Questions to ask before you start a logo design

Summary

In this video, Matt Brunson from Flux Design offers nine essential questions to ask clients when starting a design project, such as a logo. These questions help in understanding the client's needs, the project's history, the target audience, and competitors. Brunson emphasizes the importance of a clear brief for successful project outcomes, discussing aspects like brand recognition, visual assets, and desired brand feelings. The video is a guide for designers to create strong briefs and ensure alignment with client expectations.

Takeaways

• 📝 Importance of Understanding the Brief: The video emphasizes the significance of nailing the brief by asking the right questions to understand the client's needs.
• 🗣️ Engaging with the Client: Starting with an open question like 'Tell me about your project' helps to ease the client and gather information about their business or organization.
• 🔄 Reviewing Existing Visual Assets: It's crucial to review any existing logos or visual assets and understand the client's thoughts on them, which can guide the evolution or rebranding process.
• 👀 Target Audience Identification: Knowing who the client's customers or key stakeholders are helps in designing something appropriate for the intended demographic.
• 🏆 Competitor Analysis: Understanding the competition helps in creating a logo that demonstrates category credentials while also standing out.
• 📍 Logo Applications: Knowing where the logo will primarily be used (digital, print, physical products) is essential for designing a flexible and effective logo.
• 🔠 Brand Name Clarity: Ensuring the correct spelling and considering a shortened form of the brand name for the logo is vital for clear communication.
• 🚫 Must-Haves and Must-Nots: Identifying any design elements that must be included or avoided helps in aligning the design with the client's brand identity.
• 🌟 Emotional Impact: The logo should evoke a specific feeling or personality that aligns with the brand and the experience it aims to deliver.
• 🎯 Defining Success: Establishing clear goals for what makes the project successful helps in setting expectations and measuring the outcome against these objectives.
• 🔍 Contextual Awareness: Being aware of cultural or sector-specific associations with certain colors or design elements is important to avoid misunderstandings or misrepresentations.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to provide nine key questions that a designer should ask their client to create a strong brief for a design project, specifically for logo design.

Why is nailing the brief important for a design project?

Nailing the brief is important because it helps the designer understand the client's needs, ensuring the final design meets the client's expectations and objectives.

What is the role of Matt Brunson in the video?

Matt Brunson is the presenter of the video, providing guidance on how to effectively communicate with clients and create a comprehensive brief for design projects.

Why did Aaron Draplin create 'The Lawn Tender' logo?

Aaron Draplin created 'The Lawn Tender' logo to help his friend, who had lost his job due to the pandemic, get back to work by starting a lawn mowing business.

What is the significance of the example of Collins rebranding Spotify?

The example of Collins rebranding Spotify demonstrates the importance of retaining brand recognition elements, such as the icon, while updating the brand with a broader color palette for a more dynamic identity.

Why is it important to know the audience for a design project?

Knowing the audience is crucial because it helps the designer create a design that appeals to and resonates with the target demographic, ensuring the design is appropriate and effective.

What is the purpose of understanding the competitors in a design project?

Understanding competitors helps the designer create a design that demonstrates parity with the category while also ensuring the design stands out and differentiates from the competition.

Why is it necessary to know where the logo will appear?

Knowing where the logo will appear is necessary to ensure its flexibility and effectiveness across various applications, whether digital, print, or physical products.

What should be considered when determining the brand name for a logo?

When determining the brand name for a logo, considerations include correct spelling, a potentially shortened form for better fit, and the possibility of adjusting the name for better brand communication.

Why is it important to ask about must-haves or must-nots in the design brief?

Asking about must-haves or must-nots helps the designer understand specific client preferences or restrictions, ensuring the design aligns with the brand's identity and avoids potential missteps.

What is the significance of understanding the feeling or personality the brand wants to evoke?

Understanding the feeling or personality the brand wants to evoke is important for creating a design that communicates the right message and connects emotionally with the target audience.

Why is defining a successful project important in the design process?

Defining a successful project is important because it sets clear goals and expectations, allowing the designer to align their work with the client's vision and measure the project's success against agreed-upon criteria.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Understanding Client Needs for Logo Design

In this paragraph, Matt Brunson from Flux emphasizes the importance of understanding the client's brief when starting a design project, particularly for logo design. He introduces nine key questions that designers should ask clients to ensure they create a strong brief. The paragraph also touches on the importance of context and the need to adapt these questions for different types of projects, such as website or campaign design. Brunson also addresses the misconception that every design project requires an extensive brand strategy, using the example of Aaron Draplin helping a friend create a logo during the pandemic lockdown, illustrating that sometimes a simple solution is more effective.

