Questions tagged [branding]
Questions regarding imagery, colors, typefaces, or other visual or audio items used to identify a business entity.
228
questions
43
votes
10answers
15k views
New “professional” branding perceived as “dull”
I manage an open-source project (Rubberduck, an add-in for the VBA editor), and up until the latest release this was the splash form:
Since 2015 the branding more or less revolved around swirling VBA ...
40
votes
7answers
8k views
If a logo implies movement, should that movement be mirrored to match the movement of a vehicle it's placed on?
I've designed a nice logo for a company's charity food-drive campaign that incorporates a tilt and some speed lines to imply forward (rightward) movement. I matched the tilt of the art to the italic ...
26
votes
10answers
7k views
How can I make this logo look more obviously like an icing bag and a crown?
For my brand identity class, I had to do a logo for a local bakery.
The first one is what I started with. The bottom is where I am now
The problem I'm having: I need to show lines or shapes ...
20
votes
6answers
7k views
How do you convince a client that work is 100 percent original?
I have designed emoticons for a company, but they feel that the work is not original! They sent me an email saying "There are many emoticons on the market which all look nearly the same." ...
20
votes
4answers
8k views
Why is Corbel listed as bad font for body text in Butterick's Practical Typography?
We are creating branding guidelines for a nonprofit voluntary organization. Only around 10 people will create content, but a lot more people will need to be able to view documents and publications ...
19
votes
2answers
4k views
How does the income of your target audience matter for logo design?
I see this question being asked in logo and branding discovery phases. Anyone want to weigh in as to why this is?
18
votes
8answers
14k views
How to ensure international logo can be ethnically neutral enough so it won’t be offensive?
We are launching an initiative in the field of informatics for which I asked for a logo. Our graphic designer took care of it and indeed showed me a very nice logo, where a man with a hammer in one ...
18
votes
6answers
9k views
Should a logo always work in black and white?
It's often agreed that logos should always work in black and white... am I right in thinking that doesn't mean greyscale, and literally just means black and white i.e. positive and negative space?
It ...
18
votes
4answers
2k views
How was brand consistency maintained before computers?
The era of computers makes it easy to regulate brand consistency - you can e-mail anyone your branding guidelines in a PDF and it will have all the information they need. However, I still sometimes ...
17
votes
6answers
17k views
How can I lock down Microsoft Word to protect our branding?
I re-branded our organization a couple years ago and created what I thought were very "easy to use" Word templates for things like letterhead, forms, and long documents. As well intentioned as my co-...
16
votes
7answers
1k views
When/how to stop brainstorming new ideas and move on when there is no clear frontrunner?
I'm currently working on naming a product, and I have a list of names. Some are okay, some aren't, but I know at some point I have to close the list, pick a couple that sound good, and present them to ...
15
votes
6answers
17k views
Is it acceptable to change colors on a logo to make it fit a website's theme?
I have a few payment brand images that need to go in the footer of a website, the footer is very dark grey, to the point where making the logos grey-scale wouldn't be much of a good idea, especially ...
15
votes
9answers
31k views
As a graphic designer, should I use my personal name or create a business name/branding?
For a designer who begins doing freelance or start (or renaming) his/her own business, there's usually that critical decision that must be made:
Should I use my own name or have a business name for ...
15
votes
2answers
4k views
Why are ambigrams practically non-existent as company image?
The ambigrams have great visual appearance, some are very interesting, others not so much and of course not all would be good as corporate image.
There are with the same reading when rotating 180º ...
15
votes
4answers
7k views
What's the difference between a logo and branding?
Are they the same thing? Or does branding = logo + colour palette + typeface?
Edit: Just to highlight that I asked about 'branding' - which I definitely hear used to mean solely visual elements - ...
15
votes
1answer
15k views
What should happen if a logo I made is similar to another?
Note: This is a canonical post created so that we can close the many similar questions as duplicates as discussed in this meta post.
