Check out this video of Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, talking about Paul Rand, the designer who created logos for: IBM, ABC, Cummins Engine, Westinghouse, and UPS.
It is refreshing to see the respect and admiration of a client for a designer.
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label branding. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Paul Rand, logo designer
It is refreshing to see the respect and admiration of a client for a designer.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Google logo designer
If you ever wondered who is behind Google's fun and festive logos, here you can find an article about him. His name is Dennis Hwang, and he lives in Korea.
In general, I think that it works great for Google to have a flexible enough visual identity that allows for so many creative variations. Here you can see some of the logos.
Cool stuff!
In general, I think that it works great for Google to have a flexible enough visual identity that allows for so many creative variations. Here you can see some of the logos.
Cool stuff!
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
A Logo is an Investment
You know that you need a logo, but you have just started your company, and of course you are trying to save as much money as possible. Unfortunately, paying a designer to design your logo was not included in your business plan. You see it as money that you will be spending without an immediate benefit.
I invite you to investigate how much a company pays every time they use their logo, when they publish a brochure, a flyer, a poster; when they use it in their website, their business cards, their product packaging or labels. I will give you the answer to save you time: nothing, not one cent. What do they get instead? Every time they use their logo, they are creating a presence; they are planting a seed in the minds of every person that sees their logo. They are making money without even thinking about it. So, if it is so important to have a logo, and you have already understood that a logo does not cost even a small fraction of how much you can gain by using it; the next step is: how do you get one?
Have a Designer Do It
So you go online and search for logo designers. There is a myriad of designers, artists, students and computer savvy people that offer design services online, and most of them offer a logo for the price of a lollypop. Do not be fooled by the cheap prices. A logo is not a dress that you can change in the afternoon. You have invested not only money, but also effort and heart in your business. It is a very important part of your life, and you would do whatever is in your hands to make it succeed. Why then give it a cheap logo?
Why Not My Cousin Joe
Here are a few points that could help you choose who will design your company's logo:
1. Choose a professional with experience and a good portfolio to design your logo. Think about it: Would you prefer to go to an amateur doctor to cure you? Would you let your cousin Joe do it, if he's not a doctor, just because it's free?
2. A logo should be unique. Many cheap designers use free imagery from clipart to create a logo in five minutes. That's why there are so many look-alike logos on the market. It contradicts the first reason for a logo's existence: to uniquely identify a company or a product among its competitors.
3. A logo should be simple. People don't have time to translate complex messages. Look at successful companies: their logos are simple and memorable. There is no room in a logo to show all you have to say about your company. Work with an experienced designer on what concept will best identify and differentiate your company.
4. A logo should be designed to work well on a building facade as well as on a pen. If there are lines that are not visible, or letters that can't be read, it is not a good logo. You shouldn't need to change your logo every time it is used.
5. A logo is not just a drawing or a photo that you could take from a website, and it should not be your favorite pet (unless your business is about pets). Your logo should represent your company’s ideals, personality and values. If it works well, your customers will be proud to buy your products, even if they are not the cheapest in the market.
These aren't the only considerations to have in mind when deciding why and who should design your logo. Search and read more about this. Look at the prospective designers' portfolios. Give your business the value it deserves.
I invite you to investigate how much a company pays every time they use their logo, when they publish a brochure, a flyer, a poster; when they use it in their website, their business cards, their product packaging or labels. I will give you the answer to save you time: nothing, not one cent. What do they get instead? Every time they use their logo, they are creating a presence; they are planting a seed in the minds of every person that sees their logo. They are making money without even thinking about it. So, if it is so important to have a logo, and you have already understood that a logo does not cost even a small fraction of how much you can gain by using it; the next step is: how do you get one?
Have a Designer Do It
So you go online and search for logo designers. There is a myriad of designers, artists, students and computer savvy people that offer design services online, and most of them offer a logo for the price of a lollypop. Do not be fooled by the cheap prices. A logo is not a dress that you can change in the afternoon. You have invested not only money, but also effort and heart in your business. It is a very important part of your life, and you would do whatever is in your hands to make it succeed. Why then give it a cheap logo?
Why Not My Cousin Joe
Here are a few points that could help you choose who will design your company's logo:
1. Choose a professional with experience and a good portfolio to design your logo. Think about it: Would you prefer to go to an amateur doctor to cure you? Would you let your cousin Joe do it, if he's not a doctor, just because it's free?
2. A logo should be unique. Many cheap designers use free imagery from clipart to create a logo in five minutes. That's why there are so many look-alike logos on the market. It contradicts the first reason for a logo's existence: to uniquely identify a company or a product among its competitors.
3. A logo should be simple. People don't have time to translate complex messages. Look at successful companies: their logos are simple and memorable. There is no room in a logo to show all you have to say about your company. Work with an experienced designer on what concept will best identify and differentiate your company.
4. A logo should be designed to work well on a building facade as well as on a pen. If there are lines that are not visible, or letters that can't be read, it is not a good logo. You shouldn't need to change your logo every time it is used.
