Professional Tips & Guides For A Good Logo Sketching
Read this guide to find out more!
The logo appears like a very simple little mark. But beyond that fancy brand mark, a good logo bore more than just a humble graphic representation. It is an insanely complex graphic that has symbolic meaning, emotion, energy, or even significance purposes. That is why logo sketching has become one of the greatest steps to take in logo making.
Believe it or not, a logo designer takes a lot of consideration, research, and images plus ideas to get the best logo design. At some point, designers sketch a logo with a lot of preparation and data. The primary purpose is to provide proper direction, visualize the idea, give direct information about the product. So without further ado, check out these tips and guides for you.
Logo Sketching Preparation
1. Productive Briefing With The Clients
If you want to sketch a logo that is downright suitable for your client preferences, then you have to debrief with them. In this part, you will need to meet together and settle all of the details down to every small aspect. You have to be a master of communication or at least proactive in seeking what they want.
Ask a lot of questions that might help you visualize the idea and your logo sketching process. Understand that a logo is more than just a graphic or brand identity. It can tell stories, meaning, goals, and vision. So, jot down every keyword or information you get from the client. You can write down the tone, emotion, impression, taste, sense, or anything to sketch a logo.
2. Learn About Types Of Logos
As you got the base information, now you got the chance to learn about what types of logos fit the best with your client. If you take a look at several logos, some companies might opt for an icon type of logo, the abbreviation, or a long wordmark. So, what kind of model do you have to choose? In this case, you have to sketch a logo based on its priority.
Underline and find the uses of the logo. You might consider whether you have to use different iterations from the same material to fit diverse media. Or maybe you can do some altered designs by extracting some element of the existing wordmark. Is there any story behind the model? Can you make an avatar or icon from it? Take those ideas for your logo sketching process.
3. Do Your Research
Your next step is doing research using a mood board. So in this part of the preparation, the mood board will help you conceptualize the ideas and the direction of your logo. You can sketch a logo with some directed keyword list you have listed before. If you got a long list and more keywords, most likely, you will need to create 1 or 2 mood boards.
So, how does it work? The primary purpose of the mood board is to collect ideas, inspiration, and images that show your logo sketching direction. This particular idea can include and display anything that helps you build up your design. It can consist of several images such as plants, colors, people, illustration, patterns, and many more.
4. Stay Focus
After you got all of the information, idea, and the mood board, now you have to focus. It is easy to get lost and drowned from all of those images and thoughts. Most likely, people get out of their direction and are tempted to try something new again. To avoid it, choose one or two directions, stick with it, Focus, and sketch a logo or more.
Logo Sketching Process Tips
1. Free Sketch
In the logo sketching process, you can underline that you are free to experience (as long as you follow the direction and client preferences). One thing for sure, you can underline that sketching and designing your logo is not linear. In other words, you can jump from different ideas to other ideas. You can start the new one even in the middle of an unfinished sketch.
Feel free to do your sketch since there are no boundaries regarding design or sketching. You can dump one, move to the new one, or get back later on. When you want to sketch a logo, you are free to build the idea and develop it. If it is possible, don't ever set yourself into a boundary but still have a definite direction in doing so.
2. There Is No Wrong And Right
When you start sketching some logo ideas, you get anything to try and experiment with. And another cool thing about this part is that there is no right and wrong in doing so. Who said that you are not allowed to play with typography for a logo? You can do it in many diverse techniques, styles, or workflow. Anything that works for you will be the logo sketching to do.
Maybe you compare your work with others and say that what they have done is better or the right thing to do. Meanwhile, what you do is the total opposite. The idea of this tip is to develop your confidence and reduce the chance of getting demotivated or intimidated. Each person has different processes, ways, and techniques. So, be yourself and sketch a logo.
3. Uses Your Best Medium
As said at the previous point that this process is free, no boundaries, and there is nothing wrong or right. All you need to do is be yourself, follow your pace and technique. It also works for your medium in creating your design. Underline that the logo sketching process is complex but also fun and explore able, so make sure you feel comfortable in practice.
The main idea of these trips is to get the best or the optimum potential for whatever you are working on. If you are used to sketching a logo using pencil and paper, then do so. It will help save time and the process of getting accustomed to certain methods. High chances that you have mastered the technique, so it is a win-win solution.
If you are trying a new medium to sketch, most likely, you will need to spend a long time just to understand the tools or technique. That is why you should opt for your preferred technique to sketch a logo. You can use a modern medium such as Photoshop, procreate, or other designing software. Or maybe going classic logo sketching with pen, pencil, or paint.
4. Sketch Fast And More
The logo sketching process should be quick and vast. What you need to understand is that this practice is to help you brainstorm and explore ideas. By doing it faster, then you will get more ideas to eventually consider in the final result. Doing it also helps you create a simple version with fewer details¸, so you can explore more than just one idea.
However, when you are in logo sketching progress, fast is not only the key. You should do it fast but not too fast that you end with a mindless sketch. All you have to do is to be fast enough to allow your brain to get all the ideas out, implement them and sketch a logo. It will help you jump from one idea to another, so you got more references in the latter stage.
5. Detail Is Not The Main Focus
As said in the previous point, you have to do it fast. So, you can create less detail in each logo sketch. Opt for delivering diverse styles, ideas, directions, models, types, or anything. At this point, you don't need to make one logo in detail. Grasp the basic idea and implement the client preference. Sketch a logo in a rough shape allows you to explore easily.
