Logo Development: Alpha Hydrox

In the last blog post, we talked about how the creative process works. In this post, I’d like to show you and demystify the logo development process a bit. I was an in-house designer for a little over a decade before I took the leap to my own design firm. No matter whether you’re serving in-house clients or on your own the process remains the same.

Some Background Info

One company I worked for was Scott’s Liquid Gold. They manufacture household cleaners and chemicals along with a  skincare line called Alpha Hydrox. It was a HUGE product line in the 80s and is gaining momentum again. I was part of a committee of women in those days dedicated to product development. We decided it was high time we updated the Alpha Hydrox logo to revitalize the brand and attract new users. The demographic was mainly women 35+, but most current users fell into the boomer category. The color red had to stay, as it was getting some great brand recognition from the red box at the shelf level. So with this in mind, I worked with my art director, Mary Lou Egan, at the time to come up with a new logo…

The First Round of Sketches…

In the first round of sketches I like to get all the mental clutter out and the ideas on paper. This helps me sort through them and decide what I’ll take to the computer to explore further. I usually don’t show the client these sketches as some of the thumbnails serve more as a reference to an idea and look better in my head than on paper. I find it’s better to develop the idea first a bit and then present it to the client as a possible avenue to pursue. It makes more sense when it’s been refined a bit rather than just a thumbnail sketch.

Execution

Once I’ve sorted through the clutter it’s time to take these ideas to the computer to start executing them and see if they pan out and communicate the brand effectively. Again, I tend to filter these a bit when presenting to my clients, some of them don’t hit the mark like I thought. During the first round of concepts I explore and experiment with different font choices and treatments, color combinations, illustration styles, shapes, etc.

Refinement

Once I’ve gotten some solid ideas knocked out it’s time to present them to the client. This is where we talk and collaborate about whether or not we’re headed in the right direction, what revisions and tweaks we’d like to see, and which avenues we want to explore more. I think it’s very important to get your client’s input to ensure they feel like they are part of the process and have put their personal touch on the logo or project.

Getting down to the Nitty Gritty

Next in the revision process we drill down even further and narrow down it to one or two logos to explore completely.

The End

In the end there is one solution that rises to the top. Their new logo sets the tone for their brand and identity. And after the all is said and done, the client can feel confident in the logo we have developed because they were part of the process.