Creating logos or a brand for a company can be one of the most exciting things! When it all clicks, there's nothin' like it. When my client writes back, "I LOVE IT!" I could dance! Sometimes that victory, however, comes after a well-fought battle. I wish I could say that each logo comes to me in a few minutes and the client loves it right off the bat. Sometimes that does happen, but other times it takes draft after draft after draft.
I'll use my first real client, Lyzz, to explain. She's one of my best friends, and I really enjoyed the process of creating the logo she loved!
The first step in my design process is to have what I call a "Discovery Meeting" - in person is preferred, but we met on facetime as she lives across the country from me. In this meeting, I find out what the vision of the company is, then follow up with other questions. What kind of clients are you looking for? What do you want people to feel when they think of your company? What companies inspire you? Why did you decide to open this company? What are your biggest struggles in the process so far?
Not all the questions have to do directly with the design. My goal, however, is to get to know my clients so I can create something that best represents them and their company. Every company has a certain "look" or "feel" when you see it and every one of them is different. Finding out what is my client's "look" comes from knowing them and their vision for their company.
Lyzz was branding her luxury sports & therapeutic massage company. She loves yellow, she has a bright personality, she loves pineapples, but she is also professional and works with high-end clients, so I wanted to create her a logo that reflected those things.
I researched other spas and sports massage companies to get a feel for the industry before putting together some ideas.
I'm not so proud of my first drafts, but for the sake of the story, I'll show you... I wanted it to be sharp & fierce yet sleek & relaxing - please notice the lovely use of the bronze to light gradient effect.
Lyzz was very sweet in her response letting me know I should keep trying! We went through many designs - different fonts, styles, shapes, etc. I remember where I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop when I finally had the revelation - what is more individual than her signature? It is beautiful and unique! I texted her immediately and asked her to please send me a picture of some variations of her signature on white paper. I transformed them into vectors, edited them slightly so as keep her actual signature safe and played around with some shapes and styles. I sent her the final draft and it wasn't long before I received it - the text of victory:
Ahhh, the words every designer loves to hear from a client! It never gets old. Ever. Through every mind block, every extra shot of espresso, every fail, it is always worth it. In the end, seeing someone glowing with pride at their new company brand brings me so much joy!
Every one of us has something we are born to do, and there is nothing more exciting than seeing someone find it! It's a privilege to get to be a part of all my client's projects and to get to have this feeling over and over.
Oh, and here is Lyzz's final logo on a coffee cup because coffee = happiness, and that is something Lyzz & I both agree on :)
