)9.

13027
!\S
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
vii

1 WHAT IS A LOGO?
1
a. History of logos
1
b. Identifying symbol
1

2 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
4
a. Your logo provides a good first impression 4

b. Your logo describes who you are 6

c. Your logo helps you stand out from the crowd 8

d. Your logo identifies you as a going concern 9

3 DEVELOPING YOUR IMAGE 10

a. Your logo as a visual aid 10

b. Your reia tionship to the public 10

1. Formal or informal image? 11

2. Do you want to be known for one thing or many? 11

3. Do you provide a product or a service? 13

c. Your logo and your advertising program 14

4 MAKING YOUR IMAGE STICK 15

a. Stationery 15

1. Business letters 15

2. Designing your letterhead 16

3. Stock 22

4. Envelopes 23

b. Business cards 24

c. Display advertising 26

1. Logo style 28

2. Typestyle 28

3. Layout 29

d. Signs 29

e. Coordinate your image 30

5 THE DESIGN MANUAL 33

Step #1: Creative doodling 33

Step #2: Choosing your typestyle 36

Step #3: Refinements 41

Step #4: Selection 43

6 FINISHED ART 45

a. Doing it yourself 45

b. Having it done professionally 51

v
7 LEARNING FROM OTHERS:

A COLLECTION OF CASE HISTORIES 53

a. The works: Keel, May & Palermo 54

b. New directions: Blish-Mize Company 57

c. Planting the seed: Jerma Enterprises 60

d. What's in a name: The Bulky Burrito 62

e. Designing by public poll: Coast Tours 65

f. Before and after: Availability and Advanced Building Concepts 68

g. Going against the grain: Computers Feed and Fuel 70

h. People, products, and places: Patterakis, Sun Seeds/and Oakhaven 72

vi
 INTRODUCTION

Very simply, this book will help you design an effective logo. That's why you've
bought or borrowed·it, and that's what you're going to get. But perhaps more
importantly, this book will also confirm what you probably already suspect: that
a logo can be one of the most rewarding investments any organization can make,
paying back the effort and expense that goes into it many times over.
Whenever your business or institutional name appears in print - whether
on stationery, in advertising or on signs - people will inevitably and
automatically form opinions about you. The fact that you'd like those opinions to
be as positive as possible is a basic assumption of this book. Another assumption
is that you are currently the owner of a small business, the director of a non­
profit organization, or a professional or freelancer of some kind.*
You're probably asking yourself, "Am I up to the task? Can I really design my own
logo, even if I'm not an artist?" The fact that you're reading these lines suggests that
you can - or at least that you think you can. Many entrepreneurs,
unfortunately, are convinced otherwise. They don't regard themselves as artists,
and therefore can't imagine how they could play any significant role in the design
of their own logos. And yet, the most critical phase of any logo-design project
does not require artistic talent at all. It requires, instead, an ability to think
creatively, a willingness to explore how your product or service relates to your
market, and the good sense to determine who you are (or who you'd-like to be)
before dressing yourself in an "image" that mayor may not fit.
In other words, if you have the right stuff to be in your position in the first
place, you already possess the most important qualifications for designing an
effective logo. No commercial artist knows your business, profession or
organization like you do. No account executive at some advertising agency - no
matter how slick - can define your market for you, decide what your image
ought to be, and then live with that image day after day. These are decisions you
must make if your logo is to accomplish what is intended. Whether or not you
actually create the finished artwork for your logo can be decided later.
My own experience as a graphic artist has demonstrated the wisdom of this
view in at least two ways. First, having designed logos, both locally and through
the mail since 1975, I've consistently found that my clients are the best sources
for ideas. Their insights into their own professions generally spark the design

*There are surprisingly few books written on the subject of logo design. Therefore, it's
conceivable that a significant number of readers will be graphic designers or art students looking
for additional insigh t or instruction. Whatever the case - whether designing a logo for yourself
or for a client - the process is basically the same. The steps outlined in this book are equally
important for each, directly or indirectly.
vii
concept that evolves into the final design. Without their thoughtful input I'd be
shooting in the dark at best. At worst we could end up with a marvelous looking
design that does more harm than good because it doesn't appeal to the right
market. And, believe me, it's better to have no logo at all than one that gives the
wrong impression.
But perhaps the best evidence to support my view is my experience with a
previous logo design handbook I've sold through small business magazines with a
"no-questions-asked" money-back guarantee. Of the hundreds of copies sold
that way, only one was returned. I like to think all those other copies helped their
readers to successfully complete the same project you're now embarking upon.
And tha t they saved thousands of dollars in the process.
In answer to the earlier question, then, not only can you design your own
logo, you must. What remains is precisely how to go about it.
This book, of course, will explain the nuts and bolts of logo design. But first,
you must do some hard thinking before you get to that point. To repeat, the
actual artwork - the physical process of laying ink and type on poster board - is
the least important phase. Even large corporations that hire nationally-known
advertising agencies to handle the entire project are giving away the easy part.
Top brass end up just as deeply involved in the project as if they were doing it
themselves. The ad agency, like this book, simply acts as a facilitator.
The bottom line is that you're being asked to make a commitment to read the
wllole book before you begin putting any sketches on paper. Then, read it again as
you're doing if. Not only will your logo be the better for it, so will your business
or organization.
On second thought, that's the bottom line.

viii
i
~

WHAT IS A LOGO?

a. HISTORY OF LOGOS
Logos have been around in one form or another since human beings began
creating things. The crude artifacts left behind by prehistoric cave dwellers were.
not likely to bear a manufacturer's imprint, but the markings beneath some cave
paintings in France might be interpreted as primitive logos, indicating the clan to
which the artist belonged.
Artisans in ancient Greece routinely imprinted some symbolic sign on their
glassware and silver pieces to identify the individual or "house" that created
them.
Perhaps it was this latter practice, history's first undisputed use of the
business logo, that explains the derivation of the term we use today. "Logo" is
from ancient Greek, literally meaning "word."
Logos could also be found outside the business world, which, as a matter of
fact, is where it all began. Most written languages evolved from pictographs or
symbolic pictures used to represent things, people or ideas. Egyptian hiero­
glyphics are the most obvious example of pictographs (logos) that symbolized
everything under, and including, the sun. Later, every king or royal officer had a
personal pictograph in the form of an official seal. When affixed to a letter or
document, it not only identified the author but conveyed an air of authority.
Medieval families, too, made use of pictographs in their coats of arms, with
each element of design symbolizing something important about the family
character or ancestry. And certainly everyone is familiar with the more recent
use of cattle brands, those crude pictographs which, when burned into the hide of
a steer, act as the identifying symbol for the ranch or owner of the animal.

b. IDENTIFYING SYMBOL
The operative phrase in understanding the term "logo," at least from the
historical perspective, is "identifying symboL" What is it that establishes an
identity in a single picture? What has the unique ability to convey meaning - in
this case about a business or organization - at a glance, in as little visual space as
possible? In a word, a logo.
There are probably a dozen or more specific terms, in fact, that can be
substituted for logo in everyday language. Brand-mark, a term that comes from
the practice of cattle branding, is commonly used where a logo identifies a product
for sale on the open market. Service mark, trademark, or simply mark, are similarly

1
 Historical logos

used to identify products and services. Business 1.0. or company emblem might be
used when referring to the logo of the company that created the product or
service being sold. Signature or sig, a favorite of newspapers, is the term often
used whenever a company's logo appears in a printed advertisement. And
corporate symbol or corporate seal might properly describe the logo developed to
represent a conglomerate that owns the company that manufactures the product
advertised for sale in the newspaper.

~Pacmc,Westem ~ Confemporary logos

2
 In any case, the more generic term "logo" will do nicely for our purposes,
since it incorporates all of the above uses and includes the use of a symbol for a
professional person or a non-profit agency. More importantly, the procedures in
the following chapters, whether in designing the corporate I.D. for a Fortune 500
company or the brand-mark for a tube of toothpaste, are pretty much the same.
The question, then, is no longer what constitutes a logo, but what is an effective
logo?
For the answer, read on.

i
~

3
 2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

An effective logo is one of the most valuable assets an organization can own.
Along with the exclusive patent rights, and the million dollar salesperson, the
logo is a tangible asset with cash value. Of course, actually establishing a hard­
and-fast figure would be a bit difficult. But one indication of the value of a good
logo is the investment some companies are willing to make in them.
Major corporations, for example, have been known to spend tens of
thousands of dollars on the design or re-design of their logos. This expense is
often magnified many times over when the costs for new stationery, new signs,
and new print advertising formats are figured in. It is well known that the New
York offices of National Broadcasting Company shelled out more than half a
million dollars to update its famous "NBC" logo. It is less well known that a small
graphics studio in Minneapolis had already produced the very same logo for
another company at a miserly cost of $200!
Smaller businesses, too, invest thousands of dollars having an original logo
designed for them. Still others pay substantial sums to update their present
images, either as the business itself changes or as artistic trends make their
current logos appear dated.
You may be tempted to ask: "Is all this expense for a logo really necessary?"
Certainly not. Not if you are willing to put the time into designing your own
logo. But having a logo is necessary if you care how the public views your
oganization and if you want to reap big dividends horn a relatively small
inves tmen t.
The rest of this chapter discusses four reasons for you to get started soon on
your own logo-design project.

a. YOUR LOGO PROVIDES A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

Despite the oft-heard sentiment not to judge a book by its cover, first
impressions are tremendously important. Quite simply, most people do judge a
book by its cover, and billions of dollars are spent every year in accordance with
this marketing maxim. For example, book jackets have become the most
important feature in point-of-purchase book sales. A quick survey of the racks at
your local grocery check-out counter will reveal a dazzling display of full color
artwork - from the buxom blonde on the cover of the Western, with silk dress

4
tattered and torn as she lies in the muscular arms of Our Hero, to the iridescent,
foil-embossed title blaring from the book jacket of the classier novels.
Product packaging has become as important to the marketing as the product
beneath the wrapper - in some cases more so. For example, the contents of an
average beer bottle often cost less than the fancy label slapped on the outside.
And what sells potato chips is not so much the chips but the bag they're in.
Studies consistently show a consumer's initial reaction to something new
largely determines subsequent attitudes toward it. A good first impression,
whether to a product, person or company, creates a solid basis for a lasting
relationship. A neutral reaction is no impression at all. And a negative reaction can
be worse than none, because, once established in a person's mind, it is extremely
difficult to overcome. :~~.
Usually, the first contact between a company or organization and the publi~
is through some form of visual representation. It could be your logo on a letter
written to solicit a client's business or on a calling card a salesperson offers as he
or she enters a prospect's office. It might be the sign on your storefront to attract
passers-by, or perhaps the name of your service at the bottom of a newspaper ad.
Whatever the particular instance,' this visual representation will stand for
your organization. Wherever it appears, many people will be exposed to it for the
first time. An effective logo will help make that critical first impression a positive
one.

PIERRE CURTICE

e
1

Business cards
PROCESS SERVICE· LEGAL RESEARCH· COURT SERVICE
rOlICE REPORTS· SPECIAL SERVICES

CHRIS HUTCHINSON

1'.0. Box 666 • ~k~wood. CA 907 I 3 • (213) 429-3 145

5
b. YOUR LOGO DESCRIBES WHO YOU ARE
When someone sees your logo in print, he or she makes a judgment about WHO
YOU ARE. It's an automatic reaction and it can't be stopped. Whether you give
visual clues about the type of business or organization you're in, or try to convey
a more symbolic concept, people will form their own opinions. In chapter 7 we'll
take a look at some case histories in logo design to illustrate this point. For now a
few samples of preliminary logo sketches and final selections will suffice.
The logo for an Italian delicatessen, for example, might include a semi­
realistic rendering of several typical deli items, making its identity immediately
obvious. On the other hand, the logo could suggest some notion about being
authentic, as opposed to the more common convenience store deli of today. Or it
might simply be an attractive stylization of the name itself, with a customized
lettering which gives it an Italian - or at least an Old World - look. The
proprietor's final choice, as you can see below, was a combination of these
approaches.

Three preliminary sketches

The finished logo

6
 A high-tech consulting firm could likewise use a variety of approaches in
describing its identity to the public. A realistic depiction of the magnetic bubbles
on a microchip could be transformed into a company monogram. The
international scope of the organization - if that were deemed important ­
might be emphasized by a globe. Or the systems aspect of the organization could
be promoted with three-dimensional interconnecting initials. Even the letter
styles here will express something about the company's identity. They can
suggest a rather stark, laboratory formality, or add a more casual, human touch
appropriate to the consulting nature of the firm.

"-:;;tI
,.-
TECHNOLOGY
SYSTEMS
INTERNATJONAL

m ....
aIl8I_ _ .~t.~ Four preliminary sketches

11(~:rl~·TechnOIR9Y Systems
Y)1 Inte((1otlonClI

.=---.~~~ .
••••
1~"~1 TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS
~I INTERNATIONAL The finished logo

7
 A logo communicates information to the public, glvmg people a visual
impression which suggests a set of ideas and attitudes about the business. As the
saying goes,"a picture is worth a thousand words." By judiciously designing that
picture, your logo can convey in a single glance what might otherwise require a
lengthy explanation.
Market research has shown that people would rather do business with a
company that openly reveals itself than one that is aloof or mysterious. A logo
communicates.

c. YOUR LOGO HELPS YOU STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Every business has its competitors. Chances are, if you've stumbled into some
new way to make money, 10 other people will have opened up similar businesses
by the following week. However, your 10 competitors may be in such a hurry to
see all that cold cash come rolling in, they may forget how important a logo can
be. And, if that's the case, the one you've carefully developed for your own
company will effectively set you apart. It will serve as your mark of distinction.
Of course, you may conduct business in a field where everybody already has
a logo. Should you, therefore, decide against having a logo in order to stand out
from the crowd? Sure, if you want to stand out in a negative way. But simply
having one is not enough; having an effective or different one is the goal.
Financial institutions provide a good illustration of this. Most banks, for
example, offer nearly identical interest rates and services for their customers.
The only thing that seems to distinguish one from the other is how each presents
itself to the public. Image becomes all-important. Bank X claims to have more
experience; Bank Y is the friendly bank; and Bank Z proudly reminds us that it
hasn't lost a single penny of principal for its savers in 100 years.
Like these advertising slogans, a logo can help emphasize the aspect of your
own identity that best separates you from your competitors.

