I recently created a logo for my good buddy Joshua Voiles’ new product he is working on. This man is an amazing guitar player and an amazing human being. I definitely recommend checking him out. You will be seeing Joshua’s name pop up quite a bit around here, as this kid is like a brother to me. Anyways, I wanted to share with you guys a few key factors in creating a professional product logo that you can truly be proud of.

So first off, here is the logo I ended up with for Joshua’s “Guitar Acceleration” product:

What Does the Client Want?

Whenever I start a new project for a client, I like to pick their brain a bit first and figure out what exactly they are shooting for. Afterall, who is this project actually for? More important than specific colors or specific words to use, I like to ask the client, “What feeling would you like this image to portray?” Joshua made it very clear to me that he wanted his Guitar Acceleration logo to represent “Speed” and/or “Power.” I decided to take the “Power” route. Why? Becaues I felt like it.

Choose an Appropriate Font.

In the case of this logo I am dealing mainly with written words. How do I make letters on a screen feel like “Power?” I find the style of font to be one of the key factors in representing different emotions. How do you know what font to use? I usually head over to a website like www.DaFont.com and just start browsing until I see a font that really stands out to me and represents the emotion I am going for. I feel that I nailed this one on the button.

Choice of Color.

Another important key factor when creating a logo is the choice of color. The same rules apply for this as choosing your font, THERE ARE NO RULES! Everything I do is because it feels right in the moment. Trust yourself! You already know everything you need to know in order to make the right choices. If it feels right, chances are it is right. This doesn’t mean I’m not constantly inspired by other people. Be open and allow yourself to learn, but when the time comes, trust yourself and let your own genius spew into your work. So why did I choose the colors I did? Because I feel like they were in alignment with my overall goal of representing “Power”. That’s it! It’s amazing how easy this stuff is when you begin realizing there are no tricks.

Learn How to Research

Finally I added some cool sillouhette guitar player guys. Joshua also specifically mentioned adding something like this in our discussion about the project. I’ve found that you don’t have to be a crazy artist in order to conjure up some truly professional artwork. But what you do need to become is a professional researcher. Google is my best friend in situations like this. I simply searched for something like, “free guitar vector art” or something of the sort. With a bit of creativity and good research, you can come up with a lot of really sweet royalty free graphics to use in your designs.

Tweak, Tweak, and Tweak Some More.

Now I didn’t just have a perfectly clear idea, sit down on my computer, and bust out my final product. My first few ideas looked absolutely nothing like the end result. I had to tweak, and then I tweaked, and then after that I did a little bit of tweaking. Just keep moving and keep tweaking and you are bound to end up with something you can be proud of. If you’re not, then you should probably tweak some more.

I had a great time creating this logo. It really gives me an immense feeling of satisfaction knowing I created a peice of art that my client is also going to be proud of.

Group Discussion.

I hope that this information serves you in your own designs and logo creations. If you have any questions or would like to leave some feedback, feel free to comment below. I’m always open to learning so let me know if you have any tips or pointers for me as well.

Until next time…