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Abandon logic

Liv Strawbridge

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Min Read

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January 22, 2026

Prompt #1

Abandon logic

I wonder how much of what we call 'logical' in design is really just convention dressed up as common sense?

We convince ourselves there's a rational reason for using particular layouts, typeface pairings, or colour schemes – but often, we're just following patterns we've seen work before.

The ‘logical’ choice in a logo design you're working on might be a clean sans-serif wordmark. But what if the perfect solution for your client is something seemingly illogical – ornate, decorative, unconventional? Some of the most memorable brand identities come from designers who ignored what seemed logical and trusted their instinct instead.

This week I challenge you to question one ‘logical’ design decision you're making. Is it actually logical, or is it just familiar? Sometimes the magic lives in the choice that doesn't quite make sense.

Prompt #2

Hold the colour

One of the most common mistakes I see logo designers make is adding colour too early in the process. When you show coloured concepts from the start, clients choose based on their favourite colour rather than the strength of the underlying concept. Which means you end up spending hours colouring ideas that won't get chosen, and you risk developing a logo that only works in colour (which means it doesn't really work at all).

I've just published a guide that walks through when to add colour in your logo design process. You'll also find tips on creating strong colour palettes – from saturation matching to accessibility checks.

If you often question your colour decisions or wonder why your palettes don't feel quite right, this guide will help.

Read: ‘A Logo Designer’s Guide to Colour' →

Prompt #3

A tool for vectorising detailed images

I recently took on a client with an extremely detailed logo that needed vectorising. The original illustrator had created it as a raster image, and redrawing it by hand would have taken hours.

I tried several specialist vectoriser tools – most gave subpar results (similar or worse to Adobe Illustrator) with jagged edges or lost detail. Then I found Bubbi's image vectoriser, and it worked pretty well. The conversion was clean, the intricate details weren't overlooked, and it cost me around $1. No subscription needed, just pay-per-conversion.

If you ever need to vectorise complex artwork quickly, this tool is worth checking out.

Check out Bubbi's Image Vectoriser →

No, not an ad. Yes, it's in my toolkit for future reference.

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