The Process of Logo Design

Logo design can be a more involved process than people realize. It's the one image the people immediately associate with your company, so it's important to get it right and some companies pay big bucks for a professional logo design. So how to go about it?

Personally I don't think it's worth the many thousands of dollars that some companies will charge, but there is a bit of work to get it right. To start with I think it's important to ask some key questions that help determine the type of logo design that will be suitable for a particular business image. So the first thing I do is get the client to fill out a questionnaire with questions such as:

Are there any icons of your industry?

Describe the personality you would like to portray.

Do you have a strap line or motto?

List 3 logos that you think really work for their companies.

Who will you sell to?

How many colours do you imagine using?

Any colours you are particularly keen on?

Tell us what it is necessary to show.

This information works as a great starting point. Next, based on this type of information I come up with at least 3 initial concepts to show to the client (usually a few more once I get going)

The client will then come back to me with any feedback, any modifications or changes they'd like to see, or sometimes there is one that really stands out to them that they'd like to pursue.

This can go on for a couple of rounds.

Once the client is happy with the final design, I provide the logo to them in numerous formats to use in all types of media. The initial design is always done in a program like Adobe Illustrator so that the logo is in 'vector art' format - which means that it can be scaled up or down to any size without any loss of quality. It is not limited by resolution or pixelation and will not appear with an unwanted white background or box. From Illustrator, it can also be converted any other format.

Generally it is a good idea to provide a single colour version of the logo and also a black and white (greyscale) version, as not all print media is affordable to the client in full colour or spot colours.  Then also it is best to provide formats such as jpeg and giff, that can be used in websites. There may also be some variations of the logo that can be supplied such as an icon on it's own instead of the full logo version.

Web Images in Print Design

I can't stress enough the importance of good quality, high resolution photography for print design such as brochures and flyers and advertisements. It is such a common misconception that you can grab any old image off the internet and throw it into your design. 

For starters there is such as thing as copyright infringement, especially when you're mass producing your image to a large target audience, but that is only one of many problems that can occur.

Any image for print requires a much higher resolution than an image that is used only for a website. Websites, television and screen use a resolution of just 72dpi (dots per inch). Print requires a resolution of around 300dpi at actual size. The outcome of using a 72dpi screen image in print is pixelation and obvious poor quality. The examples above show the results in print when an image has been supplied at a high resolution of 300dpi, and the pixelated poor quality result in print of a 72dpi image, which is how your print brochure could look if you just take an image straight off the internet.

When you are supplying photography or images for your designer to use, another good tip is to always supply the original images in jpeg, tiff or eps format. If you embed your image into a program such as powerpoint or microsoft word, the designer will not be able to access the original high resolution image. Also when supplied with the raw image, your designer is often able to enhance your image with photoshop work with a great deal more skill than the average jo at home, producing a much better result in the finished product.

Ideally, for the best result you will use a professional photographer to best advertise your product. Believe me this can make a huge difference to your design if you have some really good quality images, but if you are taking the photos yourself with a digital camera, make sure to use the highest quality setting on your camera. Good lighting is also important. Your designer can help with enhancing the images, but you'll still never get the kind of result you'll get if you have good quality professional images to start with.

Another option is to use stock photography. If your photos do not need to show a particular product then this can be a great way to go. These days there are some quality cheap stock image websites and you can end up with some great images for low cost.

The History of Print

A reader of the blog recently sent me a very interesting article on the history of print, which you can view here:

http://www.cartridgesave.co.uk/news/general--13/the-history-of-print%3A-from-phaistos-to-3d--422.html?id=oW5uRZDI

Even in the time I have worked in the print industry (about 13 years) I know that the technology has changed enormously and it is a challenge just to keep up with it all, even just keeping up with all the updates in software as a designer will keep you on your toes.

Enjoy!

Proof Reading your Print Artwork

How many mistakes can you spot in the paragraph above taken from the March 2008 edition of '3004 News' magazine, an otherwise very professional looking publication that is very well designed? Throrough and careful proof reading is an essential part of the design process and can save you time, money and embarrassment. So why don't people spend more time checking their artwork?

