How to Design for Print

How to Design for Print

by Shaun Cleary in Design

If you’re new to the task of designing for print, it can certainly be a confusing process. Not only do you have to actually prepare and create a design that works well on paper (a mammoth task in itself!), but you also have to ensure your project is properly set up for print, whilst making sure to somehow avoid the minefield of print design mistakes that oh-so-many beginners typically make. You’ll need think about colour profiles, resolutions, sizing, which type of black you’re going to use (yep, there’s more than one type!), your application choice (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator etc.), and of course, bleed and trim. It can all sound pretty daunting and as you might have noticed, there’s a serious lack of information out there to help you get things right.That’s why we created this guide.No matter whether you’re designing a flyer, leaflet, poster, business card, banner, or any other printed material, this guide will walk you through the process, even if:

You’ve never designed anything for print before You have limited Photoshop experience You’ve struggled in the past

Let’s get started.

Understanding RGB Vs. CMYK Colour Modes

If you’re used to designing things for digital use (e.g. websites, blog post graphics, etc.), you’ll more than likely be used to the RGB colour mode. This is the default setting for most graphic design applications (e.g. Photoshop) so even if you’ve never heard of RGB, you’ll probably have been using it by default. However, when you’re designing for print, you’ll almost certainly need to use the CMYK colour mode as using RGB can lead to untrue colour reproduction during the printing process.But what exactly are these colour modes? Let us explain:RGB (Red, Green, Blue)

RGB is an additive colour system in which all colours are created from various combinations of Red, Green and Blue. Essentially, light is used to mix colours; as you add more light, the colour will get lighter, brighter and more vibrant. RGB allows extremely precise control over the colour you use. In total, there are almost 17 million (16,777,216 to be precise) possible RGB colour variations.CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black)

CMYK is a subtractive colour mode in which all possible colours are created from various combinations of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (Key). It works by adding various combinations of the inks together to create different hues. The more ink you use, the darker the colour gets.RGB allows a wider spectrum of colours than CMYK. By making sure to design for print in the CMYK colour mode, you can make sure that your design is limited only to colours that are reproducible during the professional print process.CMYK in Professional Printing

source: www.flickr.com/photos/greydragonclaw/2664978278/in/photolist-54uHcmProfessional printing companies use the CMYK process, so you need to ensure that you design for print by setting the colour mode to CMYK in whichever design application you’re using. Designing in RGB mode instead of CMYK is perhaps the most common mistake printing newcomers make.Understanding Resolutions (DPI + PPI)If you’ve ever seen a pixelated photo or image on your computer screen, you’re part way to understanding how resolutions work and why it’s so important to get them right when designing for print.If not, it’s all explained below:PPI (Pixels Per Inch)

source: cdn2.knowyourmobile.com/sites/knowyourmobilecom/files/styles/gallery_wide/public/1/17/ppi.jpg?itok=ba_GL8h2

PPI (Pixels Per Inch) essentially refers to the amount of tiny dots (pixels) that make up an image on a computer screen. The higher the PPI, the higher quality the image will appear (as long as your computer monitor has a high enough resolution). The reason for this is simple: the more tiny dots (pixels) that are used to create one inch of an image, the more detail that can be squeezed into that image. This is the whole concept behind high-definition TV.You can see a fantastic example of how this works in the image above.It’s clear that the circle represented at only 10 PPI barely looks like a circle, whereas the circle represented at 20 PPI looks a lot more circular. Keeping in mind that some HD modern displays (such as the Retina displays on iPhones/iPads) have as many as 250+ PPI, you can start to understand why everything looks so clear on these devices.DPI (Dots Per Inch)

source: www.silvergriffininc.com/uploads/2/0/7/1/20710150/7919061_orig.jpg

DPI is essentially the same as PPI, only translated into the real world of printing rather than the world of a digital computer screen. When you send your digital design off to your chosen printing company, every pixel will be printed as a tiny dot (using the CMYK printing process). This means that it’s extremely important to ensure that the PPI of your design is directly aligned with the DPI that your printing company uses.Most printing companies print at 300 DPI, which means that a total of 300 dots will make up every square inch of the final printed design. The reason most printing companies print at 300 DPI is simply because printing at a resolution any lower would create a low-quality finished product.You can see an example of this in the image above.It’s best to double-check with your chosen printing company to see the exact DPI they print at before setting up your project. If you can’t get in touch with them however, it’s best to assume 300 DPI.Understanding Bleed, Trim and Safe Area

