Logo Creation Process Report

Logo Creation Process Report

Who was in your group?
Me, I was my group. I was away when we did this task in class so i was grouped with myself.

Who was your client?
My client was new in wagga and wanted a logo for a new toy shop.

What do you remember about the clients business and their needs from a designer?
They needed a new clean logo which identifies them as a high quality toy store. My client wanted a wombats feel a classic children's toy shop, i was to pick the name and the colour scheme, it was to compete with "toys r us" but be better without the cheap Korean plastic toys, this business was to stand out and project quality.

What was the budget? High or Low?
I didn't really get the budget i wasn't told but as a new business i assumed that it would be in between but seeing as i had to pick a name and a colour sheme i would be leaning more towards high.

What did you do when you initially received the job?
Initially i started out with a few names "Collections, toy shop", "Top Shelf, toy shop", and "Madeline's Toy Boutique", which i ended up selecting because i felt that it most suited my client and that classic wombats feel he was after. Then i researched toy shop logo's, shapes, colours, (red, purple, green, gold), type, I was trying to get all my ideas on paper and I researched toy shops and they were all very bulky, Santa Claus feel but cheap it was a friendly feel but it was not a high quality feel which is what I was looking for. It was a little hard because i knew what the client wanted a logo for a toy shop but i had so many choices and because it was just me i found it a bit daunting and i was always second guessing and re-thinking my choices constantly.

What did your group initially talk about?
Initially i talked about after the research what would suit my client there were alot of logo's i came across that just said to me "toy shop" and my client wanted "quality toy shop" the only one i really liked was Hamleys because it was different to all the rest it wasn't boarded by a rectangle or oval shape it didn't use the childish type it had nice colours not just splashes of red, blue, yellow and green but again working alone i wasn't sure if i liked it for those reasons or because i already knew that Hamley's is one of the best toy shops in the world it has a history of high quality toys but also service.

What was the first lot of feedback on your designs?
The feedback with the first lot "That one is the best, show me some variations, simplify it and work with the colours". I didn't get any bad feedback so i considered it a good thing however it didn't help me much. I simplified the toys and changed the positions around until I found one that appealed to me more than the others. Then when i showed my client the second lot he told me to work around with the font colour make it darker. The third lot made my client indecisive he chose 4 and said "let me think about it".

How did you feel about your groups progress?
My group being me, i think i was progressing from my first designs to what i have now. I was very unsure and It was quite difficult for me because I didn’t really have any ideas about the colour scheme because I was thinking about what has been done and I wanted to make it new, fresh and appealing to not only the target market being children and their parents and everyone but i think because I was working alone it was hard to make decisions about these things, however my client picked out 4 he liked so i think ive come a long way.

Did the technology hold you back at all?
Yes and no, the technology did hold me back i think especially using illustrator which i haven't worked out all the possibilities yet and the fact that i am still learning and what i might want i am unable (at this point) to do....however my design was very simple and i think just the thought that im still learning to use illustrator was what was holding me back.

Comment on the progression of the tightness of your logo?
Well i think the progression has been a lot since my first logo, my logo was floating everywhere but now the elements have a place.

Were you happy with your progression in solving the clients problems?
I think i was but with the little communication i had with my client i found it difficult to even know he had a problem for me to solve. For example i don't even know his name. so yes and no I think I did solve the clients problem with the information provided but there wasn’t much role playing and working alone limited me in this task because what I might not see others can (vice versa) and I think that my idea/opinion is/will be bias as opposed to someone else’s. So the elements which i may see as working and being good another may see as not working or needing to change certain aspects to make it work.

How much do you think you should charge for a real job like this?
High but reasonable because not only did i have to design a logo but i had to create a name and a colour scheme so i had to put extra effort. However taking into consideration that i am just a student and i am still learning i would say $25 per hour. Ive spent throughout the entire time creating this logo at least 2 whole days (48 hrs), including the software and equipment so i think that $1200 sounds fair. Just for the logo though if he wanted me to do more like print them or something then i would charge $1800, because of all the running around and dealing with the printers and getting all the materials.

Is this type of work what you thought Graphic Design was all about?
Yes and no, i knew we would be designing logo's i just didn't know how frustrating it would be finding time and always changing your mind but in that sense then its just like anything else you would do. I think for future reference i will sit down with my client and i would have them tell me exactly what they want and every detail and then tell them my ideas and see how they feel about them.

How did you feel about the typography? In control or Lost?
I think I had an idea of what I wanted but it changed because I was unable to find something I liked for example i was comparing the type with the idea in my head and then it became lost becasue i was unable to find a type that matched with the one in my head. Overall I think i was ok with the type it was pretty much the logo so i selected Adobe Garamond Pro. I really like Garamond and it is considered to be one of the most legible and readable serif typefaces. I didn't want to use a sans-serif because i wanted a traditional quality feel from the logo and i believe that if i had used a sans-serif for this logo i would have a clean but cheap feel which is what i wanted to stay away from. So by using Adobe Garamond Pro I established that traditional quality that i was looking for.

Was this process enjoyable?
Yes in some ways I found it exciting but when I came to a block I didn’t enjoy it so much and it made me very stressed and this didn’t help. I found it annoying because of the time it took up more so because i couldn't just arrange a meeting or fax/e-mail my client so i could go onto the next step and it was a little annoying becasue i missed the oportunity to work with someone and i think i could have gained alot more of experience from this exercise but saying so i did enjoy creating the logo.

Could you have done a better job completely on your own without group input?
Well i was on my own, and i think i did ok i did what was required however i think i could have improved 10 times more if i was with a group. I think I would have been much better in a group because then more ideas would be optional and views about colours, types, ect, because we all think differently we all have different veiws/ideas and could help each other also i don't think i would be as lost or frustrated with myself becasue the group would tell me where im going wrong or right and what works and doesn't.

Was your client realistic about his expectations?
My client didn't ask for to much, he wanted a logo for his business that would compete with the other toy shops but be better. Yes his expectations were realistic but it would have helped if I had a name for the business and some type of colour scheme that my client was happy with as opposed to me making up one.

Is one day a realistic timeframe for a job like this?
For me one day is not a realistic timeframe, for some people with experience and knowledge of the industry maybe it would be but for me (at this stage) definitely not. I think also if you have that knowledge and experience you still need time in order to produce work, because you will change your mind so many times that you need the time to make your work better you need time to communicate with your client and they need time as well to decided on what they want also you need time to tie up all the loose ends floating around before your work is finished. I think anyone can create a logo in one day but for a job like this one day certainly is not a realistic timeframe.

Conclude with a personal summary of the days work.
I learned alot about dealing with clients and putting their needs first, i also gained alot of experience in general. I think overall i did what was required i designed a logo that suited my clients needs and he seemed pleased with the end result.