Josiah Jost is a logo designer and the talented creative director of Siah Design. Writing from Milk River, Alberta, Canada, he shares his thoughts on developing logos from scratch.

Inkd: Tell us how you got into graphic design and logo design in particular?

I first started doing graphic design in my teens as my family needed two websites built and some newsletter material designed. And being the techie guy in the family I took on the job. I found out then that I really enjoyed graphic design and decided to pursue and study it in my spare time. Once I graduated from high school I continued to study design and started my graphic design business part time. During that time I was also working part time at a computer shop. Eventually I was able to stop working my job at the computer shop and started my freelance graphic design business full time.

One of my first major jobs freelancing as a graphic designer was creating over 100 logos for a domain name selling site. They needed simple logos to present with the domain name they were selling. That really helped my refine my logo design skills and also helped me realize my love for logo design.

Inkd: What can you tell us about the process you go through as you start a new logo project?

The first part of the process is to have the client fill out a logo questionnaire that I have. It lets the client express what their company identity needs and goals are as well as give any direction they may have for their logo. Once I have that information I go to the sketch pad and start brainstorming and putting my ideas on paper. I don’t care how silly or abstract the sketches are as I just want to get ideas out there. It’s amazing to see how some concepts develop. Once I have some good concepts developed I go to Illustrator to execute the concepts and present them to the client.

Inkd: What things do you notice about a logo which you consider to be well done?

There are several elements to a logo but the overall flow and concept are what I generally notice first. If the logo has a mark the type needs to jive with it. I really notice concepts, too. I love finding logos that have a very creative concept.

Inkd: To a designer just starting out, what advice would you share?

I have a quote posted on my wall that states, “Do Not Seek Praise. Seek Criticism”. And I would highly recommend that to beginners. Always be open to and even inviting critiques. There are so many elements to graphic design that you need to learn such as proper usage of type, presentation, alignment, color, etc, etc. And to learn those you may need some people to point out your faults. I want to keep that mindset for the rest of my life.

That being said, develop your own style and gain confidence in it. As designers we are all different and unique and we need to distinguish between style and personal taste versus bad design.

Inkd: On average, how many iterations do you have to go through before a customer is satisfied with a logo design?

It depends on the nature of the logo and the company I am working for. Corporations tend to take more iterations s as they may need the design to be approved by a committee. Generally speaking I would say the average is 3 – 5 though.

Inkd: Other than Google, what site to you think you hit most often?

As I primarily designs logos I would definitely have to say I visit www.logopond.com the most. It’s a great logo designing community where you can find inspiration, share your work and get feedback. I would highly recommend the site.

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Thanks very much for the interview Josiah!

Kelly Smith
Founder
Inkd
kelly@inkd.com

Tags: brochure, business card, design, identity, Logos, print, template