GRETA MAKE UP beauty industry rebranding
BA(Hons) Graphic Design, THD 1321 Major project Agne Baksyte
I decided to change my brief after Christmas vacation. My FURNITURE STORE project did not go well, because I was more concentrated to the business side, than to creative side of it. I didn’t agree with the name of business with my partner, also we could not decide on style of furniture, that is why my project was going very slowly and I couldn’t start making logo for it.
My friend Greta opened her online cosmetic shop in Lithuania. She asked graphic designer to make a logo, business cards, but she was not happy about it. Greta asked me to help with identity of her make up shop. When I started research about her company I noticed that there are many things to improve, not just the logo of the website.
That is how I decided to make my FINAL MAJOR PROJECT about GRETA MAKE UP beauty industry rebranding.
Online cosmetic shop makiazopriemones.lt home page screenshot
Bief BA(Hons) Graphic Design, THD 1321 Major project Name: Agne Baksyte Topic: Rebranding Greta’s identity in beauty industry Brief: Greta is professional makeup artist, who has her own makeup school and recently opened online cosmetic shop. As well as Greta wants to create her handmade makeup brand. However, she uses different logos and design for everything. My mission is to create identity, which would involve her cosmetic shop, homemade cosmetics and her as a makeup artist/ teacher. Design should look contemporary, fashionable, expensive and noticeable. Target Audience: Young professionals, woman who are interested in good quality makeup products or starting makeup artist career. Creative Requirements: Create a new identity for Greta. Logo should look contemporary, expensive, noticeable. This logo should reflect Greta’s professional makeup services. Before I start my project I should evaluate current situation and look at all the design elements, which are used now.
Objectives/ Deliverables Rebranding, logo design, packaging design, 3D, fashion, photography. Research Strategy/ Methodology Primary research: Research Greta’s company. What services does she offer? What products does she sell? Research what design elements Greta use? What logos does she have? Does she want to keep it? Start looking at other famous cosmetic shops brand and packaging design. Get some inspiration and start thinking about Greta’s brand improvement. Secondary research: Start making logo for Greta as a makeup artist. Make sure it’s not too detailed and not overcomplicated, because it will be used on certificates, uniforms ant etc. Research current certificate designs and create new ones. Create watermark, which will be used for the copyright of Greta’s pictures. Research current posters, what typography does she use? Suggest some ideas how to improve them and make it look more professional. Research Greta’s online cosmetic shop. What logo does she use? Improve it and make it similar/same style like Greta Makeup Artist design.
Create nice packaging for the products she sells. Research Harvey Nichols, Victoria Secret and other big companies, who have nice expensive packaging. Change the packaging of Beauty Box By Greta. It has to look expensive and attractive. Create design for Greta homemade cosmetic. Also think about packaging – how to sell pressed glitter? How to sell eyeshadow? How palette will look like? What packaging will I use? Improve the quality of website. Take new photographs of the products if its needed. Promote and advertise Greta cosmetic website. Make a catalogue for 2017 spring/summer product collection. Reading List Packaging design Cosmetic brands Fashion magazines
How to Market Cosmetics by Clayton Browne Breaking into the cosmetics industry is not easy. Bringing a new cosmetic item to market requires not just developing and manufacturing a great product, it also requires marketing the product. And according to some, this last step is actually the most difficult part of the process. Marketing nonessential luxury items like cosmetics not only requires you to make the public aware of your new product, but also to convince them that your product is superior to other similar cosmetic items.
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cure/pedicure businesses, for example.
2. Design your product packaging around your target market. Product packaging is a huge part of marketing. Most consumers are visually oriented, and people tend to recognize colors, shapes and patterns more quickly than they understand words. It’s been proven time and time again that unique, eye-catching product packaging is an essential part of a highly successful product. If you’re not an artistic type, consider working with a professional designer to get some ideas on a novel product container or a company logo that will catch the attention of consumers.
4. Create a high-quality business website. Having a presence on the Internet is pretty much a must these days, especially for a niche market such as a specialized cosmetic product. It’s almost always worth it to pay for a few extra bells and whistles on your website. Consumers today expect to see attractive graphics and a professional user friendly site, and if they don’t, many won’t even bother to read about the product, never mind buy it.
