How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons: 24 Internationally Renowned Studios Reveal How They Develop Trademarks for Print and New Media

by Gregory Thomas

Book Overview

This book steps into the studios of top designers as their ideas happen. Case studies trace the evolution of great logos, symbols and icons, illustrating the process with initial roughs and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1581804563
• ISBN13: 9781581804560
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Process Study

This book is helpful in that it shows you what is involved in the design process of creating a successful logo. It doesn't show you exactly how to make one yourself but gives examples of how certain logo's where produced.

Excellent study of how logos are developed.

Buy this book! This is a terrific resource for any designer, art director or student wanting to learn more about how a logo or brand evolves from the drawing board to the billboard.I'm making this required reading for my designers!

Response to the reader from Manhattan Beach, CA

I have to say that I do and don't agree with the reader from Manhattan Beach, CA. I agree that reaching a target audience is very important in any identity system. This book, as stated, is designed not just for the art director or the designer, but for student, the entrepeneur, the marketing manager, the high level executive (i.e. CEO, CMO) Etc. According to the review, this book has achieved that goal with flying colors. I have to disagree with the rest of the review. This book's other goal was to enlighten the reader as to the process behind the final logo. To say that the range of logos in the book is average to excellent misses the whole point. It is not a ranking book like so many other logo books. Each logo was simply supposed to represent the very different processes and solutions possible. They were supposed to inspire the creative process and educate the reader (prospective client maybe) on what the process involves. If you follow the purpose of the book, they each stand on their own as excellent examples of creatively tackling the design process. In reading this book, the Philharmonic example was meant to show that although the computer is heavily used today, some ideas still rely on old solutions. In this case, there is no need to show other concepts. It would be hard to illustrate all the concepts and try to make the same point in four pages. Overall, this is a successful book on branding, identity and design.

Inspiriational and Technical

As much inspirational as technical, How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons provides a clear vision of the intricacies and factors that go into the successful design of logos and symbols. Spending more than 100 of its 142 pages delving into the decisions and considerations that are behind some of the most successful and recognizable corporate trademarks in America today, How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons is an invaluable resource for today's graphic designer. The main vehicle this work uses as an instructional guide is the real life examples of many major corporations and how they approached the design and use of the symbols we all immediately recognize today as well as what they rejected and why. This, coupled with clear forthright descriptions, explanations, and instruction in the basics of this genre of graphic design, make this a must have for the novice, student, expert, or anyone seeking insight into the process that created these remarkable designs. How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons gives its readers not only what they need to create designs but also to successfully judge the acceptability and appeal of presented designs. In fact, you will never look at the logos and trademarks that surround you in quite the same way again. This book is a must for those interested in the field or currently facing design challenges themselves. Whether you're a novice or a professional, this work will not only get your creative juices flowing, but flowing in a proven direction of success.

Finally a real book about identity and branding

Had the privilege of getting a preview of this book. The first words to come out of my mouth were, "At last!" This book really explains the thinking behind the design of logos, symbols and icons with a really interesting layout by David La Cava and Julian Bittner. I was so tired of the 'logo' books that list a bunch of pictures without any explanation or step by step process of how the designer came to the final version of the logo and in essence the voice of the company they represent. This book is not only for the design department, it should be included in the library of the brand manager, the marketing director, the small entrepreneur, the CEO, and anyone else who believes a major key to any successful business is the promotion and building of equity in the corporate ID and Brand Voice. Thank you Mr. Gregory Thomas for taking an intensive look into the creation of successful branding and corporate identification systems.