A great logo rarely starts with a drawing. It starts with a good brief: a few paragraphs explaining who you are, who you are talking to and where the logo will be used. Without a brief, the designer guesses and the back-and-forth multiplies. Here are the questions to ask yourself to write a successful logo design brief, whether you work with me or with another professional.
Logo brief: your business and what sets you apart
- What do you do, in one sentence, and for whom?
- What makes you different from your competitors: price, craftsmanship, speed, experience, approach?
- Which three adjectives would you like customers to associate with your business (for example: reliable, warm, modern)?
- Where are you at: starting up, growing, repositioning?
These answers shape everything else. A law firm and a pastry shop share neither the same colours nor the same shapes, even if both want to look “professional”.
Your customers and your competitors
Describe your typical customers: individuals or businesses, age, region, language. Then list three to five competitors and look at their logos: the aim is to stand apart from them, not to copy them. If everyone in your sector uses the same blue, that may be a good reason to choose something else.
The name, the tagline and the language question
Specify exactly which text should appear: full name, any abbreviation, tagline. The tagline is often better kept separate so that the logo stays legible at small sizes. In Algeria, one question comes up often: should the name be in Latin script, in Arabic, or both? A bilingual logo is entirely possible, provided it is planned from the start: the two scripts do not share the same proportions, and their balance takes work. Also say whether each version must work on its own.
Where will the logo be used?
List every use, from the largest to the smallest:
- website, browser tab icon (favicon) and social media profile picture, where the logo appears very small, often in a circle;
- shop sign, vehicle, shop window;
- business cards, invoices, packaging, labels;
- embroidery or engraving, which call for simple shapes and few colours.
The more varied the uses, the simpler the logo must be. Plan variations: horizontal and square versions, a single-colour version and a light version for dark backgrounds.
Your tastes, your constraints and what you rule out
Gather a few logos you like, and above all say why: the typography, the restraint, a colour. Examples of what you do not want are just as useful. Flag any constraints: colours already used on your documents or premises, an element to keep from an old logo, a symbol to avoid. Finally, decide who signs off: a proposal approved by one person and rejected by another wastes everyone’s time.
Deliverables, rights and trademark protection
Before starting, check what you will receive: vector files (SVG, PDF) for printing and signage, transparent PNG images for the web, colour and black-and-white versions. Make sure the usage rights are transferred to you for all your media. If you want to protect your name and logo as a trademark, ask the competent body (INPI in France, INAPI in Algeria), ideally checking that the name is available before the design even begins.
My logo design offer starts with exactly this kind of questionnaire about your business, your tastes and your competitors, then includes 3 proposals, 2 rounds of revisions, vector and web files and the transfer of usage rights: €190 excl. VAT in France, 20,000 DZD in Algeria. You can request a quote in a few minutes.