SUMMARY /  A compilation of various logos created for clients over the years representing multiple industries and art directions. All works have been created and conceptualized by me for each client. Some logos may have not been chosen by the clients but I still believe are the strongest of the concepts presented during that project. 

role(s)

Illustrator

Art Director

Graphic Designer

research / word map

First, I break the ice by gathering intel with a little one-on-one interview or questionnaire to aid in creative decisions. Nothing stressful, just gathering info, such as what your target market cares about, how the target market learns about your product/service, word association, and so on. 

Next I do my homework with some good ol’ fashion field research looking up the brand’s history, market perception, color psychology, weaknesses all to keep the design focused & relevant.

After the administrative work is done and I move onto to creating a word map to consider different directions and discover connections below the surface by starting with a core word and extending to others creating a web of words in the end. This helps me collect thoughts, generate ideas, get motivated, and associate words with visuals.

After creating a word map, I usually give it a day then come back the next day with a fresh mind to see if anything can be added or look for connections I may have missed the day prior.

bringing out the pad

Personally, I like to use graph paper to sketch out rough concepts, I don’t know why, helps guide my eyes, I guess. During this step, I can explore multiple concepts, see what works, get more fluid, and I am not limited by the computer. I remember to keep an open mind & reference the word map constantly during this phase. My goal is to focus on concepts only, not sweating the details

… Yet. 

After choosing a few rough sketches to present, I start to redraw a more refined version getting out any kinks or reworking aspect before moving onto the computer. 

i'm going digital

Now the moment you have been expecting, I dive into my computer after scanning in the refined sketch to rebuild digital in Adobe illustrator. 

After completion of a digital version I do a first round of presentation explaining art direction, typography and shape psychology in a PDF presentation. Initially I create the logo in black and white to present before moving onto color so the client can focus on the idea/concept and avoid any color biases. Then after approval or any needed edits of the concept I will follow up with color versions explaining color choices using color psychology along with some pretty mock ups to give the client insight how the logo will perform in real world executions.