design is the safest approach.

3. Size Matters

When it comes to logo design, size does matter. A logo has to look good and be legible at all sizes.
A logo is not effective if it loses too much definition when scaled down for letterheads, envelopes, and small promotional items. The logo also has to look good when used for larger formats, such as posters, billboards, and electronic formats such as TV and the Web.
The most reliable way to determine if a logo works at all sizes is to actually test it yourself.
Note that the smallest scale is usually the hardest to get right, so start by printing the logo on a letterhead or envelope and see if it is still legible.
You can also test for large-scale rendering by printing a poster-sized version at a print shop.

4. Clever Use of Color

Color theory is complex, but designers who understand the basics are able to use color to their advantage.
The basic rules to keep in mind are:

• Use colors near to each other on the color wheel (e.g. for a “warm” palette, use red, orange, and yellow hues).
• Don’t use colors that are so bright that they are hard on the eyes.
• The logo must also look good in black and white, grayscale, and two colors.
• Breaking the rules sometimes is okay; just make sure you have a good reason to!

Knowing how colors evoke feelings and moods is also important. For example, red can evoke feelings of aggression, love, passion, and strength.
Keep this in mind as you try out different color combinations, and try to match the color to the overall tone and feel of the brand.
Playing around with individual colors on their own is another good idea. Some brands are recognizable solely by their distinct color.
For example, when you think of John Deere, you think of the “John Deere green” color, and this sets this brand apart from its competitors and, more importantly, makes the brand all the more recognizable.

5. Design Style Should Suit the Company

You can use various design styles when creating a logo, and to pick the right one, you should have some background information about the client and the brand.
A recent trend in logo design is the Web 2.0 style of 3D-looking logos, with “bubbly” graphics, gradients, and drop shadows.
This style may work well for a Web 2.0 website or tech company, but may not be effective for other kinds of brands.
Research your client and its audience before you begin your preliminary work.
This will help you determine the best design style from the start and save you from having to return repeatedly to the drawing board.

6. Typography Matters… a Lot!

Choosing the right font type and size is much more difficult than many beginner designers realize.
If your logo design includes text, either as part of the logo or in the tagline, you will need to spend time sorting through various font types — often, dozens of them — and testing them in your design before making a final decision.
Try both serif fonts and sans-serif fonts as well as script, italics, bold, and custom fonts.
Consider three main points when choosing a font to accompany your logo design:

• Avoid the most commonly used fonts, such as Comic Sans, or else your design may come off as amateurish.
• Make sure the font is legible when scaled down, especially with script fonts.
• One font is ideal, and avoid more than two.

Strongly consider a custom font for your design. The more original the font, the more it will distinguish the brand. Examples of successful logos that have a custom font are Yahoo!, Twitter, and Coca Cola.

7. The Goal IS Recognition

The whole point of creating a logo is to build brand recognition. So, how do you go about doing this?
Well, it varies from case to case, but the goal with the logo is for the average person to instantly call the brand to mind.
A few examples of this are the logos for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Nike.
Just a glimpse of any of these logos is all you need to recognize the brands.
The key to making a popular and recognizable logo is to combine all of the elements discussed in this article: size, style, color, typography, and originality.
Overlooking any of these during the design process will impair the quality of your final design. Examine your own logo design and see whether it meets all of these criteria.
A quick test to determine if your logo is recognizable enough is to invert it using any graphic design software and see if you can still recognize the brand. Additionally, you should mirror the logo and see if it’s easily recognizable in this state.
Keep in mind that logos aren’t always seen head-on in real world situations, for example, on the side of a bus or a billboard that you drive by.
Therefore, you should make sure to view your logo design from all angles and ensure that it’s recognizable from any direction before submitting it to your client.

8. Dare to be Different

To stand out from the competition, you must distinguish yourself as a designer with a distinct style. Rather than copy another design or style, be innovative and stand out from the crowd.
So, how can you be different? Try breaking the rules of design and taking risks.
Try a variety of styles to find the one that works best for your client. Try different color combinations until you find one that makes your design truly original.
Have fun with the design program you use, and keep tweaking the design until you feel you’ve got it right.

9. K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Stupid)

The simpler the logo, the more recognizable it will be.
For example, the Nike swoosh is an extremely simple logo and is also one of the most recognizable in the world.
Follow the K.I.S.S. rule right from the start of the design process, when you are brainstorming ideas and doodling sketches.
Often, you’ll find that you start with a relatively complicated design and end up with a simpler version of it in the end.
Work the design down to its essentials and leave out all unnecessary elements.

10. Go Easy on Effects

Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, Photoshop, and other graphic design programs are extremely powerful tools and have many filters and effects that you can apply to your logo, but don’t get carried away!
There’s a time and place for these powerful tools, but it is not necessarily to design a logo.
Of course, playing around and seeing whether they enhance a logo is fine, but just remember that simplicity is key.

