Start every logo design project with this logo design questionnaire to lay the groundwork for a painless design process – part 3
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.
A lot of people are nervous to embark on a logo design project with good reason (mostly fear of the unknown).
- You want to end up with a logo you LOVE.
- You want a logo that speaks to your target market.
- You want a logo that will be flexible and that you can use anywhere (iron it on a tee shirt?)
- You want to be happy to open up that file and paste it into your Facebook cover image.
- You want a logo you’ll be happy with for several years.
The best way to accomplish this is to follow the process, starting with answering the questions in my logo design questionnaire.
Logo design questionnaire
Answering these questions is the #1 way to make your design process as smooth and efficient as possible!
Before I start any logo design project, I have my client fill out this questionnaire so we can both make sure we are on the same page. I also ask the client if there are any other decision-makers and request that they answer the questions too. You can’t hope to satisfy someone’s expectations if you don’t know what they are.
This is Part 3 of a 3-part series listing the 11 questions I ask clients when starting a logo design project.
Part 1 focuses on basics like the name, mission, target market the competition.
Part 2 focuses on icons, your brand, and the desired look and feel of your new logo.
- 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.
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:
Let’s continue with the questions …
10. What colors do you envision for your logo? Are there any colors you would like to avoid?
There can be multiple answers to this question. It’s here to give you guidance on the color stage of the design process. If you want blue, try to dig a little deeper—sky blue, royal blue, navy blue, gray blue, etc. There are so many colors out there! And don’t forget the neutrals.
When you get to the color study part of your logo design process, you’ll want to come up with several different color schemes (I do 3-6 options). My first round of color studies includes a bunch of different color schemes. When the client settles on one or two but wants to see some variations, this is when I narrow it down to 3–4 different blues, greens, or whatever colors I’m working with. At each step I narrow it down until it’s approved.
After the colors are nailed down, I create an all black (or black and gray version) and an all white version to use reversed out on dark backgrounds.
When considering colors, think about what you like as well as what meanings those colors have to your target market.
11. What logos appeal to you and why? What logos do you not like and why?
These logos do not need to be in your industry. It’s easiest to collect these from the web; go to the site, click on the logo and drag and drop it to your logo design folder. Or hold your mouse over the logo and right-click (or hold down the Control key on the keyboard [Mac]) and save the logo file to your logo design folder.
Make notes of what you like and don’t like about each logo.
Examples of what you might like: color, simplicity, typeface, layout (a circular seal, centered, horizontal, vertical)
Examples of aspects you might dislike: too dated, too stodgy, too much detail, drab colors, hard to read, looks like it was designed by a 7-year-old
Don’t analyze too much. After you look at several logos, you’ll know what speaks to you and what doesn’t.
If you’re stuck, check out these logo inspiration sites:
If you have a logo design project on your plate right now and want a little more detail on this, I have created a convenient workbooklet PDF freebie; click that big graphic below to get it. It includes all 11 questions with more sample answers than are covered in these posts.
Part 1 focuses on basics like the name, mission, target market the competition.
Part 2 focuses on icons, your brand, and the desired look and feel of your new logo.
Part 3 (this one) focuses on colors(!) and what existing logos you like and dislike and why.
What colors do your clients prefer for logos? Which is their least favorite color? Do you have any questions beyond these that you’ve asked clients?
Let me know in the comments. A good logo questionnaire is a work in progress!