Previously on the CogitActive Saga:
The biggest challenge, however, will be to design a professional looking logo on my own. Am I up to the task?
I am aware that designing an effective logo is more than just creating an engaging visual; it requires a complex mixture of design skills, creativity, research, and thoughtful consideration of the principles of logo design (see How to create a logo?). Of course, it would be wise to hire a talented designer to tackle such a complex challenge. However, in my wisdom I have chosen the DIY route (see I will need graphics – part 2).
Hire a designer. While brainstorming logo ideas by yourself is a crucial step in creating your business image, trying to create a logo completely on your own is a mistake.Entrepreneur
Admittedly, I could read anything and everything about logo design and still never get it right. Furthermore, truly mastering all aspects of the craft will take time. Therefore, I decided to give it a try and started creating my logo from the ground up. At least, to sketch, present (to you), and iterate on this initial idea.
Few preliminary steps
Defining my identity
I have been there before – when I had to come up with a domain name (see CogitActive.com). Of course, it has to do with podcasting (see The CogitActive Saga), but CogitActive goes beyond that.
What is CogitActive? What is special about it? It was not easy to answer these questions back then, but how about now. I have not created my brand identity yet. However, I have a name now! Actually, I even have a testimonial, sort of:
CogitActive integrates (Cogit) and shares (Active) knowledge with a unique voice.
Now, this is far from satisfactory, but articulating this message was already laborious. Translating it into my design will be another story. I will need to get inspired, big time!
What style for my logo?
How I want people to perceive CogitActive? What should be the look and feel of my logo? Again, no easy questions to answer!
Going back to Antonia Zimmerlich article1 (see How to create a logo?): which design aesthetic should I go for? Does a modern, minimalist approach feel like the right fit? It would communicate how fresh and modern
CogitActive is. Should I tell how reliable
CogitActive is by opting for a classic style instead?
It looks like I will have to mix and match
these two styles to suit my needs. Aren’t they antinomic, though?
What type of logo?
Given the difficulty to define what is CogitActive, using a symbol that relates to my activities would be problematic; be it pictorial or abstract. Indeed, CogitActive activities – present and future – are not limited to podcasting.
Perhaps, a Wordmark would be a better call to get the name CogitActive out there. On the other hand, it is not exactly what I have in mind when I think of a logo. What about a Lettermark instead? This sounds like a type of logo that shouldn’t present much difficulty, should it? Besides, I already have my two letters:
C
A
Without further ado…
The Lettermark type is all about simplicity, but creating a unique logo based on only two letters is actually tricky. In particular, logos with the letters A and/or C have been done so many times already. I was in desperate need for inspiration. Against all odds, I found it (or at least, a mini-spark of it) during a Champagne tasting: the monogram on the bottle! Having nothing else (i.e. no better idea), I decided to try this approach. After all, two letters formed into a typographic lockup could make for a simple but effective emblem for my brand (think of the General Electric logo, for instance).
Now, any logo – even one with only two letters – should say something about your business. As expounded in CogitActive.com, cogit has to do with cogitate as in using the mind (or one’s power of reason) in order to make inference, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments
. I understand that it is better to avoid clip arts or clichés, but I could not resist associating this concept with this:
As for the A – the active component – it is about sharing, i.e. communicating the inferences, decisions, or … solutions. How to capture this idea into a letter? Once again, I was struggling with the lack of inspiration and, for want of creativity, I had to resort to clip arts again:
And now what? Two letters and two clip arts later, I was not seeing any sign of progress. Not mentioning that CogitActive has nothing to do with walking (legs). Anyway, I tried typing out these two letters in different fonts hoping for the inspiration to strike. It did not, but something else occurred. Did you ever hear about pareidolia?
C
A
I know, it is far-fetched, but at that point, I had nothing more than this Vivaldi font (and the vague resemblance of the C with a brain and the A with walking legs). Therefore, I tried to tweak the letters for them to fit the shapes better. Yet, I didn’t stop there…
According to Igor Ovsyannykov, a powerful logo features two stories: one that is obvious and another that is hidden
2. Given my failure to bring the first one to life, I over-thought the second one and made additional mistakes by modifying the font further. Yep, the nib in the horizontal bar of the A, shame on me!
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter what I will do to it, this first version is NOT an effective logo. The all concept is wrong! It’s not about the disguised imagery, nor because of the monogram choice. Successful branding means developing a logo that conveys excellence, reliability, and uniqueness in an image. This logo (if I can call this a logo) looks amateurish!
Was it a mistake to skimp on developing this key identity piece? Honestly, I rush the whole process to personalize my site further with a logo (see I will need graphics). Now, as I said, this is just a first sketch; yet, for the task to come (i.e. to finish my guiding tour of the Twenty Seventeen theme), it should do it.
Professional designers find themselves creating many iterations of a single logo before getting it just right. I am not a professional designer, but like them, I will have to go through many trials and errors. Clearly, I will have to do a better job at defining what CogitActive is all about for the next iteration. In addition, I hope that I will be more inspired for the next attempt. Anyway, let me finish with this:
Hire a designer. While brainstorming logo ideas by yourself is a crucial step in creating your business image, trying to create a logo completely on your own is a mistake.Entrepreneur
1 Antonia Zimmerlich (2019) How to design a logo: the ultimate guide. 99designs. ^
2 Igor Ovsyannykov (2017) How to design a logo: 50 tutorials and pro tips. Creative Market. ^