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TLF 1998 - 1999
The first official site on our .com domain. Simple site featured logo gallery, order forms and client access pages. Due to bandwidth concerns of the day, logo images were much smaller than what we can get away with now. |
TLF 1999 - 2000
Introduction of Flash animation. Introduction of logo design articles - became popular with designers. Galleries were expanded to feature full-size images and thumbnail galleries, unchanged to present. |
TLF 2001 - 2002
Affectionately known as 'the purple site'. Home page featured a clickable flash intro complete with sound. Introduction of the Daily Logo and Daily Logo Archives. For it's day the site was a bandwidth hog - heavy with graphics. |
TLF 2003 - 2007
Extensive use of flash logo animation. Around for almost 5 years, and as a result became unfocused and 'cluttered' as new material and features were posted. Chat and search functions were added. Site is now over 800 pages! |
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 Logo designers at The Logo Factory have created logos for clients all over the world. But what about our logo - the trademark TLF 'house'? Does it have a story? Some history? You know it does. As creator Steve Douglas explains - "The TLF logo is actually a graphic representation of my old house. I had just started The Logo Factory in its new incarnation (after giving up my day gig as an art director at an ad agency and graphic design house) and was working out of my cramped dining room office (hence the house). I had designed a version of The Logo Factory icon back in '93 (along with a rudimentary business plan), but it was too mechanical and 'cold'. I needed a new look, so I took a look at the core of  my fledgling company. Business over the Internet was booming, and I was cranking out logo after logo (hence the boxes rolling out of the house). My kids Amy and Matthew were always complaining that I was working too much, and so I tended to work at the wee hours of the morning when they were fast asleep (hence the solitary light when all other windows are dark). The only real problem was that my dining room office was on the first floor, but that was an accuracy that was overlooked for design purposes...”. While there are several incarnations of the house floating around (the 3D version at top right for example) the essence of the original icon is always present... |
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Logos and design history - The story of The Logo Factory design studio.
What makes The Logo Factory different from all the other online graphic design companies? We like to think it's because we're designers running a business, rather than business people trying to be designers. Not surprising really, considering our history. Steve Douglas, founder of The Logo Factory, has been involved in the graphic design services and arts field for over twenty five years. Having studied traditional illustration at Sheridan College of Visual Arts (Brampton), as well as traditional art and photography at Ontario College of Art and Three Schools (Toronto). Steve has been a magazine art director, as well as an ad agency art director until he  founded his own freelance studio in 1990.
This freelance project evolved on the Internet into The Logo Factory®, after an online personal portfolio drew request after request for logo design graphics. "Over the years I tried to utilize my training as an illustrator but clients kept coming back for logo design. It seemed to be something I was good at, and was a niche market that pretty well developed itself. I had originally envisioned a rough version of the TLF concept - a firm that worked with small to medium companies to create top-notch corporate identity - back in 1993, but had shelved it due to circumstances of the day. it wasn't until I discovered the Internet that the idea was able to be realized completely.
In 1996 I began to formalize what would that year become The Logo Factory Inc. - a utilitarian 'working studio' without the typical agency pretensions. Our humble beginnings allows us to have a special affinity with the new business owner - the majority of our new clients as well as identify with the struggles sometimes experienced when developing a company logo ". |
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 It is with that in mind, The Logo Factory developed a full range of graphic design services, most of which are available at flat rate pricing. As Douglas puts it - "The small to medium sized business owner is spending their own money. They need to know how much that logo is going to run them, how much their stationery design costs or how long their brochure design is going to take".
 Once marketed officially as The Logo Factory® on the Internet in early 1996, demand for Douglas' services skyrocketed, quickly outgrowing the availability and means of a 'one-man-show'. To counter this, TLF began the exhausting process of assembling a team of talented designers who were experts in logo design and corporate identity, combined with knowledge of the latest technology and techniques (including web and flash logo animation). This was combined with a customer service department to create a true design 'factory', capable of handling and processing client requests and logo design orders from around the globe. Now a web veteran, The Logo Factory® has been creating artwork, graphics, brochure designs and websites almost exclusively over the Internet for ten years (2006 marked our studio's 10th Anniversary), with clients in such remote locations as Guam, Russia, Germany, Australia, Asia, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden to name a few. Our TeamTLF reseller network works with clients on a personal level in many states and countries throughout the world. You can view a full range of our previous work in our graphic design portfolios.
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 Black Knights Drum Corp.
The logo that started it all.