5. Focus your advertising. Unless you have a very large marketing budget, it’s important to keep your adver3. Decide on your initial distribution tising focused on your target market(s). 1. Determine your target market. channels. Choosing the right distribution While print ads don’t reach the same numThis step really should’ve been considered channels for your cosmetic product is critber of consumers as they did a decade ago, even before you developed the product, all ical. Here again you should focus on your print ads in the right publications can be the way back in the initial business plan. effective for higher-end products including It’s essential for a small cosmetics company target market. You’ll very likely want to set cosmetics. Consider placings ads in luxury with a limited marketing budget to focus on up a company website both for marketing purposes and as a distribution channel. magazines such as “Upscale Living,” “Robb a specific market segment. Specifically defining your market is the only way a smaller Other distribution channels to consider in- Report” and “Dolce Vita.” Carefully targetcosmetics company can effectively compete clude spas, hair salons, manicure and pedi- ed Internet advertising gives you a good against larger companies with multi-million cure shops, health food stores and dermatol- bang for your buck, and depending on ogist’s offices. Don’t spread yourself too thin, your budget you can even consider radio dollar advertising budgets. For example, if your product is an all-natural, organic wrin- at least at first. Just focus on the two or three spots or billboards. kle-reducing cream, then your target market distribution channels that are the best fits for your product, like nail polish at manimight be socially progressive women over
Advertising Techniques for Selling Makeup by Flora Richards-Gustafson
fruitful than appealing to masses.
Link Selling Use advertisements to show the benefit of purchasing a combination of makeup prodMakeup advertisements should appeal to a ucts instead of a single item. For example, cosumer's self-image and perceived needs. if you create an ad for eye shadow, you can show the other products used to create the Selling makeup involves more than trying to model’s look so a customer is more likely convince a woman that a product will make to purchase the eye shadow along with the her look younger, attractive or better. Aceyeliner, mascara and even eye makeup cording to Nina Munk in an article posted remover. Another example of link selling is in “Fortune,” selling makeup can be difficult creating an advertisement for lipstick with because it is a product that individuals do an explanation at the bottom of the ad that not really need. Therefore, to sell cosmetics, the model paired the lipstick with lip liner you have to persuade the consumer to spend to prevent feathering. money on unessential items. Targeted Advertising Instead of targeting a large audience with a particular type of makeup, target a niche customer. Munk explains in her article that a popular cosmetics company owns dozens of different brand, with each brand targeting a different demographic, such as older women, young adults, teens, budget-conscious consumers, trendsetters and eco-friendly consumers. This technique contributed to the success of the parent cosmetic company. Even if you just sell one type or brand of makeup, targeting a specific customer with appropriate advertisements can prove more
Sell Aspirations Sell an aspiration, escapism, in makeup advertisement. According to marketing professional Helen Oakley, the most popular types of aspirations that makeup companies use in advertisements include social appeal, sex appeal and feminine appeal. Use the power of imagery to communicate that a makeup product will help produce the pleasure or perfection the consumer seeks. Use of Keywords Words in advertisements can have as much power as the images themselves. When cre-
ating a makeup advertisement, use words or phrases that will cause a consumer to favor a product. Such words can include “new,” “hot,” “long lasting,” “flirty,” “even,” “better,” “glides,” “hydrating” and “wears for hours.” These keywords describe features or benefits of makeup that consumers seek, which may not be apparent with just a picture of a model
TOP 10 best cosmetic brands the popular international makeup brands
No.1 - Loreal
A distinguished name that incontestably needs no introduction. A Frenchbrand with almost 500 items. At the moment L’Oreal is the world’s leading trademark with a range of products comprising of make-up, hair care, perfumes, skin care and all that. With the reasonably priced goods, it is the highest selling name worldwide.
No.2 - Avon A US based label whose products are sold in 140 countries globally, ranked 2nd largest direct selling mark. Avon is known for it’s beauty-care, household, jewelry, clothing, accessories and other personal-care items. The policy of door-to-door selling helped out for the eventual fame of the trade-name!