Nearly all designers put out a disclaimer to their clients when providing their artwork proofs, stating that all spelling, numbers and layout must be checked carefully and signed off before proceeding to print. However I can't tell you the amount of times that I've seen clients complain that something isn't right after the job has already been printed and in uproar that it is the printers fault. Most of the time this is something that could easily have been spotted in the proofing process if only they had properly proof read their artwork. It is often something simple like an incorrect digit in a phone number or a spelling mistake or grammatical error. Many times the client fully provided the text and details to be included on the artwork themselves, and yet still failed to see the error until the job was printed. 

Once the job has gone to print and a mistake is found, you could be up for the full cost of reprinting and you might as well double your initial quote. Not to mention the waste of paper and resources that will be simply thrown away. The alternative is to keep your product and distribute it with errors. Either way this isn't the ideal way to go and could easily have been prevented the majority of the time through careful proof reading. So often people are in such a rush that they don't think they have the time to waste, but you'll waste a lot more than those few minutes if you have to reprint later.

The smart designer will spend time proof reading their typesetting and artwork before sending it to the client, as they are only human and can easily make mistakes too. I have certainly found this to be most worthwhile, however careful you think you may have been. But sometimes the mistake may be a misinterpretation of the client's instructions, or an error in content that the designer did not write. So it is essential that the client have the final check and approval before proceeding to print. And don't be afraid to get a third party to check over it too. Sometimes you are so close to a process you might miss something that's right in front of your face.

Environmentally Friendly Design & Printing

With the printing process being a potentially huge waste of our environmental resources, there is so much we can do now to reduce our impact on the environment when we order our design and printing. In Australia there are more and more printing companies that are offering environmentally friendly solutions. It's true, it often does cost more, as many environmentally friendly products do, but if you're keen and your company considers the small extra expense to be worthwhile it is certainly possible to be carbon neutral and save our planet in many ways during the design and printing process.

Designers are often the first person to initiate the process, and they need to take some responsibility to offer their clients more environmentally friendly services and steer them in the right direction for their printed product. Even if a graphic designer doesn't manage the printing process, there are still things they can do during the design process alone. For example, use green energy for all your electricity needs such as wind power, solar power and hydro. Recycle any paper waste that is utilised during proofing, or better still, when possible  send electronic pdf proofs instead of hard copy paper proofs. Catch public transport to client meetings when possible. And don't forget to recycle and reuse your empty ink cartridges.

For printing there is a great initiative in Australia now called Greenprint. Certain printers register to be greenprint providers and therefore guarantee to use an environmentally friendly process the whole way through. "The greenprint initiative allows you to easily order printed material safe in the knowledge it will have good environmental credentials." If I know a customer wants to be environmentally friendly with their printing process, I know exactly where to go to order it now, from one of my regular printers who is a Greenprint provider, and this makes it so much easier for me to manage the whole process.

These are the 10 steps as outlined by Greenprint they take to be more environmentally friendly with the whole process:

1. Your choice of Paper

Is it recycled?

Does it come from an a sustainable managed forest?

How is waste and energy used in the manufacturing process?

2. Proofing

Use electronic proofing where possible if hard copy proofs are not always necessary

3.Plating

CTP plating cuts out the need for film and reduces the amount of chemicals needed during the plate making process

4.Inks

Vegetable or soy based inks are preferable as they come from a renewable resource and have many side benefits such as the ability to clean presses without the use of a high solvent cleaner. They don't cost any more the petroleum based inks.

5. Coatings

Some coatings have a lower impact on the environment than others

6. Chemicals

Reduce harmful emissions by using low VOC emitting solvents

7.Energy

Use solar power, wind, water and organic power sources

8.Recycle

Recycle all your waste

9.Carbon Offset

There are plenty of carbon offset programs out there to reduce your impact

10. Donation

When companies register with Greenprint they donate a percentage to environmental charities such as Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors

So you see, there is so much more we can do. In the past I have been frustrated to work at printing companies that don't even recycle their huge amount of paper wastage properly. They would seriously just throw all their hard rubbish in with the mountains of pure paper wastage and make it near to impossible to recycle any of it.

