Practical and theoretical elements of logo design

Abstract

This dissertation explores the considerations that have to be made when designing a logo. After research was analysed, designers from three market leading agencies and two freelancers were interviewed regarding their logo design process. They mostly agreed about certain elements, such as the importance of simplicity in the design. They all attributed importance to research about colour, typography and composition, but the importance of certain research involving the effect of three dimensionality and parallel lines on recognition, complexity on consumer affect towards the logo and ambiguity on perceived interestingness was not confirmed. A logo for a simulated company based on the model of St. Martin's Institute of Information Technology was designed based on gestalt principles and research regarding ambiguity in typographical logos. This was then discussed with the designers previously interviewed and the only agreement observed between them was concern about representation in smaller sizes. Opinions about the effectiveness of the symbol, colours and typography were mixed. Therefore, while practical considerations in logo design may be said to be objective, the individual creativity of a designer will always be the primary factor in shaping the final result, despite being bound by a research framework.