No.3 - Lancome Lancome is based in France, and is legendary for marvellous mascaras, powdered eye shadows, liquid liners, lipsticks and other products, with an experience of 75 years. All make-up by LancOme gives natural impression and has mammoth number of high end-up products. It’s Visionaire foundation has achieved a substantial success among the diligent ladies.
No.4 - Olay A brand-name of United Stated, with each product utterly mind-blowing. The anti-ageing products, skin-care items and foundations have overwhelmed the market within short time. That is why Olay is a celebrated brand in over 180 countries.
No.5 - Maybelline Another emerging make of France, that gives a flawless and perfect impact. Maybelline-New York has gained recognition in 129 different parts of the world, famous for nail colours, glosses, eye-liners, mascaras, eye-shadows, bases and much more.
No.6 - MAC MAC or Make-up Art-Cosmetics is the topmost reliable, having more than 100 shades for nail-polishes, lip-glosses, eye-shadows and faceitems, having everything that a make-up devotee wants! Mac-Products are the top pick of all artists in New York’s Fashion Week that is held every year.
No.7 - Oriflame Orginated in the time 1967, by two Swedish brothers, this make sells nutritional, personal-care goods and other supplies like accessories etc, covering almost 60 countries universally. Their splendid commodities are targeting all age groups, with affordable price ranges.
No.8 - Cover Girl The most popular name, centred in US. The chief element behind their popularity is that they invest mainly on advertisements, and even had hired some dominant models like Tyra Banks and Christie Brinkley. Also this brand is well-likely by the celebrities as well!
No.9 - Clinique The only incomparable label, that has been verified for making allergy-free stuff. As is dermatologically tested, consequently it is the favourite and penchant of all acne-facing people. Clinique has a special feature that their produced are created, keeping in mind the climatic conditions!
No.10 - Revlon Though an oldest tag, yet is proficient to magnetize young-women through their terrific lip-gloss, lipsticks, fragrances, nailpaints and other stuff. Revlon attributes affordability and hence is sold worldwide. A complete quintessence of creativity!
Cosmetic brands research shows that L’Oreal sells the most of make-up products worldwide, which suprised me a lot. In top 10 places I expected to see Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Dior and other companies, which has elegant, luxurious design and sells top quality products. My research shows that women are more interested in good quality products at affordable price, than luxurious brands. For instance Maybelline takes 5th place, while Clinique - 9th. Let’s have a look how much money L’Oreal invest to advertising comparing with other companies.
Global cosmetics market worth €181 billion, L’Oreal dominates The global cosmetics market has grown by 3.8% over the past ten years to €181 billion, a report from EY finds. L’Oréal is globally the largest luxury brand and is expected to show continuous strong business growth as consumers seek higher quality and more innovative cosmetic products.
Advertising costs
line growth and brand awareness sustainability, with a significant correlation between advertising expense and mass-market posiOne interesting aspect of the cosmetics market is the relatively high spend on adver- tioning. tising by the largest players, relative to the largest players in the luxury goods market. The average spend on adverting as a % of total sales stands at 6.6% for luxury companies and 25.1% for cosmetic companies. According to EY’s analysis, advertising costs remain a major topic within the operational Data retrived from: http://www.consultancy.uk/ news/2810/cosmetics-market-worth-181-billion-loreunits of companies whose focus is on topal-dominates
GRETA MAKE UP current design online shop situation
This is Greta’s logo, which has been Black/White inverse version of her created 6years ago. This logo was made logo. by graphic design student.
She use it for her notebook, where she writes all appointments for her clients
Photo from instagram. People already can tell who made make-up for this girl, because you can see background with Greta’s logo.
Greta started using this logo everywhere. She made a stand, where she takes picture of her models
Greta’s logo on apron.
This is first Greta’s beauty salon, which she built near her house. You can she her logo on the wall.
Greta’s parents rent villa with sauna for various events and occassions. This villa is just few yards from beauty salon, that is why they use these direction signs.
