The Evolution of a Logo (I Can Live With)
Jun 19th, 08One of the most frustrating things for me since I started writing on this blog was the lack of a logo I really loved. That’s not to say I haven’t tried. But logo design, to me, is kind of a thing all it’s own and I’m just not very good at it. But I know someone who is! I’ve always enjoyed seeing David Airey’s posts (and sketches) about his process in conceptualizing a logo for any given client. Really cool stuff.
Usually I just throw something together in Photoshop that I think looks cool (at the time). Then after a few weeks or months, I discover things about it I don’t like. It could be that designer sickness of wanting to change it because I’m bored or because I can, but it hit me the other day that it’s probably because I never spent the time to do what David does - brainstorm ideas.
So with that in mind I sat down with my good friend and fellow designer Joci, who recently made the jump from web to print, and now designs catalog layouts for the very cool Sierra Trading Post. Together we pushed around a lot of ideas. Nothing on paper (what can I say I’m a fool for Photoshop), but many concepts.
First and foremost I wanted to stick with a sans-serif font. I’m naturally drawn to simple and generally “softer” fonts. Weathered fonts are an exception. In contradiction to that statement, I sometimes go for elegant fonts like Zapfino (as seen in my existing logo), which is one of my favorites. It’s much to busy, however, for what I wanted to convey with Design Adaptations.
My biggest priority aside from using a sans-serif font was versatility. The final product had to play nice with any design genre I could possibly throw at it (grunge, grids and gradients, oh my!) and had to come across well no matter what background color, texture or pattern was behind it. That, and it had to look good in print. Tall order, I know.
Then I happened across Chris Merritt’s site Pixelight Creative, and immediately liked the logo. It’s eye-catching and unpretentious. It also met the criteria on my list. I decided to try my hand, selecting Optima this time. I think you’ll agree my first version was a bit TOO simple. Back to the drawing board.
At some point Joci suggested mixing the fonts. I cringed at first, but the result took us in an unexpected direction and we ran with it. Optima ended up being too heavy to mix with Zapfino, so we played around with some variants of Gill Sans, used Photoshop’s transform tool to tweak the G and D, and adjusted the kerning accordingly.
I liked where it was going, but something still wasn’t right. The G looked funny and the words didn’t flow together well. At first glance it resembled the word ‘designate’. We tried a few more ideas, and ended up with some funky looking logos, like the one below (right). It’s ok, I know what you’re thinking… ick! ;) 
We took a break and decided we were just trying too hard. It was beginning to feel forced and that’s never good. We back-tracked quite a bit. Then the logo on Boxes and Arrows gave us a great idea, and after more experimentation we ended up with something that looked MUCH better.
We were close, but some refining was needed. The visual separation created by the icon was a nice transition between words. It also made the logo “pop”, drawing the eye and doing a better job of incorporating the blue I’ve always loved and used here.
A dark outer glow and a quick brush splatter on the box did the trick. Funny how the smallest details can make such a huge difference. I think I finally have a logo I can live with! It filled the order too. If I want to change color schemes, I can simply change the rounded box color to match. If I want to use a light background instead of dark, the font will sustain that. And if I want to go from grunge to grandeur, I think this logo can roll with it. 
Something about the G still bugs me a little, but overall I’m happy with the final result. Not ready to go live yet though. I’m sure Lauren and few others will shake their heads and wonder about me, but I’m seriously considering another redesign. That’s a post for another day though. ;)
I totally identify with your original notions. My previous “logos” (they weren’t really that though) stemmed from the design, when I redesigned it really didn’t fit anymore. I sketched and sketched, but still haven’t come up with something.
I really liked the simplicity of the optima one, but maybe too simple for you, going from zapfino (which I love too, by the way).
Jun 19, 08 | 5:45 pmDefinitely a good end result! Thanks for sharing this and a couple of inspiration links too. I like the textured background you’ve presented the final on too.
You made a good logo or should I say design for your blog. And also thanks for sharing those links, I got some very useful information.
Jun 19, 08 | 11:12 pmWhy would I shake my head at you? Well, I guess because I think that this design is really good. I like the way you’ve organized the information. So maybe more of a reskinning than a complete redesign? And I’m glad you like that blue so much; I do too and it would be a shame to get rid of it!
Perhaps what is bugging you about the g is that its curve doesn’t match the d?
Jun 20, 08 | 10:23 am@kristarella - Thanks, that background is actually part of the current header. :) I was drawn to the Optima-only version at first too! I was even ready to settle on it but when we changed the two letters to Zapfino, something about it stuck and after that, the former looked too plain I guess.
@Martin - Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks! It was actually a fun process to work with someone else again (it’s been a long time since I collaborated on anything), and a fun article to write too.
