There’s just something so intriguing about logos: how does a simple combination of letters and icons carry so much meaning, energy and emotion? How do you know that this type of imagery works the best? How did you decide on these particular shapes? The short answer is: through lots of research and logo sketching.
And this brings us to what we are going to talk about in this article: logo sketching! Logo sketching is an infinitely fun, but complex and extremely important step in effective logo design. You see, the steps you take before designing the logo digitally are the most important ones, as they provide you with the proper direction and make sure you follow the key principles of logo design. The logo sketching phase is the fun part where anything is possible and your logo ideas start coming to life.
- Before logo sketching, familiarize yourself with different logo styles and select the one that best suits your brand’s needs. Make sure the logo is adaptable for various applications and different sizes.
- If you’re collaborating with a designer on your logo design, clearly communicate your brand story, goals, and vision. Use a detailed design brief and write a list of keywords to establish a strong basis.
- Create mood boards with images and typography to visualize potential logo design directions. Use these mood boards to sketch your logo ideas freely, but don’t use color at this stage.
- Experiment with quick logo sketches without focusing on details too soon. Use your preferred medium, allow for messy explorations and focus on ideas over perfection.
- Choose up to three of the sketches that align most with the brand to tidy and polish. Critically assess their usability, and take on feedback before finalizing.
How to prepare for logo sketching
Okay, you might have gotten excited about sketching but that isn’t actually the first step in the logo design process. Before you put pencil to paper, here’s what you need to do first.
1. Get to know logo types
Familiarity with all the different types of logos that exist means you can pick the one that fits your brand best. For some businesses, a strong wordmark will be most effective while others might benefit from having an icon—sometimes a logo calls for a combination of the two.
When designing a logo, it’s important to prioritize usability and versatility. How and where will the logo be used? Will it need different iterations of the same design for different applications? Can you extract an element from the logo to be used as a standalone icon or avatar? Is there a brand origin story that can be represented in the design?
2. Brief the designer
Communication between the designer and client is key. Organize a meeting early on in the process to discuss the design brief in detail. Share relevant information about the business—its story, vision, brand identity, goals and aesthetic—with the designer and ask every question you have. This might take a while, but the goal is to try and figure out the ideal logo to communicate your brand.
Make a list of keywords describing your brand, which will guide you as you start sketching your logo. Write down everything that crosses your mind when thinking about the business.
Source: List of keywords by Laara via 99designs by Vista
3. Research and define your brand visually
Now the fun bit: mood boards! This step relies heavily on the list of brand adjectives you just created, and create one or two boards depending on how many directions you decide to take.
If you’re wondering how to create a mood board, it’s simply a collection of images that conveys the visual direction you are planning to take. You can include images of pretty much anything here: colors, fonts, interior design, people, logos, illustrations, patterns, graphic design etc. There are plenty of places to look for images and references, from Google Images, Pinterest and Unsplash to books or even your camera roll.
Source: Moodboard by Laara via 99designs by Vista
Just keep an open mind and have a sharp eye for detail as this research will help you to properly define a visual direction to follow when logo sketching.
4. Choose a direction
At this point, it’s pretty easy to get lost in all those images and thoughts. It’s tempting to go towards a new direction every 15 minutes or as soon as a new, slightly different image appears in front of us. Choose one or two clear directions to follow and stick with those. There will still be plenty of room to explore even within those limitations.
Pro logo sketching tips
One thing about logo sketching is that there isn’t just one way to do it. Everyone has their way of sketching and none is better than the other. But let’s go through some sketching techniques and recommendations so you can figure out what works for you.
Choose a medium you’re comfortable with
Sketching is all about exploring and having fun, so you need to do it with tools that you feel comfortable with. You can go for the classic paper and pencil. Or maybe your go-to digital tool is Procreate on the iPad? Whatever medium you choose, make sure you are familiar enough with it so that you only have to focus on sketching.
Do what works for you
There might be techniques that suit your design style and workflow best, but you can only find that out by exploring. You might have a messy sketchbook, while all your colleagues keep theirs nice and clean. Or you might want to jump from one sketch to another, while others take their time on one before moving on. Don’t get intimidated or demotivated if others have a different process than you. Each of us is unique and so are our processes.
Source: Tidy logo sketches by Laara via 99designs by Vista
Don’t get lost in the detail
Logo sketching is all about exploring different styles and directions. At this point, focus on the rough design of the logo. Getting stuck on a single version and starting to polish that one might be a huge waste of time, as that version might not even be the one you go for. You will have plenty of time to focus on the details in the next stage!