I would like to create template for posters, where Greta could easily type all event information. I think she should use same style for her posters
Posters
Business and gift cards
Certificates
Face contour pad
Best-seller by Greta
makiazopriemones.lt by Greta
Problem: different style logos
Poor quality pictures on the website
Poor quality pictures on makiazopriemones.lt Facebook page of new cosmetic products
Unprofessional photos of models
Greta’s beauty industry improvement • Create a new logo for Greta, which she could use in her beauty industry. Logo should look clear, luxurious, noticeable and memorable. • Improve makiazopriemones.lt website. Upload new pictures of products. Research other cosmetic websites. What pictures do they use? • Improve other photos and suggest some ideas, what Greta should upload to her Instagram, Facebook page. It is part of her advertising, so photos of the models, new products should look better. • Create package design for Greta’s own cosmetic brand.
Experimentation - taking pictures of the products
I tried to take better quality images of makeup products. These images are not for the website, but for Facebook and Instagram page to let people know that new products arrived to our shop. On the right you can see what pictures used to be uploaded to social media. ------------------------>
Picture from Facebook page. “New lip liners arrived. Don’t miss a chance to get one before they are akk gone!”
Improving display in Greta’s studio
Before
After
Make-up/beauty research
by Alex Bond
by Murad Rm
by Luke Scheider
by Ulrika Loven
by Luke Schneider
by Brian Rolfe
by Francesco Riva
by Soulls Petrou
Arranging photo shoot in Lithuania Inspired by Soulls Petrou and other artists work I decided to make photoshoot as well. Greta doesn’t have many professional photos on her Facebook and Instragram page, that is why it’s hard to tell if the make up which she offers is high standart or not. Most of pictures are just selfies taken with phone. I went to Lithuania to Greta’s studio and I showed some good examples and she agreed to do different type make-up for models. I found good photographer and we arranged photoshoot with him. Below you can see pictures from this photo shoot. I am very happy about the outcomes.
Photography by Paulius Zaborskis, Make up by Greta Make up Artist
Improving makiazopriemones.lt Greta’s cosmetics website started working on December 2016. However it is hard to use it and find the product you want. She sells expensive high quality products, but her website look cheap. You can find different style pictures of products, and some of the products looks like already used just because of the poor quality images. I researched cosmetic online shops and I found 3 websites, which is very easy to use and desing looks elegant and products are at high standart. When I go to these websites I always want to buy something. As well use they have promotional letters and when you receive parcel it looks like an elegant gift box with them logo on. Products are carefully wraped in matching colour tissue paper. My aim is to improve the quality of the pictures, which are used in website. Suggest some ideas for Greta what could we improve to make shopping easier for our customers. www.feelunique.com www.fabled.com www.fragrancedirect.co.uk
www.fabled.com home page
Uploading new product images
Copyright infringement I did loads of research for rebranding cosmetic shop and I found company called Shimmerslays, which use the same logo like ours. Greta’s company was new so I had to find out who made this logo first. I contacted Greta and asked who created logo for her. Logo made one photographer from her city and she tried to get in touch with her. Unfortunately she didn’t reply and during that time I found out that Shimmerslays use this logo for a few years. This means that we can not use this logo no more. Website logo must be changed. Greta also used this for her business cards and Beauty box by Greta. She asked me to make new logo for Beauty box by Greta. Further you can see my developement.
BeautyBoxbyGreta rebranding
BeautyBoxbyGreta rebranding
Greta sent me an example of design which she likes and she asked me to create something similar
Make Umuarama by Angelica Irujilo
Most of the people recognize Greta’s face, because she is very popular make-up artist in Lithuania. Every month you can find articles about her in newspapers and magazines, she is author of POWER OF MAKE UP (Makiazo galia) book, which became bestseller. Therefore I want to make logo with her face, so customers would recognize that product are selected by famous make-up artist’s who is professional at her work.
BeautyBoxbyGreta development
I think this is the best logo for Beauty Box. It would look nice printed on black box in gold colour. She can use temporarily before I start rebranding all her beauty industry. After we have to use the same style for all our products and services.
Getting some inspiration
Ideas for Greta’s homemade glitter ad Home-made pressed glitter is a new product, which is not advertised yet. I got inspiration from fashion magazine, where they use glitters and crystals all over the face and body. For D&AD project I was making paper dresses, which perfectly worked for my
photoshoot. Further you can see images from my photo shoot and outcomes.
