Mag / Design
A logo is not a brand: how we design identities
A good mark is the visible tip of a system. Our process from first conversation to guideline file.
Clients often ask for a logo. What they need is a way to look like the same company on a storefront, an Instagram story and an invoice. The logo is one piece of that.
Start with words
Before sketching, we write down what the company does, who it serves and what it must never look like. Three adjectives agreed by everyone save weeks of revisions.
Sketch wide, then narrow
We explore many directions on paper, pick three, and develop them in context: on a sign, an app icon, a business card. A mark that only works large is not finished.
Build the system
Color, type, spacing, photo style and a few layout rules. The guideline file is short enough that people actually read it.