11. Develop a Design “Assembly Line”

To produce consistently high-quality logos, you need to develop your own design process, or “assembly line.” This should include the following steps:

• Research
• Brainstorm and generate ideas
• Preliminary sketches
• Develop vector designs
• Send to client
• Add or remove anything the client wants
• Finalize the design and resubmit to client

Although you may want to tweak the order slightly, you should follow these basic steps with each logo design.
This will help you streamline your work, stay organized, maintain focus, and deliver better quality and more consistent results with each job.

12. Use Other Designs for Inspiration Only!

The last rule for designing an effective logo is quite simple: don’t copy other designers’ work! While there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by other designers, copying another person’s ideas or work is morally and legally wrong.
Gallery websites exist that let you use vector art images free of charge, with proper attribution under the  but I strongly recommend not going this route.
These websites can be helpful for getting ideas during the brainstorming stage, but you’re better off starting your design from scratch and making it 100% original.

11 Simple Concepts to Become a Better Leader

Being likeable will help you in your job, business, relationships, and life. I interviewed dozens of successful business leaders for my last book, to determine what made them so likeable and their companies so successful. All of the concepts are simple, and yet, perhaps in the name of revenues or the bottom line, we often lose sight of the simple things - things that not only make us human, but can actually help us become more successful. Below are the eleven most important principles to integrate to become a better leader:

 

1. Listening
"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway
Listening is the foundation of any good relationship. Great leaders listen to what their customers and prospects want and need, and they listen to the challenges those customers face. They listen to colleagues and are open to new ideas. They listen to shareholders, investors, and competitors. Here's why the best CEO's listen more.

2. Storytelling
"Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." -Robert McAfee Brown
After listening, leaders need to tell great stories in order to sell their products, but more important, in order to sell their ideas. Storytelling is what captivates people and drives them to take action. Whether you're telling a story to one prospect over lunch, a boardroom full of people, or thousands of people through an online video - storytelling wins customers.

3. Authenticity
"I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I've become. If I had, I'd have done it a lot earlier." -Oprah Winfrey
Great leaders are who they say they are, and they have integrity beyond compare. Vulnerability and humility are hallmarks of the authentic leader and create a positive, attractive energy. Customers, employees, and media all want to help an authentic person to succeed. There used to be a divide between one’s public self and private self, but the social internet has blurred that line. Tomorrow's leaders are transparent about who they are online, merging their personal and professional lives together.

4. Transparency
"As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth." -John Whittier
There is nowhere to hide anymore, and businesspeople who attempt to keep secrets will eventually be exposed. Openness and honesty lead to happier staff and customers and colleagues. More important, transparency makes it a lot easier to sleep at night - unworried about what you said to whom, a happier leader is a more productive one.

5. Team Playing
"Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." -SEAL Team Saying
No matter how small your organization, you interact with others every day. Letting others shine, encouraging innovative ideas, practicing humility, and following other rules for working in teams will help you become a more likeable leader. You’ll need a culture of success within your organization, one that includes out-of-the-box thinking.

6. Responsiveness
"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles Swindoll
The best leaders are responsive to their customers, staff, investors, and prospects. Every stakeholder today is a potential viral sparkplug, for better or for worse, and the winning leader is one who recognizes this and insists upon a culture of responsiveness. Whether the communication is email, voice mail, a note or a a tweet, responding shows you care and gives your customers and colleagues a say, allowing them to make a positive impact on the organization.

7. Adaptability
"When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Ben Franklin
There has never been a faster-changing marketplace than the one we live in today. Leaders must be flexible in managing changing opportunities and challenges and nimble enough to pivot at the right moment. Stubbornness is no longer desirable to most organizations. Instead, humility and the willingness to adapt mark a great leader.

8. Passion
"The only way to do great work is to love the work you do." -Steve Jobs
Those who love what they do don’t have to work a day in their lives. People who are able to bring passion to their business have a remarkable advantage, as that passion is contagious to customers and colleagues alike. Finding and increasing your passion will absolutely affect your bottom line.

9. Surprise and Delight
"A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless." -Charles de Gaulle
Most people like surprises in their day-to-day lives. Likeable leaders underpromise and overdeliver, assuring that customers and staff are surprised in a positive way. There are a plethora of ways to surprise without spending extra money - a smile, We all like to be delighted — surprise and delight create incredible word-of-mouth marketing opportunities.

10. Simplicity
"Less isn't more; just enough is more." -Milton Glaser
The world is more complex than ever before, and yet what customers often respond to best is simplicity — in design, form, and function. Taking complex projects, challenges, and ideas and distilling them to their simplest components allows customers, staff, and other stakeholders to better understand and buy into your vision. We humans all crave simplicity, and so today's leader must be focused and deliver simplicity.

