15 Questions to Answer Before Designing Your Logo

Part of my job as a designer is to help clients achieve clarity about their brand identity. This means asking lots of questions before any designing actually begins. Before jumping right into a logo design, you need to have a clear vision for your brand.

The thought of having a new logo design and brand identity can be so exciting that many people want to skip right past the discovery phase. However, the knowledge gained in this phase determines everything that follows.

You may have an excellent concept in mind, but until you have a deeper understanding of why your business exists, who you are trying to reach, and what those people are like, it will be difficult for your designer to create a brand identity that accurately represents that.

 

Every logo design should begin with a discovery phase. This phase lays the foundation for the development of a meaningful design that targets your ideal audience.

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Having a clear mission for your new look will help your designer do their best work. The following questions are direct from the survey I send out to every client before we start work together. Asking these questions about your brand image are important in creating a logo design that lasts.

Questions You Must Answer Before Starting Your Logo Design

Business Related Questions

1. What is the nature of your business? How would you describe your services and/or products? What problem is your business solving or what need are you fulfilling for customers?

2. What motivated you to start this business/organization? Knowing the passions behind your business can give a new perspective to your goals, objectives, and preferences for the direction of your logo design.

3. What are the long-term goals of your company? The more you know about where you want to go in the future, the more successful your visual identity will be. Your brand identity should be timeless, not trendy.

4. What is your target market (age, sex, occupation, etc.)? Who is your ideal customer? This is after all who you want to be drawn to your business. If you try to have your logo designed before you truly know who you want to reach, you might run into the trouble of going through a redesign sooner than planned.

5. Who are your major competitors?  What makes your company different from your competitors? Your unique selling proposition is what actually makes your service or product different – what you want to be known for.

6. What impression do you believe that people currently have of your company? Your brand is your perceived image as a whole. You need to get inside the mind of your target audience to see how they currently think of your company versus how you want to be perceived.

7. Is there a unique story behind your business or business name? Having the history of your business or name can help put a unique spin on your identity and message.

Design Related Questions

8. Does your company have any existing elements, colors, fonts that you want to be carried over to the new brand? This one is pretty straight forward. You may also want to rely on your designer’s expertise for this question.

9. What do you want your new logo to accomplish? What are the key points about your business that your logo should convey?

10. Do you have any specific imagery or colors in mind for your logo? If you have a specific image in mind, now is the time to tell your designer. Keep in mind that your exact idea may not always work out, but your designer should know if you’d like to start in a specific direction.

11. Do you have any imagery or colors that you do NOT wish to use? Just remember this is not about personal preferences, it’s about what will resonate with your target audience.

12. What adjectives should best describe your logo? Describing your optimal logo with adjectives can give a better understanding of the ideal style you are looking for.

13. What are the brand attributes or core values of your company that your logo should convey? Think about how you want customers to feel each time they interact with your business.

14. What logos/brands appeal to you and why? Are there any logos you dislike? This is subjective but helps determine the style you think will best attract your customer.

15. Where will your logo be used? Will your logo be used strictly online or will it also be used for signage and print ads? Knowing this upfront can help you create the best logo for how it will be showcased.

Bonus Content!

If you want to start answering these questions for yourself and get access to 5 bonus questions, simply download the free worksheet!

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