Principles of Logo Design A Practical Guide to Creating Effective Signs, Symbols, and Icons

Learn to design simple, powerful, and timeless logos.

When you think of a brand, often the first thing that comes to mind is the logo, the visual representation of that product, place, thing, or business. The power of simplicity for these marks can never be underestimated—a logo that comprises simple shapes can communicate a stronger message than a complex one, leaving a lasting impression in a viewer’s mind.

In Principles of Logo Design, noted logo designer George Bokhua shares his process for creating logotypes that will stand the test of time. Applying the enduring principles of classic texts on grid systems by Josef Muller-Brockmann and on form and design by Wucius Wong, Bokhua elaborates on his popular online classes, demonstrating in detail how to maximize communicationwith minimal information to create logos using, simple, monochromatic shapes.

This comprehensive volume includes:

• How to apply a strong, simple, and minimal design aesthetic to logo design
• Why gridding is important, and understanding the golden ratio and when to use it
• How to sketch and refine logos through tracing, then grid and execute a mark in Adobe Illustrator
• Fine-tuning techniques to ensure visual integrity

Knowing how to design a great logo is a core skill for any graphic designer. Principles of Logo Design helps designers at all levels of skill and experience conceive, develop, and create logos that are not only pleasing to the eye but evoke a sense of perfection.

Preface
Chapter 1 
General Concepts
Are Logos Just Logos?
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Rule or No Rule?
Less is More?
Modernism in Design
Chapter 2
Types of Logo Designs
Pictorial Marks
Letterforms
Abstract Marks
Wordmarks
Monograms
Negative Space Marks
Logo System
Pictograms
Patterns as Identity Elements
Chapter 3
Visual Matters
Gradients
Color Gradiation Simplified
Shade Gradiation with Strokes
Light and Shading
Shading of Hemisphere
Light and Shading on Simple Marks
Chiaroscuro in Logo Design
Logo Visibility
Graphic Device
Black on White vs. White on Black
Same-sized Look
Bone Effect
Bone Effect in Logo Design
Overshoot
Balancing
Visual Paradoxes
Types of Visual Paradoxes
Impossible Figures
Impossible Figures and Logo Design
Motion-Illusion
Ambiguous Forms
Symmetry vs. Asymmetry
Solid vs. Line
Sharp vs. Round
Pattern as a Design Element
Dimension
Dialectical Approach
Composition
Experimentation and Accidents
Copying vs. Imitation
Client Relations
Real-life Objects as Aids
Chapter 4
Design Process
Concepting
Mood Boarding
Sketching
The Initial Stage
The Refinement Stage
The Fine-Tuning Stage
Execution
Gridding
Gridding Complex Forms
Type Lockup
Chapter 5
Presentation
Brand Guidelines
Logo Uses Guidelines
Primary Colors and Secondary Colors
Typography
Grids
Graphic Devices
Stationary
Pricing
Design Studio
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Index