A logo also serves as a visual aid. People tend to forget a name by itself. Of the
thousands of words and visual images that intrude on people's minds every day,
your company image must stand out. This means it must do more than get
attention; it must possess some unique or interesting character to ensure that it
is remembered. In the distinctiveness of its design, your logo will increase the
likelihood of that happening.
Later, if your customers are satisfied with the product or service received,
their feelings of satisfaction will attach to your logo. Every time customers see

8
 that logo they'll be reminded of your service. The symbol, the name, and those
feelings of satisfaction will always go together.

d. YOUR LOGO IDENTIfIES YOU AS A GOING CONCERN

Because the marketplace is growing more and more sophisticated, everything
possible must be done to convince potential customers or clients that yours is a
solid, reliable, trustworthy, and thoroughly professional operation. This is an
especially crucial factor in the success of any new organization.
An organization that asks a local quick-print shop to throw together its
stationery and business cards after they've opened their doors does itself a great
disservice. A logo with ordinary typeface, even when combined with an emblem
selected from the print shop's clip-art catalogue, displays no originality. Such a
careless, standardized image is often associated with organizations that are
under-capitalized, under-organized, or perhaps a little bit flaky.
A custom-designed logo, in contrast, is visible evidence that you have made
an investment in your organization. It demonstrates that management has a
strong self-image and has probably developed an effective organization, a
definite direction for the future, and an overall commitment to the highest
standards of professionalism.
Ideally, the process of designing your logo will require delving into some of
the most basic questions about your organization, and finding the answers. This
process may help develop your organization, give you direction, and increase
your commitment.

~LKSWAGEN
~ i'~zDA. ISUZU

fine end Cuuol Chino • Cryslol

51~dln9 llnd flo\wlIre
• Gourmet • Fine Gills

Ervin Keller Business cards

I Peter Woodruff
O,AECIQIlO' .O""""S'Il.1'~f S(l'tvoC£S
I 2937 veneman I 5wle 745/ ModeslO Cilldorn'i1 95356
~ l2091529·50eO

9
 3

DEVELOPING YOUR IMAGE

Sad to say, it's quite common for new businesses and organizations to assume
that they are something separate and distinct from the public's image of them.
They think that opening their doors is like building a machine and then simply
turning on some self-sufficient money-making machine.
Such people are dead wrong. Without the people who buy the products or
service, the enterprise is no more than idle thumb-twiddling.
According to one definition, the term "business" designates the commercial
practices or policies followed to attract people so that sales can be made.
Consequently, creating business is not merely organizing the physical structure
of a company. It is, more importantly, connecting fhe company fo fhe buying public in a
way tha t attracts customers or clients in the first place, and keeps them coming
back for more.
Business owners who keep this connection in mind from the moment they
start, and who actually see it as an in tegral part of their companies, will be 10 paces
ahead of everyone else. The owner who recognizes the connection soon after
getting started - usually because things have been a little slow at first - wort't
be too far behind. The owner who can't seem to figure out why the public isn't
beating down the doors to plunk their dollars onto the counter hasn't a chance of
catching up.
But how is a logo involved? There are three specific ways the process of
developing your image can create business for you.

a. YOUR LOGO AS A VISUAL AID

Visual aids are just as important for you as they are for the general public. The act
of putting a few thumb-nail sketches down on paper can help clarify your
thoughts by giving them concrete form. It works much the same way a chart or
diagram might function at a staff meeting; it helps focus the mind on something
that can be seen rather than vaguely comprehended in the abstract. Your initial
thumb-nails, which we'll be calling doodles, can provide a visual object upon
which to focus creative discussion and debate. You'll be able to tryout, on paper,
various logos until you find one that suits your organization.

b. YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PUBLIC

A logo, as mentioned earlier, helps define who you are. A new company or
organization may not yet know who it is or even who it wants to be. But it should
nevertheless be actively seeking answers to those questions, both in terms of
products and in how to best present them to the public.

10
 Below are the kinds of questions that should be asked when any
organization, new or established, explores possible designs for its logo.

1. Formal or informal image?

An accounting or legal firm will probably want to portray itself as responsible
and conservative, even though the traditional stuffiness has been largely
discarded. The partners may therefore want to venture beyond the traditional,
hackneyed copperplate typeface, while retaining an air of formal
professionalism. The logo for the law firm shown on page 12 accomplishes
exactly that, and even offers a subtle symbolism about the relationship of the
four partners to each other.
An average fast-food restaurant, by contrast, wants to promote an informal,
fun atmosphere, not irresponsible, mind you, but definitely carefree. For the
latter, the cartoon approach is perfect, especially in view of the name.
To switch approaches here would certainly be the death of both. A logo
reflects the overall identity of an organization and sets the tone for its operation.
That tone not only affects the behavior of employees, but of management as
well. Lawyers who picture themselves as cartoon characters would no doubt be
seen as a joke; and the existence of a fast-food restaurant that presented itself
wrapped in conservative, legalistic garb would indeed be brief.
This illustration is extreme. But it is important to remember that the
a ttitudes you promote every time the public is exposed to your image can make or
break you.

2. Do you want to be known for one thing or many?

A small business or non-profit organization is more often centered around one
main product or service. A piano store, a boating firm, a company that produces
or sells a single consumer product, a day care center lend themselves to logos that
symbolically or realistically portray that one area of business. Making your
particular specialty the basis for your logo may turn out to be the best approach,
since it will be easily recognized. It's also an easy solution to a design problem. If
you sell typewriters, go ahead and draw a typewriter.
However, if your organization doesn't want to tie itself down, or plans to
expand its outlook in the future, such an approach will be too limiting. The next
best approach might be to design a composite logo, portraying several elements
at once. Or something more symbolic may be advisable, where an idea or attitude
becomes the subject of the logo instead of an actual product. The legal firm
discussed above took this approach. So do many large corporations and
conglomerates. Since these may be involved in many different
concerns, their logos more often suggest a feeling or statement of
business philosophy. Prudential Insurance Company's "Rock" symbolizes the
solid foundation and stability we supposedly gain from investing in a life
insurance policy. Other corporate logos might consist of little more than an
attractive design, with only the barest allusion to what type of business is
involved. Still others are simply stylizations of the name or initials.

11
 LAW OFFICES OF

STRAUSS, NEIBAUER,
ANDERSON ~ HOLLENBACK
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION

Professional looking logo for a law firm

Cartoon logo for a fast-food restaurant

No matter how vague, the logo will inevitably say something about the
organization it represents. It will either make your public image memorable, or
forgettable. It should help bring people in, not turn them away.

12
 3. Do you provide a product or a service?
Naturally, products are easiest to picture or symbolically represent in a logo. If
the demand for your product is already well established in the marketplace, the
company logo, almost by itself, can generate business by visually telling the
public that you've got what they need.
A service-oriented organization, unfortunately, has tougher sledding in this
respect. Not only is a service more difficult to portray in a logo, it also gives the
public a less concrete visual aid by which to remember you. The difficulty you'll
encounter in finding an appropriate symbol for your service company will be
likewise manifested in your marketing efforts. Fortunately, if you face this fact
before you open your doors, when you're doing your preliminary planning, you'll
be healthier for it. If your shingle is already hanging, focussing on your logo will
at least bring to light some problems you may have overlooked before.
A logo-design project frequently forces a person to corne to grips with these
problems. Recognizing the difficulties in defining your service to a public, which
often seems unwilling to accept anything it can't see, feel or touch, is the first
step in overcoming them. This is where your connection to the paying client
must be drawn out in great detail, like the blueprint for a piece of computer
hardware. A method for making your service indispensible to the publiC, or
otherwise attracting people, must be as much a part of your organization as the
service, or the product, itself.

BI a I Jl'~a5~n
II ~x
an

WALL SYST2MS
Logos ill lis/rating prodlIets
and services
C:Ci~lfll
CONT~ACTCR ~eNeRAL

13
c. YOUR LOGO AND YOUR ADVERTISING PROGRAM
Your connection to the public will take many forms other than your logo, of
course. The people who make direct contact with the public are indispensible.
The very building or office you work in is part of that connection, too. And the
public's own opinion of you, passed by word-of-mouth from one person to
another, is a connection most organizations tend to overlook. Still, the single
most effective means of reaching the public is generally through a well-planned,
unified program of advertising.
The key word here is unified. Too many people literally throw their
advertising dollars away in a disorganized media crapshoot, gambling their
advertising budgets with little hope of return. For example, the typical business
owner may buy a smattering of radio time, perhaps experiment with a little
direct mail, and contract for some column-inches of newspaper space. Each time
the image is exposed to the public, it seems a different company is being
advertised.
A logo, however, can supply the theme that unifies every aspect of your
advertising program. The design process, once again, is where it all begins. In
developing your company's image, you solidify in your own mind the impression
you wish to make on the public. As a natural result, this mental conc.ept will come
across in whatever media you eventually employ for advertising pnrposes.
Printed matter will be easy, since merely reproducing your finished logo will
help convey a consistent image. But even non-visual forms of advertising, such
as radio, will reflect a unified impression. The image conveyed by your logo, after
all, originated in your thoughts. And whether translated into the visual form of
your logo, or into the words read by an announcer during a 60-second radio spot,
that image will be the same.
Better yet, a unified image can also translate itself into greater profits. You
have only to place it before the public, and make it stick.

]4
 4

MAKING YOUR IMAGE STICK

Advertising is the most efficient method for connecting your product or service
to the public and keeping it connected. Furthermore, your image is the major
component of that connection. While the last chapter served to motivate you to
develop an effective public image, this one provides some practical advice on
actually going about it.
You need to know how you'll be using your logo in order to design it for
maximum benefit. You've got to know precisely what jobs your logo should be
able to accomplish before you charge ahead and design a logo that looks fine on
stationery but disappears without a trace on a page of newsprint. Or one that
looks fabulous on a T-shirt but won't fit on the 3' x 6' sign above your storefront.
In short, your investment in time, effort, and money won't be worth it if
you're stuck with a logo that can't be exploited. The question, then, is how do you
begin to exploit your logo investment?
The answer is to get before the public eye in every way possible; the big
advertising agencies call it positioning. Just the sound of the word tells you it's going
to be expensive. Therefore, if only to reduce the cost, we'll use another phrase
occasionally head in the trade: "making it stick."
Still, it's not going to be cheap. You should be prepared to spend a portion of
your operating budget on your image, just as you do the office rent, the monthly
telephone bill, and your employees' salaries.
Fortunately, there's a silver lining. Market research indicates that a business
without a logo must dole out more cash to achieve the same level of recognition
as one that already has a logo. That means you will be able to spend less on
advertising than your competitors. Either that, or you can get a significantly
better response without spending proportionately more money.
In any case, a minimum of four applications are necessary to make your image
stick: stationery, business cards, display ads, and signs. You can certainly do more
- and an ad agency would love to talk you into it if you have the budget - but the
following four applications are basic. While the discussion below is aimed
primarily at businesses, the concepts also apply to individuals and to non-profit
organizations that need public recognition.

a. STATIONERY
1. Business letters
If your organization is like most others, letters will playa critical role. You will use
letters to solicit customers and maintain contact with them, deal with other

15
organizations, order inventory or supplies, and even obtain financing from your ,~
bank. All of these communications can be enhanced by your logo pleasingly
displayed on a letterhead. In fact, sometimes the only contact you'll have with
many businesses or clien ts will be by mail, so your sta tionery will be required to
do the same job you would expect of your best salesperson.
A cold sales letter is improved by attractive stationery. If you're a wholesaler
trying to sell a retailer the idea of buying your product, anything that smacks of
quick-print shoddiness or poor self-image (i.e., no logo) will quickly doom your
salespitch to the infamous circular file. A custom-designed logo/letterhead is
more likely to be read, and will give your company a high recognition factor for
any subsequent contacts. Think of your stationery as an extension of the visual
aid concept.
Don't ignore other image-building ways to use your stationery. A letter
announcing your new business (or the updating of your existing logo) and sent to
your local newspaper or trade journal might result in a business brief or even a
feature article. Such free publicity is another valuable part of any in-depth
advertising program.
Moreover, companies to whom you are the customer/client are also
impressed by a good-looking letterhead. A business that displays a strong self­
image is frequently rewarded with more attention, better and faster service, and
perhaps a line of credit when others must first prove themselves.

2. Designing your letterhead

Designing your letterhead is as central to your overall image-design project as the
logo itself. Envisioning your logo on a letterhead, and in its various other
applications, will help you design it.
It's important to remember that most people won't see your logo on the 12" x
18" poster board you'll be drawing it on. By the time it appears on stationery or in
the newspaper, the public will see it reduced to one-fourth or one-tenth its original
size. Even the 3' x 6' enlargement of your logo on your storefront sign will look
small to customers driving by.
The point here is that your logo is not the place for detail. Eliminate tiny lines
and subtle shadings before your logo goes to print, or the camera and offset press
that reproduce it will eliminate them for you - with results that can sometimes be
disastrous.
Picturing your logo on a letterhead will also provide an opportunity to
consider color. It's essential that your logo be reproducible in simple black and
white, for possible use in newspapers or magazines, or on such things as
inexpensive flyers or forms. Since you'll be developing your logo in pencil, any
design you corne up with should automatically qualify.
This also means your logo will print in any single color, too. The color you'll

wan t is a variable you'll need to carefully consider.

16
 ~ ""'""""O,.,,~

mIm!im
, • • le.ollo",n PA 1\IO~l

h'~pI'lJnc,l\<,,~2~9"O

Letterhead and envelope

Your printer can provide some assistance in this regard. Many printers have
developed a fine sense of color over the years. Your commercial printer should be
able to explain the possibilities for color from a technical point of view.
For example, there are several ways a one-color job can appear more colorful
and eye-catching. Screening is a technique that can produce one or more shades
in addition to your primary ink color. Your company's name, for example, could
be reproduced in a chocolate brown (your primary ink color) while the corporate
symbol to the left could be reproduced in a 50% screen, resulting in a simulated
medium brown.
Though your letterhead runs through the press only once (at the lower cost
of one-color reproduction), the screening effect gives an appearance of two
colors.
The effect is often more pronounced by proper choice of colored letterhead"
stock. Since screening allows a fixed percentage of the paper to show through,
the ink color mixes with the color of the paper, often producing a blend of two
colors. In the above example, the screen of chocolate brown, placed against an
ivory paper, would take on a camel hue. A 50% screen of blue ink, placed over the
same ivory paper, might take on a greenish cast. Screening black ink on ivory
would create brown.
Adding a second ink color, and combining both with the use of screens
(sometimes one on top of the other) can increase the range of shades and blends
almost geometrically. In fact, with as little as four primary colors - blue, yellow,
red, and black - every color is possible.

17
 DOUDLE T-H RANCH
REGISTERED POLLED SHORTHORNS

BERTRAM
Il=nl A " ,:.

:/Os'
t

~~,
.­

ENCY
NUTRITION ASSOCIATES

x
.­ ,­ .(...~.

m .­ - .-.­ , .-:.­ ~ ;%11.~M:*~tI%:\*@~'i:;i,fitK;tw:::n::<:,;.mLtt1:W8:;;':;~;9::.:t&Wt;':::A~::it\~::):~;,:,~,,»Y":::~K:;'ti'{;;::;N~::;~::<~;< :::;;;''';:<',~;:::%:Z'$':;~;;:X~;A~:::.#:~:::::,t;{,,,,:;:;::~;·:,,::,::'-.

