Step 3: Dig
With your brief defined, it’s now time to dig. You’ll be digging for both research and inspiration. Start with research, and then follow with inspiration.
It’s all too easy to find yourself in tangents in this step, so make sure you set a time limit for how much time you want to spend digging. This will vary, depending on how much information there is to find out about brand and the industry that it’s in.
Research
Research other leading brands in the same industry who have a similar target market. The logo you design should stand out from it’s competitors, so knowing what the other brands look like is important, to do this effectively.
Do an online search for any competitors your client named in Step 1. Look over each competitor’s website, their brand, and what they offer. Then do a general search using keywords for the main thing the brand offers. Take a look at the first few results as they are most likely to be the leaders in their field.
Note what works, and what’s been overdone and overused, so you know what to avoid repeating.
Inspiration
You’ve heard it before - inspiration is everywhere! You’ll find inspiration online, in books and magazines, and in your day-to-day travels.
Identify any themes or ideas you particularly are inspired by. Pinterest and Google Images are good ways to find ideas online quickly. Pinterest is especially good for creating a mood board for the project, where you can pin logo ideas, colour combinations, and anything relevant that has inspired you.
Keep an eye out for logo styles you think could work well for the brand.
How do you know when a style is suitable? You’ve already created some guidelines to help you.
Go to the keywords you defined in Step 2, and use them to help you decide whether the style is aligned with the keywords or not.