Contrary to what you might hear in the ad campaigns of certain companies, a lot of thought, skill and planning goes into creating a professional logo.  I mean a REAL logo.

Not one of those designs that you crank out in 5 minutes from a factory of pre-made stock illustrations.  You know those free logo makers that are out there…  you end up with a logo, yes – but you also end up with a design that could potentially be seen in a zillion other logos (i.e., generic).
 
At the opposite end of the spectrum:  a logo is not meant to tell a complete story about your business.  I’ve seen some logos that are so complicated it took me at least a minute to soak in all of their details and to figure out what they were really trying to say.  Logos aren’t meant to complex, detailed illustrations (leave that for your website, brochures or other marketing materials).
 
Rather, a logo is meant to be a simple, concise and hopefully unique symbol that visually represents a company in the mind of the consumer.  That’s about it.
 
This symbol could be a graphic or it could be based on type forms and letters.  And it needs to be visually strong enough to support the rest of a companies’ brand that is built up around it. Again — a logo should above all be simple, clear and memorable – and the more simple it is, the more people with be able to remember it.  Complex logos require the viewer’s brain to work harder to process the visual information and derive meaning from what they are seeing.  The less work you are asking people’s brains to do, the better.
 
Try to keep this in mind as you go along in your career as a graphic designer and meet with clients. With this in the back of your mind, you also should have a foundational set of questions to ask clients before moving on to actually creating their logos.
 
Your questions should get the client to start envisioning their goals for their business and dreaming about how those goals might be captured in a logo.  Below are just some of the possible questions you might ask (I don’t always ask these questions every time I have a logo design project – sometimes I research the company or are already familiar with it, so I often answer some of the questions myself).

Key questions to ask before designing a logo include the following:

• What is the main emotion you’re trying to evoke when someone sees your logo?
• How would you describe the “personality” of your company and brand?
• Who are your main competitors? What do their logos look like?
• If you have an existing logo, what do you like/dislike about it?
• Can you provide me with a few samples of logo design that you really like?
• What is your budget for this project?
• Where will this logo be displayed?
• Do you need any additional branding items to be designed (business cards, brochures, etc.)?
• Do you have any existing brand materials I can look at (website, flyers, etc.)

• What is the main emotion you’re trying to evoke when someone sees your logo? Or put a different way:  what is the general vibe you’re going for?

If your company is geared towards children, its logo would have a more playful font and use brighter colors than if it’s (for example) aimed at providing for the medical needs of the elderly.  Generally speaking, chunky sans-serif fonts such as Comic Sans and Frutiger give off a less serious vibe than serif fonts such as Garamond and Bodoni. And certain colors such as dark blue, gray, maroon and silver convey an air of serious authority and trustworthiness. Other colors such as light blue, bright red and green give off a more casual, playful vibe.
 

 
 

• How would you describe the “personality”of your company and brand?

Is your business modern and edgy?  Is it viewed as an authority in your community?  Do you own an upscale coffee shop or a mom & pop pizza delivery restaurant? Do you offer services to children? Are you selling high-tech gadgets?  What is your company culture like?
 

 
 

• Who are your main competitors? What do their logos look like?

This question is super important, so if you ask only one question, make sure it’s this one!  My husband and I recently met with a client who was regretting spending “way too much money” for someone to create a logo for her new business (providing services for the elderly).  At first glance at her logo, it looked like someone took some free clipart and stuck her business name underneath it.  To make matters worse it turns out that one of my client’s main competitors has a logo that is eerily similar!  (same exactly colors, same basic shapes).  She didn’t realize this at the time and paid top dollar for the work.  A quick online search of her competition would have prevented all of that from happening.
 

 
 

• If you have an existing logo, what do you like/dislike about it?

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water (as they used to say way back in the old days)!  If your customer has an existing business logo, and there are some elements that they like about it – try to incorporate those into your new design if possible, while also striving to bring your own unique touches into the design.  That being said, I find it easier to start fresh with my own ideas so as not to be restricted by trying to meld someone else’s ideas into my design.  I’m working on a logo redesign now and the only thing I’m keeping from the old design are the colors.

 
 

• Can you provide me with a few samples of logo design that you really like?

This could be a double-edged sword if you ask this question.  Sometimes it helps to get a feel for your client’s aesthetic if they can send you some samples they really like.  However, it could also end up limiting your own creative freedom if you are asked to make their logo look similar to someone else’s. (Obviously copying another person’s creation is never allowed, but its ok to use other designs as a jumping off point for your own creations.  Just make sure you add something original of your own in there).
 

 
 

• What is your budget for this project?

Another double-edged sword scenario here.  Asking for your client’s budget could either be really helpful or it could turn around to bite you (if they are even willing to divulge that information).  If they have a good amount of money to allot to their logo, then you can be free to provide them with several different designs to choose from, then provide a few rounds of revisions, etc.
 
But if you are unlucky enough to run into a business owner who has NO idea how much work really goes into the design and creation of a logo – and they tell you their budget is $100 (or less) – then my advice would be to walk away from that situation.  (actually don’t walk…  run away!)  Believe me, I’ve been there, and cheapskate clients who don’t value your talent and experience will eat up tons of time and you will receive very little in return.
 

 
 

• Where will this logo be displayed?

This is the obligatory question that probably has an obvious answer, but you should ask it anyway.  Sometimes clients only want their logo to display on their website, in their email signature or on social media platforms. In this case you don’t need to sweat it too much if you didn’t create the logo in a high resolution (ex: 300 dpi), or you created is as a raster [Photoshop] image and it won’t scale up for very large sizes.  But if the logo does need to be printed out – especially on very large items such as banners and signs – that’s a whole different ballgame.  In that case you need to create the logo as a vector, so that it will scale up nicely and be sharp and crisp when printed. Here is an online guide to all the different file formats and other specifications to keep in mind when launching into a logo design project.
 

 
 

• Do you need any additional branding items that need to be designed (business cards, brochures, etc.)?

I’ve been fortunate in my business that the folks I’ve worked with have usually let me know this right off the bat, so I didn’t have to ask them.  But if your customer doesn’t offer this information, then by all means ask.  If you’re already hired by someone to create their logo then don’t let the opportunity go by to upsell them!  Maybe they haven’t had the time yet to consider business cards or brochures, and you just gave them the idea.  Or perhaps they aren’t aware you even offer those services… so it probably won’t hurt to make them aware of the fact.
 

 
 

• Do you have any existing brand materials I can look at for reference (website, flyers, etc.)?

This is the flip side of the above item. If your client does not already have additional company-branded items, that’s great – you can offer to create those items!  But if they already have an established brand, then go ahead and ask to see a sample.  This should give you a good idea of the overall brand feeling and overall image, including what colors you should use and maybe even what font styles to incorporate into the logo.  Usually if a business already has a brand strategy and style all worked out, they also have an existing logo, so this would probably apply to a logo redesign.

Logo design isn’t as simple and quick of a process as some people might believe.  A LOT of thought, effort, skill and time goes into designing and creating a truly professional, memorable and effective logo.

Asking the right questions of a client might just make that process a little bit easier, quicker and slightly less frustrating!
 

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