05:01

🎨 Evaluating Existing Visual Assets and Audience Insights

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the first two questions a designer should ask a client. The first question is about the client's project, aiming to understand the business's history, current state, and future goals. The second question focuses on any existing logos or visual assets, prompting the client to reflect on their effectiveness and the reasons for potential changes. The paragraph also discusses the importance of considering the audience and competitors, suggesting that understanding the target demographic and the competitive landscape is crucial for creating a design that resonates and stands out.

10:04

📍 Logo Applications and Brand Name Clarity

The focus of this paragraph is on understanding where the logo will be used and what the brand name should be within the logo. It highlights the need to know the primary applications of the logo, whether digital or physical, to ensure its flexibility and effectiveness. The paragraph also stresses the importance of clarity in the brand name, including correct spelling and the potential for a shortened form that fits well within the logo design. It also touches on the idea of changing a brand name if it doesn't fit well with the design, using the example of Sony's transition from a lengthy descriptive name to a simple and memorable one.

🚫 Must-Haves, Must-Nots, and Evoking the Right Feelings

In this paragraph, the discussion continues with questions seven and eight, which are about identifying any must-haves or must-nots in the design and the emotions the brand aims to evoke. It's important for the designer to understand any specific elements that need to be included or avoided, such as certain colors or typography styles. Additionally, the paragraph explores the idea of aligning the design with the intended emotional response, using the contrast between Monster Energy and LaCroix as examples of how branding can influence consumer behavior based on the feeling it conveys.

🏆 Defining Success for the Logo Design Project

The final paragraph wraps up the video script by addressing the ninth and last question: what will make the project a success. It encourages designers to pause and listen to the client's definition of success, which could include specific goals, timelines, and deliverables. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of setting clear expectations and having a mutual understanding of what constitutes a successful outcome. It also suggests that this understanding will help in delivering what the client has asked for and what they need, ensuring a positive conclusion to the design process.

Keywords

💡Logo Design

Logo design is the process of creating a visual symbol or icon that represents a company, product, or service. It is a key element of brand identity and plays a crucial role in establishing a brand's image and recognition. In the video, the theme revolves around understanding the client's needs and developing a successful logo design by asking pertinent questions.

💡Brief

A brief is a document or guideline that outlines the objectives, target audience, and key points of a project. In the context of the video, nailing the brief is essential for creating a successful logo design, as it encapsulates the client's vision and requirements, guiding the designer's approach.

💡Client

A client is the individual or organization that hires a service provider, such as a designer, to fulfill a specific need or project. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the client's needs and goals as the foundation for effective logo design.

💡Corporate Identity

Corporate identity refers to the visual and textual elements that represent a company's image, including its logo, typography, and color scheme. While the video focuses on logo design, it acknowledges that a logo is part of a larger corporate identity strategy.

💡Brand Strategy

Brand strategy is a long-term plan for building and managing a company's brand. It involves defining the brand's purpose, positioning, and values. The video mentions brand strategy as a comprehensive approach that some companies undertake, but also highlights that not every project requires such depth.

💡Market Research

Market research is the process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information about a market, including customers' needs and competitors' activities. In the video, it is mentioned as a part of brand strategy, but the speaker emphasizes that not every logo design project necessitates extensive market research.

💡Visual Assets

Visual assets are the graphical elements that form part of a brand's identity, including logos, icons, and imagery. The video script discusses the importance of reviewing existing visual assets and understanding their relevance and recognition in the market.

💡Audience

The audience refers to the group of people who are the target of a brand's communication or products. Understanding the audience is vital for designing a logo that resonates with them, as explained in the video with the example of preschool children versus university students.

💡Competitors

Competitors are other businesses or brands that offer similar products or services in the same market. The video script discusses analyzing competitors' logos to understand common elements and how to differentiate within the category.

💡Applications

Applications refer to the various contexts and mediums where a logo will be used, such as digital platforms, print materials, or physical products. The video emphasizes the importance of knowing the key applications to ensure the logo's versatility and effectiveness.

💡Brand Name

The brand name is the proper name given to a company or product. In the video, it is highlighted that the brand name's correct representation in the logo is crucial, and designers must ensure accurate spelling and consider any potential for abbreviation.

💡Must-Haves and Must-Nots

Must-Haves and Must-Nots are specific elements or characteristics that a client insists on including or avoiding in a design. The video script advises prompting clients to identify these to guide the design process and ensure the final logo meets their expectations.

💡Evoke

To evoke means to cause a particular emotion or reaction. In the context of the video, it refers to the feelings or emotions a brand aims to trigger in its audience through its logo and overall brand identity.