5. A logo is not just a drawing or a photo that you could take from a website, and it should not be your favorite pet (unless your business is about pets). Your logo should represent your company’s ideals, personality and values. If it works well, your customers will be proud to buy your products, even if they are not the cheapest in the market.
These aren't the only considerations to have in mind when deciding why and who should design your logo. Search and read more about this. Look at the prospective designers' portfolios. Give your business the value it deserves.
Three Reasons to Have a Logo
First reason: A logo helps you to stand out. I invite you to do a very quick FREE experiment. Close your eyes and think of a company. Do not over-think it, just the first one that comes to your mind. Now, what's the first thing that came to your mind? The name. That's because as adults we have a line of thought where words are predominant. The second element to appear in your mind was probably an image: the company's logo. That's what makes that company stand out among the other companies that sell the same products or services. And that, my friend, is also the case for your company.
Second reason: A logo makes you look professional. Now, let's do a second quick and FREE experiment. Imagine yourself talking with a company's representative. You meet this person at a party, so you can't judge him or his company by the color of the walls in his office, or the sound of the doorbell when he opens the door. All you have is the conversation at the party and a business card. The next day you look in your pocket, and there is the card. It has the name and contact information of the person that you met the night before and a professional looking logo, clearly representing what the company does. Would you have the same impression if the card did not have a logo on it? If there is no opportunity for a long explanation of what your company does, there is still the presence of a professional looking logo. It is the first impression, and, as many first impressions, it could be the only opportunity you have to attract someone’s attention.
Third reason: A logo gives you loyalty from your clients and employees. We are all loyal to some brands. We may buy a specific brand of clothes, soda, food, or computers. What will make your clients choose your products or services once, and then again and again? You might say good service and good quality, and you are right! We all want to get impeccable service and excellent quality, and in fact, we get them from almost every company with which we deal. They wouldn’t survive otherwise. Your company will have to offer something different than what your competitors are offering. You must offer an experience, and that experience will be certified by the presence of your professional looking logo. Every time your customers visit the market, or sit in front of their computers to buy online, they will be able to identify your products, and your logo will become part of their lives. They will wear it on their clothes, they will show it to their friends and family, and it will make them feel proud, because your logo will represent more than just good service or quality, it will become a way to make them feel important.
Second reason: A logo makes you look professional. Now, let's do a second quick and FREE experiment. Imagine yourself talking with a company's representative. You meet this person at a party, so you can't judge him or his company by the color of the walls in his office, or the sound of the doorbell when he opens the door. All you have is the conversation at the party and a business card. The next day you look in your pocket, and there is the card. It has the name and contact information of the person that you met the night before and a professional looking logo, clearly representing what the company does. Would you have the same impression if the card did not have a logo on it? If there is no opportunity for a long explanation of what your company does, there is still the presence of a professional looking logo. It is the first impression, and, as many first impressions, it could be the only opportunity you have to attract someone’s attention.
Third reason: A logo gives you loyalty from your clients and employees. We are all loyal to some brands. We may buy a specific brand of clothes, soda, food, or computers. What will make your clients choose your products or services once, and then again and again? You might say good service and good quality, and you are right! We all want to get impeccable service and excellent quality, and in fact, we get them from almost every company with which we deal. They wouldn’t survive otherwise. Your company will have to offer something different than what your competitors are offering. You must offer an experience, and that experience will be certified by the presence of your professional looking logo. Every time your customers visit the market, or sit in front of their computers to buy online, they will be able to identify your products, and your logo will become part of their lives. They will wear it on their clothes, they will show it to their friends and family, and it will make them feel proud, because your logo will represent more than just good service or quality, it will become a way to make them feel important.
Image Sells
Years ago one of my dearest professors at college did a very interesting experiment.
At the time of this story, the Cuban revolution was happening at all levels, and one of the questions that arose was: Do we need advertising?
My professor, one of the best advertising professionals on the Island, was part of a high commission created to analyze the matter. He brought two groups of beer bottles to a very important meeting. One group of bottles was labeled. The other group included only plain bottles: no labels, logos, or specific design identifying the content. He then asked the audience to taste the content of each group, and to decide which beer tasted better. They did so, and the unanimous answer confirmed that the labeled bottles contained the better beer.
To everyone's surprise, my professor explained that he had put the same exact content in all the bottles.
At the time of this story, the Cuban revolution was happening at all levels, and one of the questions that arose was: Do we need advertising?
My professor, one of the best advertising professionals on the Island, was part of a high commission created to analyze the matter. He brought two groups of beer bottles to a very important meeting. One group of bottles was labeled. The other group included only plain bottles: no labels, logos, or specific design identifying the content. He then asked the audience to taste the content of each group, and to decide which beer tasted better. They did so, and the unanimous answer confirmed that the labeled bottles contained the better beer.
To everyone's surprise, my professor explained that he had put the same exact content in all the bottles.
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