Start every logo design project with this logo design questionnaire to lay the groundwork for a painless design process
As I shared in my logo design questionnaire part 1, I’ve had one failed logo design project for a client in the last 20 years.
In spite of a red flag at the beginning, I took on the project anyway. She described what she wanted; I created it; she didn’t like it. Eat – sleep – design – repeat. Nothing satisfied her and we went our separate ways. Boy, was that a happy day!
The rest of my logo design projects have been successful, and it’s no accident. I have a logo design questionnaire I give to clients before starting the design process. This questionnaire is not a magic wand, but it is the best tool I can give you to set you up for logo design success.
Logos are not just for companies anymore! They are useful for establishing any kind of identity: a non-profit organization, a large gala, party or fundraiser, a solopreneur in the service industry (attorney, business coach, fitness coach, real estate agent, massage therapist), a band, a performer, a political campaign, an initiative within a company or even a personal mark for your blog or stationery.
A lot of people are nervous to embark on a logo design project with good reason.
- You want to end up with a logo you LOVE, with little time or pain expended.
- You want to have input and communication on the process.
- You want to be confident that your designer can lead you in the right direction and make the process as easy on you as possible.
- You don’t want to waste time and money on unknown outcomes.
The best way to accomplish this is to follow the process, starting with answering the questions in my logo design questionnaire.
Before you start any logo design project, download my Logo Design Questionnaire (free PDF) and share it with your client, your logo designer, or fill it out yourself. Click the orange button below to download:
Logo design questionnaire
This is Part 2 of a 3-part series listing the 11 questions I ask clients when starting a logo design project.
- If you’re the designer, ask your client these questions.
- If you’re the client, and the designer hasn’t asked you these questions (or something similar), answer them on your own and give them to your designer before they start the design process.
- If you’re attempting your own logo design, answer these questions to help you streamline your own design process.
Let’s continue with the questions …
6. Do you envision some sort of icon as part of the logo or should it be a text treatment? What imagery comes to mind?
This is where things start to get interesting! In order to be a unique logo, try to incorporate a mark, even if it’s a mark based on the first letter of your company name.
Brainstorm a list of images to support your logo. Don’t limit yourself here. Coming up with 20 ideas is better than 2 because it will give you more options to consider. This doesn’t mean you have to sketch logos with all these things; it gives you the ability to pick and choose.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When I design a logo I usually take the first letter of the company name (maybe two letters if the name has two words) and I make a graphic out of those letters. Why? It makes it unique to that business which makes it harder to steal. (Yes, people steal logo marks if they are generic and put new names on them.)
In my case, my business name is Sheri Hall and I made a logo mark out of my initials SH. Only someone with my initials could steal my mark and they’d have to replace the text with their own name; it’s not impossible, but it’s unlikely because I don’t have a generic logo. Unique vs. generic
If you have a yoga practice and use a lotus flower as your logo mark, anyone could come along and steal your lotus mark because it’s not unique to you. But if you combine your business initials with the lotus art and make that a unique mark, you make it harder to steal. Unique vs. generic.
7. Does the new logo need to incorporate any current graphic standards of your organization—color, specific typefaces, other?
Does your organization have an existing or new tagline to incorporate?
This is straightforward. If your organization is an existing entity, you might want to maintain a color scheme, a typeface or other element from your old brand, but you want it refreshed. Is there anything you don’t want to keep? If this is a new entity, then you can disregard this question.
When designing a logo, it’s best to design one version with a tagline and one without.
8. What is the message you want your brand (and logo) to convey? What should prospects think of you and your organization? List 3–5 descriptive words.
Although this work sheet is not about branding, we can’t really ignore it. Your brand is often determined by how your customers feel about you. What goes into that? How do they feel using your product or service? How do they feel opening the box your product is packaged in? How do they feel picking up your product off the shelf?
And what does that make them think about you?
Examples: professional, creative, unorthodox, edgy, cheerful, friendly, exclusive, fashionable, conservative
9. What 3–5 adjectives describe the look and feel of your new logo?
Now we’re not talking about your brand; we’re talking about the visual look of your new logo. If you close your eyes and see a hazy logo in the distance, what is the overall style?
Don’t be limited by this list; it’s just here to get you started.
Examples: whimsical, serious, corporate, simple, elegant, retro, bright, dark, flashy, juvenile, natural, ornate, powerful, soft, warm, cool
To be continued …
If you have a logo design project on your plate right now and want to jump ahead and get all the questions in a convenient workbooklet PDF freebie, click that big graphic below. It includes all 11 questions with more sample answers than are covered in this post.
Part 1 focuses on basics like the name, mission, target market competition.
Part 3 focuses on colors(!) and what existing logos you like and dislike and why.
Are there any questions listed here that you haven’t asked but want to add to your own questionnaire? What are they? Are there any questions that surprise you? Do you have any logo design horror stories? Let me know in the comments.