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LinkedIn Learning

Logo Design: Techniques

via LinkedIn Learning

Overview

Learn how to design a logo. Learn the principles of logo design by deconstructing popular logos and then constructing your own in Adobe Illustrator.

Logos are a critical part of the modern visual landscape. A good logo is simple, instantly recognizable, and comprised of only the most essential elements. To learn how to create your own, it's important to be able to identify the components and design techniques behind the most successful examples, from the Nike swoosh to the Coca-Cola ribbon. In this course, Nigel French reveals how successful logos depend on good type choices and simple shapes—or the combination of simple shapes. He shows examples of popular logos and then demonstrates how to use the same construction techniques to create similar logos in Adobe Illustrator. The course combines theory with nuts-and-bolts techniques that emphasize simplicity and readability: the principles that ground the world’s best logo designs.

Syllabus

Introduction
  • Logo design for the modern age
  • Who should take this course?
  • What makes a good logo
1. Exploring Type Variables
  • Choosing the right typeface
  • Exploring type variables
  • Change one thing
  • Initial Letters
  • Looking beyond 26 letters
  • Replacing letters with words
2. Simple Type Treatments
  • Outlined and inlined type
  • Creating a circular logo with type on a path
  • Warped type
  • Creating a hand-drawn logo
  • Creating a monogram
  • Creating a stacked type logo
3. Designing with Simple Shapes: Part 1
  • Creating a logo with simple shapes
  • Lines
  • Arrows
  • More arrows
  • Squares and rectangles
  • More squares
  • Circles
  • Ovals
4. Designing with Simple Shapes: Part 2
  • Hearts
  • Concentric rings
  • Triangles and diamonds
  • Stars
  • Polygons
  • Shields
  • Abstract shapes
5. Advanced Techniques
  • Offsetting multiple paths: Inspired by Mexico '68
  • Working with stripes: Inspired by Woolmark
  • Create a multi-line art brush
  • Creating an Olympic spiral inspired by Munich '72
  • Creating a camera shutter swirl
  • Creating a modular logo from simple shapes
  • Radiating
  • Perspective type
  • Create a halftone dot treatment
6. Logo Effects
  • Gradient effects
  • Creating a gloss
  • Creating a bevel effect
  • Working with transparency
  • Designing with negative space
  • Adding texture to a logo
  • Type on a cube
7. Choosing Logo Colors
  • Color associations
  • Combining colors
  • Spot, process, and web colors
  • Recoloring artwork: Experiment with different color schemes
  • Converting process to spot color
  • Converting process to tints
  • Converting transparency to tints
8. Finalizing the Logo
  • Preparing usage guidelines
  • Preparing print files
  • Preparing screen files
Conclusion
  • Next steps

Taught by

Nigel French

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