Tutorial Details
- Program: Illustrator
- Difficulty: Beginner
My name is Jacob Cass and I am a logo designer, web designer and graphic designer from Sydney, Australia and in this article I will guide you through the process of creating the logo for one of my recent clients, Ultimate Potential. This article offers insights into, not only the thought process behind creating the logo, but also the creation of the logo itself.
1. The Logo Design Process
When one creates a logo, they should follow a logo design process to ensure that the final design suits the needs of the clients (not their wants)… I have written about the logo design process of professional logo designers in full on my site however here is the usual logo design process in short:
- Design Brief: Conduct a questionnaire or interview with the client to get the design brief.
- Research: Conduct research focused on the industry itself, on its history, and on its competitors.
- Reference: Conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that may be related to the design brief.
- Sketching and Conceptualizing: Develop the logo design concept(s) around the brief and research.
- Reflection: Take breaks throughout the design process. This lets your ideas mature and helps you get renewed enthusiasm and receive feedback.
- Positioning: Position yourself as a contractor or build a long lasting relationship. ie. Client tells you what to do or you guide the client to the best solution. The latter is usually best.
- Presentation: Choose to present only a select few logos to the client or a whole collection. Presenting only the best is recommended.
- Celebration: Drink beer, eat chocolate, sleep, start on the next logo design. Or a combination.
2. Final Logo Design
Below is the final logo design for Ultimate Potential. Read on to learn about the process in creating this design.
3. Getting The Job
Michelle Van Otten, the business owner of Ultimate Potential, contacted me earlier this year (who found me through my blog) and she wanted to rebrand and make over their old business identity (which used to be called Ultimate Body Potential) starting with their logo and then her website. Also, If you are having trouble finding jobs, then check out this article on where to find design jobs.
After a few initial emails clarifying Michelle’s needs, I sent Michelle a four page logo design questionnaire, (PDF) which was promptly filled out. I then sent her a proposal and an agreement (I never call it a contract) and then received a 50% deposit via PayPal. I also sent her a web design questionnaire for the website design, but that is for another article.
4. The Design Brief
After Michelle had filled out the questionnaire, I had most of the information that I needed to start on the logo design. There were a few other emails clarifying things but basically all the information was there.
Here is a bit of background information on Ultimate Potential:
Ultimate Potential is a life balance business that offers a variety of services that improves ones lifestyle, body and mind. Ultimate Potential offers workshops, camps, programs, personal training, life training and more.
After reading through Michelle’s completed logo questionnaire, I found in short that Michelle wanted a logo that portrayed her whole business model and she needed it to demonstrate: “energy, wellness, vitality, life balance, upwards mobility, and spirit.” She also requested to see if the initials U and P could be incorporated into the logo.
This was the old logo that was to re branded into Ultimate Potential, minus the word BODY.
5. Research
Upon receiving the initial 50% deposit for the logo and signed contract agreement, I then started researching what was needed for the project. This included looking up Michelle’s competitors (that she provided and my findings), researching the industry and searching for other logos in the industry, among other things.
Research is a critical stage in the logo design process, as this ensures that your logo will differ from the competitors and it also sets a benchmark – your logo must be better than all of the competitors.
6. Sketching and Development
The next stage of the project was developing the logo. Developing the logo design concept is where creativity comes into play. Based on the design brief and research conducted, this is where I let my ideas run wild. I brainstormed and sketched down my ideas and then experimented with them on the computer. I also had breaks between these sessions so I could reflect on the designs and have a fresh perspective on the job at hand, which is a crucial part of the process when when designing a logo.
The challenge that I had when creating the Ultimate Potential logo was trying to incorporate “energy, wellness, vitality, life balance, upwards mobility, spirit” all into one logo while also trying to get the initials U and P into the logo too.
Below you will find one of the original pages of sketches that I did for the Ultimate Potential logo… I know I am no Picasso but it is the end result that matters. Find circled where I originally got the idea for the final logo. Remember that there is no such thing as a bad idea when brainstorming.
7. Computer Generation
As you can see in the circled sketch above, I had the idea of using the letters U and P to make up a human figure jumping or springing in the air. After I had this general idea in my head, I experimented with the concept in Adobe Illustrator. Below you can see six of my many experiments.
Take note that no color has been added to any of the designs. This is to ensure the design works in one color only. Check out the 10 Principles of Logo Design Masters.
I ended up choosing the bottom left logo (below) for the final logo design. This shape subtly hints on the initials U and P, but not in a blatantly obvious manner. The shape also portrays an abstract man, jumping or springing into the air reflecting energy, wellness, vitality, life balance, upwards mobility and spirit.
8. Typeface
Now that I had the general concept and a logo I was happy with, it was time to show Michelle the logo…
Michelle was extremely happy with the logo itself so it was now time to see how the logo could work with the text Ultimate Potential. I experimented with a variety of layouts and typefaces to see what would work best and I also let Michelle have her input into what typeface she thought worked best. Below you can see just some, of many, different typefaces we tried and circled in red, the typeface we chose Lacuna Italic, which was chosen for it’s forward, clean, energetic, legible, fresh nature – one that reflects the business model as a whole.
9. Color
Now that we had a typeface and logo concept for Ultimate Potential, it was now time to choose the colors for the logo. Below you can see just one 3 color combination variation of the many that we tried. In the end we chose not to finalize the logo color until I had put the website together.
Below you can see the old website and then below that, the new website. The new website is still being developed so it is not the final design, but it should be quite similar (the rocks image won’t be there for example).