2006 marked The Logo Factory's 10th anniversary and we thought it would be fun to take a look back a some of the milestones we reached over the decade. Perhaps take a look at some work that had long since been removed from our library of logo samples. The logo that started it all? That honor goes to the mark created for the Burbank, California based Black Knight Drum Corp, the very first project using our online design model. This was also the project that nudged TLF founder Steve Douglas into developing what would become one of the first (if not the first) online logo design studios back in 1996. Pete Ellison, the director of the Black Knights had run into Douglas' personal portfolio website (the precursor site to TLF) through a search on the now defunct InfoSeek search engine). Pete liked what Steve had done with other logos, and sent off an e-mail - “how much would you charge to design a logo for our drum corp?”. That simple request made Douglas realize that he could communicate with remote clients, work on their projects and even deliver the final file formats via the Internet, without ever meeting face-to-face. He went on to develop what was to become the first version of our business model and the beginnings of The Logo Factory®. In those days we didn’t have even have online ordering forms (they were rare and limited to the biggest of companies) and most people were browsing on 28k dialup modems (tough on a graphically intensive website). Despite these initial hurdles, we still managed to cobble together a fairly decent studio, design team and delivery system. In terms of the Black Knight logo project Douglas remembers this project well - frustrated with a lack of reference material (the Internet was not the resource it is today) he pinched a toy knight from his son Matthew's medieval castle playset and worked with it to create the helmet icon. The main font is Industrial (warped through a neat, but now obsolete, Illustrator plug-in called Vector-Fx) while Bank Gothic - a font that’s been done to death - makes up the tagline. We think the logo’s held up pretty well over the years. As do the Black Knight Drum Corps. themselves (see quote).
Since then, our studio has always been on the vanguard of logo design, and more particularly, how we go about working with clients using the internet as our 'online studio'. Since our humble beginnings, our business model has served as 'inspiration' for logo design companies the world over, including some who like to position themselves as 'innovators'. |
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While it's certainly true that you're only as good as your last gig (particularly true in the design community), there's also something to be said about being first. If only for bragging rights, it's always nice to lay claim to being the first at something. Same thing around here. While other logo design companies will claim to be the fastest, the cheapest and even the biggest (though not sure how any of these relate to the quality of the design work produced) The Logo Factory graphic design firm can claim to be on the vanguard of the online design industry - particularly how it relates to logo design and working with remote clients in a small business maketing capacity. Off the of our head, here's a few:
1st. Online Logo Studio.
The first online logo design firm to feature an extensive logo gallery, FAQ 's, logo design tips and case studies. We always believed that by showcasing a wide range of designs, industry types and styles we could show off our experience while serving as inspiration and 'idea bank' for clients and designers alike.
1st. Real 'Click and Mortar' Studio behind our website.
The first logo design company to feature a full array of in-house designers and customer support personnel. Many logo design websites are just that - a website - with little, or no, business substance behind them, or a network of freelance designers that 'compete' against each other. The Logo Factory was the first 'real' graphic design firm to offer a web based logo service.
1st. Online project submission.
The first logo design shop to offer online project submission. When we started working with clients remotely, we generally received client profiles via e-mail (while technically online, still rudimentary) fax or simply over the phone. In order to streamline our process, we developed a series of forms that would prompt clients to fill our their creative briefs. Now, everyone's got them, but in 1996 - pretty funky stuff.
1st. Online project preview.
The first logo studio to feature restricted access design client areas. Flying by the seat of our pants in '96 (the internet technology wasn't what it is today) we needed to be able to send images to clients for preview throughout the entire logo design process. E-mail was iffy (large attachments tended to get bounced) and besides, wasn't it better to feature the work on a website, were clients could view it regardless of where the were at any time of the day? That prompted us to develop our Factory Floor client pages concept, something which every logo design company uses today.
1st. Logo packages.
The first logo design studio to offer various logo design packages, client support and technical information. When we started back in 1996, we only offered one logo design 'package' but realized that many clients didn't have the budget, or didn't require all the 'bells and whistles' of more extensive design solutions. Client requirements were different, so TLF developed a range of 'packages' tailored for different client needs.
Now, after thousands of company logos and over ten years later, we still serve as the source of inspiration (and ideas) for other graphic design companies the world over. Some, more subtle than others.  Some of our competitors have even told us as much. What does it all mean? Not much really. As Jeff Kearl, marketing head of Logoworks (see left) told us on a forum - "I don't care who was first in Internet logo design. You can be if you want. Just write it on your website. You won't sell more logos." And he's right. At the end of the day, it's by our work that we get judged. On the other hand, we think, it could be argued that these 'firsts' and innovations showcase The Logo Factory's commitment to creativity and originality. Something that's even more evident when it comes to how we work with our clients, and what we can bring to your new project.
And if Jeff's reading this page, thanks for the advice. And the kudos. |
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| You can order your new logo through our website. Submit your project details and The Logo Factory® designers will do the rest. Want to take your time? Download our printable FAX Order Forms and complete at your leisure. |
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| Since 1996, we've pretty well wrote the book on online logo design. While we had to make it up as we went along, other folks could look to TLF for 'inspiration'. See more in our Copycats area. |
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| Having a great logo doesn't have to break the bank! Our logo packages start at $195.00. For more info visit our logo design pricing area. |
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| Chat live with The Logo Factory client support department (when available). You can also leave us a message when we're offline. You can also contact us. |
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