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Ahh, logos. For design geeks like me, the way a logo and website design comes together can be a lot of fun to witness. But lately, I’ve been dealing with the most difficult client I’ve ever had, and I find myself really struggling not to slap her.
This client? You know her. She’s the one writing this post. I have become my own worst client.
For the last few months, I’ve been working on a new blog design for this site. Many of you long-time readers already know that for the last couple of years, I’ve been designing blogs and small business websites for a handful of clients under the name Sweet Theory Designs. I’m self-taught, having tested my skills on this blog many times over in the process to learn it, which broke my site more times than I can count. Through a seemingly random turn of events though, SWTD was born (though technically incorrect, I added the “W” in there by choice; I clearly did not think about initials when choosing the name… ha!h). Teaching myself how to code became an activity I actually really enjoy, and designing blogs for others seemed like a natural next step. These days, I only take on one or two clients at a time due to my schedule, but the whole process of helping to turn someone’s intangible ideas into a design that captures their personality is awesome. That moment of when things really start to click is honestly one of my favorite things.
But, like I said, I’m struggling to get to that moment within my own new blog design.
For me, the web development stuff (messing around with the layout/function of a site, customizing templates and plugins, etc.) is the FUN stuff, and the part I ALWAYS seem to struggle with more is the logo. It’s a critical part to the entire site’s design (basically, the cornerstone of it), but because it’s the part that’s taking me the longest right now, I’ve been working on the fun parts while waiting for inspiration to strike. When it does, it’s often a small idea that I’ll work on from multiple angles to see if it works, like wood texture or a grungy font. Sometimes I feel like I’m on the cusp of getting it right; other times, I have to walk away from the computer and go paint something just to feel productive again.
This process is a lot like designing a room. You add something, you subtract something, and just keep playing with it until it works. Expecting to get it right immediately is counterproductive, so it’s best just to go with the flow and see where one idea leads into the next.
Admittedly, it’s probably taking me longer this time around because I’m choosing a new font and plan to strip things down to a cleaner layout. I have changed my logo a few times in the past, but most of them were pretty much figured out before my first anniversary of creating the UDH:
The only other time I’ve really tweaked anything was when I modified the outline of the duckling, which is what it looks like today, and something I was content to keep for a long time (though the layout changed a number of times, the logo stayed the same):
This year, I’ve decided it’s time for something MUCH cleaner and fresher. But after six months of not quite getting it right, I thought it might be fun for you to take a peek behind the curtain and see what the process is like. It’s fun, but also infuriating.
How I Design a Logo
Each designer works a little differently, but for me, my process rarely varies.
1. To design (or redesign) a logo, the first things to do are to identify the keywords that you think are in line with the brand. Colors, descriptions, or even other people’s websites or logos that you think have an element that speaks to you all serve as inspiration.
2. For logo redesigns, you must also decide whether or not you intend to keep any of the original elements; in my case, I’m choosing to keep the yellow and the duckling outline, but everything else is fair game.
3. I then sketch out the overall layout I have in mind for the website. This is a little premature for most web designers, but I find that mapping out the spacial elements (at least, for the top area of the site, where the logo will go) helps me to identify the general area the logo needs to fit in. For example, the new layout I want can easily fit a squarish logo, but a really tall one will look out of place next to some of the other elements, like social media icons.
4. With an idea of the dimensions planned (but nothing set in stone), I then pick out a few fonts that match some of the keywords I thought of in step 1. Google web fonts are license free, so it’s what I use for clients, but I will sometimes also check out the “free for commercial use” fonts over at 1001 Fonts (I really like the organization of the font categories).
5. Then, I simply play with things. Resize. Move. Add. Subtract. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat… until I feel like I’ve got something. Which can be endless, as I’m finding out!
As you can see, things go in every direction as I brainstorm. I think it will still be a month or two before I am fed up enough to just call it a day and stop messing with it, but I feel like I’m inching closer to that moment when everything clicks again. It’s highly subjective, too, which means that polling for opinions doesn’t necessarily lead to the answer either (which is why I’m not having you guys vote on anything… I am going to go with my gut on this one!). But there you have it. A quick glimpse of what’s going on behind the blog.
