Lawn Care Logo Help

[Rick]

I was about to post this before the thread was shut down and was convinced by my business partner to not let the opportunity pass...

While I still firmly believe that a design brief is necessary to give the client the best possible outcome, I believe we all do it in one form or another... I'm not going to debate how I do it or if it's the best way or only way, it was the way I was taught, so I'm passing on my experience.

We used to get these threads all the time where someone post a logo and we have to figure out what the client might have wanted with little to no information from the OP, and I'm doing this 3000 miles away... like I mentioned earlier, I can make pretty logos all day long, does not mean they are good for the client or that they will like it... most decent designers can do this.

To the OP... Many points were touched on, what I did was look at what your client already has, and researched "LAWN CARE" and "LANDSCAPE" logos. I have designed quite a few lawn logos but I still look them up. I want to make sure I don't get into a habit of doing the same thing over and over again. What I am showing here are not works of art or the solution, just quick ideas.

Never design a logo for just truck doors, think of how it will be applied. At the very least, this client needs vinyl graphics, a flyer, business cards and t-shirts, it would also help to have their branding on their Facebook page. I always try to slap the logo on the clients other branding opportunities to see if the logo will work on all applications.

CONCEPT! You don't have to rack your brain on this, I simply went to the Facebook page and saw the mowing pattern and a light bulb went off in my head. I also just played with shapes, I have a bad habit of designing in a retro style, but since I am doing this for fun, I figured it would be ok...

I know someone might be curious, I did this in Illustrator, it took about 4 hours total... in the real world, I would never show this much to the client, they may get 2-3 ideas and it would take at least twice as long. If I were a sign shop, I would use every opportunity to sell whatever I could to the client, so business cards and yard signs would be included in the layouts.

By the way, Brad mentioned it and I agree, it takes a lot of guts to show your work, but we all had to at one point to get better at this... I hope you are not discouraged, we all start somewhere, just do your research and keep practicing...

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I was about to post this before the thread was shut down and was convinced by my business partner to not let the opportunity pass...

While I still firmly believe that a design brief is necessary to give the client the best possible outcome, I believe we all do it in one form or another... I'm not going to debate how I do it or if it's the best way or only way, it was the way I was taught, so I'm passing on my experience.

We used to get these threads all the time where someone post a logo and we have to figure out what the client might have wanted with little to no information from the OP, and I'm doing this 3000 miles away... like I mentioned earlier, I can make pretty logos all day long, does not mean they are good for the client or that they will like it... most decent designers can do this.

To the OP... Many points were touched on, what I did was look at what your client already has, and researched "LAWN CARE" and "LANDSCAPE" logos. I have designed quite a few lawn logos but I still look them up. I want to make sure I don't get into a habit of doing the same thing over and over again. What I am showing here are not works of art or the solution, just quick ideas.

Never design a logo for just truck doors, think of how it will be applied. At the very least, this client needs vinyl graphics, a flyer, business cards and t-shirts, it would also help to have their branding on their Facebook page. I always try to slap the logo on the clients other branding opportunities to see if the logo will work on all applications.

CONCEPT! You don't have to rack your brain on this, I simply went to the Facebook page and saw the mowing pattern and a light bulb went off in my head. I also just played with shapes, I have a bad habit of designing in a retro style, but since I am doing this for fun, I figured it would be ok...

I know someone might be curious, I did this in Illustrator, it took about 4 hours total... in the real world, I would never show this much to the client, they may get 2-3 ideas and it would take at least twice as long. If I were a sign shop, I would use every opportunity to sell whatever I could to the client, so business cards and yard signs would be included in the layouts.

By the way, Brad mentioned it and I agree, it takes a lot of guts to show your work, but we all had to at one point to get better at this... I hope you are not discouraged, we all start somewhere, just do your research and keep practicing...

I never thought of having all those products being displayed like that, very good idea to upsell! I'll give that a shot next time. Not sure I would prefer to invest 4 hours unless it was something big but thats just me. I appreciate you taking the time to post this, your really adding some valuable and helpful content!

 

[HDvinyl]

Wow, exposing those rivets are a nice touch! Can barely tell it's superimposed

 

[neato]

Nice Rick!

Here's a question though. Let's say the customer settles on a logo and now wants a flyer, trailer or truck design. They may think the design has already been done, so how can you charge me more?

Maybe it's a matter of a disclaimer of some sort on the presentation sheet.

But I really like this. It has sparked some ideas!

 

[Johnny Best]

Gotta hand it to you Rick, 4 hours on those, you're devoted to the trade, Thanks. You should post on that thread on what you do with your downtime, you could put "draw logos for the lawn service post".
If I get some downtime soon will try it also, but it is hard for me to concentrate on one subject for 4 hours on Illustrator unless I have something to fulfill.

 

[Rick]

Nice Rick!

Here's a question though. Let's say the customer settles on a logo and now wants a flyer, trailer or truck design. They may think the design has already been done, so how can you charge me more?

Maybe it's a matter of a disclaimer of some sort on the presentation sheet.

But I really like this. It has sparked some ideas!

It depends, if it's a direct client, and they like the "quickie" flyer layout, it's theirs. Unless the job goes horribly wrong, I get paid enough to let that layout go or I can make it up by printing the flyers and upcharging them... I'm not going to split hairs over 15 minutes if I get paid the going rate for branding... I rarely just sign logos, it's almost always the full branding package.