•
CENTRRL VRLLEY PRVING

-
I3llib
~
~
incorporated
1963

Logos on letterhead

You're certainly not expected to know how various ink colors and screens
will mix on the hundreds of different papers available. But your printer should
have a pretty good idea and will gladly give you the benefit of his or her
experience.
Keep in mind that good letterhead design makes use of color for a specific
reason. The colors you select should ideally form the basis of a coordinated
company color scheme. The same colors can then be used not only on other printed
matter like brochures or mailers, but wherever color is used in your business:
signs, company vehicles, if you have any, patches on uniforms or caps, or the
color of paint on the front office walls.
It should be obvious by now that your letterhead cannot be considered
independent of any other part of your total logo-design project. (That's another
reason for reading this entire book before starting on the logo itself.) But, before
moving on to the next phase of making your image stick, there are a few simple
design rules that apply specifically to your letterhead.

(a) Balance
Every logo seems to lend itself to a particular placement on your letterhead, as
dictated by its balance. The most common layout for a logo, with a symbol sitting

18
 o
o
o Upper right
Vertical flush left centered Bottom centered

o o

o
Lower left Top centered Upper left

Horizontal flush left centered Placement of logo on letterhead

19
 VELTHOEN
HUGHE5CQ
REALTORS
1600 XJ'ltl~e- Sull€' 6
Mode\to Coll1ornlo QS350

P.O. BoX 6B\O •

Letterhead with borders

to the left of the company name, has a left-weighted balance. Proper placement
for this logo style is almost always in the upper left-hand corner of the
letterhead. (Separating the symbol from the name is not usually recommended
but will allow you to be a bit more creative.)
Some logos appear pretty much evenly balanced on either side of an invisible
centerline. These can be placed in the upper left-hand corner too; but they also
allow for much more design flexibility. The top center of the letterhead is
perhaps most natural, though upper right, lower left, bottom center, and left
center may be interesting possibilities.

20
 The shape of your logo can be decisive, too. A symbol and name that are
united in one compact design can go just about anywhere. A logo that is wider
than it is tall - perhaps designed to fit the dimensions of a storefront sign ­
would be ill-placed if centered on the left margin.
In general, the most practical placement for a logo is where it will allow the
most room for the letter that will eventually be typed on it. After all, the purpose
of the letterhead is to provide a vehicle for your message; your image is part of
your message. Tryout all the various layouts in pencil before committing
yourself.

(b) Borders
Letterhead design seems to run in trends. Some years ago, borders were in. A
letterhead wasn't dressed up properly without one.
The eighties have seen an explosion in the use of parallel lines, which usually
run off one edge of the page, to draw attention to the logo and add a feeling of
action. The use of perhaps one or two fine lines at the top of bottom of the
letterhead, on the other hand, has been around for decades.
The rule, then, is simply this: If a border, line, or other artwork enhances the
overall look of your letterhead, and complements your image, and doesn't dis­
tract from your logo, it may be appropriate. If not, don't muddy the water.

~I
-I (c) Typestyle
Your finished logo will incorporate a specific typestyle already. Other copy to be
pre-printed on the letterhead - such as address and phone number, names of
officers or partners, or perhaps a company slogan - should be set in a clean,
legible typestyle that does not compete with the logo. This may be the same typestyle
as that used in the logo if it's not too heavy or decorative. Or, it might be a
matching style from the same family of type. The best bet may be something
plain. Helvetica, (Helios) is a style that seems to go with anything. (More on
typefaces in chapter 5.)

(d) Reproduction
In the earlier discussion of color, you may have thought that colored ink was the
only way to reproduce your logo on your letterhead. That information still
applies because the vast majority of letterheads will continue to rely solely on
common printer's ink laid down on flat paper. Nevertheless, there are other
alternatives. All happen to be more costly, but each has its place in promoting a
certain kind of image. Again, you may want to discuss the possibilities in more
detail with your prin ter.
Engraving is the application of ink with a special press that simultaneously
raises or embosses the artwork. This method of embossing is ideal for
letterheads that include extremely fine lines or very small type. You've probably

21
been handed an engraved business card before; the natural reaction is to run
your fingers over the letters, at the same time raising your eyebrows to show
you've been suitably impressed. An embossed surface projects a feeling of
quality, elegance, and dignity.
Thermography achieves much the same result as engraving (at far less cost)
by employing a process that causes the ink to expand under heat. The expansion
process, however, causes very small typefaces and fine details to begin filling in.
Otherwise, it's an excellent substitute for engraving.
Blind embossing uses a metal die to impress your design into the paper. It gives
your artwork a raised feel like engraving or thermography, but without any
application of ink. The raised impression also invites being touched, which is a
tactile way to draw attention to your image.
With embossing, the play of light and shadow define your logo rather than
ink, producing a much more subtle and tasteful appearance. Unfortunately, it
also makes fine details more difficult to see and reading small type almost
impossible. The effect works best when used only on your logo - the company
name and other copy should still be reproduced in ink.
Foil stampillg, which also uses a special die, applies a glossy foil to your
letterhead under heat and pressure. The reflective quality of the foil, usually gold
or silver bu t available in other colors as well, adds an eye-catching pizazz to your
letterhead like nothing else. And yet, reproduced this way, your logo can convey
a dignity similar to engraving or embossing. Where this unique combination of
pizazz and dignity is appropriate, foil stamping is hard to beat.
Vanzish, commonly considered as a sealer, can achieve a subtle effect similar
to blind embossing. Rather than shadows defining the artwork, the eye sees the
design as a slight difference in the finish and color of the paper. The effect is
worth considering for very bold logos con taining almost no detail, or for
simulating a watermark on your letterhead paper.

3. Stock
Oddly enough, many people who invest a significant amount of effort in the
design of their company logo will often try to cut back when it comes to the
choice of paper upon which that logo will be printed. The cost of paper, as a part
of the total cost of preparing the average business letter, is negligible. Several
studies have shown that after figuring in the value of your employees' time
sending a brief letter costs $5 to $10 - or more!
Another penny or two per letter for a quality paper is a bargain. In fact,
amortizing the cost of your entire logo-design project over the 500 letterheads in
a ream, will add a paltry amount to each letter you mail.
Ignore the common vellum or bond papers and ask your printer to show you
only the better-quality stock from the sample books. You'll want to consider
several different laid finishes - an excellent choice for executives - and perhaps
one or two with a linen texture.
The paper's weight is also important. Twenty pound letterhead stock should
be the minimum; twenty-four is crisper and more impressive. The usual 8112" x
22
 Monarch compared to full size letterhead

11" sheet is always preferred, unless you want a personalized executive leterhead
in addition to the other, in which case the smaller Monarch stock is used.
The paper color, as discussed earlier, must coordinate with the ink used.
Plain white is coming back into vogue again, after the recent love affair with the
dozens of bright new colors introduced daily by paper suppliers. But even where
white letterheads seem required by convention - for conservative legal firms, or
accountants - an off-white (sometimes called natural white) is warmer and
easier on the eye. Pastel colors, when selected for a reason, are fine. Bolder or
darker colors are rarely appropriate.

4. Envelopes
Of course, envelopes are also considered part of your company stationery and
deserve attention too. In fact, since a potential client will see it first, the envelope
may very well be more crucial than the letterhead. After all, if the person who
receives your letter isn't sufficiently inspired to open the envelope, it doesn't
matter how good your letterhead looks.
You'll therefore want to carry the basic style developed for your letterhead
onto the envelope, too. Some designers of stationery go even further, making
their boldest image statement there, perhaps enlarging the logo to fill the entire
I

/"""\ i left side of the envelope. Not only will that spark interest in the person to whom
I it's addressed, but provide a little free advertising as it gets routed through the
I
mail delivery system.
23
 Enlarged logo on envelope

b. BUSINESS CARDS
A business card is usually given out in person, most often by an employee or
other agent of your organization. Therefore, a more complete (vocal) description
of who you are will probably accompany the card. You or your representative
may hand the card to a potential customer or client as you arrive for an
appointment to discuss your product or services, or at the close of some other
type of face-to-face meeting. For that reason, some people will question the
wisdom of spending a great deal of time or money on the design and printing of
business cards.
But long after the words are forgotten, long after the memory of the
meeting fades, the business card remains as a physical representation of your
company. This fact ranks your card (with your custom-designed logo) among the
most important components of your relationship to clients and of your total
advertising program. The business card acts as a mini-brochure, a lasting visual
aid by which your customer/client can remember the details of a previous
contact.
Indeed, some clever salespeople find excuses to constantly refer to the logo
on their card during sales presentations, as if to transfer everything they've said
to that one visual symbol. The logo then causes the customer to automatically
recall this information every time the logo is seen in the newspaper or executive
card file.
And speaking of card files, almost everyone in business keeps one on his or
her desk, filled with untold dozens of calling cards from various other companies.
You can prove it for yourself by scanning the offices of other business people you
know. Everyone tends to save business c~rds. When that potential client you
called on six months ago finally needs your services, and begins to search
through the card file with only a vague recollection of your company's name,
your company logo will virtually jump out and say, "Here I am!"
The design of your business card should follow the same rules as for your
letterhead and envelope. The identical color scheme should be used, as well as the

24
~I

same paper stock. (A cover weight, though, is required to give it that heavier feel,
and also help it to withstand extra handling). You'll also want to employ the same
layout scheme.
Other features of your business card, however, are variable. The standard 2"
x 3Y2," format must be observed - unless you want your card thrown out because
it doesn't fit into the secretary's Rolodex or the plastic inserts in the purchasing
agent's wallet. On the other hand, there's nothing sacred about the common,
single-face business card.
A number of interesting flaps and folds may be experimented with, as long
as the result is compatible with your image. The fold will create space inside for a
brief explanation of your business, perhaps, or a photo of the salesperson whose
card it is, or other promotional copy. The card would then not only act as a
mini-brochure, as suggested earlier, but be one. Just don't let yourself get carried
away with the fold-over concept unless you have a good reason for it. And even
then the cover of the card should present your logo in the same straightforward
manner as a more traditional style.

Horizontal
Book fold

Vertical

Tent fold
Short fold horizontal

Gate fold

Short fold vertical

OIl" fold
Business card formats

25
c. DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Designing stationery and business cards is generally a one-time investment in
your image, much like your logo. Display ads, however, represent a continuing
need in your program to make your image stick.
Businesses that sell products will be more inclined to advertise frequently in
the local newspaper. Some manufacturers will share (co-op) expenses with their
retailers, too, making them that much more likely to advertise. Response is
usually easy to gauge, because foot traffic increases almost immediately or the
particular product being advertised sells more units. However, it's a mistake to
emphasize the product to the exclusion of the company. Such advertising
benefits everyone else who sells that particular product, too - your competition
- unless you present a strong company identification at the same time.

Twelve days of ~ DJ\:

Christmas... ,~ \~ ~~ Upstairs at
And more! !/~ it,· J Keller's ...it's
Make the warmth of these
special holidays last. .. with
Christmas!
festive decorations from Keller's! Colorful hand· made wooden
like this hand·painted, deeply. tree ornaments are just one
carved candle commemorating of the many holiday
the Twelve Days of Christmas. decorating ideas you'lI
There are many other sizes and find now... at Keller's
styles, too ... in fact, the largest Upstairs Christmas Gallery!
selection of holiday candles Select them right from the
anywhere! tree, or choose from an
unsurpassed selection of
You'll also find a complete
light sets, carved
selection of light set~, colorful
candles, trimmed
tree ornaments, brass and
wreaths, .. .and more' Of
ceramic art objects ... and the
course, no other store
finest holiday china for your table.
carries as much fine
With all this Christmas decor, you'll
holiday tableware and festive
wish the holidays would last twelve monthsl
china as Keller's.
Making your Christmas beautlfull Now, more Christmas than everl

Upstairs Christmas Gallery. McHenry Village. 577·2590 Upstairs Christmas Gallery • McHenry Village. 577·2590

Display ads for a newspaper

Organizations that sell services or other intangibles have a more difficult

task promoting themselves. When this kind of business first opens its doors, or
any time more business must be generated, a well-planned series of display ads
is necessary to break into the public's awareness. These ads should be
predominantly image-building or institutional, focussing as much on the logo
and the company identity as on the service being offered. The object, naturally, is
to make your image so bound up with what you offer that the public simply can't
think of one without the other.

26
 Even so, response from such ads will be tough to estimate. An accounting
firm, for example, will rarely get a sudden influx of new business as a result of an
image-building ad. People simply don't develop an urgent need for bookkeeping
after being exposed to even the most sparkling description of accounting
services. The same people, though, might impulsively go out and buy some
specific item of clothing or hardware because they saw it in the newspaper.
That's the nature of the beast.
However, if your ads have done their job of presenting your image to the
public in an attractive and impressive fashion, they will have their effect. When
people do develop the need for your service, it's your company they'll think of
first. Response from a particular advertising campaign may therefore trickle in
over a period of weeks or months - or at least until the staying power of your ads
has worn off.
This brings us to the same point made earlier about your logo: people forget.
Visual aids, like your logo, can help your company stick in people's minds much
longer than otherwise, but nothing lasts forever. Placing an institutional ad in
the newspaper on a regular basis both reminds people about your service and
helps strengthen your position in the public mind. Furthermore, studies have
shown that most people don't respond to an advertisement - particularly from a
new business - the first time it appears. The third exposure seems to be the time
most people become interested. Succeeding advertisements can increase
response rates almost geometrically until a plateau is reached. At that level it is
generally possible to reduce your advertising somewhat, though pulling in your
horns too much can cause your image to quickly fall from its lofty heights in the
public eye. In short, making your company a household name will require a
significant outlay, but really does pay big dividends.
Just look at the oil companies. They sell a product, yes: but they also sell
themselves. Far more of their air time is spent telling you how wonderful they
are than how good their gas is. And the last visual image they leave you with,
whether it's in a full-page newspaper ad or the tail-end of a 60-second TV spot, is
a copy of their company logo. Next time you're driving down the highway
routinely searching for a gas station, whose sign do you suppose will catch your
eye?
Designing effective display ads is probably best left to someone else. The
only thing you'll be responsible for is a logo that reduces cleanly to the proper
size, and is bold enough to stand out from the articles and other ads which will
surround it. The newspaper you'll be advertising in will probably include the
expense of laying out your ad in the cost for placing it.
On the other hand, it may pay you to develop a standard format for your
display advertising before you walk blindly through the doors of your local
newspaper. The production department is geared to speed; they're not about to
dilly-dally over the niceties of your particular ad layout when they have 70 others
t'o prepare for tomorrow's edition. If you can hand them a pencil sketch you've
developed or, better yet, a finished " velox " with an attractive border and your
,..-...,1 logo already reduced to size, they should be able to do a competent job with the
rest.
Again, there are certain rules to keep in mind.
27
 1. Logo style
First, the more newspaper advertising you do, the more important it becomes to
have a logo that boldly jumps out of a printed page. Retailers should probably aim
for a compact, unified logo rather than a corporate-style logo. Bold letters ­
perhaps outlined, with dropshadows added - can be very effective.
If you advertise frequently, yet want to maintain a refined and tasteful
appearance, be prepared to pay for a lot of extra white space around your logo so
it doesn't blend into the surrounding newsprint and get lost.

