Comments on: Originality in Logo Design

By: Mahesh

Mahesh — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:56:10 +0000

I have a client who want to go build a website and go online. His business is currently limited to local market, limited to a town. He has been using a logo for last 10 years, which was unique in the town. Now he wants go online and get customers from other than his town. This gave up a new issue of duplicate logos. He is afraid his if his logo is being used in any other part of the world. His logo didn’t have a business name and it was symbols. Going online means his logo should be unique in the world.

I searched and searched for duplicates of his logo, but still couldn’t find one. Still a duplicate is a violation of trademark laws. After reading your article I am thinking of suggesting him to create a new logo which is based on his original logo with his business name included in it. I guess it rules out the possibility of duplication.

Thanks for your article and lot of helpful comments

By: Joey Cosi

Joey Cosi — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:31:48 +0000

A lot (not all) designers I’ve encountered normally look for inspiration before creating a logo. This has been normal to a lot of designers these days. Just like what has been said above, many designers do not research or rather their definition of “research” is by browsing through logo libraries not to make sure their logo isn’t similar to anyone else, but to grab those ideas and somehow change it up.

It’s a vicious cycle that has been going on for a long time. Designers should learn to think about brand equity and how it affects their clients.

By: jgeeoff

jgeeoff — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:52:57 +0000

i’ve been at this thing for over 30 years, and many designers i’ve met don’t do the one thing that’s actually one of the most important, research.
i saw a tv article on a world-known agency chairman, and his one knock on the industry was that their isn’t good research anymore (that was over 5 years ago).
inspiration is good, knowing what a company does is good, but when i was in school (many, many moons ago), we were taught that one of the reasons logo design was so expensive in many cases, was partially because of the time taken in research. there have been logo databases of both analog and digital varieties for several decades (and those paper things called books, earlier than i care to think). for many years now, we’ve been using technology as the grand excuse, “i can’t do that because my software doesn’t.” sound familiar? just because it takes over 2 hours to pour over reference books and logo websites, and magazines, etc., that doesn’t mean you’re finished–although ones head may feel that way. technology has made instant gratification too slow…
yes, there are moments of true logo collision, but for the most part, i’ve seen blatant and accidental plagiarism, and near misses/hits that call to question the design industry as a whole, when dealing with businesses that were either burnt, or are moderately savvy about design. the companies that aren’t savvy–throngs that are cropped up and overtaking the more “sophisticated”), that could give a hoot about whether their logo is a rip-off or not.
we can police as best we can, by not letting it go, no matter how old the situation is–let as many design-side and client-side people know that there has been either a violation, or that they may want to take a step back and try not to let their brand be diluted any further.
my takeaway from all this is to start with the company interview, get as much unique data as possible–what unique benefits does the client have that can position them above/apart from the competition. Find out as much as possible about what should be your business partner. then incorporate that into a brand strategy that incorporates the development of a logo. take that information and thumbnail a thousand ideas, weed out the best ones, then research them to make sure your business partner is the unique entity the brand will represent them to be. and if this takes too much time. we all need to rethink where we are in this profession, and where the client is in trying to market their business.
having said all that, it has happened many times that the ceo either states or even “sketches” what they “want.” once again, maybe it’s technology (i like to blame it a lot), it’s so much easier to give the client what they want, regardless of the repercussions, if any even come up…then if they do, it’s not by another company, it’s by designers…

By: Mike D.

Mike D. — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:15:41 +0000

Curious: I think it’s time for your medication.

By: Curious

Curious — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:13:56 +0000

I realize this entry is a bazillion years old, but I can’t help but wonder if you designed a logo incorporating a snake wrapped around the earth on purpose. Are you a “chosen one”? If not, maybe your client was. Maybe that’s why he liked it and then ripped it off. Maybe you didn’t even know what you had done in designing that logo. But something tells me you did.

By: brandcowboy

brandcowboy — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:01:23 +0000

So this might not go over well, but here goes: I think that designers need to get out more. They need to make awareness of and participation in popular culture part of their jobs. I’m sure that there are legions who will protest this as unfair, and I’m sure that there are lots of striking exceptions. But in my work teaching designers, and as an employer of designers, I have to say that the breed tends to be more introverted and more desperate to be original (by contrast to their advertising counterpart, the art director). This latter point, paradoxically, produces a tendency to ignore cultural context. To believe that the only true creativity is that which occurs in a vacuum. Once in awhile, this results in someone reinventing a well-worn wheel.

By: Frank, logo designer

Frank, logo designer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:40:01 +0000

@ The BlackPearl: I think there’s hardly any difference at all, if you’re looking at the final results. It’s all about making the client happy, that’s it. If they like the logo, they dont care if your 6 yr old kid slapped it together. If they don’t like it, they aren’t going to care where you learned logo design. We remember companies like Coke b/c they’ve been spending millions of ad dollars since before you were born. The simplicity of the logo at the end of the ad helps it burn into our brain.

By: The Blackpearl

The Blackpearl — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:15:54 +0000

Hi guys, I was wondering, what’s the difference between an amateur who creates a professional logo and a professional who studied to create professional logos. Isn’t the end result what matters most? I have been designing for almost 6 years and none of my clients have staff over 5 people. I try my best to create something they can appreciate whether or not it looks like a visa, or paypal, coca cola, (please not these are just words) why do we remember these more than others? is it the brand, quality, popularity, influence by our friends or is there some secret society that whispers the names of these companies in your ears. I try very hard to do original stuff but sometimes I find a particular font or shape sticks in my mind and I end up scrapping and starting fresh. One thing I try not to do is use the same font twice.

By: Sean Hodge

Sean Hodge — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:03:43 +0000

Make illustrative logos. You’ll have far less trademark disputes and are much more likely to create something original.

By: Kerblotto

Kerblotto — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:05:57 +0000

Every logo is derivative. I was puzzled by VW’s ‘autobahn for all’ logo. It looks like a little hitler head.

By: zrlnd » Blog Archive » links for 2008-07-23

zrlnd » Blog Archive » links for 2008-07-23 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:31:45 +0000

[…] Mike Davidson – Originality in Logo Design (tags: Logo design branding marketing) […]

By: When logos look alike | Logo Design Love

When logos look alike | Logo Design Love — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:37:27 +0000

[…] Originality in logo design, from Mike Davidson. […]

By: Rajita - Logo Design

Rajita - Logo Design — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:41:24 +0000

The originality of a logo can be confirmed if the idea behind a logo is explained.Interpretation of a logo gives it exclusive creativity.Always try to explain your logo in terms of your company goals and image.No one will be ever able to copy it.

By: Corporate Guy

Corporate Guy — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:21:40 +0000

I think it’s funny that frequently when I design a website for a small/start-up business, they want me to do a logo while I’m at it. It’s like they think that’s part of the design…it should be even more important than the site, in some cases!

By: David

David — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:07:06 +0000

Logo design is a most important part of graphic design. It should be perfect and according to the company services because the logo represents companies brands or corporate identities.
Your logo should be attractive and massage conveying.

I am impressed with your post nice one!