Photoshoot for home made glitters ad
Greta’s new product - homemade pressed glitter
I made photo shoot in CAA building, our graphic design room. Photo studio would have worked a lot better for me, but it was hard to find time which would work for me and models. Also paper dresses were very fragile, so I didnt want to break them. First of all I had to prepare models for photo shoot.
I did make-up for models and put the paper dresses on. They didn’t have any experience in modeling, so I had to tell them how to pose. At the end I am satisfied with photoshoot outcomes.
Making a poster
I chose the best photo from photoshoot, edited it and created poster, which promotes Greta’s online make up shop.
Branding and logo research
B Packaging design by Mary Navaro B is a B2B brand focused on developing beauty and skin care products intended to be sold to spas and therapeutic centers in touristic areas of the Caribbean. The goal of the packaging was to transmit the spirit and identity of that geographic zone; being a Caribbean myself, from the second bigger island of the region, I felt very familiar with the concept. In the research stage of the project I found many audiovisual resources determined the mood of the design: images of the exuberant nature of the Caribbean islands; the blue and turquoise colors of the sea; the sounds if the repetitive and contagious rhythms; the dancing and the carnivals, with all the movement and colors; the warmhearted, relaxed and fun people! All mixed together to create this packaging, where the color, the rhythm and the movement remind of all the elements that form the lives of the Caribbean people and transform the lives of those who visit the region. Extra fine point sharpies were used to generate the patterns that make allusion to different characteristics of the products. The background are rich and saturated watercolors.
Belleza y Salud by Maria Hdez Branding for a small beauty salon Create a rational, easily, recognizable, art deco styled symbol that unites the core values of the brand: the cross represents health, and the floral shapes, beauty and naturalness. The soft pink combined with a strong blue creates an attractive brand for both women and men. And the font reflects the quality of the service provided by “Beauty and Health�
Microme by Funky Business Branding agency Funky Business® created new brand line concept of premium cosmetics. Microme Cosmetics are innovative solution in the field of molecular makeup. Natural ingredients and the latest scientific developments allowed to create safe and effective solution for rejuvenating and skin protection. Product line consists of three well-developed positions helping to get a full range of skin care products. Skin Protect — protection, Skin Care — Care, Skin Control — constant care. The main objective was to reflect company’s innovative approach to their products, natural ingredients, but not to make it in trivial way. We decided to look deeper and explore the basic ingredients of cosmetics under the microscope because its molecular properties give such effect. On the molecular level each object forms incredible patterns, so these patterns make up basis of packaging ideas. As a result, the decision was to use a tactile pattern formed by main ingredient of the product. High-quality paper and special printing technology made it possible not only to see but also feel the contents of the box.
27 87 Perfums by Ingrid Pacanyot Studio Created by world-renowned noses, 27 87 scents modernize traditional perfumery combining the finest ingredients and high-quality craftsmanship. Inspired by the Millenial generation, we created a bottle with the shape of the characteristic blunted rectangle from all technological devices. A generation that lives, constantly growing and changing needs a naive design that doesn’t condition them. That’s why the graphic design of the entire collection become a blank canvas for anyone to project their unrestricted imagination. Furthermore, the bottle's decoration escapes the typical and classical clear glass bottle, inviting us to experience the scent with our most important sense: smell.
London Calling - Estee Lauder & Victoria Beckham make up line by MW Luxury packaging After many months of secrecy, MW Luxury Packaging is delighted to unveil their luxury pack for this limited edition make-up case. The Victoria Beckham Collection Daylight Edition was created by Estée Lauder in collaboration with the fashion designer and singer Victoria Beckham. MW’s beautifully understated pack was crafted using an MDF substructure. A protective black tertiary carton houses the make-up case, which slips out to reveal an elegant black and gold design. The exterior is covered in padded black PU leather, embossed with fine lines in a subtle evocation of the compacts within. Electroplated gold frames run around the edges of the case, and a matching gold clasp offers another nod to the make-up casing inside. Give the clasp a gentle press, and the case opens up smoothly. Inside lie eight exclusive Victoria Beckham-Estée Lauder products, nestling snugly in a black ultra suede EVA fitment. Opposite, the lid plays host to a bespoke touch-activated LED mirror, making this case the perfect addition to a luxury event or weekend break. With only 400 produced for sale worldwide, every case also features a bespoke electroplated gold plaque, numbered between 001 and 400.