10. Old Website
11. New Website
12. Final Logo
Now that the websites colors were sorted, it was now time to choose some colors for the logo. These colors had to compliment the website and also had to make the logo look great on its own.
In the end a dark and light green combination was chosen. These colors give the business a sense of fresh energy and wellness while the abstract logo of the man jumping shows upwards mobility symbolizing vitality and overall happiness, which is the goal of Ultimate Potential itself. And hey, it even managed to subtly sneak in the initials U and P.
You can see the completed logo below. If you would like to read more about my design process please head over to my website to check out the featured articles. Thank you!
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Very nice, good to see the entire design process every now and then.
Great tutorial and the final logo looks amazing
Thank you for the opportunity to write for Vector Tuts! :)
A great process there, and I really like the redesign: logo and website.
I tend to follow the same sort of process, sketching lots of ideas before selecting a couple designs to create in Illustrator
That’s exactly what I need. Thanks! =)
that was awesome and nice work flow :D
well done
its really interesting to watch how someone else’s designs come together from start to finish.
thanks wonderful tips and guidelines
must read
nice website =) and tut. is good too
the topography could use some work.
I like the tutorial although I really dislike the font in the logo. It looks like you took a glyph and put it in Microsoft Word with a bit of text. Just my $0.02.
Very informative. I had some difficult creating a logo for a client recently, and I know this will come in handy in the near future. Thanks!
sure you didnt just nab the idea from here:
http://www.ultimatepotentialfitness.com/
Very detailed…. :D
..and it considers all possibilities of the logo’s variations.
The website transformaton looks even more amazing. xD
Nice Tut! thanks!
Nice one Jacob…. every details looks fine. but it seems little bit odd to see everything in so short. Anyway nice writing!
Nice job Jacob. I always enjoy your work. Very Awesome
One of your best articles Jacob, I always love when designers try to break down their workflow and explain it to others.
It looks like a side view of a big cartoon eye and nose…
Good Call!!! Giving a chance to show how graphic designers work process works… It´s an excellent way to demonstrate to prospects and clients the real value of design. Greetings.
Nice work!
There are good points here, but the process itself is amateur.
I never call it a contract either! It intimidates people. I call mine a Working Agreement.
In general, when I am presenting something to a client I only recommend options that I would be satisfied with. Type and color options are usually limited to 2 or 3 options. I tend to make the decisions based on the clients objective. If they want something different then they will say.
I really like your article. Nice overview!
This are the tutorials that I want to see. Very good, and thanks for share.
This is an helpful and basical lessons.
Good job! ;)
Jonathan,
Although I feature all of the design options in this article I don’t actually present these to the client, in case you were under that impression. I only present the refined design which in this case was actually the final logo. Also, the phrase ‘working agreement’ is quite useful, I might start to use this myself, thank you :)
It was a nice writing but the outcome is not so good. I think he is much better blogger than logo designer.
Thank u for this! Very nice too see the process, step by step! However, and this is just my opinion, I don’t like the logo itself. When I look at it then the first thing I see is some crazy eye! ;)
Nice job on the redesign of the website jacob.
This will help me as i enter the GFX design field in a year :P
Wow, awesome tutorial/article. You know, everything you wrote is so basic and simple, but then we always forget about some of this things. Thanks for your article. It was very informative and interesting. After reading this article I headed to your website, and loved it. You got yourself a new regular reader.
Thanks for taking the time of showing your techniques and work to all of us still “learning”. I’ve always wanted to know the design process that professionals use.
Best of wishes.
Jacob, a fantastic tutorial and guide. Again!
RSS subscriber to JCD and so already following your articles but it’s nice to see you pop up on VectorTuts too. Love the depth you shared in this project and certainly picked up a helpful tip or three.
Thank you!
Alex | Zen Elements
Thank you for this. I struggle with logo design sometimes; it’s one of my weaknesses and I always seem to overthink it, but this article has given me some great insight to de-stress the process.
Great Jacob ;)
I have write a couple of months ago a post about logo tutorials but i didn’t find a lot of nice and useful stuff about design a logo.
So thanks Jacob for this useful tut, and i hope to see more of this kind of tuts!!!
greetz
http://www.opensourcehunter.com/2009/01/15/two-ebooks-give-away-at-opensourcehunter/
The Logo is very similar to the Freddy one: http://www.freddy.it/
Good job!
Thank you!!
looks a lot like this company’s logo:
http://www.vitalinsightgroup.com/
Greeeeaaaatttt ! I would like to see more articles like this !
Thx !
I love the idea of the logo and website questionaire, just brilliant. I don’t know why I never thought of one before now.
Can you complaining idiots do it better? Shut up and leave if you are unhappy!
Well laid out tut, thanks.
nice… was searching 4 this 1 GREAT!!!! thanks 4 posting ths kind of article /)
Meh, http://www.ultimatepotentialfitness.com/ nuff said. Also the logotype is terrible.
50 different colourings for the logo? What sort of hack are you?
I love seeing the methods are designers use to pick a final logo, very usefull.
Holy crap! That is the fugliest logo I’ve ever seen! This guy doesn’t know what he’s doing, and shouldn’t be teaching this stuff.
Ummmm yeah…. coulda been better.
Great addition! Any reason the site isn’t using your design and logo yet? Still has the old look.
Dude! I know that you Googled the name to find out what is out there, but come on! This is just a refined rip-off!
http://www.ultimatepotentialfitness.com/
I love haters.
LOL The logo and the ultimate potential fitness logo do not look alike to me. I actually like the one he made. It fits the business nicely. All of you complaining about it, let’s see you do a better one.
Cool