Logo Design Process

Case study with MachineryDirect.net Pty Ltd

After all the planning and research to start a new business the first phase of action usually starts with the Logo design. Logo design is a creative process and it is a challenge to effectively showcase your business. It is important to set your logo apart from the rest of the businesses out there while still retaining your core business philosophy and ideology. Described below is the case study of a Logo design process we followed for one of our clients, MachineryDirect.net Pty Ltd.

Introduction:
MachineryDirect’s model of business is purely online and the aim is to create a website portal, where machinery sellers can advertise their machinery and provides buyers, the facility to find information on these machinery. The logo designed had to capture this online model and address it to the company in particular.

The following steps were taken to design the logo:
Brief:
Initially there were many meetings to discuss the creative brief. As a Web Design business, we had to acquire information on MachineryDirect’s target audience, gender ratio, average age group and image the company would be portraying. Once a clear concept was achieved, this information was relayed to three graphic designers. Using three graphic designers ensured that the logo design would be viewed from at least three different perspectives, and later on, allow a mix and match of these ideas. As an added motivation the designer whose logo would be selected was to be awarded an attractive reward.

Sketch:
Our designers started the process by sketching logos in various colours, fonts and illustrations. After a 2 week period, all design sketches were compiled and shown to client to seek feedback.

The many design sketches offered allowed the client to pick out styles, colours and fonts which they preferred to explore further. This process helped to determine the taste and concept of the logo of which the client wished to pursue further.

Feedback and direction from client:

The client liked Design 1 because the design depicted an online business by showing a mouse and at the same time retaining the alphabets M and D from the Company name Machinery Direct. The client also selected Design 2 due to the usage of the @ symbol, popularly associated with emails and the line under it signifying growth.

After much discussion and exchange of ideas, the client decided to explore variation of Design1 only. However, the client was not particularly fond of the colour and font used with the current idea. An important feedback received was that they wished their logo to have blue as the predominant colour.

Revision of the logo designs:
Keeping blue in mind, the logo sketch of Design 1 was created in various shades of blue. At the same time to gather some feedback we prepared several logos with the company name in different fonts.

A general consensus on the shade of blue was reached but the font still had a long way to go. We tried them with more font faces, in uppercase, lowercase and bolded.

During this time, it was decided that in order identify with the domain name and the company name, the word .net had to be added. So again we tired a smaller set of font faces using the new wording MachineryDirect.net.


Revision of the logo fonts revisited:
More design were created to show the wording in different fonts and style but with the word MachineryDirect.net. After reviewing the logo in different fonts the client was happy to select myraid as the font for their logo.

Logo Design completed:
After 3 designers, 23 designs and almost 30 revisions a conclusion was reached on the logo for the company.

The drop shadow effect was removed, the word Machinery was made in bold to separate from the word Direct and .net was incorporated to depict complete company name. The design of the word MD is in a way that if observed carefully actually illustrates a mouse signifying an online business.