Logo Design Love. A totally impartial book review.

Steve Douglas — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:07:40 +0000

When I first learned about David Airey‘s then in-progress book Logo Design Love. (named after his excellent design blog of the same name) I’ll admit to feeling a slight twinge of envy. Dammit, I’ve been trying to write a book on logo design for years, but finding it rather exasperating, it remains firmly entrenched in my “things to get around to whenever I have the time or inclination” list. But that’s just it, isn’t it? David’s enthusiasm for logo design, and his dedication to the craft, gives him the motivation and insight to pen a book that when everything is boiled away, reflects his love for logos. And despite being green with envy (okay, maybe not a deep green) I have to give him kudos for taking it on, and after seeing the book, congratulate him for a job well done.

About David Airey

Should probably pony up an impartiality notice here. I not only consider David Airey a compatriot in the logo design business, but a friend. We’ve chatted often online, discussing things related to design. And not. We’re fellow Irishmen, so there’s that too. David’s even helped my daughter out on a college homework assignment, giving her a trans-Atlantic interview (in which he admitted that when he first heard of me, he thought I was a snotty tosh because in those days, I didn’t respond to comments on my blog). I named Airey’s blog the best design blog of 2008 (in a year wrap-up that I have yet to finish for 2009) and have come to respect, and like, the bloke immensely. When David put me on the free copy reviewer’s list (heh, one of the perks of running a blog) I was delighted, and agreed to do a review of his tome. And review it I will, as impartially as possible, and with the preceding notice of my opinion of the author. Should also point out that several of the links presented go to Amazon, and if you buy after clicking, they’ll send a few shekels my way. With those disclaimers outta the way, and without further ado…

Logo Design Love

The first thing that struck me about the cover of Logo Design Love was the simplicity of the design. Trending towards illustrative material, I’ve never been accused of being a simple designer myself, but I can still appreciate effective, simple design and simple, effective logos. I love the way the book is tied into Airey’s blog, sharing not only the logo, but the ‘look and feel’. It’s a nice exercise in branding, which is ultimately what the book is all about (should probably note that Airey was not only responsible for the content, but the cover design and book layout itself).

Inside, you’ll find a wealth of logo design knowledge, tips and case studies (featuring loads of examples from a slew of other designers) that are sure to serve as inspiration for both the advanced and intermediate designer (even though the book is listed on the back cover as being aimed at beginners and intermediates). And that’s the thing that impressed me the most about the book. David has picked the brains of dozens of collaborators – from agency to freelance designers – and rather than being filled with ego-driven ‘how I do things’ blather (sorta what I’d write I suppose), he shares the spotlight with a lot of extremely talented designers.

Examples & case studies

LDL doesn’t feature page after page of boring static examples either. Many of the case studies show the entire design process, from mind-mapping (an interesting chapter) to rudimentary sketches through to final execution. Most of the logos are presented in black and white, before the final color choices are revealed, and demonstrate (quite dramatically) why logos should nearly always be designed in black and white, lest a client be scared off with a color scheme they don’t happen to like. Also, and as a design voyeur, I always love to see how logos shake out in the design process, as well as taking a peek at variations that are tossed midway. If that’s your bag too, there’s lots of eye-candy to take in.

Practical advice

Airey delves into various aspects of logos themselves, from their importance in marketing and branding, to the various elements that iconoclastic logos utilize to make their mark. For the learning designer (aren’t we always learning though?) there’s lots of how-to information, using David’s considerable experience, and drawing from the techniques he uses on a day-to-day basis. I liked the way the book is written too – easy and breezy, layperson language that makes his advice easy to understand (I often get bogged down in the jargon of many other design books). After serving up a heaping serving of case studies and how-to stuff, the book closes with some down-to-earth, and practical, advice for the would-be logo designer. Everything from a substantial Q & A section to 25 practical logo design tips. LDL is laid out in a simple, uncluttered fashion (letting the case studies and examples do the talking) and a bonus point for those of us with tired, old eyes; large Gotham type which was easy for me to read sans specs.

All in all, I’d suggest that Logo Design Love is a must-read for anyone who wants to make their living in the graphic design industry, especially those who want to specialize in the fiercely competitive logo design niche. Maybe a little advanced for the inexperienced designer just starting out (but even they’ll find a lot of pearls in here).

Quibbles

Couple of nit picks – the $42 Canadian retail price tag is a little steep (though this is a problem for all book publishers when attempting to factor in the ever-fluxing exchange rate on the $US). A few of the pencil and pen sketches are a little hard to make out, due to their size and probably due to the original resolution. These are minor points. One only effects Canadian readers (and you can always order the book online for less), and the other might be corrected if I can find my damn specs (which I’ve misplaced since Thanksgiving).

Logo Design Love is published by New Riders of Berkely, California. It’s available here. You can also grab a free chapter here.

Free Logo Design Book – Logopalooza Volume 2

Steve Douglas — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:38:33 +0000

Got to admit it’s been a long time coming, but we just finished up the second edition of Logopalooza, our logo design e-book series, a few minutes ago (quite literally). This puppy is hot of the digital presses, so there’s probably a few typos that we need to fix, and there may some last minute edits as we go over the 70+ pages (yep, 78 to be exact). It’s also going to take us a day or two to set up the e-mail form-request gadgetry (so, technically I guess the book hasn’t been ‘officially’ released) but figured we’d give our faithful blog readers first chance to snag Logopalooza Volume Two first. We’ve ‘beefed up’ this volume with a load of design tips, examples and other logo design information that might be interesting if you’re a designer, or someone investigating a logo project for the first time. Download free here. (6.5 MB. requires Adobe PDF reader and minimum registration for download).

UPDATE: We’ve switched over the download request form, and the first edition of Logopalooza has officially been retired. While understanding that free stuff always has an appeal, I still find it hard to believe that our first e-book was downloaded almost 60,000 times. Thanks to everyone that made it such a success.

Logopalooza – 35,000 downloads & counting…

Steve Douglas — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:06:08 +0000

Well, you can color me amazed. Our humble downloadable e-book – Logopalooza Volume 1 – has been downloaded over 35,000 times as of this morning. Pretty heady stuff and something that, to be truly honest, I didn’t really expect. Originally created as a simple download that showcased examples of our work for clients and designers to take a looksee at, Logopalooza seems to have developed a life of its own since it was released last year. We’ve been kicking volume two around the shop for months now, but this morning’s download figures tell me that it’s time to get the thumb out and finally finish her up. We’ve also had lots of requests for notification of the next tome (thanks to a handy check box on the form) so it seems to be a safe bet that there’s a decent amount of interest in this kind of thing. We’re also working on a spin-off project that revolves around the Logopalooza theme, but we’re keeping that under wraps till the New Year. Should be a lot of fun. In any case, if you haven’t downloaded Volume 1 yet, it’s still available here. Once we’ve finished up the new version (hopefully, in time to coincide with the upcoming Logopalooza venture) we’ll make an announcement on The Factor…

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