2. Typestyle
As on stationery and business cards, the typeface in your ads should reflect the
style used in your logo. If not the same typeface, the one you select should at least
be compatible with your logo.
Unfortunately, your newspaper - assuming they'll be doing the physical
paste-up of your ads - will probably have only a limited range of styles for you to
choose from. Ask for suggestions, then select the styles you'll want them to
use on all subsequent ads. A bold, more stylized type may be' suitable for the
headlines, with a plain, legible typeface for body copy.
Unless you're placing institutional ads, where the style must be strictly
controlled, you may even give the production department freedom to use an
occasional bit of clip-art. These tidbits of mass-produced artwork - including
illustrations and embellished headlines - can help enliven your ad, even if the
style does vary.
Depending on how personal or informal your business is, you may want to
consider handwritten type or calligraphy in your ad. The casual, cartoon style of
the Foot Traffic logo, shown here, provided the perfect mood for an ad done
entirely by hand. In fact, since the typestyles available from your newspaper are
so limited, any variance such as this will draw more attention to itself. Still, it's
wise to employ a professional hand; don't let your efforts to develop a casual
image end up looking sloppy or amateurish.

Ct" '~l ,t~!" ~~l"d" IICI"",II

.. ,~~" "'WI'tO". 'I~."el'\ sn(O\>,~(l'
iCICOI'.cceu'".G· .. .,.ouoeus·.. :

Sample display ads

.
~
he \ """ 't~~!

Comp/flt'
; . . "'::: I"" 'o:t.m..
~

; •• I ... ,,' ..

28
 -- --------- ----~--- .. _---~._._--

3. Layout
The overall appearance of your ad is what promotes your distinctive identity in
display advertising. And, naturally, it must be consistent with your logo. A legal
firm might run professional announcements on the business pages, similar in
size to one you might receive in the maiL with a thin, double line border, plenty of
white space around the type, and the logo centered at the bottom.
A hardware store, in contrast, would use a much larger format enclosed in a
single, heavy border, perhaps in the sports section, with its logo prominently
displayed at the top and bottom, and its various wares thoroughly covering the
spa<;:e between.
If the design theme of the logo can be transferred to other aspects of the ad,
so much the better. Note how the black band in the Foot Traffic logo is duplicated
at the top of the ad, thereby defining its space on the page and adding balance.
Always - always - remember to give your ads a consistent look from one
time to the next. The newspaper is not the place to experiment with different
styles, unless you want to give the impression of being a different company with
each exposure. A single element of your basic layout may be altered if you're
trying out a new idea to increase response, but certainly not the general
appearance. After several consistent ads, readers will not only begin to recognize
you merely from the character of your layout, they'll subconsciously look for
your ad whenever they leaf through the paper. And if people go looking for you,
chances are good you'll get their business.

d. SIGNS
The very fact that people go looking for you is also the reason why signs are so
important. The oil companies, to use that example once more, have learned this
lesson well. Their newspaper ads, and commercials on TV and radio, are all
carefully coordinated to build a unified, instantly recognized company image.
This is absolutely essential for the corner gas station, whose livelihood depends
on pulling you in before you've had a chance to drive by. And, with all that
company advertising percolating in the back of your mind, the vision of their sign
looming in the distance will draw you in like a magnet.
A sign on your own place of business is probably not as important as it is for
the gas station, but the strategy is the same. Your first visual contact with a
potential customer/client may have taken the form of a lettec a calling card or
newspaper ad. When that person finally comes looking for you, your sign should
act like a beacon, revealing the path through the midst of your competitors to
your own front door. If your sign displays the same logo already presented to the
public several times, your customers will have far less trouble locating you.
Not only does your sign strengthen the public's image of your company by
being consistent with everything else, it increases the bond between you. Even if
you have no sign visible from the street, the sight of your company logo on the
I office door rewards clients for finding you and sets a behavioral pattern you'll
,r-J want to reinforce at every opportunity.

29
 The design of your sign is basically the design of your logo. Engineering and
making the sign, of course, is a special craft you should hire a contractor to
perform, based on your finished design and color scheme. If you provide your
logo, incidentally, you've probably saved yourself several hundred dollars in
design costs. Sign companies often start from scratch, having to come up with
the layou t, typestyle, and colors on their own, thus spending much preliminary
time you would end up paying for. Just be sure you've determined where your
sign will be placed hefore you finish your logo, and the proportions necessary to
make it fit. A logo that's twice as high as it is wide won't work on the horizontal
fascia above your office doors; with those limits in mind, you'll want to
concentrate on logo designs that stretch our horizontally.

Sign using logo

You'll also need to discuss with your sign contractor such details as
materials, lighting, and - perhaps most importantly - how the sign will be
enclosed. Ideally, if your sign will be mounted on a nice flat surface, your logo
should be duplicated exactly as is, with symbol and letters individually cut out
and trimmed. However, some shopping malls insist that all signs be standardized
by enclosing them in a light box of specific dimensions. That's okay if you can still
reproduce your exact logo on the face of it, in the colors you've selected, but some
office buildings require a standard typeface for every tenant. If that's the case,
complain loudly. Get the rules changed, or move out. To be most effective, your
sign must coordina te with the rest of your advertising program, and that means
duplicating your logo.

e. COORDINATE YOUR IMAGE

Making your company image stick is a coordinated program of exposing your
logo to the public through the use of several different media. The image must be
presented regularly and consistently, wherever your particular brand of
potential customers/clients can best be reached. A famous ad executive put it
more bluntly: "Your image is worthless," he said, "unless you advertise it, push
it ... ram it down everybody's throat."
Stationery, cards, newspaper ads, and signs are the four visual media that
should be used at the very least. But there are dozens of other ways to present

30
your company image. Again, depending on your image, other applications will
suggest themselves, both before and after you go into business.
The owner of an Italian deli made use of his new logo in perhaps more ways
than most. Stationery and cards came first, since the owner wanted to make a
strong impression on his suppliers - and his bank - right from the start. The
logo also appeared on the storefront sign, almost exactly as it appeared in print,
and was similarly duplicated on his delivery van. The van makes an excellent
mobile advertisement.
The opening of the deli was heralded by large display ads in the newspaper,
followed by smaller weekly ads in the restaurant guide and living section of the
local newspaper. A quarter-page ad was also reserved in the yellow pages of the
phone book. And all were given a consistent look, which featured the logo
prominently, and employed a round-cornered border to complement it.
The logo even went home with the public. Take-out menus, direct-mail
flyers, sales tickets, and customized calendars reminded customers of the deli
from bulletin boards, drawers next to the phone, and the walls of kitchens.
Stickers for packaged meat and cheeses, likewise imprinted with the logo,
whispered from the niches of the refrigerator. Color T-shirts - emblazoned
with the logo and either sold at cost or given away free with large orders
-shouted the name of the deli from closets and school playgrounds. With each
exposure to that logo, the deli's bond with its customers was strengthened,
keeping them coming back again and again. And keeping the profits rolling in.
The possibilities don't end there, either. Your imagination - and perhaps
your budget - are the only limiting factors. If they can be tied to a well-planned
advertising scheme consistent with your image, any or all of the following might
also be considered:
(a) Trade magazine advertisements
(b) Billboards
(c) Discount coupons
(d) Brochures on specific products/services
(e) Badges or buttons
(f) Ball-point pens or pencils
(g) Greeting cards, postcards
(h) TV spots
(i) Calendars or date books
(j) Con tests and other specialized promotions
(k) Patches or decals
Well-known corporations have spent literally millions of dollars each year on
advertising specialties like those listed above, as well as on the basic four
discussed earlier, to promote themselves to a nationwide audience. Small

31
companies can get away with a few thousand dollars each year for their own
image-building program. In fact, after a start-up investment of less than a
thousand dollars - for the logo itself, printed stationery and cards, and a small
sign on the office door - some businesses can get by on a few hundred dollars a
year.
One final comment on making your image stick is appropriate here. If your
public image doesn't match who you really are, but only some grandiose vision of
who you're pre/ending to be, it's going to backfire sooner or later. When the public
finds out that Trans-National Marketing Corporation, with its impressive
graphics and watermarked stationery, is really someone operating out of the
storage shed in the backyard, the house-of-cards is bound to collapse.

Example of coordinafed
image-building program

This is not to say your company can't start out that way: sometimes an
impressive logo can be a way to give yourself the incentive to build your company
from a backyard enterprise into a large-scale concern complete with its own
office complex and 75 employees. It happens all the time. But if you must
continually fool people in order to get their business, your only customers will be
fools. And even fools have a habit of getting wise - eventually.
Fortunately, if you've done the hard thinking outlined in previous chapters,
you've no doubt decided against such a course. If you've developed an image that
fairly represents your company, or what your company is capable of, it will stick
with a minimum of effort.

32
 5

THE DESIGN MANUAL

If you're the least bit impatient you may have been tempted to skip the first four
chapters of this book to go straight for the prize. Welt your instincts are partly
right; in this chapter we'll get into the physical nuts-and-bolts of logo design.
But you're making a big mistake if you assume you can start here and design
just as effective a logo as you would if you'd done your homework. Because it's
the preliminary thinking - that hard, steely-eyed look at who you are, the
developing of a unified company image, the rigorous planning for connecting
that image with the marketplace - that can be the most valuable part of the
process. Knowing why not only makes the how easier, but far more rewarding in
the long run.
If you had paid one of the major advertising agencies to design your logo, a
team of researchers would have been dispatched to investigate your company.
Every detail of your operation would be scrutinized, from the typewriter ribbons
your secretary uses to the way your top salespeople pitch their prospective
clients - all in an effort to determine exactly who you are. Large corporations
pay five and six figures for this in-depth analysis, with the impressively-bound
results likely to contain little information you couldn't have compiled yourself.
But you, in your economical wisdom, have single-handedly completed this
research, with a few tips from the first four chapters.
The next phase of the project is the actual creation of the design. And, like
the big ad agency, we'll begin with a few tentative sketches based on your
research, ending with the design that becomes your company logo.
There are five basic steps involved. Read through them once and jot down
any creative flashes you may have as you go. Afterwards return to this page and
actually do them.

Step #1: CREATIVE DOODLING

Most people doodle. It's a naturat subconscious habit. Sometimes it takes the
form of numbers, as when the balance in your checkbook starts falling precipit­
ously. Other times the doodles become geometric shapes or even pictures.
In any case, creative doodling is a good way to begin translating your
thoughts about your company into visual form. We use the term doodling here
not because it's aimless pencil scratching, but because it sounds less imposing
than preliminary designs or rough sketches. At this stage, you should feel totally
unconstrained by dictionary terminology, or by any pressure to make these
thumb-nail efforts look professional.

33
 Pressure, in fact, is the last thing you need - unless you happen to work best
that way. A little background music may help get your creative juices flowing, or
even the innocuous babble of a TV show that doesn't require much attention.
Simply relax and let yourself go as you do when you're, welt doodling.
You can start this process anytime during the development of your company
image - even before you've made any permanent decisions about who you are.
Often, it helps you make those decisions. Just be sure to save all your doodles for
future reference.
You11 need the following implements:
(a) A pad of graph paper, with light-blue grid lines which help keep your lines
reasonably straight and determine proportions later on.
(b) A couple of soft-lead pencils. Charcoal pencils are recommended because
you can fill in solid areas more quickly and evenly. (Charcoal does tend
to smudge a bit though.)
(c) A large eraser such as Pink Pearl or Artgum. You don't really need to erase
mistakes at this point, but some people just can't help being neat.
(d) A flat drawing surface to rest your graph pad on. If you have access to a
drafting table - great! If not, kitchen tables and desktops have been
known to produce many an outstanding logo design. In a pinch, a
breadboard placed across your lap as you sit back in your favorite
recliner will work nicely.
The basic goal here is simply to explore the visual possibilities. The more, the
better. Paper is cheap, and you're certainly not committing yourself to anything
yet. Like the proverbial shopper who tries on every pair of shoes in the store, you
should tryon both a modern and a classic look - and everything in between.
Depending on some of your earlier thinking, you may want to develop a specific
symbol for your organization, concentrate only on the name itself, or try a
combination of both.
Scribble down your ideas as inspiration strikes, then move on. Don't spend too
much time on any single design, and don't become critical or selective yet.
Actually, if you've done your preliminary research, your subconscious mind will
already have some idea of what's appropriate and what isn't. Allow it to be the
sole judge at this stage. Conscious refinements will corne later.
You may find it easier to get started by copying - or trying out your own
variations on - ideas you've collected from outside sources. Even professional
artists keep what is commonly called a swipe file, consisting of designs they've
ripped from the pages of magazines or photocopied from trade journals. If you
haven't already done so, start your own immediately. Gather together samples of
logos or attractive typestyles you've run across in periodicals or newspaper ads.
Leaf through your business card file and pull out any that seem especially
interesting.

34
 C£NiR,.<:\L VALLEY CIRCUIT

fItt:
~~"¢!-~Q.
~~ lAYERED
,CIRcUIT
~Ies 0 TEO-INOLOGIE.5

Preliminary sketches

There are also several excellent books with collections of trademarks and
letterhead designs. Consider borrowing or buying them for reference purposes.*
However, you will rarely see in these books the sketches that were required to
reach the final design. Such sketches can be more instructive than the finished
product, which is why I've devoted chapter 7 in this book entirely to case
histories. But even completed logos can spark valuable ideas,
Before you start doodling, arrange all these samples around you for inspira­
tion's sake. Soon enough, the ideas you've merely copied will lead to other, original
designs. Variations will emerge that are distinctly your own.
Admittedly, creative doodling is no piece of cake. Some people will think it's
fun; but for others it's a struggle. Give yourself plenty of time. Refer to your

• Among those books I keep on hand for inspiration are: international Trademark Design by Peter
}Vildbur (Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1979); IImericarz Trademark Designs by

~,
Barbara Baer Capitman (Dover Publications, New York, 1976); Handbook of Pictorial Symbols by
Rudolf Modley (Dover Publications, New York, 1976); and Lellerheads: He Intmla!ioflalllrznual of
Lellerhead Desigll, Vols. 1 - 3, ed, by David Carter (Art Direction Book Company, New York,
1977).

