Logo Design Help

L

lukedavies

Member
Hi there, i'm re-designing a logo for a local estate agent that i intend to include in my portfolio for my interview to study graphic design. Below you'll find a link to the 2 designs i've created so far. Both designs are in plain black at the moment, and i need help on how to develop the ideas further, as i believe they currently lack the cutting edge.

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Many thanks, Luke.
 
first t is blurry.

As to how to develop further, that's what talking to your client is all about, they are the ones you are designing for, they are the ones to give the best critique and are the ones who will basically tell you if you've screwed up.
 
Hi Luke, the second one is definitely he one I'd consider developing further but at the moment it seems a little haphazard. Consider some consistent spacing and stroke widths, whip up a few variations and see what the client thinks.
 
Agree with wac.

If you want my honest opinion i'd say start again from scratch. Sketch out a few rough ideas - develop it from there.

Looks like you've spent 10 mins on each, with no real thought of how either works. Just because Terry Thomas is an estate agent does his identity need a roof on there? Try and think beyond the obvious. And try some different typefaces.

As my old tutor used to say 'Think first. Mac second'.
 
Also, if anyone could suggest any ideas on what to have as a cover/opening page to my portfolio, that would be great, many thanks.
 
first page when I went to uni interview was a page outlining my background, grades that type of thing.

Doesn't your school/college tell you any of this as my lot did....
 
Hi Luke,

Probably worth starting a separate thread regarding your portfolio front cover, as it might be missed by many forum members being within another thread and being slightly off-topic.

As for the logo designs, do you have any form of project brief for the logo? Without knowing a little about the company and their aspirations it's a bit like trying to pin the tail on the donkey! If it's a fictional project then set about creating a fictional brief for it, if this is purely work for the portfolio then have some fun with it, get sketching pages of ideas as Ross says, then develop them and narrow down from there. It does come a bit like you've opened up Illustrator and designed the first couple of things that have sprung to mind?

I'll add the images to your original post to save people clicking the link :)

Hope that helps in someway, and good luck!
Greg
 
Thanks for the above advice.

In reply to Greg, no i dont have a brief of any kind, as im only doing these logos as work for my portfolio, it's not a real project as such. I'm struggling atm in what to include in my portfolio as i have many logo designs, but i'm not really sure as to what they expect of students like me, who aren't that experienced in using photoshop, illustrator etc. Do they expect my work to be up to the same standard as actual graphic designers, or are they actually just looking the potential that i could have? I mean, the logos i've done show that i'm pretty capable of using illustrator, photoshop etc, but is that enough? I find it hard to do work for my portfolio, as i dont have anything to do really. If i had actual projects to do, maybe i'd find it easier aha. But atm, i'm trying to add more to my sketchbook, which consists of logos, due to the fact i can't really sketch anything else, such as letterheads, because i simply wouldn't do it. My portfolio so far, consists of, a website that i created on work experience, using CSS code (is this a good thing that they look out for?), a company logo that they gave me to do. Then i developed the logo into creating a compliment slip, business card and letterhead. In addition to this i've re-created logos for 2 other companies (Not for real use, just for my portfolio) then a few bits and bobs of photography, that's pretty much it. I also have around 10 pages in my sketchbook of the development of my ideas. Is this enough?
 
Hi Luke,

I'm not sure on any advice to give you about those logos that hasn't already been suggested but I definitely agree with looking outside of the box. How many estate agent logos do you think are out there that have incorporated a roof or a house into it? I'd imagine quite a few, so speaking as if this were a live brief, ideally, you want to design a logo that competes with all of these and stands out. I completely agree that you need to go back to the sketching stage.

With regards to your portfolio, all I can say to start with is just relax! I study Graphics now at Leeds and I did an A-Level in product design and used photoshop elements at school and that was it. As long as you have a portfolio of work, any work for that matter, that shows you are a creative person with potential, I'm more than sure that is enough. My portfolio was full of product design work and I barely knew of Illustrator and InDesign when I started my course. You just need to show them that you have a passion for design. The point in studying Graphics is that you are taught all the software and the creative exploration processes when you're on the course. Honestly, don't stress, just show them the work that reflects your passion and most of all your personality the most.
 
Thanks Becky for that link, i'm gonna try and sketch a few ideas for that brief :)

Also, thank you Lucy for your tips, i'm just a bit nervous that i don't have enough work in my portfolio, only time will tell haha, thank you.

p.s sorry if i'm discussing this in the wrong place
 
might have been worth a new thread for this....

Anyways personally I think you lose the n and k in the goose's head so it's a no go as it stands.
It also doesn't really fit in with the type of style the restaurant was going for, look at the suggested sites in the brief to see what I mean.

You also need to try more than one design as it's rare the first design you knock out is any good.

If you want to get an idea of what the pro judging the work was looking for you may want to look at the results and the actual final entries as this will give you an idea of how the brief is interpreted by more than one person.

http://www.designforums.co.uk/df-competitions/5872-df-brand-comp-final-entries.html
http://www.designforums.co.uk/df-competitions/6028-brand-comp-results.html
 
Levi's right maybe a new thread would be better or maybe someone can kindly split it :)

Otherwise, it's a start! Just to put it into perspective I spent about 1.5-2 weeks sketching before I started my design. As well as researching similar restaurants in my local area.

It wasn't just logos I sketched randomly, lots of geese, shapes that might suit, possible type ideas an any logos that could work before I put them together.

Then I put a few together and did some rough mock ups with lots of variations (no colour), I.e. Different fonts, landscape/portrait versions, swapping things round, etc.

When I was happy with one outcome I then went on to tweak it, adjusting sizes, more typefaces, etc.


Of course everyone works differently, but you really need to have a good foundation for the project (I.e sketching, researching the company's competitors) As Berry's brief gives such a good overview of the company/client it really helps with the research. Thus makes it easier to see what kind of direction the client wants to go in.

The added bonus of keeping notes, sketching and research is that you can keep it in your portfolio. Tutors and some employers like to see how you got to the conclusion of your work, it shows your abilities to analyse and solve problems :)


Sorry it's a bit long winded, hope it helps! But you're on the right track you just need to slow down and take in the scenery a bit more ;)
 
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