LaPierre by Reynalds and Reyner Nail polish brand from New Orleans, the USA LaPierre Cosmetics company got its name after J.M. LaPierre, who was the founder’s mother. She died in 2014 from cancer and since that day the brand regularly donates $1 from each bottle of nail polish sold to support people who fight with this disease. The previous LaPierre logo contained the Roman figure “III” as the founder’s mother was the third child in the family. Redesigning the idea we supplemented it with “L” and “P” letters that resemble an epee of a French musketeer, the same ideal and sharp like nails covered by LaPierre. The word “la pierre” originates from French and means “a rock” which pushed to integrate the idea of split rocks into the corporate pattern to emphasize and discover the sense hidden in this name.
Greta’s logo development Finally I started making logo. Logo has to be connected with word Greta or cosmetic and beauty icons. I was looking and trying different fonts which you can see further. During my logo development Greta is commenting on my experimentation, therefore it’s easier for me to get an idea what type of design she is interested in.
Depend Cosmetics Redesign by Bobby Grafiska Our graduation project, a redesign of the Swedish company Depend Cosmetics AB. We created new packaging solutions and remade their brand, including their webpage. Their assortment includes nail, hair and eye contour products. The company was founded back in 1952, but only worked towards the hairdresser market until 1989. A new organization was born in the beginning of the 90’s to create a product range and sales organization for the consumer market. Depend cosmetics has a strong position in the cosmetics industry, thanks to their loyal customers, good quality and a wide range of price worthy products. However, today the company lacks a strong brand recognition and a distinctive profile that makes them stand out amongst competitors. The packaging needs to be more cohesive to reach out to their target group and new customers. Most of Depend’s assortment is produced in Sweden, which is an unknown fact to many people. In our redesign we highlighted this, and focused on a more Scandinavian approach to the design. The new packages are easy to open, clean and focuses on the product inside. This redesign makes Depend a more authentic and honest brand with a timeless look that opens up towards an further international expansion.
Victoria by Multiple Owners Victoria is a luxury cosmetics range which capture the classic scents of Magnolia, Lavender and Rose. For use on an extensive range ladies toiletry products it was a requirement of the compositions be adaptable for use across a number of packaging options. The designs also needed to incorporate traditional illustrative elements with a sophisticated modern look.
Zenith travel well by Veronica Cordero Zenith travel well, which achieves sophistication amongst the saturated marketplace of tawdry souvenirs currently on offer. Unique elements of New Zealand culture, landscape and the environment are interwoven within this multi-functional, adaptable and thoughtfully crafted package. Through combining elegant design features and cultural influence, the Zenith Kit enhances the premium travel experience, and continues to have a lifespan beyond the journey itself.