Also I have witnessed large national companies who have ordered mass print runs, and then decided after they have printed several hundred thousand copies that they would like to change one little word in their conditions form and so throw out the whole lot and start again! And wouldn't I like to name names? This sort of thing is so unnecessary and such a waste.

I am so pleased to see the new direction the industry is heading.

 

Quality Cheap Printing

There are certainly plenty of ways to cut costs with your printing, but you don't want to cut back on the quality. If it looks cheap it reflects poorly on your business image. Many printers will offer you very cheap deals  but beware, you may end up with cut price flimsy stock, poor graphic design that doesn't look much better than something someone has done at home with Microsoft Word, and poor print and colour quality. You will often pay for what you get, but there are ways to save money without suffering on the quality of your printing and design.

If you are a small to medium business, it's probably not advisable to go through a print management company. Obviously larger companies require this type of service as they have a lot of printing to manage through many departments, but smaller businesses should find a designer and a printer that they like and stick with them. By all means though, shop around first to get some quotes and and assess the quality of their work. Print management companies can mark up the actual cost of the printing by as much as 100% and you won't get any more for your money than if you went to to the printer directly yourself. 

Digital printing technology has come a long way and can be a great solution if you only require a small quantity, say a couple of hundred copies or less. The quality these days can be every bit as good as press printing, but once you get into higher quantities it is no longer economical. Offset printing presses are much better equipped for large runs and can do the job at a much better price. Basically the higher the quantity, the less you will pay per copy on a printing press.

A popular way to do cheaper print runs these days is by ganging up full colour jobs on a large printing press. Full colour printing uses a 4 colour ink printing process called CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). Therefore using those same 4 inks they can print a variety of different jobs on the same print run, on a large stock size. For example, they may wait until they have 40 different business card orders for 40 different businesses, and gang them all up onto the same set of plates and print them in the one press run. This saves the printer a lot of money not having to make separate plates and saves time by not having  to set up the machine many times over. The money they save allows them to offer much cheaper prices to the clients than someone who has to print each card individually. The only downside is that the colour may vary slightly between print runs, as they are not colour matching the individual jobs. But I have used these printers and found the printing to be of very good quality at a much cheaper price. This is great if you are on a tight budget and you can still utilise full colour for your design rather than just a 1 or 2 colour print run which often costs more but looks cheaper.

If you have a specific colour that represents your company or your logo that you need to match every time then you will need to use offset printing rather than digital printing to really keep your colour consistent. If this is the case, try cutting back to a single colour print run or a 2 colour print run if you want to save money. The more inks you run on a press the higher the cost. This printing process uses Pantone or 'spot' colours. They have a colour chart in a Pantone book and your printer will match to this chart every time to maintain colour consistency. One example of really wasting money is to print multiple spot colours on a simple envelope. Your costs will go through the roof. Keep it simple and save.

Adobe Acrobat and PDFs for Press Printing

Acrobat is a very useful tool for many purposes. It enables a file to be viewed via a free third party reader no matter what the original creator program is. These files can be very useful but there are some tricks to ensure that the file is set up correctly, depending on whether it is to viewed on the screen or if it is to be printed.

The Acrobat PDF file that needs to be viewed or printed correctly requires that the fonts are embedded. The end user may not have the same fonts installed as you. A file that is to be printed needs to have enough resolution in the pictures and text to ensure a quality result. A PDF created for screen viewing only will have the pictures present at 72 dots per inch (dpi) and the result will be “blocky” or pixelated. A file ready for print will need to be at least 600dpi.

The use of certain programs to create PDF files can also have hidden problems. Multi-colour printing requires separations into component colours. For example full colour printing uses the CMYK process (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to create the final result. Scanners, digital cameras and your humble TV work use RGB (red, green, blue). Many Microsoft products such as Word and Excel are only capable of creating a screen viewable PDF file that is in RGB and thus is not suitable for separation and press printing.

A PDF file can be very useful for design companies such as Twilight Emerald who have the knowledge to correctly set up a pdf for print. They can take their multi layered native files and embed all images and fonts into one pdf to email for proofing and also directly to the printers for final output. This can often save the hassle of needing to post a CD containing all linked images and fonts with the native files. It can also avoid troubles with different operating systems reading fonts and files differently than originally intended.