The emphasis on branding has created a booming market on logo design. As a people tend to look at pictures before they read text, it is easier to establish a name with a carefully designed logo than a few paragraphs of text. Because of the need to properly estimate the cost of a good logo, it helps to understand the process of how artists design logos. The process is not as mysterious as some would think, but it is also something that requires a little bit of training and study.

The first step is to list what qualities the company in question is looking to advertise, and read up on the company’s history. Logos can express a number of different traits, and knowing which traits need to be emphasized helps to define some limits on the logo. The company also gains something from being linked to its past, even when there is a compete shake-up going on; even a small link to the company’s past allows it to take advantage of any history it may have. This research stage can take anywhere from a few hours to a week as the designer gets a feel for the company, and may involve a trip to the actual company as needed.

These factors guide the designer as he designs a number of basic designs. The first designs are done up as quick sketches which are then shown to the client so that the client can pick three or four of them to be fully fleshed out. These designs are done in different styles, such as grayscale, color, and as line art, so that the client can see what they would look like in different print media. If requested an animated version of the logo may be designed using to see what it would look like in video presentations. Of these designs one will be chosen or the process will repeat itself.

These design stages are followed for most logos. There are exceptions, such as those inspired by coffee stains, but in general logos can take anywhere from a day or two or even weeks in cases of the largest companies. After all, the logo will be the center of the company’s branding efforts, and it pays to make sure that the logo that will represent the company will not disgrace it. Designing logos may seem like a carefree process, but there is a lot of care and consideration that goes into even the simplest logo.