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RSSLogos: They’re everywhere! From a simple font treatment to an ornate masterpiece Picaso would admire, logos visually represent you and your company, and trigger that switch in the back of your customers heads, leading them to think, “Hey–I know that logo!”
Logo design is a lot more than just doodling with fancy text–it’s a statement, a visual handshake, if you will, that introduces you to the world without you ever having to show your face. It’s like a visual first impression. In fact, in the sea of logos we’re bombarded with daily, most people only spend milliseconds looking at them. The bottom line: you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
This is where we graphic designers come in: we spend our days lost in imagination only come back to create some of the most iconic symbols known to man. Just think about the powerful bright yellow “M” arch of McDonalds; the simple Apple logo for Apple computer; and of course one of the easiest logos recognize–the Nike “swoosh.” All of these are symbols known around the world, all conceptualized by a graphic designer.
I call it “right brain interpretations of left brain perceptions.” What this means in a nutshell is that most designers are right brained–you know, creative, imaginative, artistic, and have the ability to sit down with someone who is left-brained–logical, factual, and detail oriented–to take their ideas and turn it into something visually compelling.
Sure, it’s not an easy task–it does take a lot of work: pencil on paper; mouse clicks; top-notch software; lines on a screen; and that nagging, constant critique of a 1pt line being slightly too thick for the surrounding elements and having to reduce it to a .8pt line! Add to that balancing color, complimenting fonts, contrasting angles, focal points, and a myriad of other small battles that go on in our minds until the moment that it’s finally done–the point where we feel it has come to a point of absolute perfection.
This is where the true fun begins. A designer has come up with what they think the client is looking for: the moment of truth! Will it be what the client wanted? We hold our breath as we send the email–it’s like sealing your fate to an either joyous celebration for our hard work, or it’s back to the drawing board!
Well, I guess it really isn’t that dramatic, but with every new project there is a sensation of being on a rollercoaster–did I interpret their ideas clearly? Does it stand out from the crowd? Will the world be impressed, moved, motivated by what I created? After all, designers try to achieve a visual representation that delivers both a message and an identity to a brand.
“Graphic Designer” may be a simple job title, but for those of us with a mind that thrives in the world of imagination and creativity, the title is the only “simple” part of what we do. Designers of the world will continue to imagine the next Nike Swoosh or Apple logo. Most likely, you’ll never know the person who created it, but you will remember it. And with that, our job is done.