Simple Advice on How To Make a Logo THE THREE LOGO TYPES Font-based: This type of logo is basically letters done in a custom font style. Some examples of this type of logo are Facebook, Twitter, and Sony. Literal Illustration: This is taking what a particular business does, and incorporating it into the logo. For instance, if you were a ballet teacher, you could have a simple illustration of ballet shoes alongside your company name. Abstract Graphic: This is a picture or symbol that doesn’t have any existing meaning. Nike’s swoosh is the perfect example of this type of logo. WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOGO? 1. Simple & Clean Less is more when it comes to logo design. An over-complicated design or a symbol cluttered with layers will be hard to duplicate and may not be as memorable. Good logos look fresh and simple. Another thing to consider when creating a logo is the number of colors included. The more colors you have in your logo the more expensive it gets to print. A nice rule of thumb is to keep a logo to two
or three colors (including black as one of the colors). 2. Easy to Remember Customers don’t have much time. You want to provide them with an easy-to-remember, unique symbol to help them quickly associate with your business. 3. Not Trendy Once you decide on a logo, you shouldn’t change it. It should be able to stand the test of time for the duration of your company. So it is a good idea to stay clear of those design choices that may be fleeting -- like the 1980’s neon madness. 4. Versatile You will need a logo that looks good in black & white as well as color. Additionally, you will want a logo that can be easily printed on anything – t-shirts, mugs, vehicles, trophies, business cards – you name it. Of course, you may not need those things for your business, however, it is better to leave your options open. Avoid lengthy horizontal logos, which can be difficult to fit on various projects. This type of logo can
leave you constantly frustrated. 5. Fitting & Appropriate Think about your business type and industry. Create a logo that is appropriate within those areas. For instance, if you are in the finance business, you will want to have a conservative and professional feel to your logo. If you are a professional clown, obviously you can go in the more playful direction. A nice way to determine what is appropriate for you business is to research what some of your competitors' logos look like. 6. Avoid Clip Art Where Possible It might feel like the right thing to do, but clip art is rarely the right direction to take when creating a logo. Why? It can look hokey, cheap and careless. You want your business to convey the exact opposite of those things. This will be important to keep in mind if using a free logo provider. You will want to dig through the options the online service providers and try and find something as far from a generic image as possible. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/simple-advice-on-how-to-make-a-logo-1794590
10 Tips for Designing Logos That Don’t Suck So you’re designing a logo. It sounds like an easy enough task, right? Draw a circle, type in the company name and you’re done (I’ve literally heard a designer suggest that very process). Unfortunately, if you’re really worth the money the client is paying you, there’s a lot more to it than that. There are a million people in the logo design industry today dishing out crappy logos in bulk for crowd sourcing sites. How do you as a serious professional stand out from the crowd and produce quality logos that don’t suck? Read on to find out. 1. Use a Visual Double Entendre
looks like an upside down wine glass. Logo designs that use this technique come off as clever and memorable. Viewers love the little mind game that you’re playing and are more prone to appreciate a design because of it. 2. Color is Vitally Important One of the most important considerations for logo design is the color palette. This is not a superficial decision, color carries meanings and communicates ideas. Sometimes you’re pegged to the colors of a brand, but other times you’ll have the freedom to explore. I love the rich palette used in the Zion logo below.
Some of my favorite logos in the world utilize a technique that I like to call a visual double entendre, which is an overly fancy way to say that it has two pictures wrapped into one through clever interpretation of a concept or idea. The WinePlace logo below is a perfect example. The colors here grab you and pull you in, they bring life to the illustration and give further context to the shape of the landscape. That being said, remember that a good logo is versatile and will still function well in grayscale:
This logo takes on the shape of a thumbtack, which suggests “location” or “place,” but it also clearly
Beyond a grayscale version, I like to also provide clients with a true single color version, using only black and negative space. This would be a little tricky with the logo above, but definitely possible. 3. Avoid the Cliché Every few years or so, some new fads come along in logo design. I personally love to study design trends and you might even find me suggesting jumping onto a few bandwagons to keep up with the times, but with logos I just hate it when a bunch of designers use the same idea over and over.
The basic archetype above is being used again and again in logo design right now and it’s getting old fast. Why not use a design that you actually thought up yourself rather than ripping off what everyone else is doing? We have an entire article dedicated to showcasing logo design clichés, be sure to check it out to make sure you’re not guilty of uninspired logo design. 4. Make it Ownable I don’t believe that “ownable” is a real word, but you nevertheless hear it quite a bit in marketing (marketers love to make up words). The concept is definitely an important one that ties closely to the previous tip.
As you’re designing logos, consider whether or not your design is generic or unique. Is it likely that others will produce something similar? Remember, your first idea is typically your most generic (it’s also everyone else’s first idea). Try filling a notebook page or two with some rough sketches before choosing which ideas to pursue further.
enough, people will always try to rip it off. This certainly holds true for my favorite script logo:
5. Everybody Loves Custom Type While we’re on the subject of being unique, there’s almost nothing that can give your logo a unique feel quite like some awesome custom lettering.
The awesome Coca-Cola script has been stolen countless times in awkward parodies throughout the last few decades.