💡Successful Project

A successful project is one that meets or exceeds the client's goals and expectations. The video concludes with the importance of defining what success looks like for the client, which helps in setting clear objectives and measuring the project's outcome.

Highlights

Nailing the brief is crucial for a successful design project.

Nine key questions are provided to help understand client needs for logo design.

The video emphasizes the importance of client communication over the technical aspects of design.

Aaron Draplin's story illustrates the practicality of focusing on immediate needs over extensive branding strategies.

The video suggests that not all projects require extensive brand strategy documentation.

Questions are translated to fit different design contexts, not just logos.

The importance of understanding the client's project history, current status, and goals is discussed.

Reviewing and understanding the significance of existing logos and visual assets is crucial.

Identifying the target audience helps in creating appropriate design solutions.

Competitor analysis is vital for establishing parity and difference in design.

Understanding where the logo will appear helps in ensuring its flexibility and effectiveness.

Clarifying the brand name and its representation in the logo is essential to avoid communication breakdowns.

Clients may have must-haves or must-nots that influence the design direction.

Eliciting the emotions and personality the brand aims to convey is key for design alignment.

Defining what constitutes a successful project helps in setting clear goals and expectations.

The video concludes with an invitation for feedback and further discussion on logo design.

Transcripts

if you're working on a logo or any kind

of design project in fact nailing the

brief is key in this video i'm going to

give you nine questions to ask your

client to help you do just that let's go

[Music]