The terms “bleed” and ”trim” might sound like overly complicated technical jargon but in reality, they’re extremely easy to understand.It’s extremely important that you account for bleed and trim when designing for print, so here’s a simple explanation of each:TrimThe outer edge of the trim serves as the cut line where the product will be trimmed when it comes out of the printer. In theory, anything outside of that trim line will be cut off and anything inside will remain. However,

things aren’t always 100% accurate down to the millimetre, which is why you leave a trim area to account for any small discrepancies.The idea behind the trim area is to ensure that no matter what happens, no important content is ever trimmed from the design by accident.BleedJust as it’s possible for there to be small discrepancies in the trimming process which may eat into the trim area slightly, it’s also possible for those same discrepancies to go the other way (i.e. the actual trim line is slightly outside the trim area). Without a bleed area, you’d be left with random ugly white lines around your finished product if this happened. The bleed area is there as insurance, to prevent your design from looking ugly no matter what happens.Bleed varies between printing companies but it’s typically around 3mm in the UK.Safe AreaThe safe area is the area in which all of your important information and design elements should reside. It’s called the safe area because no matter what happens, everything inside this area is 100% safe and will be included in the final printed product. No important part of your design (aside from the background) should extend outside of the safe area and into the trim area.Trim varies between printing companies but it’s typically around 3mm in the UK.How to Set Up Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesignNow you understand the basics required for the design process, it’s time to get things set up. You can use just about any problem you like to design for print but some of the most common include: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. While you may be familiar with these applications, it’s important to understand that the setup process when designing for print varies slightly compared to the setup process when designing for a digital medium.Don’t worry though; it just involves changing a couple of settings.You need to ensure that your file is setup as follows:

CMYK Colour Mode (not RGB) 300dpi (double-check with your chosen print company) Account for bleed and trim

Here’s how to set things up with the correct settings:Use the Templates ProvidedThe most simple way to set things up in Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator (or any graphic design application) is to make use of the templates on offer from most printing companies. These will usually be set-up with the correct resolution, sizing, colour mode (CMYK) and of course, bleed and trim areas.If these aren’t available from your chosen printing company however, here’s how you can set things up yourself:Step #1: Create a New DocumentOpen Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator (or your chosen application) and navigate to: File > New.You’ll then be presented with all the options to set up your file.You need to make sure you select the following:

Colour Mode: CMYK Resolution: 300 Pixels/Inch

You also need to make sure that you enter the dimensions correctly (i.e. the dimensions of your flyer + 3mm bleed on each side.For example, here are the settings we’d need for an A5 flyer:

153mm x 216mm (including 6mm bleed – 3mm on each side)Here’s the correct setup:

And here’s what the result will look like:

Step #2 – Adding Guide Lines for Bleed + Trim

Next, you need to add grid lines for the bleed and trim areas. This will help during the design process, as you’ll be able to see exactly where your safe area resides.For our example, we need to add 8 guides in total: 2 (one for bleed, one to mark the safe area) on each side of our flyer.Most design applications (including Photoshop) require you to specify the locations for these guides in a “Distance from the edge” format (left edge for vertical guides, top edge for horizontal guides) and add them one-by-one.So, we need to do a bit of math:

Left trim line guide: Zero + 3mm = 3mm Left safe area guide: Zero + 6mm = 6mm Right trim line guide: Total width (mm) – 3mm = 150mm Right safe area guide: Total width (mm) – 6mm = 147mm Top trim line guide: Zero + 3mm = 3mm Top safe area guide: Zero + 3mm = 6mm Bottom trim line guide: Total height (mm) – 3mm = 213mm Bottom safe area guide: Total height (mm) – 6mm = 210mm

Now we’ve got the dimensions, we need to add them one-by-one. To do this, go to: View > New Guide.

Let’s add the first one:

Now, you just need to add the other 7 for every one of the dimensions above (or whatever dimensions you figured out for your particular project).Here’s the finished result:

Note: If you can’t see the guides when you add them, go to: View > Show > Guides. Make sure it’s checked.