11. Gratefulness
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." -Gilbert Chesterton
Likeable leaders are ever grateful for the people who contribute to their opportunities and success. Being appreciative and saying thank you to mentors, customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders keeps leaders humble, appreciated, and well received. It also makes you feel great! Donor's Choose studied the value of a hand-written thank-you note, and actually found donors were 38% more likely to give a 2nd time if they got a hand-written note!

The Golden Rule: Above all else, treat others as you’d like to be treated
By showing others the same courtesy you expect from them, you will gain more respect from coworkers, customers, and business partners. Holding others in high regard demonstrates your company’s likeability and motivates others to work with you. This seems so simple, as do so many of these principles — and yet many people, too concerned with making money or getting by, fail to truly adopt these key concepts.

Creative And Efficient Web Designer

Do you find web designing a satisfying career or do you feel sapped coming out with one design after the other. In such a scenario, how can you be a creative and efficient web designer? It is nice to have assignments on hand, though you may soon start running out of ideas. The days, when things worked at a leisurely pace and people had long-term goals, are over. All your efforts are marked by meeting deadlines and creating extraordinary results. How can a mere mortal like you perform day after day akin to a robot? What can you do in such a scenario? You have to develop yourself in such a manner that you can remain creative and efficient. How can you be creative and efficient at the same time? You can show these dual attributes when you are creative while meeting a deadline. You can say this comes with experience; but it is not impossible for a person with less experience to be creative and efficient when they follow a few guidelines.
While it is rewarding to see work pouring in, it is equally important to produce good quality stuff. You have to produce creative work that stands out amongst the millions of web pages.
If you like this article, you might be interested in some of our other articles on How To Write A Quality Post, Freelancing – A Boon Or A Bane, Steps To Freelancing, Perfect Portfolio.

Planning

It has been said that if you have plenty of time you are unable to be creative. You may feel that it is a bit absurd but nothing could be more correct. If you have limited time, your brain is under pressure to perform in that short duration. You automatically plan out your work schedule. In such conditions, you can anticipate when your work will be completed. If you are stressed, your grey cells will be activated to be creative.
On the other hand, a tight schedule can work the other way and freeze your mind. In this case it is best to plan the schedule even though you may not be able to cater to constant breaks. Too much time on hand will also make you feel lethargic. When is the best time to work? You may like to wake up with the birds or stay up at night when the rest of the world is asleep.

Make It Interesting

It is impossible for anyone and not just you to multitask at the same time. It is not possible for you to carry on a single job without any break. You will need loads of time to complete a good piece of work. Since time is at a premium you can break up your big task into small ones. By scheduling your tasks you will be able to perform better than you expected.

Be Thorough

Your work performance can suffer if your clients are breathing down your neck. It is understood that they are paying you for your services but you should be aware how much you can take. You may lose clients in the bargain, but not at the expense of the pressure that you would go through. Always be thorough and produce the best you can. You can avoid shouting of your clients but let them know that you will deliver your best.

Put Your Work Place In Order

Have you ever calculated the number of hours you put in a day, week, month or a year in your work room to meet your deadlines? It can work out to hundreds of hours. Your work place affects your creativity and efficiency as a web designer. Have a look around your work place and think up of ways of bringing in some modifications. You could change your furniture, add a notice board and do some spring cleaning. You will see that this relaxing activity can make a difference to your creativity.

Do Not Stress Yourself

If you think that by pushing yourself every day is going to make you perform better, then do a re think. You have a certain amount of capacity to work for a limited number of hours every day. If you think that you can put in 4 hours one day and 12 the next day, you will be unable to cope. You need your hours of recreation and sleep to keep going. While you get more efficient with experience and time, it is impossible to start by putting in a whole lot of work right at the beginning. You need the training and the grit to move ahead.

Your Personal Life Is Important

You may be constantly at it- meeting deadlines and putting in long hours. Take time to stop and think nothing is more important than your family.
Keep this in mind and you will be the creative and efficient web designer that you have always dreamt of being.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Design Skills

Improvement is one thing that everyone would like to have. All of us want to be better in every field we are in so that we can offer more to our clients and to other people. We always want to see growth and development not just in our works but also as a person. We might be oblivious of the fact that the things we do could actually make us better individuals and as it does, we have to do better as time goes by.
As a graphic designer, it is important to seek for improvement. This will not only impress your client and bring in more clients but this will also add more self-confidence for you. Always remember that famous graphic designers started at the point where you are at now. But they managed to get to the top because they kept on improving and they never cease to look for ways to be better designers. There should be willingness and eagerness in you to always aim for more even if you think you are already contented with what you have and what you can show. But, if you eye for improvement, you will be amazed with the results. In this post, we will share to you some tips to help you improve as a graphic designer:

1. Make your own projects.

Image: Passive Income Dream.com
Even if you do not have projects from clients, make some. This will help you sharpen your skills and express your creativity. Also, you can use this as work samples if ever your client would like to see one. You can create fake brands and fake companies, then use them in making, logos, posters, brochures, websites, stationeries and others. Do this every time you do not have a project to work on. Remember that practice makes perfect. So, keep on doing what you usually do.