35
 swipe file constantly; ask other people for suggestions; and don't give up. You can do
it! If you have any doubts about why you've let yourself get involved in this crazy
project, re-read the first four chapters.
And remember, nobody knows your business like you do.

Step #2: CHOOSING YOUR TYPESTYLE

\
\
In many cases, the primary part of a company logo is some kind of visual symbol.
The name beside it is secondary. In other cases, the name is given equal status
with the symbol. Sometimes, however, the name is the logo itself.
For the latter class of logo, the typeface or stylization of letters is of supreme
importance. Conveying your image is dependent upon the right choice of letter­
ing. But even where the name is almost an afterthought, selecting an appropriate
typeface remains a critical part of your task.
Doing this is not really a separate step in the process, despite the heading
above. You should be exploring typestyles as you doodle. Indeed, if you've
already decided against using any pictorial symbolism, exploring typestyles and
the arrangements of type is all that your doodling will consist of.
This brings up an important question: why might you decide against includ­
ing some kind of pictorial symbol in your logo? Because your company may be
involved in too many different areas to be symbolized neatly. Or because you
have an ultraconservative, professional image to uphold and a symbol might
appear too commercialized. Or perhaps you're just plain stuck for ideas and
working with type alone seems a lot easier. (The first two excuses I'll accept; the
last requires that you go sit in the corner for 10 minutes.) No doubt there are
legi tima te reasons to design a logo tha t fea tures no more than a name set in type;
but don't be too hasty just yet to take the easy way out.
Take a look at the typeface samples shown on the following pages. There
are, beyond these few dozen, literally thousands of other typestyles, each with a
more or less different feel. New typefaces, some showing only the tiniest differ­
ence from previous styles, are being introduced every day. Your job is to find­
or design for yourself - the letter style that best expresses the image you're
trying to convey. A hi-tech company, obviously, would not be served by an
antique typeface; nor would a country store be wise to select a modern one.
Graphic arts textbooks break typestyles down into any number of catego­
ries: Roman, sans-serif, cursive, decorative, text, block, etc. And there are sub-categories
within each of these. For our purposes, we'll make only three distinctions:
Contemporary, classic, and decorative. It just so happens that contemporary typestyles
generally have no serifs -that is, they have no crossbars at the ends of the
vertical strokes; while classic styles do have them. Decorative styles are some­
thing else again; they can be either serif or sans-serif.
You can use these sample alphabets for a start. As a basicguideline, the more
modern your image, the more likely you'll want to select (or custom-design)
something similar to those in the first category. This is because the contempor­
ary western mentality has been trained to eliminate the non-essential, to sim­

36
 CONTEMPORARY/SANS-SERIF

aaabcdeefghijklmnopqrstuuvwxYZiEo&?IB£$'70(;)=,-";;=.«lI t1 BCD E: F G H1J 1\ l M NO PQ ~ ~ T U IJ W X Y l &

AABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZA:01234567890 1QJ4567890%4i~H)1 'O[]
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWX ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghljklmnopqrstuvwxyz 123 abcdefghijklmnopqrsluvwxyz 123456

ABCDEFGHIJKLM~PQRSTUVWXYZ8c
A[)CDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
obcdefghijklmnopqrsluvwxyZ 12345678
abc d Ii: f 9 hi j kim nap q n t u v W M ':l .. ,:;""! '? 0 # '\0

ABCDEFG H IJ KLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ AB[DEFGHIJHLmnOPQR5TUUWHYZ&

abcdefghijklmnopqrsluvwxyz 1234567 I Imn Dp q rs tUUWHYl Sl%/"""!?,:;.[j
Db ld efg hi k

ciiicibcdeefghijklmnopqrstiiiivw xylleO &?!B£S%(:I:~.::..:""" ABCDEfGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ&

AA8CDEFGHIJKLI1N6PQASlTiiVWXYl~O
ABCDEFGHIJKlffiNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Q,bcdefghljklmnopqlstuvx!jz 1234567B90
ABCDEFGHIJKlMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrsluvwxyz 1234567890
1234561890 abcde fll hii kim n 0 pq rstuullIxl/z .. ::I?'Uu-rJ'
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
RRBCDE,cG,t-lIL/i'lLl'lt'lOPOR5TU/-'MX':iZFE0
123'--1557B'3D&?iE.$%[;]-.::;:::-:,,»

CLASSIC/SERIF

~iia.bcdeerghijkJmn<ipqrsliiuvwXY,l"'0&?m£s'Yo(;)':"~«l> 6aob6cdCt1f?hliijklilmflIIO/XlrstWlvlVxyza:o&?IfJ,£J96()-,",=••
AABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZI£01234567890 AABCDEFGHIJKLMHOPQR5rllVlVXfZ/E0 /234561890
,\ [l(' I JEr(; I [UI<L~i ,,()J 'C,W:-;TI J \'\\' XYI ABCDEFGHllKLMNOPQRSTlIVWXYl
u\lc<kCgllijld1l111opqrsl t1\·\\,X~·7. 1~34.=)G7H abcdefghijklmnol'qrstuvwxyz 1234567
ABCDEFGHWKlMNOPQRSTUVW ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWYXZ
abcdelghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 12345 abcdefghijk1mnopqrstuvwxyz 123456
ABCDEFGHIJK1,MNOPQRSTUVW ABCDEFGHIlKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghOklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567 abcdelghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 12345678
aaabcdeefghijkl mn<ipqrsl iiilvWXyZ<X:0 &7!~£S%(:)~:.-,"'«" .'/.1I'f?'./J! .i~';. J/~r;,11('J~ II. ,1/,.1':l.1?'Jf '1/1 11
AABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZIt:0 1234567890 al:o!rjJ;I"iilmurjul'Jlu II({.'.ry J I ~j·N.;1;7",,!J('

ABCDEFGHlJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY
abcdefglJijklm nopqrslllvlVxyz 1234567 abcdefghijklmnopqrsluvwxyz 123456
II HCDEFGIIIJ Ii 1,1I1r\lOI'(11l,STlI V
aIH·defghij1<l ... no/H/r.• IIl.·IIW!I% /2

DECORATIVE

AillQJl9H~mJ3JjK1JjtnNQj)P®llll!>um]lmXW AHCDErGHIJKLM~OP~RSTUVWXY.£
nb cbcfgl/iil<[l11l1011qCUtUUllI xU3 1Z3'15 G709U lib eel e f,bilk hllllllllq rs f II V\\. x YIIl"/" "n!, .,:;.()
""";'''''''''Jg"1l i<1 "Jl</£ ~i <iii ¥ W" Y~ce:.. ..a 1j)G:i "/;;,';:;;-rr«.. . ,si;ii~~"~.6y~iji::lm";;Piutii.ilvwJl'lJ.oI1a £?!J)£so/tt{:)·.:... ~(m
;';'''UJ;';NiaIJ~ a,.. i,.. ~.adJ;j rt" "'/i.e; I",J4,,<i'<I"U f1/1(!17.rTql/~K.eA(AlOP{}~ ~'fUJlWXlf:lI.234567890

&rn©!ID~!F@[J{laJ)IElJ.lfj]!ill@lJl@ill®'il'1!!JWWl7~~,{g@ R4II~CCD~E~Ff(jaH4tlqJ9Kq(LClMCJ4Itq'tOPqlQRqlSSTcr

~~®U'®®:ID ®n~®" [o,,:D"';;U;~''''o UqJVl\IW<WX9!Yttztl fE011134567890 6~IEI% (.. ;:)Ii/:::."

plify, to do a job as efficiently as possible with no wasted motion. Anything else is

considered old-fashioned. With this in mind, note that the contemporary letters
have fewer strokes per letter and the vertical strokes do not vary much in
thickness from the horizontal ones.
The classic letters not only have the serifs mentioned earlier, but each letter
seems to be more stylishly sculptured, with varying thicknesses, Part of the
old-fashioned look may be a mental carry-over from times when lettering was
done strictly by hand. Depending on how the pen or brush was held as each
stroke was made, the width could be altered. Some classic faces are actually
simulations of brush strokes.even though typeset on the most modern, state-of­
the-art, fully computerized equipment.

37
 You'll have a far wider range of styles in the classic category, if only because
the greater freedom to stylize the letters allows for more variations. But even the
constraints of modernity allow for a surprising diversity among contemporary
typefaces - from casual, round-cornered Harry to the compass-inscribed circles
and crisp, letter perfect perpendiculars of Avant Garde.
As with classic typefaces, the range of decorative lettering is enormous;
unlimited, really, for here almost anything goes. Decorative typestyles, inciden­
tally, are so called because the eye must work a bit harder to see the actual letter
amidst all the decora tive embellishment. The more words set in that typeface,
the harder the eye must work. In fact, the basic test to determine whether or not
your lettering falls into the decorative category is this: if you were to set several
sentences of copy in your selected typestyle - this entire paragraph, for example
-could the average person read it easily? If not, the lettering is probably
decorative.
Because they are so stylized, therefore, decorative typefaces are used exclu­
sively where the company name alone is intended to be the logo. They rarely
work in conjunction with a corporate symbol or other pictorial. The only excep­
tion is when the pictorial and decorative lettering are actually made part of a
single, compact unit, as in the McHenry Station logo below.
When placed alongside a symbol of some kind, a highly-stylized letter will
almost always end up competing with the symbol instead of complementing it.
Your logo will then look distracting and disorganized, thus implying that your
business image is unclear at best, even hinting that your organization contains
elements that actually work against each other.

~
.

~
I •
:.d
,,,. .
.....
"

7/=;ff~@!I!R

~@MM!1!IN//~1!!J7Il/@Nf$

Lawler~Kersten
~Witkowski
CERTIFIED PUBLIC AC',cOUNTANTS Logos using interesting
typestyles for the name
jJSTANISlAUS ~~
~uuifiWiii/.

38
 In any case, it's obvious that the way your business name appears in type,
and how the letters are arranged, will automatically communicate something
about who you are. To illustrate this fact more clearly, let's take the example of a
hypothetical furniture store we'll call Perspective Interiors. Look at the different
typefaces below.
Set in Busorama, the store seems to project a refined look, perhaps indicat­
ing that it specializes in elegant, expensive furniture and accessories, possibly
with an art nouveau flavor. Stymie Bold, used for the second example, seems
inappropriate on the face of it, though we might logically infer that its business
must be the selling of benches and worktables to heavy manufacturing firms. Set
in American Typewriter, we might assume the store offers a line of furniture and
accent pieces for the office. Rodeo, on the other hand, tells us that it features
Western style furniture, probably of hand-hewn oak or pine. The personable,
open-faced lettering in the final example - a customized hand-lettered design­
implies a collection of fine, casual furniture, tasteful, perhaps, but not too
expensive.

PER)PECTI\lE) Busorama
INTERIORS

PERSPECTIVES Stymie Bold

INTERIORS

PERSPECTIVES American Typewriter

INTERIORS

PSasPSCTIVES Rodeo
INTERIORS

Customized hand-lettered

39
 It's surprising how different people will have similar reactions to these and
other typestyles. This again points to some basic rules you'll want to keep in mind
as you explore typestyles for your logo.
(a) Sal1s-serif typefaces - those without the crossbars referred to earlier
-convey a more modern and progressive image. Typefaces with serifs
suggest a less modern character. Depending on the overall appearance,
less moJern can be perceived as classy, conservative, timeless or down­
right old-fashioned.
(b) Italics or slanted letters can project a feeling of action, speed or
progressiveness. The visual effect of forward-leaning letters, especially
when combined with a sans-serif typeface, makes them seem to be
literally moving across the printed page. The more radical the slant, the
faster they move - though extremely italicized letters are harder to
read and may appear to be falling over.
Backslatlted letter styles, also called reverse italics, are also a
possibility. But, it's a rare situation where such letters are appropriate.
For one thing, the eye is unaccustomed to reading them; for another,
they probably symbolize backwardness as surely as 'regular italics
convey a forward-looking attitude.
(c) Capital letters give a feeling of formality, while mixing them with lower-case
letters (or using lower-case exclusively) suggests a more informal,
casual image. Capital letters are conservative and larger-than-life;
lower-case letters are friendly and down-to-earth. Capitals are
imposing and corporate-looking; lower-case letters are approachable
and seem to imply a smaller business.
(d) Outlil1ed letters also appear less formal- as well as giving you an excuse
to fill them in with a second color. Outlined or open letters project a
certain pizazz which solid typefaces lack. With the aid of a dropshadow
to give it a three-dimensional look, outlined letters can practically jump
off the page. Reversing the typeface - placing light-toned letters against
a darker background - can achieve much the same effect.
(e) Thil1 or lighter-face letters show a kind of professional class or technical
expertise. Especially for a service trade, thin letters imply
professionalism and even indicate an advanced degree. Thicker letters­
also called heavy-face or bolder letters - convey a hands-on business
operation such as manufacturing or shop trades. Please excuse any
sexist implications here, but thin is seen as more feminine, while thick is
masculine.
(f) Script, which is a typeset version of cursive handwriting, also suggests
gender. Script shows more feminine characteristics, whereas printed
letters are masculine. At the same time, script can provide a wide range
of other impressions, though readability will always suffer as a result.
Depending on how fine or embellished it appears, script can convey lots
of personality -like your own signature would - or seem ultra-classy
and exclusive.

40
 Don't forget: you can combine two or more of these characteristics in one
typeface, if the image fits. There's no rule that prevents you from using a single
letter-style that is classic, italicized, informal, and outlined simutaneously. Some
typesetting houses in larger cities can (for a hefty fee, naturally) take virtually
any lettering and make whatever alteration you want, from italicizing to adding
dropshadows and other special effects. But even if you buy your type, tryout
several styles in pencil first to see which looks best.

