Recently we were presented with the most exciting opportunity of creating a logo design for several different properties at once. These properties were part of a luxury resort in the Polynesian islands that was under major renovation. We were in a position to take over this project from an agency that didn’t deliver the results the client was hoping for. That agency absorbed all of the time we would have taken to slowly explore the design process. The client was facing a very tight deadline, but we were able to step in and save delays the resort might have faced had our logo designs not been accepted with such rave reviews.
When you design a logo, you are solving a problem. At minimum, a logo embodies your business and communicates your brand at a glance. We received a design brief that detailed the history of the island’s cultural icons. The client wanted to incorporate these elements into four properties — a luxury spa, French restaurant, Chinese restaurant and casual beachfront cafe. Since there was time urgency on the first property, our team quickly dispatched resources to vett and locate additional background information to facilitate the design discovery process.
What makes a good logo?
The key elements of our design process include research, brainstorming, sketching and production. Even on a normal work schedule, each of these milestones can take weeks depending on scope and budget. For our much abbreviated timeline, we needed to shuffle our roster of clients and pivot quickly to meet the shorter deadline. We were fortunate that we were able to shift a couple other deliverables to devote our entire team to this one project. Having a good calendar and project management system such as Glip.com was a lifesaver.
So, what are the hallmarks of a good logo design? There are many, and for this project we were guided by the principles of simplicity, versatility and communication of the brand. Simplicity because we needed to pack a lot of information into a very small space. Versatility because we understood the logo would be used for a multitude of purposes such as signage (glass), identity (paper) and hospitality (restaurant or spa items). Each of the four logos needed to complement existing design criteria.
Our logo design process
- Research: This includes initial communication with the client and reviewing any existing marketing style guides. The meat of the project will be guided by the design brief. This important document is a joint agreement between designer and client. Ideally, the brief clearly defines expectations and deliverables for the project.
- Brainstorm: For most logo design projects we would brainstorm as a group. This time we assigned two logos per designer and got to work. This actually helped moved us along much faster than anticipated. We were all inspired by the beautiful renderings (drawings) and backstory. We discovered ancient Polynesian legends with roots tracing back to Chinese and Hawaiian mythology. We were ready to explore several ideas.
- Sketch: We swear by this as the first step in every project. Before we put one finger on a keyboard, we put pencil (or pen) to paper and sketch free form. The only rule is that there are no rules so that we could let the ideas flow. Sketching is the fastest way to visually put our thoughts on paper.
- Drafts: We were quickly able to develop several pages of comps for the client to review. We usually don’t involve our clients in the rough phases. However, since we were working with the resort’s creative marketing department that had the vision of the property, it helped to guide us in the right direction before moving to final designs.
- Finals: After a few rounds of revisions, we were able to successfully complete and deliver the approved logos for these four properties and keep the construction schedule on track for signage, etc.
Designing a logo is a difficult creative process that takes research, experience and knowledge. An effective logo design requires the ability to get inside the client’s head to fully understand what needs to be communicated. We were excited to be able to deliver on time, and on budget, four logos that exceeded the client’s expectations….all while keeping our other client’s projects in mind without missing a single deadline!
Check out the final logos.
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