If it's a sign shop/freelance client where they will upcharge? I let them have it too, as long as I get paid my hourly rate, I don't really care what they or their client does with it. But I would try to get the printing work from it.

I think what helps sell my work is showing a little more than expected. Not enough to lose money, but enough to convey the idea of how their brand will work. I'm trying to instill confidence in the client that I gave it some thought, that little extra time helps sell the design so I rarely have to go back and forth with the client as much...

 

[Rick]

Gotta hand it to you Rick, 4 hours on those, you're devoted to the trade, Thanks. You should post on that thread on what you do with your downtime, you could put "draw logos for the lawn service post".
If I get some downtime soon will try it also, but it is hard for me to concentrate on one subject for 4 hours on Illustrator unless I have something to fulfill.

I recently completed 12 properties where I called out every bolt, attachment and welding detail... 10 hour days for 1 month straight on Illustrator... like getting my teeth drilled... this was fun.

 

[Johnny Best]

Have you seen the new Deutsche Bank logo?
More like 5 minutes, if that in Illustrator.

 

[neato]

Have you seen the new Deutsche Bank logo?
More like 5 minutes, if that in Illustrator. View attachment 131665

Manipulating nodes in illustrator is only a fraction of the time put into logo design by an agency.

 

[neato]

It depends, if it's a direct client, and they like the "quickie" flyer layout, it's theirs. Unless the job goes horribly wrong, I get paid enough to let that layout go or I can make it up by printing the flyers and upcharging them... I'm not going to split hairs over 15 minutes if I get paid the going rate for branding... I rarely just sign logos, it's almost always the full branding package.

If it's a sign shop/freelance client where they will upcharge? I let them have it too, as long as I get paid my hourly rate, I don't really care what they or their client does with it. But I would try to get the printing work from it.

I think what helps sell my work is showing a little more than expected. Not enough to lose money, but enough to convey the idea of how their brand will work. I'm trying to instill confidence in the client that I gave it some thought, that little extra time helps sell the design so I rarely have to go back and forth with the client as much...

Good info!

 

[Johnny Best]

Manipulating nerds in the bank to buy into the logo is the key to design.

 

[Rick]

Have you seen the new Deutsche Bank logo?
More like 5 minutes, if that in Illustrator. View attachment 131665

That logo was designed in 1973... you can watch this you tube video, but it's 5 minutes you'll never get back... most logos of this type are usually designed by committee, this one they actually chosen as is... I guess I would have to be German living in the 70's to get it, I'm not all that convinced of the concept or that it was voted one of the best logos ever designed, it's a box with a slash for Pete's sake, though I am a fan of Anton Stankowski's other work.

 

[Johnny Best]

I just saw it on the news because they are trying to get information on Trump's accounts at the bank.
I like the logo look. Simple and to the point. If I would have had the good idea like that and posted on here, the floodgates would open up with paragraph upon paragraph of logo design help and comic relief quips.
Has my favorite font also, Univers. Interesting video, never heard of the man, have seen his geometric paintings but never his logo work.
Rick, you missed your calling, you should be an art design teacher with all your knowledge in knowing these stories about designers and their work. Logos done in the 70s is new to me. I just remember Peter Max and Andy Warhol from back in those times.

 

[greySharkx]

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience and information, good luck!

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

What happened to Rick?

 

[Gino]

He's running around the west in his monkey suit.

 

[Stacey K]

I don't know where Rick is, he seems like a nice guy.

I do like the idea of adding the shirt in there, maybe in the final design stage...since I sell shirts also.

 

[signbrad]

What makes for a good logo?

Obviously, it must be original, a custom design. A piece of clipart is not a logo, though many of our customers have this impression (Image-licensing services such as iStockphoto and AdobeStock specifically forbid the use of their images as part of a logo or branding scheme. It's copyright infringement).

The most important criteria for a logo are that it be unique, memorable and easily recognizable. Can you sketch it from memory? If you can, it may be a good logo. The Deutsche Bank logo is all of these.

A logo can be clever (FedEx), but it does not need to be. Good logos are often simple, but simplicity is not an absolute requirement (the Anheuser Busch eagle logo is complex, as is the multi-colored American Shaman logo). It helps if a logo design is attractive. But a logo does not need to "tell a story" or reveal what the company does for a living. It can, but it does not need to. The idea that a logo must be filled with meaning is a common misconception, and it causes many designers to overthink and try too hard, as Rob Janoff once said.[1] A logo does not need to advertise or "convert" or be a customer magnet. Nor is it a magical device that will somehow make a business successful. Indeed, many businesses fail in spite of well designed logos (Enron). The purpose of a logo is simple—to identify, nothing more. Rather than being filled with intrinsic meaning, a typical logo derives meaning from what it stands for. See Paul Rand's comments as quoted below.[2]

If the Nike swoosh were designed today, how accepted would it be? I can hear it now: "Hell, my eleven-year-old daughter could have done that!" or "Wait a minute, it doesn't mean anything!" Nike's checkmark has become one of the most recognizable and beloved marks of all time. It represents far more than just athletic apparel—it symbolizes athletic acheivement and excellence. Why? Because it was the product of design genius? No. It was due to aggressive marketing of a quality product—and just as important, the passage of time.

[1]https://creativebits.org/interview/interview_rob_janoff_designer_apple_logo/

[2] https://99designs.com/blog/famous-design/4-principles-by-paul-rand-that-may-surprise-you/

Brad in Kansas City