Step #3: REFINEMENTS

Congratulations! You've finally compiled a variety of ideas for your new
company logo, in the form of the doodles described in Step #1. On second
though t, go ahead and call them preliminary sketches; your crea tions deserve a
little more respect now that you've gotten this far into the project. Now, what do
you do with them?
The creative staff of a large advertising agency might come up with 15 or 20
preliminary sketches for a company's corporate logo. (You shouldn't quit until
you have six or eight - preferably more). But the client isn't allowed to see all the
sketches the agency has done. Only a select few of these designs are judged
worthy of further refinement. Most are immediately scrapped for one reason or
another. The client may be presented with no more than two or three finalists­
sometimes only one.
Similarly, you needn't spend a lot of time polishing up any. of your
preliminary sketches that clearly miss the mark. Some of your designs may be
clever in certain ways, or visually attractive; but if they obviously give the wrong
impression about who you are, now is the time to start eliminating them. Don't
become too critical, though, for you may just have a diamond in the rough, which
can be polished with a little more effort. Still, you can safely throw out those
designs that are too ordinary, too corny or contrived, too busy or just plain lousy.
Out of 10 or 12 rough designs, you should be able to narrow the field to 4
that show some potential of conveying your image. The task at this stage, then, is
to continue working with those four only - the object being to give yourself that
many really good designs from which to select your logo.
However, it's not out of the question that one single design will already
stand out from the rest. It's not likely; it's almost unheard of where two or more
people have a say in the process. Even so, you'd be well-advised not to rush into
any final decision. Given some modification, one of the other designs might yet
turn out better than your first choice. So go ahead with the four that show the
most promise, see what can be done to improve them, clean them up, and sketch
them a second time with 'a little more finesse. In short, refine them.
There are several factors to consider when improving your sketches. First,
take another look at the doodles you tossed out. Though none of these was
wholly acceptable, certain redeeming qualities can probably be found in each.
Can you steal some of these qualities and apply them to any of your four
finalists? Furthermore, how well do the symbols in your sketches match up with

41
the typestyles? Or can the ideas behind the pictorial symbols be made more
explicit? Can two symbols be combined to project more clearly the image you are
seeking? If you suspect so, try them ou t.
What is meant by cleaning the sketches up? Simplicity is the key. The simpler,
the better. The less cluttered, the better. The less detailed, the better.

From the cluttered to the simple look

As mentioned earlier, details aren't appropriate for a symbol meant to be

recognized a t a glance, not studied like an etching in an art gallery. Small details
will disappear by the time your logo is reduced to business card size. Cleaning up
your designs therefore means eliminating any detail that can't be visually
grasped in a single glance or that doesn't contribute to the message or feeling you
wish to send. The updating of the familiar Hartford Insurance symbol is a perfect
illustration. If you can accomplish in your sketches what Hartford accomplished
in their logo over the last several decades by simplifying the image and making it
more graphic, your own results will be equally dramatic.
Sketching your designs with a little more finesse should be fairly self­
explanatory. Assuming you've determined the various improvements that can be
made, draw them once more, and this time do as precise a job as you're able. You'll
still be working in pencil, but a ruler or compass might corne in handy to give the
sketches a more finished look.
Using the lines on your graph paper to guide you, start by lightly sketching
each of your four finalists on some fresh paper, making the improvements and
modifications as you go. Reduce the amount of unnecessary detail, tighten up the
spacing of the letters, and add the appropriate style. If much of the design will

42
remain the same, you can save time by tracing the new sketch over the old. (Since
you probably won't have a light-table or lightbox for this purpose, try putting the
two sheets of paper up to a window. The light'coming through your original
sketch will allow you to trace over its lines more easily. Just don't press too hard.)
Once your lines are lightly sketched in, darken them and carefully fill in any solid
areas.
The end products will be something like the sample sketches shown in
chapter 7. These have already been refined, in contrast to the preliminary
sketches that preceded them. With your own sketches similarly refined, you'll at
last be able to seriously judge the merits of each.

Step #4: SELECTION

Decision time.
In the case of our mythical advertising agency, this step requires putting on a
really big production for the client. Typically the client will be invited to the
agency, taken to a special presentation room and seated at a long conference table
with an agency bigwig at each elbow. After some light banter - and perhaps
some coffee or tea - the creative staff goes into action. The staff artists may
have transferred the finalists onto several large poster boards to be displayed
successively on a chromeplated easeL or they may have reproduced them on color
transparencies to make a slide-show of the whole thing. The account manager
will then refer to the various features of each design and explain how they mayor
may not contribute to the company's image. Certain characteristics of the logos
might be mentioned as highly exploitable in future advertising campaigns. The
agency chieftain may conclude by recommending one logo in particular, or leave
the final choice to the client.
Your presentation to yourself won't be as slick as this, but the objective will
be the same: of the four refined, preliminary sketches you've spread before you,
which one best suits your organization?
You'll need some guidelines upon which to base your decision. In chapter 2,
several ways in which a logo can help your business, were mentioned. They are
summarized here to be used as the basis for a formal checklist:
(a) Which design gives the best first impression (j.e., gut reaction),
immediately conveying a good feeling about your organization?
(b) Which design best reflects who you are, either by representing your
product/service directly, or by symbolizing your organization's main
concern or prevailing philosophy?
(c) Which one simply stand out best? Disregarding the message communicated
by your logo for the moment, which design is the most visually
attractive?
(d) Which one makes your company appear most established? Or, to ask a related
question, which logo looks as if it required some time, thought, and
monetary investment to create it?

43
 These first four questions revolve around the inherent qualities of your
logo, that is, qualities the public will read into your logo during the simple act of
looking at it. However, the success of your logo will also depend on what you, the
owner of the company, can do with it. Chapters 3 and 4 covered these items,
reviewed below.
(a) Which of your sketches has characteristics that will make it the most
effective visual aid, enabling it to be instantly recognized and remembered
whenever it is seen?
(b) Which logo suggests a theme that can be carried throughout a variety of
advertising media? Are there any, for example, that lend themselves
well to newspaper ad campaigns, brochure copy, or even slogans and
radio jingles?
(c) Which logo might be easiest to exploit in ways specific to your particular
business, thus better connecting you to the buying public? Depending
on the style of your operation, which logo might work on product labels,
belt buckles, uniform patches, or as the basis for the graphics on your
fleet of trucks?
(d) Finally, which is most adaptable for signs on your office door or building,
taking into account any restrictions that may apply?
Naturally, no single design will be your first choice in all eight areas of the
checklist. But one logo will come in ahead of the others more often. Then,
keeping in mind your own set of priorities, it will become clear which particular
design can work best for you. If your business depends more on aggressive
marketing than a passive, professional image, the logo which best answers the
last four questions may well be your ultimate choice even if it scored lowest on
the first four. And vice versa. Only you can know for certain.
Still, checklist or not, it's no snap decision. In fact, you may need help. If
there are several partners in the organization, each should provide input into the
final decision, just as each should have been involved when the logo-design
project was first launched. Other staff members can also be brought in to offer
advice, especially as their areas of expertise relate to the above concerns. Even
the sole proprietor needn't go it alone. There may be spouses, relatives, friends,
and associates whose advice - at least on the first four questions - can help in
making your decision.
If you want to get fancy, you can do what the big ad agencies sometimes end
up doing at this point: still more research. Make copies of your four finalists and
solicit random opinions from the public, perhaps as they come to your place of
business, or by brazenly flagging them down on the street. (//Excuse me, Ms.
Smith, we're conducting a survey today, and we'd like to know what you think
of ... ./1)
But remember, you must make the final selection. To repeat, no business
associate or second cousin knows your organization as you do. No one else can
tell you what your image ought to be, or connect your organization to the
marketplace for you. Nor will anyone else eat with, sleep with, and live with your
image as you will.

44
 6

FINISHED ART

Finished artwork is the one step you may not want to do yourself. Corning up
with ideas is one thing; most people can be expected to plan an effective company
image. Even putting those ideas into rough visual form on a sketch pad is not
beyond the abilities of the average person.
Doing the final artwork, however, is quite another story. It requires very
specialized skills, which is why you're doing whatever it is you're doing, and
somebody else is making a living a t commercial art. Nevertheless, if you do have
some artistic abilities or you took a class or two in mechanical drawing back in
high school, why not take a shot at it? If you're dissatisfied with the results, or
you'd simply rather not attempt it, you can always find someone else qualified to
finish the job.
Either way, the rest of this chapter provides the necessary information to
carry out your decision.

a. DOING IT YOURSELF
In the course of this book, you've been asked to play the role of planner,
conceptual designer, and marketing consultant - all on behalf of your own
business or organization. Now you're about to become a commercial artist. The
problem is, most people who don't earn their livelihoods at commercial art don't
generally keep art supplies laying about on the chance such a project will
suddenly arise.
If that's true in your case, many of the items below should be available for
purchase at minimal cost from local stores tha t handle artists' rna terials. Some of
the more costly items may already be in your possession since these items are
useful for a number of other jobs, too. Or, you may be able to borrow them. In
larger cities, there may even be studios that rent space with a drafting table and
all the necessary equipment for doing finished art. Ideally, you should assemble
the following:
(a) A non-photo blue pencil, a No.2 pencil, an eraser, and a fine-tip ball­
point pen
(b) One or two 18" x 24" sheets of tracing paper - preferably technical
paper, if you can find it at a local office supply or artists' rna terials store
(c) Smooth, white, 14-ply poster board (Crescent and Nat Mat are two
brands commonly available in the States. In my opinion, Crescent has
the better surface.)

45
 (d) Masking tape or Scotch tape
(e) Several sheets of carbon paper
(f) A sharp, unused single-edged razor blade
,.
"
"
(g) Black, permanent drawing ink (There are many fine brands; my favorite
i
is Pelikan, imported from West Germany.)
(h) A small bottle of white tempera paint, or equivalent, and a fine-tip paint
brush (White typewriter correction fluid can be substituted in a pinch,
but is not very workable once dabbed on.)
(i) Pens: a Crow Quill or similar fine-tip for outside lines, plus a few more
round, wider-tip pens, such as Speedball style B-4 or B-3 for filling in
(Calligraphic pens are less desirable for this purpose, since they are
designed to lay down ink primarily in one direction only.)
(j) Miscellaneous drawing implemen ts: aT-square, compass, and metal­

r
I,
edged ruler will probably be essential; a protractor and any templates
appropriate to your particular design may also be helpful. (I almost
always resort to a circle template and, occasionally, french curves.)
"

(k) Access to a drafting table or drawing board, if at all possible (If it isn't
possible, any board or table whose adjoining sides are exactly
perpendicular to one another, thus allowing accurate use of your T­
square, will be acceptable.)

Drawing implements

46

i
 To get the best, cleanest reproduction of your logo, draw it much larger than it
will eventually appear on stationery or other printed matter. This is critical. For
one thing, it's simply easier to work on a larger scale. For another, any minor
imperfections in your artwork will tend to disappear as the logo is reduced to
smaller and smaller sizes.
So begin by determining the approximate dimensions of your logo as it
would appear enlarged three to four times the size of your previously refined
sketch. Then, simply cut a piece of poster board to accommodate those
dimensions, allowing for several inches of white space on all four sides of the
design. Twelve inches tall by eighteen or twenty inches wide is a handy size to
work with. Naturally, if your logo is taller than it is wide, or square, you'll cut
your poster board accordingly.
Next, cover your board with a slightly smaller sheet of tracing (or technical)
paper, taping it down at the corners. The object here will be to layout your
selected logo design one last time, in pencil, before actually committing it to ink on
your poster board. Only after you've carefully enlarged your sketch onto the
tracing paper, only after you're absolutely satisfied you've got it right, only then
will you transfer the design to the poster borad and ink it in .
. Use the grid on your graph paper to guide you in enlarging your design. It
may help to reproduce the grid onto your tracing paper first, appropriately
enlarged, using your light blue pencil. If your refined sketch was drawn on graph
paper with quarter-inch squares, for example, and you plan to enlarge your
design to four times its original size, simply draw in your new grid lines at one
inch intervals. These lines will the provide visual reference points as you glance
back and forth between original sketch and tracing paper, reproducing your
design in its larger size, yet keeping it in correct proportion. I would suggest
using your blue pencil to rough in the major elements of your logo, graduating to
the No.2 pencil only when you're happy with the way it appears to be taking
shape.
A second method for enlarging your sketch to finished art size is
accomplished via a copy machine that has the capability for making
enlargements. There are more and more such machines turning up in local print
shops every day. A typical machine will enlarge only in specific increments,
usually no more than 30 to 50% in anyone exposure; so you'll need to make four
or five successive enlargements until you reach your target size. The final
photocopy can then be taped directly to your poster board beneath your technical
paper, allowing you to simply trace over your enlarged sketch, thereby avoiding
the pain of enlarging it manually.
A word of caution, though. Just as reducing a design tends to eliminate
minor imperfections, enlarging your sketch will accentuate any inherent
unevenness, poor spacing or other defects. Therefore, don'f use this method
unless your refined sketch is fairly clean and accurately drawn to begin with. And
don't expect to use it for anything more than roughing in the design. After
tracing it onto the paper, you'll want to remove the photocopy and refine your
drawing further by adjusting the spacing, smoothing out the curves, and making
sure your vertical and horizontal lines are straight.

47
 Regardless of the method used to enlarge your design, make liberal use of
any drawing instruments necessary to keep things crisp and clean. Curved lines
can be drawn with the aid of compass and templates; straight lines demand a
T -square or straight-edge. Solid areas, however, should be outlined only - not
filled in. As soon as this pencil version meets your critical approval, you may
transfer the design to your poster board.
The transfer is made by inserting carbon paper between the board and your
tracing paper. With a ball-point pen, lighfly trace over the pencil lines on the
paper. The ball-point not only rolls an even carbon impression onto the poster
board beneath it, but lets you see which lines remain to be traced. And, once
you've gone over them all, you merely remove the taped-down tracing paper
together with the carbon. Voila! Your entire design has been duplicated onto the
board.
Well, maybe not your entire design. Unless your institutional name will be
rendered in a hand-lettered, customized typeface, you needn't draw the name at
all. The lettering can be added after any pictorial artwork or logo symbol is
completed, either in the form of transfer letters or computer-set type.
Stores that handle artists' materials, for instance, as well as many office
supply stores, sell sheets of various styles and sizes of transfer letters. If you've
planned ahead, you may have selected or ordered an appropriate typestyle from a

Transfer letter sheets

48
supplier's master catalogue. (Don't choose your style only because it happens to
be in stock.) These letters can then be applied to your board by rubbing over the
plastic transfer sheet with a burnishing tool or dull pencil. You simply follow the
directions, being sure to keep your letters properly spaced and in precise
alignment. Use a blue pencil to make guidelines for the transfer letters.
Better yet, many print shops offer a wide variety of computer-set typestyles.
These will already be properly spaced, aligned and printed onto photographic
paper, ready for you to cut out and cement into position alongside your logo. As
mentioned in the discussion on typestyles, larger cities often host a number of
type houses which do nothing bu t set type for nearby advertising agencies and
commercial designers. These typesetting specialists may offer hundreds or even
thousands of styles which can be ordered through their catalogues. In fact, it's
not a bad idea to get one of these catalogues early in your logo-design project,
both to give you an idea of what's available and guide you in final selection.
In addition to a seemingly endless array of styles, these same type houses
will occasionally have the ability to produce an equally astounding range of
special effects. Using sophisticated, specially designed cameras, your typeset
business name can be reversed, outlined in varying widths, condensed or
expanded, given dropshadows at any desired angle, made into a circle or
conformed to an unlimited variety of arcs.
Solotype, whose owner Dan Solo is a pioneer in the field and author of
several type books, is among the most capable type houses in North America.
The special effects shown in Solotype's catalogue demonstrate only a few of the
possibilities, all of which were done without the aid of pen and ink.

