Questions to ask before you design a new logo

Call it a creative brief. Call it a discovery process. Call it what you will…but be sure to do it, before you either hire a designer or try to design your own logo.

If you remember, a few weeks ago I did a call for companies who wanted to win a free logo design from LogoInn.com. The catch was….you had to let your logo evolve right here on the blog, so everyone could learn as we went. Scads of entries came in and I want to thank everyone who entered.

The final winner was actually not a for profit company but an organization — Colfax Main Street. We'll learn more as we go. We'll take a look at their answers to these questions as the first step in the process.

Okay….back to the creative brief. No matter how small or large your organization….you need to be as objective as possible about your logo design. This isn't about whether you like the color orange or think trapezoids are cool shapes.

This is about trying to capture the spirit of your organization in a mark…to give people a clue as to what you do and what you're all about.

That's where the creative brief comes in. This series of questions will guide you and the designer. It will both illuminate and eliminate.

You will see LogoInn.com's creative brief and then I've added some additional questions that I think are critical. You'll also note that I've customized some of the questions specifically for Colfax Main Street. You'll want to do the same for your business.

Logo Inn’s creative brief

Your company name
Describe your business (your product or service)
Website address
Who's your target audience
What colors do you require in the logo?
Do you have any preference for you logo regarding image and text style?
Language you require in logo?
Any additional thoughts?

My additional questions

What, if anything, are you using for a logo now?
If you have a current logo, why are you looking to change it?
What word/words need to be included in your logo?
Who is your competition? How are you different from them?
What is your brand promise/tagline? How do you bring that to life?
What are your organization's values/mission?
What words would people use to describe your organization/city BEFORE their first visit (in other words-what do they think/believe before they visit)
What words would people use to describe your organization/city AFTER their first visit (in other words-what do they think/believe after they visit)
Are there any iconic places, elements of architecture, design elements, landmarks that make Colfax unique?
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Techno or Active
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Warm or Progressive
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Old Fashioned or Modern
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? High End or Cost Effective
Which of these words is a better fit for your brand? Night Life or Early Morning
Who would have no interest in your city/brand?
Are there any color no no's? Image no no's?
Competitors' marks (colors, shapes, concepts, ideas are already being used in the marketplace)
Where will the logo appear/primary usage — how will you use it?
Any other production considerations (must work extremely small, or will be usually be reproduced in single color etc.)

What do you think? What else could or should we have asked?