5 questions to ask when designing a personal logo
I was sitting on my couch watching Jersey Shore, because of course I was. When I’m not working, I’m vegging out. Work hard, play harder. But my friends know that if they have a design question, I’m never really off-the-clock.
On this day, I was enthralled with the latest Ronnie and Sammi Sweetheart disaster when my friend, Jujubear (no, that’s not his name; yes, I’m protecting his identity), texted me in a frenzy. Someone had asked him to design a personal logo and he had said yes, excited for the opportunity but lost on the order of affairs to move forward. His exact words were:
“Help! I’ve agreed to make a logo and I don’t know what I’m doing!”
The fist-pumping would have to wait. Jujubear needed me. He told me he’d spoken with his contact, who had no preference on design, was launching a personal brand for his career, and was primarily using the logo for promotional materials and his website.
I cracked my knuckles and gave Jujubear 5 key questions to ask to make a great personal logo for this mystery man.
What’s the budget and timeline?
I’m kind of cheating with this one because it’s two questions in one, but they are serving a similar purpose in determining the scope of what you can do.
Anyone asking you to design a $5,000 logo in three days is out of their mind. Similarly, anyone asking you to design a logo for $100 with an open-ended deadline is terrifying.
It can be tough to talk about money and relatively easy to talk about timeline, so I usually ask the latter first and the former last. People have bought into you and the conversation by the end and you’ve built a rapport and trust, so clients are more comfortable with discussing budget.
It turns out that Jujubear wasn’t given a budget but was given a two-week timeline. My advice was to focus on a wordmark instead of a logo, because, honestly, I don’t believe you can create a high-quality logo with limited information in less than two weeks.
What inspires them and you?
This is fast market research. Look at their competition or people in similar professions. What do their logos look like?
Look at who follows the competition or similar people on social media – what do these people seem to like? What brands do they follow? Don’t spend too much time on this (especially if you don’t really have time), but get an idea.
Ask the client to do some homework and send inspiration or a Pinterest, Dribbble, or Behance collection of items that inspire them and feel like them. Unlike most company or brand logos, this logo is incredibly personal because it’s representing an individual and has to communicate a lot in a small moment of time.
Your personal style will come into play, and I always recommend giving some examples of things you like (via the same aforementioned inspiration boards) that you think fit the client’s vision to ensure you’re both communicating effectively.
Where do they want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
Asking them what they envision for themselves in the future can also give you a frame of reference for design, especially as they’re presumably just starting out.
Do they want to be a renowned private teacher in the future? Do they want to be in Hollywood? Do they want to win a Nobel prize?
This ties back to the style and vision of the personal logo, as I’m sure you’d agree that the answer to the three previous questions would all look different based on their goals.
I try not to get too tied down by this one, but it does allow me to broaden my perspective when thinking of the possibilities.
Are you/they willing to spend extra for fonts?
Spending money on fonts can save you time and make your client stand out, allow you more flexibility with dynamic fonts, and convey different ideas than the limitations of free fonts.
That said, a lot of people don’t see the value on their own. If you think it’s worth spending extra for the fonts (it usually is), explain why. Explain the value of spending extra.
If it’s still a no-go, explore dafont.com and play with different fonts there. Be sure to select “Public domain” and “100% Free” in the advanced search area, and download and play away! If you have an Adobe subscription, I highly recommend exploring their fonts, as well.
What design flourishes feel like the client?
Once you’ve narrowed down the font you like, pull the design into Illustrator (I strongly recommend against using Photoshop for logos, but if you must….). Use effects, glyphs, layers, and textures to dress up your design.
If the personal brand is for a health and wellness specialist or nutritionist, you’ll likely want something modern and clean. If they’re a comedian, something fun and funky. If they’re an artist, something dynamic with movement. Be thoughtful about what you’re trying to convey by the type and graphics themselves.
I’m a student of YouTube University, so I highly recommend looking there for various effects you can create to make a simple word mark pop.
So, about Jujubear…
Everything turned out fine for Jujubear. He was able to reach out to me and get some personal logo design advice, and has a plan for future projects.
What about you? Do you need help managing your business or nonprofit’s logo or brand? Are you just starting out and overwhelmed by the possibilities? I’m here to help!
Whether you are wanting something created from scratch or guidance on how to create it yourself, reach out and see how we can collaborate to meet your goals!