Sketch fast
As I just mentioned, the best way to not get lost in the details is to sketch fast. Not too fast that you mindlessly pass by every version, but fast enough to allow your brain to get all the ideas out. When you explore logo versions through sketching, your mind tends to jump from one to another…so let it do exactly that.
Sketching isn’t linear
Speaking of jumping from idea to idea, it’s okay to leave a sketch unfinished if a new idea comes up. You can always come back to it later. Feel free to take steps forward and back, to go left, then right and back again. Don’t set yourself boundaries, but rather give yourself full freedom to explore ideas.
Be messy
Sketchbooks are supposed to be messy. It’s likely that the messier the sketchbook is, the clearer the end result will be. The human mind is super abstract and if you give it the necessary freedom to make a mess, it’ll eventually find clarity. Your sketchbook is yours alone, so don’t worry if it’s chaotic!
Source: Messy logo sketches by Laara via 99designs by Vista
Forget color for now
Although logo color combinations are important for branding, adding color to your logo comes later. At this point, you should only be focusing on the overall style, typography and shape of the logo.
Criticise your work
Try to look at your sketches objectively. Learn to be your own critic. Refer back to your list of keywords and see which sketches align with it and which ones don’t.
Source: Logo sketching notes by Laara via 99designs by Vista
Ignore your personal preferences
Sure, every design will be filtered through your own likes and dislikes. But try to detach yourself from the versions you like the most and find the versions that make sense for the brand. Try to put yourself in the business’s (and its target audience’s) shoes. What would they like?
How to finalize logo sketches
1. Choose up to three sketches
With the brand’s needs in mind, review all the sketches you created. Select the logo sketches that best fit the objective of the project based on the brief, keywords and research. Three is usually the magic number here. You can go for more, but that will probably mean extra work, cost and time.
2. Tidy the sketches up
At this point, you are only presenting a sketch. However, not everyone can look at a rough sketch and envision the final result. Start polishing your sketches: make outlines smooth, get rid of any major inconsistencies and even out the spacings. You don’t have to make everything pixel-perfect, you just have to make your sketch close enough to the final design.
Source: Polished logo sketches by Laara via 99designs by Vista
At this stage, you can still remain in the sketching format you chose. No need to use logo design software like Illustrator just yet—you only want to do that after you’ve selected the final version.
Look at your sketches from a technical point of view. Ask yourself: which sketch best matches the business and why? Which one doesn’t and why? Which is the most legible and which is the least legible? If you were to finalize these sketches, would they all work at smaller sizes?
3. Be receptive to feedback
Now it’s time to present your logo sketches and gather feedback.
We all need time to process things, so give people time with the sketches. Also, there might be some feedback and revision rounds. Keep an open mind to those revision requests, but be prepared to explain your own work and the design decisions you made.
If collaborating with a designer, make sure that your number of revision rounds is clearly stated in the contract or agreement. Normally, there are around three rounds included in the initial price, but this depends on the initial budget, type of project and even the nature of the revision: changing a slight curve on a shape is nowhere near drawing an entirely new one, so pay attention to these little details.
You’re done sketching—what’s next?
Once you’ve mastered your logo sketches it’s time to turn them into a finished logo file that’s ready to roll out on everything from social media posts to business cards.
Learn how to turn your sketch into a vector logo by following this Adobe Illustrator tutorial.
Sketching a logo is super fun and, at the same time, it will help define your business and brand. So it’s not to be taken lightly! It’s an opportunity for designers and small business owners to collaborate and deliver an effective logo design that works for the brand.
Logo sketching FAQs
What is logo sketching and why is it important?
Logo sketching is the process of creating rough drafts or concepts for a logo design. It allows designers and small business owners to explore different ideas, shapes and styles before finalizing a logo design. This is an important step for ensuring the logo aligns with the brand’s identity and resonates with the target audience.
How do I start sketching a logo?
Begin by defining your brand story, goals and aesthetic. Create a list of keywords that describe your brand, and gather visual inspiration using mood boards. Familiarizing yourself with different types of logos can also help you choose the best one for your business. Then, just start sketching your ideas on paper freely and messily.
How do I evaluate my logo sketches?
Review your sketches objectively by comparing them to your brand’s personality and the keywords you listed. Assess their versatility, legibility and alignment with the intended audience. Select a few strong options and seek feedback to help you refine your ideas.