Rather than following the herd and using a cliché design, you should instead strive for something that is uniquely recognizable. I’ve always appreciated the Evernote logo in this regard: Too often we see logo design as simply a trip to the font menu to see which typeface makes the company name look best. If someone is paying you to “design” their logo, they probably expect you to put a little more effort into it.
It’s really just an elephant head, which doesn’t sound like a very unique concept. However, the way it’s drawn with the curled trunk and page fold in the ear makes it instantly recognizable.
Custom type helps ensure that your unique logo will stay that way. Lowlife designers will rip off your work in a heartbeat if they discover which typeface you’re using, but it takes some real skill to mimic custom hand-drawn type! Keep in mind though that if your logo is famous
6. Keep it Simple Stupid Let’s face it, not everyone can bust out beautiful, hand-drawn script on a whim. Just because you’re a designer doesn’t mean you’re an awesome illustrator or typographer (though it helps). If you fit this description, fear not, there’s nothing preventing you from making awesome logos. In this situation, remember these four powerful words: keep it simple stupid! Simple but powerful logos permeate the business world and always prove to be the best icons for standing the test of time.
some important lessons here. Consider the new Twitter logo as an example:
In considering how to construct one of these types of logos, let’s discuss the Apple logo. The silhouette of an apple is nothing special or memorable: 8. Think About Negative Space Along the same vein as a double entendre is the age old trick of utilizing the negative space in a logo in some clever way. The industry standard example for this technique is the FedEx logo and its hidden arrow. It’s that missing bite that takes it to the next level. It gives the logo character, makes it unique, and drives the meaning deeper (computers and bytes, get it?). Without the bite, the apple is boring, with it, the apple is suddenly iconic. Always think about how you can go that extra mile and turn your boring logos into unmistakable brand marks. 7. Consider Proportion & Symmetry Some people can get carried away with discussions of proportion and symmetry (see the new Pepsi logo pitch), but if we strip out the crazy, there’s still
Here circles aren’t used to convince you of some strange cosmic tale that makes no sense, they’re simply used as a guide to create a well balanced logo with consistent curves and arcs. Despite the fact that the bite seems to violate the symmetry of the Apple logo above, if we dig deeper we can see that there was still a lot of through put into proportion and symmetry here :
Don’t see it yet? Keep looking, it’s there. That’s what I love about this logo, the use of negative space is so subtle. Most people in the U.S. see the FedEx logo daily or weekly for years as it drives by on the side of countless trucks and they never even notice the arrow.
Logopond is chock full of great logo designs that utilize negative space in a cool way. Check out the example below, which blends together the idea of bull horns and a wine glass.
9. Passive vs. Active One interesting facet of logo design that I’ve been considering a lot lately is the concept of instilling motion or a sense of activity into a logo. This isn’t always appropriate (such as with the Apple logo), but sometimes it can really give a logo the boost it needs, both from a visual and conceptual standpoint. As an example, let’s look again to the Twitter logo. Way back in the early days, the bird went from sitting perched and passive to becoming active and taking flight.
In the most recent iteration, they took this concept even further by pointing the bird in an upward direction to indicate that it’s climbing into the air rather than floating along the same old trajectory.
10. Know What it Means Every good logo has a story. Far beyond simply a pretty sketch, strong logos are filled with meaning, both obvious and hidden. We discussed this in several cases above. The FedEx logo’s arrow indicates moving forward and making deliveries, the Apple logo has a “byte” missing, and the Twitter bird is flying in an upward trajectory.
A sense of motion is especially important when it comes to logos with mascots. The image of the marlin below doesn’t depict the fish merely lying still, instead it’s leaping into the air in a victorious pose. A sense of motion is especially important when it comes to logos with mascots. The image of the marlin below doesn’t depict the fish merely lying still, instead it’s leaping into the air in a victorious pose. Article from: https://designshack.net/articles/inspiration/10-tips-for-designing-logos-that-dont-suck/
Greta’s logo development
I discussed with Greta about logos and what kind of logo would she like to have and she said that she likes lips and if it would be possible to make something original, without copyright infringement she would be very happy. Below you can see my some experiments with lips. I still have to work on shape of lips and typeface inside it.