Logo Design

Guide

Arts & Letters Corporation

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Preface
Design is a slippery subject. Much of good design is a matter of taste, and tastes, like fashions, change.
But leaving out the question of fashion in design, some tastes are better than others.
You would expect someone who has studied design and has created what others consider good design to
have better taste in design than the ordinary person. But some ordinary people have better design taste than
others.
How do they achieve this better design sense? By observation, simple observation. We are surrounded
by examples of good design; all we have to do is take the time to look closely at what we take for granted.
Many commercial artists maintain files of designs that they like; you can do something similar. Take a
few minutes to thumb through magazines. Cut out examples of logos that appeal to you and study them
before you begin to create your own logo. For example do Black & Decker and Calvin Klein use such a
simple typeface in their logos? Why do Coca-Cola and Del Monte use more ornate designs?

There are no firm answers to either of those questions. In general, sans serif typefaces have a more
contemporary feel, while the look that Coca-Cola and Del Monte are striving for is traditional.
Once you begin to get a feel for what appeals to you and figure out why you like it, you will find that creating
a logo of your own is much easier than you ever thought possible.

Important Notice: The corporate logos included in this User’s Guide are trademarks of the respective
companies. They are provided only as examples, and you should contact the companies regarding the use
of their marks in any cooperative advertising or joint promotional activities. The sample logos provided in
electronic format are subject to the same guidelines. They are provided so that you can display them on
screen to view the logos in color and to test the principles discussed in the User’s Guide relative to the
appearance of the logos at various sizes. The inclusion of these logos does not grant you any rights to use
them except in accordance with the guidelines available from the respective companies.
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Contents
Chapter 1: Design Considerations ................................................... 4
Signature ..................................................................................... 4
Mark ........................................................................................... 5
Wordmark................................................................................... 6
Checklist for a Good Mark ......................................................... 7

Chapter 2: Creating a Logo ............................................................. 8

Creating a Logo Using Clip Art ................................................. 8
Using the Designs, Patterns, and Icons ................................... 12

Chapter 3: Designing a Letterhead ............................................... 17

Paper ......................................................................................... 17
MessageArea............................................................................ 18
Type in the Letterhead ............................................................. 18
Envelopes .................................................................................. 20

Chapter 4: Designing a Business Card .......................................... 22

Calling Cards ........................................................................... 22
Business Cards ......................................................................... 22
Media & Message ..................................................................... 23
Checklist for a Good Business Card ........................................ 23

Chapter 5: Designing a Product Label .......................................... 26

Allied Beverage’s Ice Mountain Soft Drinks ............................ 26
Designing a Wordmark ............................................................ 26
Creating a Product Label ......................................................... 27

Chapter 6: Protecting Your Logo ................................................... 30

Definitions ................................................................................ 30
What Is a Trademark? .............................................................. 30
How Can Someone Establish Rights? ...................................... 31
Applications ............................................................................. 31
Searches for Conflicting Marks ................................................ 32
Further Filing Information ....................................................... 32
Patent & Trademark Depository Libraries .............................. 33

Appendix A: Design Examples ...................................................... 35

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Chapter 1: Design Considerations

Arts & Letters EXPRESS is one of several vector graphics programs with all the tools you need to
create a logo perfectly suited to you and your business. As we impled in the introduction,logo is a general
term. In our discussion of design, we will use the more specific terms signature, mark, and wordmark.
Many of the examples we utilize to illustrate definitions or good design principles are those of established
companies. These logos are registered and are the property of the companies and products repre-
sented. They are included in the logo collection to be used as examples of successful logo design or for
use when personalizing proposals and communications with any of the companies. Study these familiar
logos as you formulate your own design ideas. While you shouldn’t imitate them, you should imitate the
principles behind their design.

Signature
A signature is the name of a company or an individual set in a distinctive style of type. “Distinctive,”
however, does not mean trendy or faddish. Imagine how dated a business would look today if it had
chosen in the late-sixties to use psychedelic lettering in its signature:

Not only does the sixties-era typeface look dated, it never really had anything to do with the company it
was supposed to represent. Tools are angular and hard; the typeface is soft and fluid. A good signature
suggests something about the company.
Sometimes the designer of a company signature achieves a distinctive look by beginning with an
appropriate typeface, then personalizing it. It doesn’t matter if another designer chooses to use that
typeface; the personal touch makes the company’s signature different.
Arthur Andersen & Company, starts with a face perfect for a financial company — one that is classic and
conservative.A distinctive touch is achieved with the “swash” extension of the ampersand, a feature not
to be found in the original typeface.

Quaker makes a similar change by extending the tail of its “Q.” In addition, the basic typeface is quite
distinctive, tieing together nicely with the pleasantly chubby Quaker gentleman that is its mark.
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Nestle uses two personalizing touches: a swash extension to what would be the serif of its capital N and
a variation of the accent mark on the final e. The accent mark echoes and continues the swash extension
of the N.

Using swash letters is not the only way to personalize a typeface; you can also “freeform” and edit
key letters. Note how RCA alters the R and the A to make them appear to mirror each other.

Mark
A mark is a graphic design used to represent a company. Marks generally suggest something about
their makers, but the connection is not always readily apparent. For example, the connection
between Shell Oil and its mark is obvious to any consumer, but the meaning of Ralston Purina’s
checkerboard design is less clear. (It is, however, a measure of the power of association and the
strength of a good mark that the checkerboard design says “Purina” to most consumers.)
No matter how closely linked a mark is to its maker, it is always simple and graphically strong.
Examples of well-designed, graphically strong marks include those of Ralston Purina, Shell Oil,
United Way, Quaker, Motorola, and Brunswick.