welcome back to flux where we talk

design and freelancing my name is matt

brunson and today we're going to figure

out exactly what you need to know before

getting started on a logo design in fact

if you're working on a website or a

campaign you can translate these

questions into your context and

integrate them into your process we're

not going to talk about the how of

designing a logo we're going to talk

about the how of speaking with clients

and creating a great brief now i can

already see some of you thinking or

getting your comments ready logo design

no no we should be designing whole

corporate identity schemes or even

working on detailed brand strategy and

i hear you i know how deep these things

can go as well as working with my own

clients i also freelance with some of

london's leading design studios and

advertising agencies and they create

these incredibly

detailed decks of brand strategy with

lots of market research behind it and

style guides which cover endless

applications does anybody read these

things

maybe yes maybe they do they are

necessary for some larger companies but

i want to cash your mind back to march

2020 when many of us i know in the

united states and europe went into

lockdown and a famous graphic designer

in the united states named aaron draplin

i've got his book here actually his pal

came round to visit him and his pal as i

remember the story he had been laid off

he was working at a bar here's aaron i

wonder if who's as friendly as that when

his friend came to his front yard and he

was working at a bar and he was

running a food truck and both of these

things got shut down and this guy was

unable to work at all so aaron said to

him well i'm booked up for the next six

months but after that we'll do a bit of

market research and then we'll do a 360

degree brand strategy pro no he didn't

say that he just said let you get get

you up and running we'll just design a

logo so they created this thing the lawn

tender and off he was going

cutting grass and staying busy and

working throughout the pandemic and the

lockdown and

it's not always necessary to develop

huge schemes you might just be doing a

logo or that might just be your part of

the process so there is a time when you

just want to ask the questions that are

mainly related

to logo design or an identity

and even the big boys like some of the

high profile agencies like i think of uh

chemief geisma and havive

in new york and they are famous for this

as it says development of trademarks and

identity programs and it's particularly

their logos like the us open and chase

bank national geographic and the

american bicentennial that for decades

i've put them as the go-to people for

icons for logos so

there are some key questions that you

want to ask and the key thing over

everything is to understand your client

and what they

need

so

if these questions are answered by the

existing brief they will help you create

a stronger brief so here we go number

one tell me about your project so first

of all you want to put your client at

ease just ask them an easy opening

question tell me about your project tell

me about your business tell me about

your organization tell me about this

initiative just some get some idea of

how they talk about it and if they don't

go into this detail ask them about the

past present and future the history of

the company what they do at the moment

what their offer is and their goals get

some idea of that and it's a great way

to kick off the conversation number two

is there an existing

logo is there an existing logo or any

other visual assets if so you'll want to

review them and then ask the client what

do you think about them

do you

have brand recognition with this logo is

there any equity built into it so you

there might be elements that we're going

to need to retain or reference as we

evolve it

what isn't working

what do

you want to change why do you want to

change what prompted this change

you need to be wise in what you change

and what you retain when it comes to a

rebrand i think of collins in new york

when they rebranded spotify they decided

to keep that icon that designers love to

hate it's not the most attractive

proportions but they felt that icon and

the green was

already recognized as a brand so they

kept that but what they did was extend

it with a wider color palette to make it

more dynamic and more interesting

similarly dixon baxi from london when

they rebranded the italian football team

ac milan they kept the badge now fans

are very passionate about their team and

the badge can often be a symbol which

holds a lot of those passions and a lot

of that strong feeling so they didn't

mess with the iconic badge they left it

but what they did was use the shape of

the badge the oval as a graphical device

to then create and extend a system so

think about what's there and what needs

to change

number three who are your audience so

you need to know who your clients

customers are or who are the key

stakeholders the key people who are

going to be the audience for this design

i would presume that preschool children

probably have different preferences and

different aesthetic to university

students so get some idea of the

demographic

who the target is for this work and

that'll help you design something that

is appropriate number four who are your

competitors

so if you're designing a logo for a

classic rock or metal band often we see

these same elements like lightning bolts

and these angular

type and often word marks in all caps

and sometimes 3d effects so these are

things that are common to the category

so

when we look at competitors we want to

think about parity so that helps us to

demonstrate our category credentials

that we belong within it but we also

want to think about difference so how

are we going to stand out within that

category so it pays to be deliberate

about those so find out who your clients

competitors are and if they're giving

you too few or too many maybe ask them

for

who are your three main competitors to

narrow it down that will give you enough

context for your work number five where

will the logo appear so you need to find

out what the key applications are is

this primarily a digital thing or will

it also have physical form whether it be

print or will there be things

that are being created physical

products so find out where it's

primarily going to live good logos are

flexible enough to work across a range

of applications but knowing the key

applications will help you

make sure it's working hard in those

areas and even provide mock-ups for the

client so they can see it in context car

manufacturers are a good example because

recently a lot of them have been making

their badges simpler and simpler in

their rebrands and that's because

simple and solid logos tend to work

better in physical form and across a

range of applications i think a great

example in that category of a new brand

that's entered it with a great mark is

pole star and they have a really strong

striking simple mark and identity system

that works really well in digital it

works at small sizes it also works on

the side of a building and it also looks

great in the physical products in the

vehicle design of the cars

number six what is the brand name what

is the brand name as it should appear in

the logo now this

seems obvious but it's amazing how many

times this has got wrong or there's a

breakdown in communication so things

like spelling needs to be checked and

also perhaps a company has a long name

so there might be a shortened form of

that that appears in the logo try not to

you know shoehorn in too many like

taglines or

the shorter the better really and ask

the client if there's any scope to

change it as you go through the process

you're going to be thinking of creative

ideas

so you might want to use their initials

and create a monogram or a shortened

version of the word sony were originally

known as the tokyo telecommunications

engineering corporation or whatever the

japanese version of that is and that's a

very descriptive name but it wouldn't

really fit on top of your camera so

sony has worked really hard for them

over many decades so if the scope to

change a bad name

try and get them to change it

number seven are there any must-haves or

must-nots

now sometimes clients aren't sure for a

moment but then when you begin to prompt

them there are things that definitely

need to be retained or definitely you

shouldn't

do like perhaps it shouldn't be in all

caps because that would feel too shouty

for their brand or

colours is a good one definitely prompt

them and ask them about colours

must-haves and must-knots is there a

colour that we have to retain and think

about the context because in different

sectors or different cultures certain

colors are associated with

different political ideas or religions

and things like that that you might want

to avoid so be conscious of that too

number eight

what feeling are you trying to evoke so

if you go to the store and you're

looking for a drink when you see monster

energy it's a very intense looking brand

but if you want to relax you might be

more likely to reach for lacroix now if

these can designs were switched

that would be confusing and it wouldn't

fit with the moment at which you might

drink

these beverages so think about the

feeling think about the personality of

the brand try and prompt the client and

pick up a few adjectives if you've got a

big brand brief if brand strategy has

been done you'll have this but if you

don't just talk to the client about the

feeling they want to evoke their

adjectives to describe their business

and who they are and how it comes across

and finally number nine

what will make this a successful project

and then pause

and the client might need to think about

this for a while but let them think and

listen

clearly

to their answer without a goal it's

difficult to score so setting up

beforehand what will make this a

successful project will help it to be so

make sure you agree on the process the

timeline and the deliverables find out

what they're expecting and then maybe

clarify for them or help them understand

what should be and what needs to be

delivered during the logo design process

and then when you get to the end it'll

really help you to refer back to that

and show them that you've delivered what

they've asked for and also

what they need so there you go nine

questions to ask your clients i hope

this was helpful for you please let us

know down in the comments which of these

were particularly helpful any questions

you might add this isn't intended to be

exhaustive and also if you've got more

questions about logo design let us know

and if you want to see how the pros do

it and some best-in-class examples of

brand identity design then check out our

brand identity reviews on this channel

until next time happy designing

[Music]

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