Setting up in Illustrator, InDesign and Other ApplicationsIf you’re using Illustrator, InDesign or another application, the setup process should be almost identical to the one illustrated in the screenshots above.Just make sure you select the right colour mode, dimensions (Inc. bleed) and resolution.Here’s a nifty guide for InDesign and Illustrator.An Important Note About Using BlackWhen designing for print using the CMYK colour mode, it’s important not to use the classic Photoshop black colour. Although it might look 100% black on your screen, it’ll likely appear more of a greyish colour when printed. The reason for this is down to the way the CMYK print process works.It’s generally considered that anything with a CMYK value of 280% + will cause issues during the print process (due to the sheer amount of ink needed).Here’s the CMYK value(s) of normal Photoshop black:

As you can see, it adds up to 300%.To solve the problem, you simply need to adjust the CMYK values of your black manually.Here’s the solution:

There are a few ways to create black within the CMYK colour mode, but this method (named “rich black”) is one of the most common.Don’t Forget to Check Spelling

Lastly, just a quick reminder to check your spelling before sending it off to the printing company. It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed at the number of costly spelling mistakes we’ve seen over the years.See if you can spot the one above.- See more at: http://www.fastprint.co.uk/blog/how-to-design-for-print.html#sthash.ewngAsVQ.dpuf

How To Design And Print The Perfect Banner tutorial

by Shaun Pagin in Design

When it comes to designing and printing a banner for your business (or on behalf of a client), there's a lot of things that you need to consider. Even if you're relatively experienced in other forms of print design (e.g. sticker or leaflet design etc), there are a few aspects of a great banner design that many designers tend to neglect and often, these are crucial to the success of your banner.Unlike many other printed marketing materials, banners need to be readable and viewable from a distance and therefore, there are certain elements of the design that will need to be emphasised to ensure that this is the case (we'll talk about these elements in greater detail throughout this guide).We've designed hundreds (perhaps even thousands!) of banners throughout the years at FastPrint.co.uk and we've been lucky enough to work with clients from all walks of life, so we're quite knowledgeable when it comes to

banners (give us a call if you have any questions that aren't covered in this guide!).To help you guys out with your banner design woes, we consulted with our graphic design team and utilised their knowledge to help create this guide walking you through the entire banner design (and printing) process in detail.#1 - Consider The Placement Of Your Banner

Source: supersignsltd.co.ukThe first thing you should think about before making any other design-related decision is the intended placement of your banner. Although it might seem like we're working backwards to some extent, the intended placement of your banner is likely to affect the choice of colour scheme (or even the entire design) used for your banner.Ideally, the colour scheme of your banner should be highly contrasting in comparison to its placement. So, for example, if you're planning to place your banner on a yellow/orange brick wall like the Halfords banner pictured above, it might be wise to ensure that the background of your banner isn't a similar colour. You can see that the design above fails to stand out much

from the background and you can imagine that it wouldn't attract much attention from a distance because of this.

Source: blueprint.gb.netAnother example of this mistake is visible in the Blueprint banner pictured above. You can see that the banner primarily uses the colours blue and white. This is perfectly fine as these colours are highly contrasting in themselves but you'll notice that the banner is placed on a blue and white wall. Although the shade of blue is slightly different, it would arguably stand out more if a different colour was used.It's likely that the intended placement of these banners wasn't really taken into account before the design process began.#2 - Choose Bright & Contrasting Colours

Source: denverwater.orgFollowing on from the previous point, it's also a good idea to make sure that your banner is designed using both bright and contrasting colours.If you take a look at the banner design above from Denver Water, you'll start to see what we mean. Denver Water created this banner to inform Denver residents about quite a dull and uninteresting issue; a hose pipe ban. With an issue as dull as this, it's likely that the majority of people aren't going to pay much attention to your banner so you need to use every trick in the book to ensure that it stands out.Obviously, there are other design elements at work here (such as the clever use of a hose pipe on which the banner is placed) but you'll also notice that the banner uses an extremely bright colour scheme (mainly orange). The orange colour is just screaming out for attention and more importantly, it will do a great job of attracting attention from a distance. It is also highly contrasting against the natural blue colour of the sky (see point #1).You'll also notice that the colour white is used for the text on the banner which is highly contrasting against the orange background. This, coupled with the large bold text (more on text in the next point) ensures that the message is clear and stands out from a distance.