We have created a logo for a client and they love it. We've ...
13
votes
4answers
3k views
How can I explain to my client that more than two fonts in a logo is a bad idea?
I created a logo using an M & C from Moonhouse font. I modified them letters to suit their brand, but the basic shape is still recognizable. The company name is in Goodtimes font, to indicate that ...
12
votes
7answers
8k views
How can I represent “fast” or “Fastest” in a logo? Any successful examples?
I am doing rebranding of a company that provides internet through fiber-optic cables.
I want to portray "FAST", "fiber optics" and "connectivity" in that logo.
In all my initial sketches, I have ...
12
votes
8answers
29k views
Using stock images for logos
What are the rules concerning incorporating stock image elements into a website branding or logo?
From what I understand, IStockPhoto.com doesn't allow it. Are there any stock images sites that do?...
12
votes
4answers
5k views
What is the best way to roll out new branding?
If a company has been in business for some time they generally have a stockpile of branded materials in addition to online content.
How should the company handle utilizing a new brand design or ...
11
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it OK to leave real names & info visible in business card portfolio?
I have a lot of business cards and marketing material (flyers, brochures etc) that have actual client info on the designs. Name, position, email, business phone number, etc.
I'd like to add all my ...
11
votes
2answers
223 views
Is there a name for a miniature set of brand guidelines?
More often than not, my clients won't have the budget for an in-depth set of brand guidelines, so as a more affordable alternative I'll put together one or two sides of A4 to dictate the following ...
10
votes
7answers
3k views
How do you present typeface options to your team during a rebranding
The startup web dev shop I work for is maturing and all the design/branding decisions that were thrown together early on are being reconsidered (logo, typeface, colors, ect...) for a big rebranding. ...
10
votes
5answers
31k views
How to select colors for target audience based on age?
Are colors and color combinations at all dictated by the age of your target demographic / audience? Since I think most would say yes than how do might I go about selecting appropriate colors for that ...
10
votes
4answers
3k views
What do different bracket/braces/parens in logos mean?
I'm thinking on a logo for my personal site that is tech/dev oriented and I've been curious about the use of brackets/braces/parentheses in logos. Most of these special characters have a lot of ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
How Many Directions / Concepts
This is mainly referring to branding / logo design. I typically offer (at least) 3 different ideas so that my clients have more of a choice of what they prefer. I will then revise their favourite ...
10
votes
3answers
4k views
How to convince a client to have their logo redesigned?
My current client have requested a full campaign, brochures, website, all material except they have requested that the logo stays the same. They are a relatively mid-sized company, and have had the ...
10
votes
2answers
539 views
How do I convince my client that coloring their brand name in a text block is a bad idea?
My company keeps requesting that the company name be in green (the brand color) every time it appears in a text block. This is jarring, disruptive and generally bad design but I am having a hard time ...
9
votes
4answers
15k views
Different Logo Colors for Different Uses, Appropriate?
I am finalizing the last step of my logo redesign process.
Is it ok not to have a regular color when presenting my logo?
I am thinking about having a defined list of colors for different use cases ...
9
votes
2answers
928 views
Branding a company that has no public identity
Ok, that title might seem a little strange, but I will try to explain. And I will say, I do know this is more of a discussion type question, and not a technical question. Hopefully I wont get down-...
9
votes
2answers
19k views
Why is Blue/Green/Yellow/Red such a popular color scheme for logos?
Why is the combination of Blue/Green/Yellow/Red squares or letters such a popular scheme used in many logos of tech companies? The popular examples being the Windows Flag icon, Google logo and the ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
What kind of goals would come out of a rebrand?
When I'm designing a website or a print publication, I find it is quite straightforward in asking a client what their objective is. It could be anything along the lines of:
Increase awareness of ...
9
votes
3answers
502 views
Should I oblige when a client asks to use a design as a logo when it wasn't made to be the logo in the first place?
