rockpaperink

August 20, 2012

Technical Considerations

Just put your zips together and blog

Author: Capsule

Topics: Branding Identity, Color, Interactive Design

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For some, technology is a treat. New software launches are hailed as "events" worthy of the kind of anticipation and excitement others reserve for bat mitzvahs and rodeos. Not everyone feels this way, however. Every day, thousands of poor souls are brought to their knees by nefarious fax machines and diabolical copiers. Technology and its broad band of cohorts now run the world. Follow these technical considerations to avoid making simple mistakes within complicated media.

  1. Any logo worth its price should work just as well on a golf ball as it does on a billboard.
  2. Avoid using gradients or complicated techniques in the logo design. They may excite clients, but such garnishments wilt quickly under the harsh light of implementation.
  3. Produce alternatives for different situations or contexts—a toolkit of pieces.
  4. When it comes to using clip art or a third piece of art, as Nike's pessimistic cousin would say, "Just don't do it."
  5. Design the original in vector graphics to ensure scalability without distortion. Then convert the original into all other required file formats and sizes.
  6. Design a logo that works first in black and white—then add color. If a logo requires four or even five colors to convey the original idea, it is not logo. It's a circus.
  7. Never lock the brand's tagline to the logo design. Advertising campaigns and taglines generally change more often than logos. Keep the logo design and tagline separate to avoid unpleasant refinements when next year's advertising campaign launches.
  8. The logo should retain its integrity in a variety of media. We design in a world in which logos show up on fabric, billboards, and even space shuttles.
  9. Avoid using photography. A picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes to logos, they're worthless. Photographs are very difficult to reproduce in challenging media.
  10. Be careful when using culturally sensitive images, shapes, colors, or other visual language. Technology has a lot of toes. You'll have plenty of opportunities to step on them. Just take some time to consider the implications of each step of your logo design.

Source: Design Matters: Logos

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