@Lauren - Because I’m sick and I know it! ;) I don’t know why you came to mind, but I immediately thought “Oh boy Lauren’s gonna give me a hard time if she reads this!” Joci suggested the same thing when I mentioned the word redesign. Mostly I just want the site (or should I say home page) to be less blog-focused, and I want to incorporate some texture throughout. I’m happy with the color scheme as is so maybe ‘redesign’ isn’t the best word. One other thing though… I think the layout needs to be opened up. The main content column feels too narrow sometimes and it’s a very boxy design in general don’t you think?
On the G, I’m not sure! I think it’s the bowl (?) of the letter, and how it slants away from the I, creating a V space. It also seems a little squished. I’ve looked at it way too much so it could just be me.
Jun 20, 08 | 11:44 amI think I realised at some point that the texture was up there, but because I never use my browser at full screen I usually only see slivers on either side of the blue section.
Maybe it is that you’ve looked at it too much, I can’t see any annoying things.
Jun 21, 08 | 6:18 pmI really like your current design too, and agree with Lauren when she suggests more of a ‘reskinning’ than a complete overhaul.
I’m also wanting to re-design my own website, perhaps because I’ve been looking at it too long, and I reckon I can show a more professional design. Ah for the time.
Regarding your logo, did your choice to adapt the ‘g’ and ‘d’ have anything to do with ‘g’raphic ‘d’esign? That’s what sprund to mind for me. Personally, I prefer your logotype to be using the same typeface in each word, but appreciate you showing us all a glimpse of your process. Great stuff. :)
Jun 25, 08 | 9:06 amI think the logo that you are using now is fantastic.
Jun 27, 08 | 12:30 amThanks for showing some creative guys….
As said by Kristarella,
Jun 28, 08 | 12:01 amI too feel the same thing…
to say my opinion the last logo appears to be simple and great…
You made a very good logo for your blogs. I like it much better.
Jun 29, 08 | 3:04 pmYou do have a nice logo - however I have to say my favourate is your second, simple version… I think it just fits in with the overall design and look of your blog (or maybe it’s just that i’m not much of a fan of scripty fonts!) :)
Jul 2, 08 | 3:10 amI also wanting to re-design my own website, perhaps because I’ve been looking at it too long, and I reckon I can show a more professional design. Ah for the time.I really liked this simplicity.
Jul 15, 08 | 12:41 amI’m going to be critical and say I’m not too crazy about the logo you ended up with. Just a personal opinion, since I was never a fan of script fonts and mixing up fonts in the same word (the “g” and “d” in your case) as you also mentioned. Did the idea of tweaking the sans serif letters into something more ornamental ever cross your mind?
Besides that I love the square graphic. I know the difficulties one has in designing for him or herself; after many many iterations I’m deciding to just stick with my name (even though I try now and then, I come back to this decision). Of course, with a company name you need a logo, so thanks for sharing your process & best of luck with your final choice!
Jul 29, 08 | 2:29 pmThanks for the feedback all - much appreciated.
@Jason - Thank your for your candor. That actually had not crossed my mind, but I recently watched a tutorial on editing font styles in Photoshop, so maybe I’ll play with the idea a bit. As it stands, the new logo won’t be making an appearance for a while, because I have not had the time to even sketch a layout for a redesign (to my disappointment). So for that reason, nothing is set.
It’s funny though, looking at this post again - I’m digging the second (and simplest) version a lot. Maybe just a slant on ‘adaptations’ would be enough to nail it. We’ll see I guess… :)
Jul 31, 08 | 10:54 amWow! Your logo’s are beautiful. Thanks for giving us ideas about getting a good logo.
Aug 11, 08 | 5:52 amThe design is great and the logo looks very good too, but I’d just stick with the “too simple” one because a) it is easy to read and b) remember which is what I would be looking for in a logo to promote my blog. I’m not that good at photoshoppinig, but I really love what you’ve done here :).
Aug 11, 08 | 3:06 pmOverall I like your final choice in logo, something about the backgound transition really made it look a lot better. Personally The ‘g’ may be a bit over the top, maybe goes a bit too far out. Other than that a great choice.
Aug 13, 08 | 10:57 pmLogos are hard! I always struggle with picking fonts. It takes a lot of trial and error and time spent in between taking breaks so that you can look at it again with fresh eyes. I’m better at picking colors, but even then, it’s highly subjective and you have to consider your audience and the feel you are trying to convey.
I like your logo BTW!
Aug 23, 08 | 12:44 amThese are creative steps!! I love your logo design, looks so professional and has a v nice contrast with your blog design!
Sep 4, 08 | 8:05 amWow! I really like your logo. You are really so creative. Cheers!
Sep 9, 08 | 6:22 pmI like the style of that logo. It’s very clean, Easy to read and presentable.
Sep 19, 08 | 8:51 amYour logo is pretty nice! I like it.
Sep 24, 08 | 4:52 pmYou are a very creative and talented person. Your logo is one of the best logo I’ve ever seen.
Oct 8, 08 | 10:27 am