2. Improve your previous designs and other’s designs.

Image: seeveeaar
Also, aside from making your own projects, you may improve your old designs. For sure you still have it archived in your hard drive or in a CD or DVD. You may check them once in a while and add some touches that will make it unique. You can also work on other people’s design by re-working on it, thus having a totally different output. This will also sharpen your skills. You could have some additions to your portfolio, too.

3. Collect designs for inspiration.

Image: Kasaa
For sure, there are times when you browse for different designs in the internet or in magazines or you may find something that looks good and you would like to keep it. Make a collection of different designs where you can get ideas from when you feel like you run out of creativity juices. But look at your “inspiration collection” from time to time ‘coz it helps to boost your eagerness and willingness to work. It will surely keep that “designer engine” running.

4. Make your own blog and read other’s blogs.

Image: Eduard Titov
Blogging is good for it helps you express yourself and sharpen another skill which is writing. You’ll never know, some of your write-ups might help others same way as other’s blogs are helping you. You can actually get so much information and inspiration in reading blogs. Try to search for designers blogs in the internet and you can enjoy reading them during break time and leisure time.

5. Connect with other designers and learn from them.

Image: photostock
Get to know other designers who had more experiences than you and those who are still starting like you. You can ask for advices from those who had been in the field longer and you can share new ideas with those who are still neophytes. You can have lots of friends through this whom you can ask for professional advices when you need one.

6. Be active in online design communities.

Image: Eduard Titov
There are lots of online design communities that you could join. This is a must for designers for it keeps you updated all the time and you could request for feedbacks and critiques from other designers around the globe. These designers can help you improve your work through their inputs for your designs which you could apply not just for one project but for other projects, too.

7. Take pictures.

Image: Eduard Titov

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In collecting designs for inspiration, you take pictures of those designs which you cannot bring home with you. Also, this could sharpen your photography skills which is also needed for a designer. You may take pictures of paintings, buildings, or just anything that interests you and gives you an idea to work on something differently. If you scan your pictures, for sure, there will be tons of new designs that will come to your mind.

8. Attend seminars and conventions.

Image: lsirtosky
You will get new design ideas and knowledge if you attend seminars and conventions on designs. Aside from learning, you also meet new people whom you can add to your network and you’ll also add another certificate to your portfolio.

9. Have a design book collection.

Image: xXxMmMxXx
Aside from collecting designs, collect books on design, too. There are book sales in some places where in you can buy informative and cheap books. These could either be educational, inspirational or technical books. You will find them helpful.

10. Enrol in design classes.

Image: Eduard Titov
There are colleges who accept enrolees even if they do not get all the subjects for a semester. You can try this so that you can learn new things. As time goes by, there are some teachings in design that improves with time. If you study, you will not be left behind. Rather, this could be your edge from other designers.

11. Learn new things.

Image: Shelby_MB_Photography
Being a designer doesn’t mean that you will focus in designing all the time. Try to discover new things and talents by exploring. You’ll never know, you could be a good guitarists or dancer or whatever. Do not box yourself in just one genre. Look deeper into yourself and you’ll be glad to know that there are other things that you can do well at. This will help boost your confidence.

12. Do some sketching.

Image: jonkeegan
Sketching is a basic thing in design. Try to work on a design by sketching first. Sometimes, you will need to do some sketching to show some designs to a client. You still have to be good at it so that you can present something well. Some designers even sketch their designs before doing it in the computer just to make sure they’ll not forget the idea.

13. Travel.

Image: jschellenberg
Travelling may inspire you since you have seen lots of new things and you have relaxed a lot, too. You will witness different cultures and get to see various artworks that will give you new ideas to work on. This will help you improve your work a lot.
As you can see, it is not really hard to improve your design skills. All you need is the willingness, the effort and the time to do these things. Bear in mind that it is you who will greatly benefit from this improvement. So, give your best and be the best graphic designer!

Best of Web Design in 2012

 Best of Web Design in 2012
First of all, we would like to wish a Happy New Year to all of our readers! And to start 2013, we decided to gather some of the most appreciated designs we showcased here in 2012. We gathered the designs our readers most talked about, and we did this huge list to show you what we and our readers considered the best web designs of last year. The sites we will show here were featured because of use of textures, images, typography, navigation and much more. So take your time and browse through these designs to see what was memorable in 2012.