Source: hugeone.co.ukYou can see another few examples of bright, contrasting colours used in banners above. These banners from Eduloan utilise different shades bright colours to ensure that they stand out. Although in this case, the text utilises the same bright colour as the graphical element of the banner, a white background is used to ensure that the text is highly contrasting and stands out.Using bright and contrasting colours is almost always a great idea when it comes to banner design.#3 - Utilise Large Text

Source: pgc.comOne thing that you need to remember about banners (that differs from many other marketing materials such as leaflets and flyers) is that in most cases, the aim is to attract attention from a distance.Because of this, you need to make sure that any content written on your banner is written in large readable text as without doing this, it's unlikely that your banner will be decipherable to anyone more than a few metres away.For example, take a look at the "Under new management" PVC banner above. You can see that this utilises large text to ensure that it's readable from quite a distance away. Often, with these kinds of banners, the aim is to attract attention of passers-by (often in motor vehicles) and to let them know a specific piece of relevant information. In the case of an "Under new management" sign, it's very likely that you'll want to attract customers who might want to try out your establishment and see what changes have been made, so it's important the banner is readable from a distance.

Source: hugeone.co.ukIf you take a look at the Mostly Mutts banner above, you'll see just how important large text is when it comes to your design. Although the Mostly Mutts logo text is relatively large (although not massively large), the rest of the text on the banner is pretty small.If you saw the banner from a distance (perhaps if you were driving past), it's unlikely that you'd be able to read any of the other words on the banner. This could leave you left in the dark about what it is that Mostly Mutts actually do.#4 - Choose A Bold + Readable Font

Source: signsexpress.co.ukIt isn't just the size of your text that matters though; you also need to think about the font that you're using along with the weight of that font.For example, take a look at the image above of a banner about retail space that is available to let. You'll notice that the primary message (the fact retail space is available) is written in a large font size. However, you'll also notice that the font used is highly readable, even from a distance. One of the reasons for this is that it is printed in a large bold font weight and also, the fact that the style of the font is pretty simplistic.

Source: runningimp.co.ukThere are a lot of different fonts out there and it can be tempting to choose an overly flamboyant one but when it comes to banners, you always need to factor in readability. Typically, bold sans-serif fonts will be more readable than serif fonts but this rule isn't set in stone. For example, some serif fonts such as Times New Roman can be highly readable even from a distance, hence the use of such fonts in professional media such as newspapers.You just need to steer clear of the type of fonts used in the "Schoolympics" banner above. Although it is printed in quite a chunky/bold style, the font itself is very inconsistent and likely won't be very readable from a distance.#5 - Keep The Copy Simple

Source: discountbannerprinting.co.uk

Another extremely important point to remember when designing your banner is to keep the copy/message as simple as possible. You'll notice that all of the banners we've featured in this guide so far have been quite simplistic in terms of the actual text content as most feature nothing more than a few words.The reason for this is simple; banners need to communicate your message in as little time as possible as most of the target audience simply don't have time to be reading paragraphs of text (most are walking or driving by).If you take a look at the SlideCandy banner above, you'll see how they managed to communicate their desired message while also keeping their copy simple and straight-to-the-point. The banner simply states the name of the company (SlideCandy) along with what they do (Ski rental delivery service). This copy can be read and understood in seconds, even from a distance.

Source: iconic-images.comIf you compare this with the Clear Glass banner above, you'll start to see how too much copy can actually dilute your message and make your banner unreadable (especially from a distance). You can see that this banner is overloaded with copy. It tells you the name of the company, their phone

number, a list of everything they do, their website address, before/after text and even their address.A lot of this copy is completely pointless and just makes the design of the banner look cluttered and unprofessional.When designing your banner, make sure to really think about the copy that is and isn't needed. Try to remove anything that is unnecessary and communicate your message in the most simple way you can. For example, if you are advertising your cleaning company, the copy "Hire a cleaner from £10/hr" is probably going to be more effective than "Are you too busy to clean? Try our cleaning services starting from just £10 an hour".#6 - Include Appropriate Information

Source: Design-matrix.co.ukFollowing on from our previous point about removing anything unnecessary, it's also important that you apply the same idea to the information contained within your banner design. You need to ensure that you're including appropriate information, and appropriate information only.In order to know what to include, you need to think about exactly what you want to achieve with your banner. Are you simply looking to increase brand awareness? Or are you looking to inform viewers about a certain

product/service or aspect of your business? Is there a specific action you want them to take?If you're just looking to increase brand awareness with your banner, you might need nothing more than your company name and/or logo. A good example of this kind of banner is the design from McDonalds above. You can see that they've included nothing more than their logo, slogan and a graphic of their iconic produce (i.e. Big Mac, Fries and drink).

