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A logotype is an expression of the essential substance of a particular company, institution, or organisation, of an idea, a special occasion, or a product. Logos are visual signs, and their form comes from the object they depict or from related associations. Geometric or natural forms can inspire logotype designs. For example, the environment could be symbolised by a stylised leaf. Other sources are scientific symbols, heraldic forms, or visual representations of the word in question. The locality of a subject might be important enough to be pictured. Purely naturalistic forms, however, are rarely effective. A logo can also be developed from a company's initials or the name of the product. Logos that are made up of letters, monograms, and lettering of any kind demand the same treatment as pictorial symbols. There must be contrast and tension. Interior space and spaces between shapes carry as much weight as the shapes themselves, and all the graphic elements have to form a unit. A logo should be more than a conglomeration of unrelated elements that are held together by a border. It is, of course, possible to combine letters and pictorial elements in a single logo. Certain letters provoke associations such as a feeling of lightness or weight. Use these associations as well as any other emotional messages the forms may carry. The following principles apply for all logos, pictorial or based on letters: A logo must be easily recognisable; it has to be simple and memorable. The purpose of the logo should influence its form. Most graphic forms of advertisement are based on or include the logo of the subject; the logo usually appears on letterheads, brochures, labels, packaging, and delivery vans. It may be necessary to render it in varied materials, such as cardboard, plaster, glass, metal, fabric, or even neon. The technical requirements and restrictions of work in any of these materials must be taken into consideration from the earliest stages of design, since it is obvious that printing, embossing, punching, casting, or weaving require distinctly different approaches. Variations may be necessary if the same logo is to be executed in techniques as different as engraving in steel or modelling in plaster. It is rare, however, that one design has to fit such diverse requirements; more commonly it is enough to satisfy the following requirements. All details should still be visible if the logo is reduced to 5 millimetres. Unlimited enlargement should be possible, though a variation of stroke thickness might be necessary for very large versions. The logo has to be reproducible in black and white and positive or negative, and it is useful if a representation in several colours is programmed into the design, but it is rarely feasible to concentrate on colour exclusively. It has to stand on its own as well as fit into a frame. Consider the possibility of relief or free-standing sculpture. Logos are protected by law. A new design must be original and may not create associations with already existing ones. The simpler the design, the harder to avoid this problem. Logos are subject to fashion. The taste of the public changes in the field of graphic art almost as quickly as when it comes to hem lengths. Since the logo is an essential element of all graphic design pertaining to a product, it should be changed only if absolutely necessary, and then only gradually, especially if old and established products are concerned. Some logos are developed from the name of a product or a company. The letterforms should be chosen in relation to the particular product or company; the letters must form a word that stands on its own as a composition, and the word must stand out among other text elements. Again, the design must be easy to remember. To ensure that the word can be read easily, the letterforms must never be modified beyond their basic characteristics. Logos may be executed with pen or brush as well as with type, but the field of application is more limited, because calligraphic forms cannot be transferred so easily to other media. To get started designing a logo, make a number of preliminary sketches. If one of these looks promising, play with it in a small format of about 5 to 6 centimetres in black and white. Make sure that you try all the possibilities you can imagine. New ideas or at least new points of view will surface during the process. Choose the best sketches and draw them more carefully at a larger scale - about 15 to 20 centimetres high. Now check to see if a photographic reduction to 5 millimetres still renders clear details. Lettering in a Circle Sometimes you may want a circular arrangement of letters. To balance the amount of text with the diameter of the circle, it may be preferable to arrange short texts in two semicircles. Capitals usually work best, because they create a more pronounced ribbon effect. |
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