Creating Icons
Over the last week I have been tasked mostly with designing logos. The logo for any company bears gigantic responsibilities because it has to catch people’s attention and get them interested in the company behind the logo. It needs to stand out amidst a sea of other icons and grab the public’s attention. I can say for a fact that there have been times where the design of a logo has influenced my decision to buy from a brand. Sometimes the logo has pushed me away from the company and sometimes it has pulled me toward it. As a designer I know that I notice intricacies more than the general public but great design definitely draws in customers. Ultimately, that is what I have been trying to do as I design logos for clients.
One concept that I have been using over and over in my logo design is simplicity. A lot of times logos are just glanced at. Most people probably see more logos driving down commercial areas of town than any other time during the day. If you think about the ones that stick with you in your mind they are probably pretty simple ones because the details of complicated ones get lost in your memory banks. Within the design of the logo I want to relay as much information as possible with the least amount of detail. The best way to do that is to get creative with the icon and make something that people will think is clever.
Before this internship I had relatively little experience with designing logos. When I was a senior at WSUV I created the current logo for the Alexa Dyer Foundation and before that I did some mock ups of logos for Open House Ministries. Most of my logo design work has occurred here at Elliott design and I feel like I have improved a lot since I started. Designing logos has given me a lot of time experimenting with abstract shapes. It is incredibly fun to open up a new document in Illustrator and start playing with shapes to see what happens, then work them into something usable in a logo.
Designing logos at Elliott Design has taught me a lot about good design in just the past two weeks. I have learned some new techniques from my coworkers and I have hastened up my workflow. I am always excited to see what I get to work on next and hopefully one of my designs will be approved and used soon.
Later,
Kyle Hinze