Source: signsexpress.co.ukTypically however, most banners will be produced to inform viewers about something more specific. It could be a sale, an offer, a product introduction or even an event. You need to think carefully about what information to include. If you take a look at the banner above, you can see that this is clearly advertising laptop repair and upgrade services. It includes only the most appropriate information that is straight-to-the-point.It simply tells you what the business does, how much it costs and the number to call. It also lets potential customers know about a unique interest-free offer that is related to the product and service it's advertising.When you're designing your banner, you really need to keep in mind the aim and include only information that is likely to help bring results. For example, don't include your business address if it isn't needed at all; it will just clutter the design.

#7 - Always Use A Call-To-Action

Source: discountbannerprinting.co.ukAs well as including appropriate information on your banner, you should almost always include a call-to-action too (unless you're creating a banner with the sole aim of increasing brand awareness, then it may not be a good idea).Essentially, your call-to-action will prompt the viewer to take a particular course of action. It could be something as simple as visiting your website or giving you a call. If you take a look at the banner above from Stamford Properties, you might be able to spot the call-to-action already.You can see that the banner says "Call us today for your free quotation" followed by two phone numbers. This, essentially, is the call-to-action as it's telling the viewer to take a specified action (i.e. call the company to get a free quotation).

Source: nottinghamsciencepark.co.ukWhile it's usually a good idea to include a call-to-action in your banner design in order to maximise your return-on-investment, it can sometimes be wise to make it a little more subtle.For example, in the above banner from Nottingham Science Park, the website URL at the bottom of the banner actually acts as the call-to-action. Although the banner doesn't specifically say to visit that URL for more information, this is what the URL implies in the web-savvy world we currently live in. Similarly, including a phone number or email address would imply that you should give the company a call or send an email to find out more information.It's recommended that your call-to-action is quite a prominent part of your banner design too (so use large bold text, a readable font and contrasting colours etc).#8 - Incorporate High-Quality Graphics

Source: monsoonvalleywine.comAs the aim with most PVC banners is to attract attention (often from a distance), you need to do everything you can to draw the focus of passers-by to your banner. We've already mentioned colour, typography and sizing but another 'trick' is to include high-quality graphics.Graphics (or images) can act as a focus point for your banner and therefore, will often entice passers-by to cast a glance in your direction. The banner design above from Monsoon Valley shows a good example of how high-quality graphics can be used for great effect in a banner design.Without the graphic of the bottles of wine in the centre, this banner would be pretty dull and boring and likely wouldn't get much attention. It might not seem like adding the image would make much of a difference but if you quickly glance at the banner, you'll probably notice that this is the area your eyes are drawn to.

Source: drumhsg.co.ukNot only do high-quality graphics help to draw attention, but they can also help to reinforce your message and/or communicate an emotion without the need for any more text.You can see a good example of this in the banner above from the Drum Housing Association. It's clear that the aim of the banner is to promote their affordable homes for rent. The banner plays on the fact that many people seeking an affordable home will be couples. Therefore, a high-quality graphic of a happy young couple is used on the left of the banner. This portrays the idea that the company can bring you happiness (something that's difficult to communicate with words).We recommend that you use high-quality graphics in your banner design, but don't overdo it. If you use too many graphics, the design will look cluttered and unprofessional, so try to stick to just one or two (always choose quality over quantity).#9 - Use Hierarchy Within Your Design

Source: kiddicaru.comA hugely important part of successful banner design is to use hierarchy. Basically, hierarchy means ensuring that the most important points/information are the most prominent in your design, with less important points taking a backseat. But how do you create hierarchy?You can use text size, colour, font weight and many other attributes to draw more/less attention to certain aspects of your banner design. Take a look at the banner from Kiddi Caru above for example. You can see that a large text size and yellow colour has been used for the most important part of the message (the fact that places are now available).The two slightly less important points (the phone number and email address) are written in a smaller font size and also use a duller colour. The least important part of the banner (the website URL) is written in the smallest font size and is located in the corner of the banner. It's unlikely people will notice the website URL when they first glance at this banner; their eyes will be drawn to the more prominent parts of the design.