Solofype speciai effecfs

(Courtesy of Solotype, 298 Crestmont Drive, Oakland, CA 94619)

49
 Whether it's typeset or transferred, the resulting lettering will rarely be in
proportion to the rest of your logo - at least not without minor adjustments.
Transfer letters, if not computer-set typefaces, are usually restricted to specific
sizes which mayor may not match the size of your artwork. That means you'll be
required either to enlarge your lettering to fit your logo symbol, or to reduce the
symbol to fit your letters. Fortunately, manual artwork is not necessary here.
Your local printer should be able to accomplish any reductions or enlargements
quite easily on camera. You need only provide the finished components of your
logo and a copy of your original sketch to show the proper proportions.
But let's get back to the poster board; the carbon outline of your logo
remains to be inked in.
Here again you'll use your drawing implements wherever possible. Your
first task will be to carefully lay down the outside edges of all solid areas in your
design with a fine-tip pen. Upon completion of this stage, your artwork will look
much like the pencil drawing on your tracing paper, though rendered in ink.
Next, fill in the spaces between the lines with the wider Speedball-type nibs.
Where there are very large expanses of ink, a wider brush may be used.
Just remember that handling any of these tools is an acquired skill. Well­
executed artwork demands great care and patience, even from an experienced
professional. You'll probably find yourself resorting to your bottle of white
tempera frequently to touch up smears, splotches, drips, and other mistakes. An
extremely sharp, single-edged raior blade, held parallel to the surface of the
poster board, can also be used to shave smeared ink from your artwork and
remove wiggles from poorly drawn lines. If you really botch the job, you've always
got your original tracing paper layout. Repeat the carbon transfer process and
start over on another poster board. No doubt you'll do better the second time.

Overlay sheef and finished art

50
 Assuming you do eventually produce a job you can take pride in, your
finished artwork will nevertheless be in black and white only, and ill-suited in its
present size for reproduction. At this point your logo-design project should be
turned over to a professional; you've gone just about as far as you can safely go.
You may, for example, take your artwork to a commercial printer, whose staff
artist will reduce your logo and layout stationery, cards, and other printed
matter to size. If required, the printer can also make any separations necessary to
reproduce your logo in color. Or, you may want to call on a commercial artist to
prepare camera-ready art not only for printing, but for reproducing your logo on
signs, and any other media your promotional strategy calls for.
Indeed, you may wish to involve a professional even earlier in the project, in
which case the following discussion will help.

b. HAVING IT DONE PROFESSIONALLY

If all this sounds a bit scary - and it is, if you've never done it before - you may
decide to commission someone to provide the finished artwork for you. Which,
incidentally, is no reason to feel inadequate. After all, having completed the
preliminary work yourself, you've made a most worthwhile investment of your
time and effort. Not only should your organization be better for the planning,
~ you've also come up with the basic design of your logo. And the latter is by far the
costliest part of the total project were you to pay someone else to handle it.
The question now is, who can finish the job for you?
There are usually any number of local sources. To start with, commercial
artists should be listed in the yellow pages of your phone book. And because the
individual artist you select won't be designing your logo from scratch, he or she
should charge an hourly artwork fee only, not the much higher fee some
designers charge for creative time. On the other hand, a professional artist won't
come cheap. You should expect to pay between $20 and $40 per hour, plus
expenses, for anywhere from one to six hours of artwork time depending on the
complexity of your particular design.
Local advertising agencies, also listed in the yellow pages, may have their
own in-house logo specialist capable of finishing your project at a pre-determinea
cost. If not, the agency should at least be able to put you in touch with a qualified
artist, since they generally keep a file of local freelancers whom they call on for
their own accounts. If you can deal with the freelancer directly, after thanking
the agency representative for their good will gesture, so much the better.
Unfortunately, it's more likely that the ad agency will want a piece of the action.
Indeed, if they have it their way, they'll probably contract for a freelancer to
finish your logo, add their own mark-up, and somewhere en route try to talk you
into letting them handle all your advertising business. If you honestly feel you
need help in these other areas, getting an agency involved at this stage can be a
wise decision. But be forewarned: some agencies aren't worth it. And, to repeat
for the umpteenth time, nobody else knows your organization like you do.

51
 Don't overlook print shops as a potential source for commercial artists. Like
ad agencies, your local printer probably knows a few freelance artists who can
complete your logo. A printer is much more likely to recommend someone
without expecting anything in return. In fact, a printer who thinks he or she may
eventually be asked to print your stationery and business cards as well as various
forms or folders to be embellished with your new logo can be extremely
cooperative. Occasionally such a printer will arrange for an outside artist to
complete your design at little or no charge, just to get your trade.
The shop's staff artist may be competent enough to do the job, too. Many
paste-up artists employed in print shops are actually frustrated designers,
perhaps graduates of art colleges who haven't yet found work in an agency or in a
business of their own. Most would jump at the chance to exercise their finer skills
on your logo if only their bosses would let them. So, if your printer doesn't offer
any of these alternatives outright, ask.
If you're game, you might locate a qualified student from the local junior
college or university to finish your logo. Call the college, ask for the art
department chairperson, explain your project and request the names of two or
three reliable art students who might be able to help. Such a student may be
willing to do the artwork for $5 or $10 an hour, especially if he or she needs the
experience. If the student happens to be in the process of building a portfolio
prior to an upcoming job interview, you might get the job done for free.
As a last resort, you may be acquainted with an artistic type capable of doing
your artwork. Chances are, someone you know - a spouse, friend, or friend-of­
a-friend - is handy with pen and ink. During normal working hours, this person
may masquerade as a stenographer, a bank teller or a bartender. But, armed with
your sketch and a few hours time, this same person might be able to do a very fine
job of rendering your logo.
Whatever you do, have your finished artwork prepared on a businesslike
basis. Define your expectations, set a deadline, and establish the compensation­
or at least a price range - before any work is performed. Refuse artwork that
doesn't meet your expectations, either in its adherence to your original design or
in artistic excellence.
Above all, your completed logo must not look amateurish. Don't try to save a
few dollars in this final step and end up destroying the value of all your previous
efforts. How crisply and professionally the logo is executed will convey
something about your business! too, just like the design itself. Good artwork
reflects your image in the best possible light.

52
 7

LEARNING FROM OTHERS:

A COLLECTION OF CASE HISTORIES

If you've worked your way through this book faithfully, chapter by chapter, you
should have gained three important insights by now: a basic understanding of
what a logo does, an awareness of the design elements that go into it, and a
knowledge about the process used in actually creating it.
Unfortunately, much of the material)n this book -,as in any how-to book­
has a theoretical ring to it. It's one thing to read about it; but nothing beats
doing it. If you're not yet clear about certain points we've covered, now is the
time to get into the process. You'll be surprised how many questions will answer
themselves, how an abstruse explanation will suddenly make sense - or how
many clever ideas will come to you - when you simply jump in with both feet.
On the other hand, one way of getting your feet wet before plunging ahead
with your own sketches is to take a more in-depth look at what other people
have done. What follows, therefore~ are several case histories illustrating the
development of various types of logos, from sketches through finished art. By
reviewing the thinking behind each of these samples - the concepts that
inspired them and what factors helped determine the final choice - perhaps
you'll be better equipped to proceed with your own project.
It's only fair to point out, however, that the sketches on these pages are not
the doodles of amateurs trying out ideas for themselves. They are from
photocopies of sketches I've done for clients through the years, but the
procedure used in each case was identical to that recommended in this book.
Clients provided a thorough description of their business, their specific market,
their future expectations, and perhaps suggestions for symbolism or typestyle.
After a set of preliminary doodles for my own reference only, I prepared a
half-dozen or more refined sketches for consideration. Though I might call
attention to particular elements that made each design more or less attractive or
exploitable, I left the ultimate decision to the client.
After final selection of the design, I prepared the finished artwork and, for
local clients, the camera-ready letterhead and business card design.
The sketches here have also been refined a step or two beyond the rough
thumbnail stage in which they originated. Your own preliminary sketches will
probably not resemble these - at least not at first. More likely, your initial
attempts will appear like the free-form collection of doodles shown on page 55,
assuming the more polished look of the other sketches only after additional
refinement, if at all.

53
 In short, the quality of artistry is not the subject of these case histories. The
thought processes involved, together with the design elements resulting from
them, are what should make this exercise worthwhile. With that caveat in mind,
let's take a look at a few.

a. THE WORKS: KEEL, MAY & PALERMO

Before reorganizing as a partnership. Keel, May & Palermo were a group of court
reporters with a definite image problem. Formerly doing business under the
name of only one of the present partners, the firm had developed a one-man shop
identity. That identity was not only inaccurate, but no longer acceptable within
an increasingly sophisticated legal environment.
In fact, the entire legal profession was becoming extremely conscious of its
own image, largely as a result of new regulations allowing lawyers to advertise.
Related professions were likewise being forced to reassess the way they were
perceived in the legal marketplace.
Keel, May & Palermo required a bigger, classier image to compete
effectively. The new name by itself helped accomplish that. But haw the name
would be visually presented to the legal profession remained undecided. With no
other guidance than the fact that the lone male partner was fond of stripes, the
firm asked for the works.
The sketches shown here reflect the diversity of approaches possible in a
typical logo-design project. Some of these designs suggest an almost hi-tech look,
perhaps indicating the growing role of computers in processing the firm's
reports. Several have a distinctly corporate feel, with formal symbols consisting
of stylized monograms or, in one instance, a pictorial of stenographic keys which
also symbolize the new partnership. Others appear less formal as a result of
typestyle, for example, or by adding the human touch through the helping hands
concept. One sketch is simply an elegant rendering of the name alone, an allusion
to the characteristic silk and lace blouses the two female partners wore in the
courtroom or when taking depositions.
In the end, the crisp, hi-tech look won out, partly because the formal,
competent, progressive image made a clean break with the past. But there were
also very utilitarian reasons for this choice. For one, the parallel lines used in the
selected design made an excellent border at the bottom of the cover page on their
reports. Reduced somewhat, the logo also provided an attractive accent on each
inside page. The same parallel lines, together with the bold initials, also created
an eye-catching thrust which made the firm's reports stand out from others
when stacked on an attorney's cluttered desk. On announcements and forms,
too, the logo was an attention-getter.
Thus the new logo brought increased visibility to the new partnership from
the start, with an exciting visual presence that tastefully asserted itself wherever
it appeared. Surely an attorney requiring the services of a stenographer would
now be more likely to think Keel, May & Palermo than otherwise - justification
enough for any logo.

54
Doodles

55
 KEEL MAY PALERMO
c ertltlt'o shod hClnd rep::>mrs ~rrno
CERTIFIED
SHO«T>INID
REfOR1E.RS

." .•••• " .! ....,\ .... ,,~

po
M:G~_W
llO:t lj/, "'0il(\10 CA'iS1U
h.. "."( ::I~ ;,r"... .:.

KEEL, MAY and PALERMO

KEEL/ MAY & PALERMO

ced' (,ed shorlhClnd rPpO,.-tprs

keel may
&p:llermo
C[RTIFIED SHORTH<'IND

RE-FORTERS

Refined sketches

56
 CERTIFIED
SHORTHAND
REft)RffRS

~
Keel MJ\Y Pf\lfRrOO

1 Refined sketches

K!~~ P~ERN\O
Certified Shorthand Reporters
LENI<HLCSI1
GAYLE D MAY
"'2~
cst? '4602
JULIE R\SHWAIN PAl[Rf'.A(). CSR '" 4120

Finished logo

b. NEW DIRECTIONS: BLISH-MIZE COMPANY

BM&S Hardlines was a hardware distributor. The modern letter style for the
name had been established over several years of repeated exposure; and the
owners wisely decided to retain it to provide continuity with the past. However,
the hardware industry had been undergoing rapid changes. It was felt a new
corporate symbol would help convey some important new directions the
company was taking.

57
 For example, the actual hardware the company was selling to retailers was
becoming less and less important to the business. The distribution system itself
was an increasingly decisive factor; the company had consequently developed an
enormous trucking operation to assure its customers reliable delivery of their
goods, whatever the volume. A simple design was thus created to focus
specifically on distribution. Obviously, a hardware wholesaler with a truck in its
logo was making a strong assertion that it could be depended upon to deliver.

Hc'5lF<.Dl-lnES DIS~I13UrOR
f .« i

Preliminary sketches

58
 Another increasingly important aspect was variety. No longer did retailers
want to order hand tools from one source, electrical supplies from another, and
garden equipment from somebody else. They expected the wholesaler to collect
the entire gamut for them, so they could buy from a single source. A design was
therefore offered to symbolize the wide range of hardware available through
BM&S.
Not that the particular brands of hardware were insignificant. Retailers,
however, wanted a distributor who would pre-select the most popular, fastest­
selling brands, saving them from investing in goods that might sit on shelves too
long and cut down on profits. A design was proposed that not only suggested
hardware, but a concern for the retailer's rising profit picture. (This design also
incorporated a graph, similar to the grid concept which has been such a hot
design element in recent years.)
All of the designs discussed so far indirectly promote the concept of service,
the single factor that had revolutionized the wholesale hardware industry. The
other three deal more directly with this concept, again using that most universal
symbol of service - the helping hand. One of the hands conveys variety; another
employs only the hammer (which is sufficient to symbolize hardware); and the
third incorporates a rainbow effect in addition to the hammer, hinting at the
promise of brighter times ahead (i.e., bigger profits).
The hand-with-hammer was finally selected by the owners for its boldness
and simplicity of design, while symbolizing both hardware and the service to go
along with it. Another plus was that it conveyed a feeling of quiet strength.
However, in the short span of the logo-design project, one of the partners was
bought out, thus requiring the name change which appears in the finished
artwork. Nevertheless, the same letter-style was maintained, thereby providing
a bridge from the past, as well as a handle on the future.

BLISH-mIZ co.

Finished logo

59
c. PLANTING THE SEED: JERMA ENTERPRISES
It should be obvious by now that the concept of service is tough enough to
symbolize in any case. But a business whose means of serving the public is
through consulting can be as difficult to symbolize as thin air.
A married couple, whose names Jerry and Mary were combined into the
contraction that gave their business its name, decided to form a consulting
service to assist others in starting their own family businesses. Regrettably, it
was too late to do anything about the name .