A client asked me to design a signage for his shop. He didn't have a logo. He said all he wanted was the name of his shop designed nice enough to hang outside. Now he is asking for a smaller file to ...
8
votes
5answers
5k views
In a logo, is it okay to break the company name in two lines as needed?
I have been asked to create visual identity for a new company. Their name is really long (think 12+ letters). They use several words together as one word. But there's also not an even number of ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Handling non-standard fonts in corporate identity
How do organizations successfully manage their corporate identity when their brand guidelines incorporate non-standard fonts? In particular, external-facing materials that are not developed by the ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
How can a designer decide whether a competitors design is similar enough to their own to take further action?
There is a lot of copycatting out in the world, and it's a constant legal battle fought in higher courts.
For us ants on the ground, grinding away in smaller capacities with little or no permanent ...
8
votes
1answer
273 views
Which systems are replacing the use of PMS for color control and how would one go about implementing them in branding standards?
As per this question, it has been brought up in comments that methods to specify colors for brand guidelines are moving from PMS to other techniques (ColorCert, spectral data...).
How do these ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Methods for designing identity systems beyond the logo
I've been designing logos for awhile now, and I'd like to think that I've gotten better at it over time. Part of that is because I tend to have a few design goals in mind and a process worked out that ...
8
votes
2answers
131 views
What's the most efficient way to have a client to describe their brand personality?
When working for clients, it's important to understand what brand personality they want to convey in their designs.
Do they want fun, young, and energetic designs?
How about a rough, masculine, ...
7
votes
5answers
24k views
Which of these font communicates “luxury products” better?
We are about to create a new luxury fashion brand. We researched many trademark logos, and saw they use different font types. We cannot decide between the two different fonts below. We target people ...
7
votes
3answers
4k views
Should your website and logo have the same color scheme
I am working on a completely new blog from scratch. New logo, branding, house style, everything needs to be done. Now the logo that is designed for the website has 3 colors, brown, green and black. ...
7
votes
1answer
798 views
Is there a term for branding that is adaptive / modular which can be used to create brands and sub-brands?
It has been quite some time since the City of Melbourne rebranding project, which has arguably popularized the concept of branding design that is adaptive and modular enough to be used in a variety of ...
7
votes
1answer
196 views
Packaging design printing in small numbers?
Packaging design printing in small numbers?
I'm designing some small 4"x4"x4" packages for a class project and I only need a few boxes (probably 5 total). I've checked dozens of printing sites, but ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
Is company permission necessary for changing the color of a logo?
I am designing a series of landing pages for a company I work. There are a number of other company's logos included and the design would look much better if the logos were grayed out. From looking at ...
7
votes
1answer
816 views
How to choose the right color shades/tints for branding?
I’ve read a lot about color theoretical methods to pick a harmonic color palette (e.g. for branding), but I always wondered how to pick the corresponding shades and tints (see Google’s material design ...
7
votes
1answer
619 views
Classic Pizza Hut Lettering - who designed it?
I can't seem to find any reference to who designed the classic pizza hut logo, although I swear I read it somewhere at some point. Specifically I'm interested in the lettering! Any help appreciated!
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Logos with avatars (mascots) vs anything else
Has anyone seen a study on how users react to logos that contain alive things like birds vs just geometric shapes or really anything else? I assume everyone will grow to love a mascot more then just a ...
7
votes
2answers
171 views
Resources for metrics about brands
I love the site Emblemetric but I've read everything on there since it's not updated so often. Where can I find other resources dedicated to metrics and analyzing logo trends?
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Can I make changes to the Facebook 'f' square logo like removing the background?
The Facebook Do's and Don'ts say that I'm not allowed to modify the logo.
I don't want to modify the logo, I just want to use the white 'f' without the blue backdrop. Does anyone know if this is ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Designing interesting looking websites in greyscale, minimal tones
I know a business that wanted a website to match their brand, and it would seem that they are allergic to colour. I think designs in greyscale can look amazing, especially in print, but it feels near ...