Source: visitbristol.co.ukThe banner above also uses a hierarchy in the design by utilising both font weight (regular/bold) and text size. It's quite a subtle hierarchy in this instance, but it's still there.Using hierarchy in this way will ensure that you grab people's attention with your most important point and instantly communicate the message your banner was intended to communicate.#10 - Keep Your Brand In Mind

Source: apple.comLastly, it's important to remember that although all of the points mentioned in this guide will ultimately help your banner to stand out and attract attention, you should also keep your brand in mind throughout the entire design process.Just because a certain colour might be the brightest, it doesn't necessarily mean it should be used in your banner design if it doesn't fit in with your existing brand. If you take a look at the Apple banner above, you'll see that the design is pretty simple and doesn't use any bright colours at all. It doesn't matter though as the banner still stands out and is instantly recognisable as an Apple banner.You should aim to achieve the same with your banner.How To Print Your BannerNow we've talked you through the design process, we want to highlight a couple of things you need to think about when it comes to the printing process.#1 - Setup Your Resolution Correctly

Source: N/AWith most banners being relatively large in size (we print up to fifty metres in length here at FastPrint.co.uk!), setting up your file correctly during the design process can be a bit of a headache. In particular, setting the correct resolution is something that many designers tend to struggle with.With most printing companies (including ourselves), we require that a full size banner has a resolution of 150dpi. However, if your banner is a few metres in length, it can be a bit of a pain working with such a large project during the design process. Because of this, we recommend designing and saving your file in a quarter of its intended size. If you do this, you'll need to make sure to increase the resolution to 600dpi (four times the resolution of the full size banner). This will also help to keep the file size as small as possible which is often useful when sending your file back and forth to the printing company.You can set-up the resolution of your file when creating a new file in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, as you can see in the image above. You should also keep in mind that you'll need to flatten your file in Photoshop or outline fonts in Illustrator before sending to the printing company.#2 - Use Adobe Illustrator If Possible

Source: adobe.com If you're not planning to use any graphics in your banner design, Adobe Illustrator is likely the best application to use as your project will be setup as a vector project by default. This means that your file will have no resolution and you can theoretically stretch it out to any size without losing image quality.If you're including raster graphics in your design however, you need to be aware that these won't usually be vector (unless converted) and therefore, they will lose quality if you stretch your design.You can view the difference between raster and vector graphics in our blog post.#3 - Convert To CMYK

Source: zevendesign.comAs with any design that is intended for print, you'll need to either work in CMYK or convert your design to CMYK at the end of the design process. This is because most modern printing techniques will use the CMYK printing process as opposed to RGB.Most popular design applications (such as Adobe Photoshop) will set your project up in RGB as default. If you don't convert to CMYK, you might receive an unexpected outcome when you receive your banner.If you want to know more about the differences between CMYK and RGB printing, check out our guide.ConclusionIt might seem like a lot to comprehend at first but we can assure you, if you follow the advice written in this guide, your banner will turn out just fine. You just need to make sure to choose the right printing company for the job (hint hint!).It's important to realise that not every banner will take on board every single point mentioned above; the aim of this post is to serve as a guide, not as a rock-solid foundation for a perfect banner. As with any kind of design, you need to keep your own needs in mind and design your banner accordingly. For example, if you feel that using an obvious call-to-action in your banner design doesn't adhere to your existing brand values, then you don't have to do it (although we do recommend including at least a subtle call-to-action for maximum results).

If you're looking to print any other marketing materials alongside your banner, you can check out our guide on designing and printing the perfect sticker, the perfect poster or even the perfect logo.- See more at: http://www.fastprint.co.uk/blog/how-to-design-and-print-the-perfect-banner-tutorial.html#sthash.fFK8t7DB.dpuf

ow to design the perfect logo - infographic

by Shaun Pagin in Design

Creating the perfect logo designThe question is; what makes a good logo design anyhow? Is it all about colour, typography or is there some super secret design factor that only the world's top logo designers know about?The good news is, there's no "big" secret. In fact, almost all great logo designs adhere to the same basic design principles and the truth is, anyone can learn them (including you).But, I hear you ask, what are they? Well, keep reading.

