Logo Design

A logo is an image that is supposed to be the representation of an organization.

The logo’s job is to give off the same energy you would want people to receive
when you describe the company or organization it represents.

Logos are harder than they look. Why?

Logo creation is one of the most difficult graphic design challenges. A logo must:

  1. Communicate the brand accurately, succinctly, and memorably

  2. Be legible with or without color

  3. Be legible at any size

All three requirements must be met for a logo to be fully effective.

Check out the short slideshow at right to see what was involved in designing the Adapt Alaska logo—a process that took almost a month to complete.

Evolution of a Logo

Three weeks of intensive design iteration and review, among four people, produced a strong logo that meets the client’s needs. A good logo may look simple, but it takes time.

Someone asks you for a logo. What to do?

You may get a logo request when a group of researchers begins a new project. They got funding (congrats!), they're excited to get started, and they decide they need to have a logo. Actually, they usually don't need a logo. Here's why:

  • The project already has a logo: the logo of the umbrella institution (IARC, AK CASC, etc.).

  • Most projects are short-term and aren't worth the time and expense of a logo design, which can be weeks or more, including presentation and review. The hard-won funding is better spent directly on the project.

  • What many people think is a logo is actually more of a team symbol—something quickly made to put on a shirt or hat—and that's great! If you have extra funding for some fun artwork, go for it! However, as a true brand symbol, a logo is more expensive, serious, and lasting.

Logos are not Friday-afternoon projects; they are major undertakings that can last for weeks, from brainstorming to final design.