IlikeLogos.com Blog

Logotypes are Zen to me.  How to use a minimum of tools (font, composition, wording) in order to convey a Logo Design?

Coca-Cola is one of those examples.  Its design is easily identifiable.  Even though the Coke symbol’s been translated to different languages, you can spot it easily.  And one of the most amazing things is that it’s nothing but a clever use of calligraphic fonts.

There are tutorials out there to create certain effects or to follow certain kind of design fad.  But it takes expertise and talent to make something memorable with nothing but words.  We writers make a living out of them, but good designers make them alive.

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I was struggling against writer’s block before writing this very first line.  Writing about logos and design is satisfying and every time I post something new I learn something new (or, at least, I make sure I do).

But today is one of those days on which the creative juices are rather evaporating away from my body. The only thing that kept me awake through this ordeal was the sound of my eyes sizzling due to the radiation emanating from my computer’s screen.  Crunchy eyes are not exactly the sign of great blog posting

And then, I saw some amazing designs and it hit me:  Of course! Textures!

I slapped my forehead so hard everyone turned around to see me.

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If you want to design an astounding logo, nothing will replace Photoshop or Corel or all those hyper-expensive tools we use to make you happy and give you nothing but awesome logo after logo.

Then again, nothing can replace creativity, research and constant exchange of ideas with your customers.  That’s why I want to share some of my personal favorite freeware design tools.  You can use them to sketch your logo concepts or to perform very specific tasks.

Heck… sometimes, for the challenge of it, some of our designers use these for their own projects!

So, here’s a list of my favorite freeware logo design tools.  Don’t forget to check their websites out and donate if you can.

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“Your Logo for Free!” sounds like a tempting premise, doesn’t it?  Yes: a quick and easy way to get your logo done.  It’s as simple as choosing a template, some pre-fab vector designs, swap colors all over it and PRESTO! A logo is born…

… A HIDEOUS abomination, a deffective clone, unable to find a place amongst other logos.  “Your Logo For Free”… what an irony.

If we were to give away logos like that (let’s not think about copyright… let’s just focus on the originality of it… you know, to spare each other from a headache), do you think there would be a business focused on the creation of logos in the first place?

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Designing a company logo is easy.  Get paper, crayons, scissors and lots of glitter.  You can never go wrong with glitter.

Okay… before you start a manual arts marketing campaign (come on… we were joking up there…), let me tell you something:  A logo is similar but not exactly a pretty picture.  You have to take many things into consideration.

If you want to know how to design a company logo, here are some concepts you will find useful. Read the rest of this entry »

Logo designs for babies, in my humble opinion, should be exciting.  Sadly, that’s something I don’t see often.  Some parents tend to forget that it is THEM, not the little toddlers, the ones that are buying stuff.

I can only begin to imagine the impact of a baby in a young family.  However, I’m sure design could be a little bit less conventional and more challenging (or, at least, stimulating). Think about it:  Barney, The Tellytubbies and the Backyardigans, when seen through a baby’s perspective (blurry, only able to capture strong colors, still unable to distinguish forms) are nothing but moving lumps.  We assume they LOVE them.

They just don’t know better. Read the rest of this entry »

The affordable design of a logo is part guessing, part assimilating trends and part durability.  You have to cut some corners but, well… you have to know which ones to cut.  A concept evolves from the ideas, needs and budget of a customer.  These are interpreted by a designer/artist and assume several shapes and changes.

This part is critical.  You can feel the tension in the air, the smell of fear and doubt.  The designer’s heart beats like a drum as he smashes his head repeatedly with his sketch pad, trying to crack it open so ideas manifest.  Our designers wanders through corridors, maiming, slaying, cutting, slashing and narrowing the number of ideas until he reaches a wall with two doors:

To the left, there’s a door with a logotype that is elegant and simple, yet it manages to stand out.  To the right, there is a door with a logo that is more intricate, full of volume, color gradients and motion, but it is functional and easier to reproduce.

Which door would you take? Read the rest of this entry »

A pre-designed logotype is probably the best choice when you’re starting a company and you need affordable solutions in order to build an image.  While it’s true that a custom logo design will consolidate your company’s memorability in a more effective way, younger companies need to break through and convey their line of business as soon as possible - with a short budget.  When time is money and money counts, you can’t be too picky.

But you have to be picky, anyway… Read the rest of this entry »

Tattoos are permanent, so does logos. I think some of you ever thought of getting art under the skin, maybe have a Miami Ink look and probably hang out with Kat in LA. But a tattoo is for life, just like I remember friends and relatives commenting about the subject ever since I was a kid “don´t ever get a tattoo, their permanent and won´t wash off”. Well logos have a strange similitude with tattoos; they stick for life, not on any skin type but on a permanent record. A corporate record viewed by the market segment it is focusing on, it will be remembered as your image in stores, websites or wherever you want to position your brand.

Coming up with a cool design for a tattoo or corporate logo has many elements in common during the creation process. First of all both are works of art, it takes a lot of skills and creativity to come up with an appealing symbol that represents many things with such a lack of space to work on and time laps to be assimilated by. Both are created with the intention of being viewed by people, no matter the meaning “The medium is the message”. Logos are intended to reflect corporate philosophy and lifestyles; tattoos reflect a way of life and personal expression statements. Read the rest of this entry »

A logo is more than a picture you will use to put on your business card. The power of a corporate logo design should never be underestimated, because when developed correctly a strong graphic image can become an element of recognition worldwide and give your company´s name a whole new standard.

There are more logos out there than one could ever count, however a very few of them have become real icons.

Coca-Cola happens to be the most recognizable logo in the world. What this means is that almost every child, teenager, adult and elder around the globe knows that the curvy bottle, with red and white colors is Coca-cola, this regardless of whether they actually drink the soda. Read the rest of this entry »