Content from aboveKeep It SimpleQuote: "Good design is as little design as possible" - Dieter Rams, 1978 (source: http://www.lukew.com/quotes/)Most designers have a tendency to overcomplicate things. But when it comes to logo design, simplicity is paramount.

Think of any iconic logo that springs to mind for example, you can bet it's not an overly complicated design. The Nike "Swoosh", the Apple "apple", the McDonalds "M" - they all have simplistic design at heart.Simplicity has played a big role in making these logo's so iconic.What should you do? Try to keep things as simple as possible. Constantly ask yourself, does that element really need to be there? Does it play a vital role? If the answer is no, get rid of it. Simplicity is as simple as that.Keep Colour Psychology In MindRed: Energy, Aggression, Danger, Passion, Warmth.Orange: Innovation, Youth, Fun, Affordability.Yellow: Warm, Friendly, Appetising.Green: Ethical, Fresh, Natural, Ecological.Blue: Professional, Calm, Trust, Authority, Success.Purple: Luxury, Wisdom, Dignity, Wealth.Black: Power, Sophistication.White: Pure, Clean, Simplicity.Brown: Masculine, Rural.Pink: Feminine, Fun, Flirty.Source: http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/choose-colours-8133973Quote: Colour does not add a pleasant quality to a design, it reinforces it - Pierre Bonnard (source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_design.html)Colour is more than a just an attractive element for a logo design, it actually represents the emotion(s) associated with the brand.Each colour invokes a different emotion or response. Red, for example, is perceived as energetic and passionate whereas green presents an image of a fresh and ethical brand. White on the other hand represents cleanliness, simplicity and purity.What should you do? When choosing a colour (or colours) for your logo design, keep colour psychology in mind. The colour choices you make should not only reflect the brand but also, ensure that it appeals to its target demographic.Keep The Brand In MindQuote: "Your goal is not to make an image. It’s to make a statement!" - Tom Asacker (source: http://www.blackcoffee.com/brand-related/branding-quotes/)

A common mistake when designing a logo for a company is simply to create an image, rather than an icon that makes a statement about the brand.The perfect logo should convey everything the brand stands for by utilising colour, shape, form and typography. A logo shouldn't define a brand; a brand should define a logo. It's important to remember that.Take the Apple logo for instance. The brand isn't defined by the logo, the logo is defined by the brand. The quality and simplicity of Apple logo represents the quality and simplicity of Apple products.What should you do? Research the brand you're working with as in-depth as possible. Learn their brand guidelines and what they stand for. Keep this in mind when designing.Keep Timelessness In MindQuote: "Quality is timeless: It will clearly define itself." - Dwight Yoakam (source: http://www.searchquotes.com/search/Timeless/3/)When brands invest in a logo redesign, they almost certainly don't want to be redesigning it again in another year or two. Therefore, you need to keep timelessness in mind.Timelessness is a key quality that the world's most iconic logo's hold dear. Take the Coca Cola logo for instance; this logo has remained largely the same for the past hundred years or so.But what makes a timeless logo? Simplicity, quality and branding.What should you do? Don't utilise short-lived design trends (e.g. "flat design") but instead, keep things simple and make sure to design the logo around the qualities of the brand.Keep Greatness In MindQuote: "Good is the enemy of great" - Jonathan Ive (source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_ive.html)It's easy to settle for a good logo design, but only a truly great design will stand the test of time. Apple's Senior Vice President of Design, Jonathan Ive once said, "good is the enemy of great".The reason being that good design can often appear great to the untrained eye. A good design will also likely be good enough for the client and, sometimes, perhaps even for yourself.Any designer can create a good logo design. Who knows? It may even last a few years. A great design however requires a meticulous approach when considering all of the design attributes above.

What should you do? Don't settle for the status quo. Be meticulous in your approach to design and be prepared to abandon good designs in search of the great ones. Don't be afraid to ask your client for an increased budget if it can genuinely aid in the creation of a truly great logo design.- See more at: http://www.fastprint.co.uk/blog/how-to-design-the-perfect-logo-infographic.html#sthash.mQw8cSNo.dpuf