•..Jerma
• p,
ENTERPRISES

~JERNI~
ENTERPRISES

" FVTlJRE3 ARE. OUR 6US\ N ESS"

Preliminary sketches

60
 The decision was immediately made to give the logo an upbeat, progressive
look, with an accent on a brighter and more prosperous tomorrow. Italicized type
thus seemed appropriate. The sunburst design or rainbow were similarly called
on since they convey many positive attitudes. And, of course, the helping hand
returns in several sketches to designate the relationship between the firm and its
clients.
The design ultimately selected, however, was conceived at the last minute,
almost as an afterthought. It so happens that some of your most creative ideas
may come to you late in your own doodling sessions and be quite different from
your other sketches. Frequently these are your best ideas. What apparently
happens is that your subconscious mind may go off on an entirely different
tangent while you work consciously on another theme. After these conscious
creations are down on paper and properly polished, your subconsCious mind says,
"Hey, wait a minute, I've got a better idea!" Out comes a fresh, new concept that's
often a winner. In this case, three vignettes were envisioned to illustrate the
process of building a small business: the planting of the seed - with Jerma's help,
naturally - which then begins to grow and eventually flowers into a vigorous,
self-sustaining, productive entity. Upon later reflection, it occurred to us that
some berries or fruit on the branches of the plant would have enhanced the
symbolism. Which means, I suppose, that the subf::onscious mind still requires a
bit of help from the conscious.

~JERNIr.-.
ENTERPRISES
Finished logo

Fortunately, the logo shown here performed quite well. If its message was
not immediately apparent, the symbolism at least elicited interest. And an
expression of interest often provided the perfect occasion to explain Jerma's
services.
d. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: THE BULKY BURRITO
Bulky Burrito is a fast-food restaurant that provides one main entree rather
succinctly described in the name of the establishment. Actually, this logo-design
project began before the name was chosen. The project provided the means of
making the final decision on the name. Bulky Burrito, among other
considerations, simply looked best in print.
Three main factors were considered primary in developing an appropriate
image. First, an informal, carefree feeling was desired in the logo, like that
conveyed by the various names that were finalists. Second, an air of Mexican
authenticity was deemed important, especially since the owners of the
restaurant had German-sounding names. And, third, since the prevailing public
attitude was that burritos were merely a side dish consumed in the course of the
typical Mexican dinner, some indication that the Bulky Burrito was a virtual meal
in itself was essential.

Preliminary skefches
62
 ~UFlItITO

URRITO«~COMPlETE MEAt-
IN A TORTILJ..A"

Preliminary sketches

A variety of customized typefaces - including outlined ones - were created

to project the ethnic flavor and the informal pizazz desired. Symbolizing the meal
in itself concept came somewhat harder. We could visually reproduce an actual
burrito, stuffed with its meat and rice filling. Or, as implied by one of the
alternative names, we could attempt to convey the idea that eating one of these
burritos would leave a person so stuffed that a siesta migh t be required to sleep
off the effects!

63
 Ultimately, several of these visual ideas were combined in the finished logo
- or rather the two logos, each to be used for a different audience. A customized,
outlined typestyle and Mexican hat provided the unifying elements in both,
thereby ensuring that a consistent image would be maintained. The simpler one
was intended for use on printed matter within the restaurant, where people could
already see for themselves what a Bulky Burrito looked like. The logo with the
pictorialized burrito and siesta-taker were used outside, in small display
advertisements, on colorful T-shirts, and in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek
booklet written to help patrons learn how to eat their Bulky Burritos.

'''A Complete Meal in a Tortilla!"

Finished logo

64
 During the first year in business, the logo appeared in literally dozens of
printed media, not only positioning the name within the marketplace, but
establishing the viability of a menu with essentially one item. Moreover, it's been
a source of much satisfaction to the owners that so many patrons are convinced
The Bulky Burrito belongs to some national franchise. Such is the power of a
well-designed logo when put to full use.

e. DESIGNING BY PUBLIC POLL: COAST TOURS

In an earlier case, we mentioned the role of the subconscious in developing ideas
for logos. Our present case, by contrast, involves some very conscious planning.
Perhaps overly conscious.
Prior to beginning this project in fact, the owner of the new travel agency
conducted a survey to determine which visual symbols best represented the West
Coast of the United States. That area, the owner had previously decided, would
be the main geographic region covered by his agency's pre-packaged tours,
though his clients would corne largely from the Midwest and Rocky Mountain
states. After polling well over 100 people'- not a scientific sample, mind you, but
useful - he determined that two places were consistently identified with the
West Coast. One was San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge; the other was Cypress
Point, a famous landmark on Monterey's Seventeen-Mile Drive.
These two visuals, then, were the givens - the required subjects of any
sketches to be considered. With the focus of the logo-design project thus
narrowed, the task at hand was simply to develop an attractive means of
presenting the visuals, and to choose a suitable typestyle to go along with them.
In the thumbnail stage, the idea of portraying these landmarks in any
detailed, realistic manner was rejected. Graphic, simplified versions of the bridge
and cypress were developed instead. In one sketch, I threw in two additional San
Francisco landmarks, if only to make an artistic statement that I wasn't about to
be totally restrained by public opinion.
Fortunately, more flexibility was allowed in the selection of typestyle. Three
guiding principles, however, were defined: by using a formal typeface, the trave1
agency would project a classier image, perhaps giving the impression of having
been in business longer. Older, established agencies are usually viewed as more
reputable. In apparent contradiction to the first principle, an air of informality
was also desirable as an incentive for potential clients wanting to get away from it
all for some well-deserved fun and frivolity. Third, a sleek, contemporary
typeface seemed necessary to suggest the agency's state-of-the-art,
computerized booking and reservation system.

65
 The lone cypress was eventually selected as the logo's symbol, for its simple
majesty as well as its proven recognition factor. Busorama typeface was chosen
as a good compromise between the classy and the contemporary. The other
consideration - the fun and frivolity - simply didn't blend well with the
pictorials. However, adding bold, horizontal lines to the finished letterhead and
business cards did create some visual excitement consistent with the idea of fun.
The lines also enhance the contemporary look and form a symbolic
ocean/horizon which further emphasizes the Coast theme.

~stCoast

urs

Preliminary sketches

66
 COA~T TOURS
Finished logo

l1l7 "I" Street • r.o. Box 888

COA~T TOUR~ Modesto. California 95353

(209) 529-4505

COA)T TOUR)

Richard T. Tosaw
DfreclOI

1117 ''I'' Slreel • P.O. Box 888 • Modesto. California 95353

Telephone: (209) 529-4505

Finished letterhead and card

67
 In this case, as is quite often the case, the logo-design project didn't end with
symbol and typestyle. Preparing it for printing brought up an opportunity to add
that finishing touch which ultimately set this logo apart from the others.

f. BEFORE AND AFTER:

AVAILABILITY AND ADVANCED BUILDING CONCEPTS
The update is a very common type of logo-design project. A business partner
retires; the name changes. The business itself changes or evolves; a new identity
is needed. Sometimes, however, a new look may be desired; yet so much identity
is wrapped up in the previous logo that an entirely new one might damage
business, not help it.
Such was the case with Availability, a personnel agency which started in
Canada and moved to California's Central Valley. The original logo was designed
in the early sixties, and many of the visual elements have that time period
stamped all over them - at least to the eyes of an experienced designer. A new
image was needed to keep in step with the eighties and nineties, without
throwing away the two decades worth of advertising and promotion that had
been invested in the outdated logo.

The original logo

I
I
~

68
 The updated logo

Only one sketch was prepared on this project, partly because no variation of
the overall layout was allowed, and because I knew precisely what was required.
The basic letter style was retained, though tightened up and made bolder to
project a stronger and more unified impression. The globe-and-seal design was
perhaps the worst feature of the original logo, with lots of angles and thin lines
that made it seem nervous and pointy. The globe was subsequently simplified, its
figures reversed against a dark background and rounded in the fashion of those
seen on road signs and Olympic pictographs.
The new logo accomplishes all that was intended - and more. While gaining
a contemporary look, it remains immediately identifiable with the previous logo
~nd all the positive feelings built up over 20 years of service. Nevertheless, the
new logo has far more visual impact, and stands out on a page of classified ads as
the earlier version never could.
The logo for Advanced Building Concepts was only a few years old, but the
owner of the business had never been completely happy with it. Something was
amiss. Still, enough had been invested in that image to overrule any impulse to
start over with a new one.

69
 ~ADVANCED BUILDING CONCEPTS

The original logo

ADVANCED
BUILDING
CONCEPTS

The updated logo

The answer lay in simply improving on the previous design, which, in this
case also, made extensive sketches unnecessary. There was nothing major wrong
with the old logo. The typeface, however, was poorly matched with the symbol.
A sans-serif style was substituted, with subtle, cut-in angles to reflect the
diagonal lines in the symbol. Half of the symbol was opened up, suggesting a
structure in the process of being built and, indirectly, allowing for a second color
on letterheads and cards. The circle beneath the A-frame structure was traced
with white lines, a technique used to add visual excitement and suggest
technology.

g. GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN:

COMPUTERS FEED AND FUEL
With so many new businesses rushing headlong to achieve a hi-tech look in their
logos, you'd think someone going into the business of selling computers could do
no less. Not, however, in the case of a dealer with a name like Computers Feed
and Fuel.
For some people, the advance of technology is as frightening as it is
beneficial. Computers, for example, still manage to intimidate a surprisingly
70
large percentage of us, even after we've convinced ourselves of the need to buy
one. In sympathy for this segment of the potential computer-buying public,
Computers Feed and Fuel came into existence. Beginning with the name itself,
the object of this image-design project was to soften and humanize computers.
Or, in the words of their advertising jingle, to "bring high technology down to
earth."

[~mpUTER5

, })J !lIT)? '

ld ~ ~ ..

= .:=..= .= =:. =::5:Ei;;;;=.. .:=

~- 5:1 = - ~--=---
==-=-=.
= = ====~-
-- =
411' ... - --

.... - --==
~ ...._-.=-il = iL=.li-~iiip.,..,~
- -=

Preliminary sketches
71
 Finished logo

Finished product label

72
 The Feed and Fuel aspect immediately called up a Western image; perhaps a
letter style like that seen on the rough-sawn exterior of a livery stable or on a
stagecoach, or the stenciled letters on a sack of grain, or the curving, stylized
letters announcing a new route on the Union Pacific Railroad. In several
sketches, an effort was made to combine modern and antique styles, juxtaposing
a computer-printed or video screen typeface against an old-fashioned one. In one
sketch, the antique typestyle was rendered as if stamped from polished chrome
- classy, but flashy. While most of the sketches concentrated on the name itself,
a few attempts were made to develop some kind of free-standing symbol. The
cattle brand monogram, in fact, was chosen in addition to the company logo
finally selected, to be used on small product labels that re-emphasized the user
friendly aspect of the business.
The logo consistently generates interest wherever exposed - in part
because it's such a unique approach to marketing computers, but also because the
whole concept is regarded as so clever. Computer buffs who expect a stark,
formal, hi-tech look are frankly turned off; they end up buying their hardware
from another dealer. Individuals and professional people who like their
technology spiced with a more human outlook as in times past, are attracted by it.

h. PEOPLE, PRODUCTS, AND PLACES:

PATTERAKIS, SUN SEEDS, AND OAKHAVEN
Logos are not just for businesses or institutions, whether large or small. They
can be used for people, on personal stationery, for instance, or to enhance the
image of a candidate in an election campaign. Brand-marks are obvious examples
of logos designed specifically for use on consumer products. And logos are
increasingly used to identify resorts, cities, housing developments, and even
individual buildings.
Chris Patterakis was a candidate for Congress, whose opponent was the
administrative assistant to the retiring incumbent. Anyone bold enough to
challenge the incumbent's favorite son was also certain to lose. Patterakis would
need all the help he could get.
According to the collected wisdom of those who direct political campaigns: it
is better to keep a candidate's logo as simple as possible. Simple block letters are
preferred, not only to make the name immediately readable on a banner or
billboard, but to simulate the name as it would appear printed on a typical ballot.
Patterakis, however, would never overcome his opponent's built-in name
recognition by following the usual campaign strategy. A distinctive logo was
required - something that might take a little more effort for the public to read at
first, but that would stick in its mind simply because it has character.
After exploring several typefaces that varied only slightly from traditional
block letters, an appropriate style was found in outlined Serif Gothic Bold. The
style seemed to suit the candidate's Greek heritage; yet printed in red, white, and
blue, the name appeared as All-American as his years of distinguished service in
the U.S. Air Force would indicate.

73
 PArrERAKJS

For CONQRESS

I
~

~;akis

FOR CONGRESS

Preliminary sketches

74
1
 FOR CONGRESS

Finished logo

Sun Seeds was both the name of a new corporation and the trademark for a
line of fertilizer-coated seeds being developed for the agri-business market. At
the time this logo-design project began, many other commercial seed producers
did little to enhance their identities. Their seeds were commonly shipped in large
brown sacks stenciled with the company's name. Sun Seeds, in con trast, intended
to promote its product to the farmer more aggressively. Developing its own
image as one of the country's up-and-coming producers was equally important.
The logo demanded some kind of sun symbol, naturally. And not merely for
its primary role in agriculture; as we've noted before, the sun carries with it all
sorts of positive attitudes. Seeds, too, figured into the preliminary sketches - in
some cases as an integral part of the sun itself. The helping hand made another
appearance, though short-lived. In the words of the company president, "Who
the heck plants seeds by hand anymore?"
The finished art was a variation on one of the preliminary sketches, with its
original double-line typestyle replaced by an open letter specifically designed to
be filled in with a brilliant orange color. The sprouting leaves were preferred over
the more literal seeds, thereby adding the concept of growth to the logo's
message.

75
 SUN SEED

Preliminary sketches
76
 SUN
SeeD CDNIPANY

Preliminary sketches
77
 Finished logo

A great deal of care was taken in selecting the name Sun Seeds. No doubt
equal care went into selecting the name for Oakhaven Retirement Community.
The proud oak, after all, suggests strength and maturity; haven sounds warm
and inviting, eliciting fond memories of horne, hearth, and family.
Likewise, the logo for Oakhaven would ideally convey warmth and respect I
for the past, with a classic, though not necessarily antique, typeface. Acorns
might suggest the handiwork of one's life, freely given to others; or, I

~
alternatively, what one has packed away over the years for retirement. In this
example, the ever-popular rainbow graphic, together with a silhouette of the oak
tree, was selected as the winning design. The concentric lines of the rainbow
might also be seen as a sunset - or sunrise - depending on one's attitude. And the
lettering, while traditional, still projects enough style and punch to imply that
retirement at Oakhaven might very well produce the best memories yet.

.: i'

... akhawn
RET1REME~t:: ~MMUN)'IY
Preliminary sketches

78
 =_
~~~-:'.
... ;en
RETIREMEl\l7' WMMUN1TY

""6!KHAVEN
RETlREME!\iT CCMMUN ~TY

Preliminary sketches

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Finished logo

79
- I