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The Branding Process: Logos
How does a logo get made? What are the steps taken from an idea to a final design? You’ve pulled the trigger and hired us to create your logo, the anchor of your entire brand! Good job, by the way! You’re in good hands.
The methods to creating a logo vary depending on the client. Sometimes, we go into a project with a completely blank slate, and other times we are rebranding an aging company. For the sake of this article, I am going to use an example of the former
Iphy’s Chickens
This was one of the most interesting projects we had the pleasure of working on it. Most moms buy their little girl ice skates or an iPhone when they want to express how much they love them. It’s not everyday your mom gets you a brand identity! At the time of our introduction, Iphy was a 7 year old girl who was in possession of “65 chickens, 7 goats, 2 dogs and 2 cats.” She wanted to create a website and identity that documented her experiences with her chickens: the caring for and maintenance etc. Since this post is about logos, we’re going to talk about how we came up with the idea of Iphy’s Chickens.
We met Iphy and her mother one day to discuss what they were looking for in regards to a look. This was very personal project for them. The site would be centered around a blog that Iphy would use to update the world on her chickens. There would be regular posts, a “coop cam,” so you could follow the chickens via a live video stream, individual chicken bios and plenty of fun photos to browse through.
Step #1 – Naming
This project was a completely blank slate. All we had to work with was Iphy herself, and , well, her chickens! Rather than come up with some random name that would make it hard to identify this as a personal frontier, we decided to keep it simple and center it around Iphy. It was unanimous that we would go with “Iphy’s Chickens.” Catchy, right?
Step #2 – Sketching Iphy
Since the name revolved around Iphy, she needed to be a part of this logo in one way or another. We decided to use old cartoons from the Sunday papers and even from the likes of shows like Looney Toons as inspiration. See if you can spot the similarities!
We decided to add a chicken into the initial sketch to see how that would fit in. Everybody loved how Iphy looked, but felt that only one chicken wouldn’t do since the name of the blogsite was Iphy’s Chickens (plural). So it was time to create Iphy’s entourage …
Step #3 – Sketching the Chickens
We decided to sketch several different types of chicken faces with their own unique personalities. Then we presented the different characters to the client to see which of them she felt fit with her brand identity. She chose a couple of different ones to represent the variety of chickens that were roaming around the homemade coop.
When all was said and done, we decided to have a variety of chickens from the head sketch make their way onto the logo. Can you spot the ones that made it?
Step #4 – The Right Font
This logo, as a whole, wouldn’t work without the right font. We decided that the font needed to match the cartoony look of the sketches. Font creating is a tricky area when it comes to logo designs. You have to make sure you are all on the same page or it could ruin the entire logo! With a little tweaking to give it a 3D element, reminiscent of the end credits to a Looney Tunes cartoon, we were good to go!
Step #5 – Bring it all Together
Name, sketches, fonts, and so forth. They don’t work unless they all look like they were meant to fit together. The end result of the Iphy’s Chickens logo is that you have something insanely catchy, fun and a bit nostalgic. We wouldn’t call you crazy if you felt like this logo reminded you of something from your childhood. That was the point!
The process of designing a logo for Iphy’s Chickens was a very enjoyable one. Our clients were very easy going, constructive and receptive to our opinions. Sometimes things don’t go that way, and that’s when we really have to dig deep and find a way to please both the client and ourselves.
Anyone with enough time on their hands can learn design programs or how to code. But what makes someone good in this field is their ability to produce results that are not only good for them but also pleasing to the person that hired them.
We can’t wait to create your new logo, just do us a favor. Nothing with chickens… we’re over it!