At this point, most likely, the designer will lose to the logo sketching detail without exploring other options. That wasn't a great decision to make since you need to explore and get a lot more inspiration in sketching. It would be such a huge waste if you put a lot of work into a certain logo but then ended with opposition or scrapped it.
6. Don't Worry About Neat Process
Logo sketching doesn't have to be neat and clean. If you consider how crazy inspirations come and go, you will find your sketchbook filled with messy drawing and sketching. Don't mind that idea; it is okay to make your working process messy as long as you can keep up with it. You should not fear messy progress as you sketch a logo.
It is a very common occurrence that designers will take a lot of time considering and brainstorming their ideas. At some point, they have to revise a lot of files or drawings to get it right. The human brain has an abstract thinking process that helps them jump from one idea to another. It also helps them grasp vibrant and variant designs to eventually find the right one.
The messy sketchbook or logo sketching progress helps redirect or stay in the same sketch a logo direction. With different models and improvisation, you can see a clearer result. In other words, rather than look messy, it will look clearer over time. But of course, your sketchbook is yours. If you find being messy is bad, then do the opposite. Just be yourself!
7. Don't Use Color- Yet!
If you want to sketch a logo, make sure that you stray away from details and color. Why so? At this point, all you need to focus on is to introduce a range of possible ideas and logo design. Adding color can slow down the process and turn your time unproductive. The reasons are you tend to change the idea from one to another, so adding color will make it harder to do.
You will need an extra layer of thinking process about color choices. What kind of color is appropriate with this logo? Then, you implement the color selection. But, you change your decision due to the shifting interest or new inspiration. Again, it is such a waste if you have to scrap your overly detailed and colored logo sketching result.
At this point, you need to focus on the overall shape and style of your logo. When you sketch a logo, shapes, typography, curve, images, and color bore a powerful meaning and power. The color selection can steal your Focus, make you lost in it and stray away from the logo sketching direction.
8. You Are Not Making One That You Like
At this point, you have considered and set your mindset in creating the best logo design. But are you sure it is suitable for your client's preferences? The thing you should underline as you sketch a logo is to not make what you like. Try not to hang on to the version you prefer the most, but focus on the design that makes sense or best for the project.
At this point, you will need to put yourself in the client's shoes. Take a look at all the briefings and keywords you have written. Will they love it? Will the logo sketching design fit with their preferences? You also need to consider the audience's shoes. Ask yourself if your design ideas can help people understand the logo and the brand identity?
9. Criticize It
After you put yourself in your client's shoes, now you need to criticize your work. Logo sketching is not only fulfilling your desire and fit the preferences. You need to learn to critique your work and look objectively. The sketch of a logo part works hand in hand with the previous step. You will need to cross-check the keyword and the project direction.
The main goal of this part is to find out what is the best logo from your sketchbook. Get some notes and points to find the good or the bad for your logo. Consider every possible lack or over-implemented ideas. Then, you will find some points to eventually improve and sketch a logo that goes in the right direction.
Finishing And Finalizing
1. Choose Three Best Design
After some messy hand drawing or files for your logo sketching process, now it is time to choose the best. The number of your best work can vary from your contract agreement. Make sure you got the number right to avoid extra costs. You can go higher than just three logo sketches, but most likely, it will take more cost in the end.
Underline all of the considerations, your critics, and the keyword. If you find that some of the logos go under the same preferences and look the best, choose it and introduce it to your client. Do the final reviews and select the sketch that fits the project goal the best. Consider all of the keywords, research, and brief before you sketch a logo with improvement.
2. Make It More Presentable
Your logo sketching progress does not end there. After you find the best design, you will need to make it more presentable and look the best. At this point, improve your sketch with color or smaller details than just a pencil and hand-drawn sketch. You need to underline that not every client can see the meaning behind your process or the final result.
Thus, you need to sketch a logo with a more detailed and colored version. Polish the best logo you found and make it more presentable. You can start by smoothing out the outlines of your logo. You can also get rid of or erase all of the inconsistencies that you make in the logo sketching method. Even better, you can transfer the hand-drawn sketch and make it digital.
With the digital software help, you can even out some spacing, grids, inconsistent lines and save them for future revision. You can also experience different color picks or detailing. But, you don't need to sketch a logo down to every detail and perfect it. You only need to make the logo close to the final result since you will wait for their feedback anyway.
You can stay with your sketchbook or your logo sketching app at this point—no need to go directly and finalize the idea to the illustrator yet. The idea is, you have to wait till you get improvement from the client. High chances that you will also get a lot of revision, so make it detailed and presentable without overdoing it.
3. Wait For Feedback
The last of your logo sketching progress is waiting for the feedback. After you sketch a logo and make it close to the final version, present it and be patient. You don't need to rush your client to give feedback. You also need to be open to every feedback and willing for revision. Just make sure that the revisions rounds are as stated in the contract.
Conclusion
The idea of logo sketching is pretty much a long process to make one of the best logo designs. This kind of process takes more than just sketching and following your desires or preferences. You got to jot down all of the preparation steps, do all of the sketching tips and tricks, then finish it with your best ideas. Then, you can sketch a logo that is best for your client.