“Start in the subconscious,” says Steve Powers, an artist which gives free workshops on logo design. You might need what Powers calls a personal nickname for a letterhead, thank you notes, signing artwork, or legal documents. Powers says the emblem should represent an aspect of yourself reverting to a childlike state, something that is just a visual extension of who you are. “Let your 3 year old inner self get behind the wheel and draw something,” Powers says. “You can get into that state of mind by drawing as soon as you get out of a nap. He recommends a midday nap where you take your socks off, get under the covers, and get into a good, deep sleep – “then when you’re outside you’re ready.” A nap helps you associate freely without questioning the conception you make.
Take any type of marking tool – a pencil or pencil or even a feather or avocado core. “It’s important not to think at the start, but to start with the things you immediately know about yourself,” Powers explains. It could be your name, your initials, or a picture, such as an animal silhouette or a slice of pizza. “Think about what you like,” he says. “What drives you? What turns you on and makes you feel good? Simple actions and clear lines are best.
A logo shouldn’t be complicated; you want your brand to be easily recognizable. Powers uses the example of a recent workshop participant – a young child named Kiki: “She instinctively wrote a K and a before K, then what would have been the straight line of each of these Ks was a single line they shared. It was a very clever visualization of the name “Kiki”.
Once your symbol is out of your head and on paper, draw it and redraw it. “Refine it, shrink it, expand it, and memorize it – you want it to be something that just becomes an extension of who you are, and that happens with repetition,” Powers says. Once you’ve done that, consider making it a digital stamp or file. “Build it in ways big and small throughout your life,” he says.
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