From natural product brands to legacy social impact organizations, a brand logo doesn’t just *waves hands wildly* appear. But it does beg the question: what type of brand-building sorcery goes on behind the curtain?
There’s no curtain. Or sorcery (sorry). But there are a lot of open Google Chrome/Safari tabs and a ton of sketching and tinkering.
Q: Every brand and logo project is different, but (very) generally speaking, what’s your process like?
Before I start sketching, I research the client and their competitors and look for non-category inspiration to get a high-level, well-rounded sense of where the brand could go. I always like to try to envision where they aspire to be as they grow in the future.
Q: Where do you find brand or logo inspiration, and how do you push yourself to iterate?
I try to work in a space away from my computer. It can be tempting to start digitally refining an idea immediately, but I find it’s better to try sketching for a while to explore my options. I try to fill up several sheets of paper with rough ideas, and then when I find something I like, I’ll get out the tracing paper and refine one idea repeatedly.
Q: Most of us at Vermilion have an endless desire to refine and tinker. How do you know when to call it?
Once I start refining an idea, I make many copies so I’m free to iterate and explore, knowing I can always return to earlier versions. Usually, I can tell when I’m belaboring the details or pushing it too far. It always helps to grab someone else in the studio to see what resonates with them.
Q: When you’re not sketching for work, what would we find you sketching or creating?
You’ll find me trying to make my kids laugh by drawing ridiculous things like roller-skating alligators, sketching out plans for the house, or doing other little art projects. For some reason, I use loose scraps of paper rather than a sketchbook, so it can get a little hard to manage where they all end up.