How To Get Inspired for Logo Design – 15 Great Tips

Door globecom op zo, 2014-12-28 14:28

Once you’ve taken on a logo design project, it can be hard to get enough inspiration at the right times. Inspiration is hard to call forward when you really need it. In this article we’ll give you some valuable tips on how to make it happen. Hopefully you’ll walk away from this with some new tools that can be helpful.

Let’s have a closer look!

Talking to the client properly

Image by ilco

If you have an open mind while chatting to the client you’re doing the work for, you may get a lot of “free” inspiration from that. Remember to take notes and write down keywords that they keep mentioning when they talk about how they want the logo to be. Ask them about what they’d like to see, and equally important – what they DON’T want to see. Do a brainstorming session together and don’t be too tied up in rules and your pre-stored opinions.

Look at competitors

Ask who their biggest competitors are and have a look around on your own. Look at the competitors and see how their logos are. Does that specific niche use standardized colors or fonts. How can your client stand out? Get ideas and make sure you come up with something that stands out.

Brainstorming

A pure brainstorming-session can be very useful to any creative. An example of how to do it can be to write down a few of the words that the client uses to describe the business you’re designing for and add associations you’re getting. Write down anything that pops into your head and you can get many nice ideas from this one alone. It can be a great platform to keep building on.

Sketch it up

Image by dubbyahsee

Once you have an idea of what the end result should be like, you need to start sketching up some suggestions. Don’t be too hung up on quality at this stage. Play around with various elements, colors and fonts. You’ll quickly get a much better idea of what works and what doesn’t. Print out some of the ideas as it sometimes is easier to “see” the logos when they’re on actual paper. This is also a good stage to talk again to your client, to make sure you’re not going any further with a design that they’re not wanting.

Logo galleries and showcases

There are many good logo galleries out there that display tons of logos with all types of colors, elements and themes. A lot of great inspiration can be found these places and many design blogs feature showcase posts as well.

Some examples of logo galleries: Logopond, Lo8os, Creattica, Logo Faves, Logo Heroes.

Some showcase posts to have a closer look at:

Browsing web designs

Browsing web designs can give you great input when it comes to all aspects of the design. By seeing the logos they’re using, how they’re implemented with the website and give you many ideas for both design and usability.

Taking a few hours off

Image by Michael Faes

It’s important to let your mind get busy with other things besides that one design project. By scheduling a few hours off during the process, you’ll be able to recharge a bit. And, as weird as it may sound, that time off can help you find even more inspiration. Maybe something catches your eye while you’re at the store, hiking in the woods or watching TV. This is definitely something you should give a try!

Reading blogs

Reading blogs related to graphic design can be a huge source of inspiration. Browsing through web design elements, inspirational showcases and the like, can expose you to many new ways of thinking. Many tips that are given on some of these blogs can be translated into your own design process.

Doing tutorials

By doing tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator etc. you will gain new skills while being inspired. When learning new things it’s very common to immediately think of how these can be implemented into what you’re currently working on. Never underestimate the power of learning some new tricks. Even if you’ve used a specific software for many years, there’s always something new to learn.

Some great websites to start browsing for tutorials are: PSD tuts+, Vector tuts+, Tutorialized, Good-Tutorials.

Make multiple versions

Image by Dani Simmonds

When you have a couple of specific ideas that you are going to work with, it’s an extra source to inspiration to try out a few different options. Keep playing with colors and elements just as you’d usually do earlier in the process. Just by tweaking a color a little bit or moving an element a few pixels can do a huge change to the overall impression. You’ll get a bit of practice and get inspired as you go.

Look at package designs

Package designs give you ideas of how different types of logos work with packaging and can give very valuable inspiration and new ideas.

Feedback and tips from others

By reading blogs, you’ll learn tips from other creatives, but don’t forget that it’s important to have a network of people that you can talk to more personally than just commenting on blog posts. Every now and then you can help them by giving feedback and get the same in return. By getting a few simple tips and a second opinion, you’ll see that your inspiration gets a new boost and can help you take the design even further.

Feedback from clients

Image by Dominik Gwarek

As mentioned several times, feedback from your clients is really important. While talking to them it’s easier to come up with new ideas related to what they want and what you already have. They don’t have the limitations you sometimes have, as they’re not familiar with the software, which can mean many new ideas. Sometimes they can help you get further when you’re stuck. Good communication with the client can really be helpful and should not be underestimated.

Do other projects

Taking a few hours off is as mentioned many times a good way of getting new inspiration. Another thing that can be very helpful is to switch to another of your projects if you feel that your well of ideas runs dry. By doing other design work you can find yourself getting both a break from that project and additionally draw inspiration from something completely different.

Letting it rest a bit

Many times when we look back at previous designs, we see things we could’ve solved better. By giving yourself a day or two completely off that project, you can experience to see new aspects of it when you get back to it. When we’re working on one single project for too long, it can be hard to keep a clear and fresh mind.

Conclusion

Creating that special logo for a client can bring many challenges your way. It’s rarely as easy as just drawing out the logo within an hour or two. Hopefully this article can help you get valuable inspiration.

Good luck with your designs!