OUGD602: Design Process Development

I've been looking online to find methods which will evolve my design process. I work in identity as part of my practice, so looking at how other professionals deal with the logo design process can inform my own.

http://www.logoonlinepros.com/blog/questions-for-logo-design/

"Designing a logo requires absolute and clear knowledge of the message. Not only is this imperative to the design and creation of brand identity, it can be a difficult task if not performed right. In order to be one with the client you need ask the right questions. 

Wrong questions, when asked repeatedly and at length can put off the client halfway through the questionnaire. Don’t do this. Neither do you want to look stupid nor do you want to overwhelm the client. 

If you ask the right type of questions, you will get what you need. On the other hand, if you don’t you can land yourself in a big mess, wasting hours designing what the client is not looking for. 

After years of work, I can conclude with confidence that it’s no fun designing with wrong information" 

Company

When you are to decide what questions to ask when designing a logo, do take into consideration all that details that you require to know about the company you are designing for. Such as:

1. Name of the company
2. What products and services does your company provide?
3. Why should I choose your company over your competitors?
4. How long have you been in the business?
5. Why was your company founded?
6. What was the motivation to start your company?
7. What companies are your competitors (direct and indirect)?
8. What is the size of your company?
9. Where do you see the company in 5 years? Or 10 years?
10. What is the vision, mission and objective of the company?

Brand

All the questions that you have to ask in order to design a winning logo are not related to how it will look. To deliver a complete logo, you need to understand the brand, its image and message. Here are a few questions that will get you to it:

1. Do you have a current logo?
2. What message does it give out to your audience?
3. What do you want your company to be known for?
4. Describe your company with one (adjective) word? Why this word?
5. If your audience had to describe your company in one word, what would that be? And why?
6. What does your audience recognize when they first look at your logo?
7. What are your reasons for redesigning and modifying current logo?
8. Why do you use the color, text, style that you use?
9. What is the positioning of your company?
10. Do you want to include a slogan or a tagline in the logo design? 

Design

Most of the time client has less to no idea when it comes to design. Whether it’s the color, font or even a slogan, they don’t know much. These questions will help you with that process:

1. Where will the logo be used?
2. What color palettes do you have in mind? Why?
3. In your opinion, what is a good logo design?
4. Do you have any elements in mind that you want to use?
5. What logos do you like?
6. What logos do you dislike?
7. What will the design be centered at? In terms of words and icons.
8. What do you think is the purpose of a logo?
9. Are there any restrictions and limitations? For example no red and circular designs.
10. Is the logo design a long term plan or event based? 

Audience

When asking questions, be sure to know your audience. Companies that have a good idea of how they want to position the brand, focus more on what the audience want and who they are. Here’s a sample list of questions:

1. Who is your main consumer of the product/service?
2. What income bracket do they fall in?
3. Who is the current user of your service?
4. What range of audience do you serve?
5. Will your target audience be modified? Or will it remain the same?
6. What plan are you executing for your target audience (advertising platform)?
7. What gender are you targeting?
8. What is the location of your audience?
9. Is there a specific age group you are focusing on?
10. How do your consumers find you?
 

Budget & Time

To hit the hammer down with force on budget, time and scope of work, you need to have a good understanding of it. Your logo design depends heavily on the following questions:

1. How much money are you willing to dedicate to this logo design?
2. What is the deadline for this project?
3. Are you looking to complete the ive designs before any special event or occasion?
4. How many revisions do you prefer?
5. How many initial concepts are you looking for?
6. What exact purpose are you looking to achieve with the your company’s logo design?
7. How flexible is the timeline?
8. Would you require any modifications to the designs in near future?
9. What is most important to you; quality, speed or cost? Pick one
10. Would you require more services after the logo design?