Hope you all had a good weekend; your regularly(ish) scheduled DIY will be back tomorrow!
I LOVE the logo making process and I always have a laugh when I go back and look at my intial logo designs for my blog…so bad! I can see why you are having trouble deciding what you like since they all could be great! My favorite (not that my opinion matters…) is the duck silhouette with the wood texture! Can’t wait to see what you decide!
First of all, I thought the title of this post was Fun and Furry Logos, so that’s a new direction you could consider. I kid. I totally get your design/thought process and have been there, done that. You’ll get there. For the record, I like the second one down on the left of the last grouping.
Like you said, you’re not asking for votes….but if you were I would encourage you to only use one font if you are going to keep the duck outline. For me it is an either/or situation. Good luck. I’m sure it will be great.
Thanks for the tip!
Oh man, designing a logo for yourself is the hardest thing ever! And as I scrolled through this post I kept thinking, Oooh, that one is my favorite! No, that one! You created a lot of good ones here. Looking forward to seeing which one your pick. Thanks for always sharing these kind of posts with us!
Thanks! I find that the journey to getting to the answer is an interesting path, so sharing it just makes sense (which is why I share so many progress-style posts as well). Glad you liked them!
Logos aside, I was immediately taken with the “it’s not gray in my hair…” when I first came to your blog!
Ha, yeah, that’s staying! I need to figure out a way to work that in…
HA! the duck head outlined in the house made me giggle – it’s adorable :)
Looks like you’re coming along nicely with the redesign. A couple things I wanted to point out that you may or may not already know is that if your designing a multi-purposte logo, ie used for business cards, letterheads, signage, web, etc. it should be designed on it’s own and then the web site in this case should be designed to work with it. On the other hand if the “logo” is only going to be used on a blog then it’s a masthead. Also, with your current design, the duck really should be looking to the right as you want it to direct your readers eye to your content, not away from it as he’s currently doing. :-)
All great tips. Thank you! I always thought that my duck looking the current way was sassier than looking at the content, but you bring up a good point. For blogs, logo design is typically the reverse process than what you describe (designing first for the site as the main thing, then designing the business cards to match, since those are only usually handed out at conferences and meetups, but still necessary).
Well, you certainly nailed my logo, but my biggest challenge is always to get away from the literal and to keep it simple! Love watching all these different options and have NO idea how you’re going to choose! GOod luck!
I’m totally with you on this one Sarah. I even have an (unused) degree in graphic design and I can’t seem to design myself a logo I like for my blog. I mess with it and mess with it but keep sticking with the one I originally created in minutes, as a temporary place holder.
You’re further along towards success than I am. There are some good ones here. Good luck finding that winner!
Hi there, I dabble in design and a website I learned about years ago at school and still use for all my font needs is dafont.com. I’ve found it to have great selection, categorization (is that a word?), and previewing capabilities. Love all the elements you have going on in your logo. Keep up the good work, I’ll be watching for a final review!
*reveal, not review
I like dafont too, but I find it less search-friendly to find fonts free for commercial use (there are ones free for personal use, but since I’m using this in a logo/brand, I feel more comfortable to use fonts that I feel have no restrictions).
ooh, i like the one with the duck head in the house.
also the one in the top left of that same image.
and i think most designers are their own most-difficult client.
i know i’m mine…. :P
I totally feel your pain… I’ve been working on the design for a blog I want to launch and I literally want to beat myself silly at how much trouble I’m having finalizing it. I actually don’t hate my logo, but I cannot get the rest of the site’s design to work. This is why I took design off my things I do and focus only on the code side of web dev….
LOVE that approach. I find that when someone comes to me with a logo, the entire rest of the site is such a snap! I always ponder afterward why I bother agonizing over graphic design at all (I’m simply not as passionate about it, which sucks the fun out until I get to the nougat-y coding center of the site). It’s one of the reasons I now take only clients who have previously been referred by another client (it seems to help set expectations well). Once I’m done with my new design’s launch, I’ll strip it down to the essential elements and have that as my first blog template to sell on the SWTD site, which will solve many of the problems my DIY blog clients have asked for. Lots of luck with your designer’s block! I know it’s a pain, but the sense of accomplishment for a job well done is pretty sweet.