A fool-proof logo design process

Every time I’m in a situation like this, where my client approves a design with no (or only minor) revisions, I’m always shocked.

But it ultimately comes down to a proven design process that I continue to refine every time.

💙 My Logo Design Process 💙

👀 DISCOVERY - Facilitate a research interview with your client as your celebrity guest. Get to know everything you can about their business, their audience, their challenges, what success looks like for them, etc.

👩🏻‍💻 RESEARCH: Immerse yourself in their industry and get familiar with the competition. Who is the audience? What are their biggest needs and pain points?

🎨 VISUAL ALIGNMENT: Now it’s time to put your visual design skills to work. Curate 2-3 distinct moodboards to help both you and your client align on a similar vocabulary and make design choices together.

🗺 EXPLORATION: 80% of the work has been done at this point. Now it’s pulling it all together and iterating 1000+ versions of a logo mark. Sketch while you’re watching tv, right before bed, during lunch, whatever works. (I always recommend starting with pen and paper and refining as much as you can before moving into your design software.)

👯‍♀️ PRESENTATION: Arguably the most important phase of the process. Take your time to tell a story. Recap the steps you took together to arrive at these designs. Showcase the work by using mock-ups and demonstrate versatility (using an icon for social media vs. the full logo on a billboard).

What does your design process look like? Similar? Different? Let me know in the comments!