@bethquirie on Twitter, recently sent out a tweet asking for some logo design tips for logo-design students. The following is what I tweeted back to her :
- Connect with the client – understand their previous experience with other designers.
- Thrash out the creative brief. Ask the right questions. Clarify the answers. Re-word & check again.
- Cliched but still, keep it simple. Make it work in Black and white. Sketch before Illustrator.
- Use colors judiciously – you’ll probably start with small businesses who can’t afford 4-color printing.
- Get your typography right. Kern manually.
- Learn presentation. Great logos can be easily rejected if not presented well.
- Sometimes you will need to compromise with the client’s choices. Use persuasion but don’t push it.
- Don’t work for free. No matter how small the amount, but get paid.
- Work for charitable establishments. It will be your best lesson in consensus-building & creative exploration.
- If you think your work sucks, it probably does. Ask for opinions from peers but don’t tie yourself down.
There could be lots more but most of the above are ones I did not know about when I started.
