Giacom brand identity design
Giacom was established in 1998 as a business-to-business Internet services provider (ISP). The company boasts a rising customer base of 70,000, and an extensive client list that includes the likes of American Airlines, the Ministry of Defence, Channel Four, Experian and Corus.
Managing director, Nick Marshall, contacted me to ask if I’d help create a new brand identity, and after some initial communications, I gratefully accepted the project.
Design brief
Giacom’s ideal customers are small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Potential customers will be looking for an ISP they can feel confident dealing with, especially as some of the services provided are security-based.
Competitors include all business ISPs, and Giacom differs as it’s smaller than most of the competition, so can provide more of a personal touch. This makes the company more ‘human’ to deal with — something that other SMEs appreciate.
Keywords to be associated with the design include confidence, strength, dependability, and self-assurance. At the same time, my client wanted to remain down-to-earth, accessible, and perhaps a little different.
Brainstorming sample
Identity design options
I presented two initial brandmark options via PDF.
Option #1
A circle is used as the basis for the icon, referencing the global reach of Giacom’s products. The circle is divided into four quarters (or ‘corners of the earth’), with each segment arranged in a puzzle-like fashion — symbolizing the secure aspect.
Option #2
An open circle emphasizes the accessible facet of Giacom. The negative space within the circle mirrors the shape of a keyhole, signifying security.
Each logo icon can be used with or without the accompanying Giacom text. They scale well to all sizes, and the simplicity aids reproduction.
Client feedback
Nick was pleased with the two concepts, and needed time before choosing a favourite. The upper and lowercase text proportions shown in option 2 were preferred, although Nick wasn’t convinced it gave the confidence needed.
I was then shown a typeface that Nick found effective. After asking my Twitter friends for help identifying the type, Nick and I eventually opted to use Expressway Bold, so I re-sent both designs using the favoured typeface (shown below).
The Giacom team contemplated the designs for a few days, before sending the following changes (altering the icon and adding a tagline).
Designs alterations by the client, returned via PDF
One of the segments has been reversed to clearly show we’re dealing with a globe. The segment that’s turned outwards is to signify a connection to our client’s world.
The icon was made slightly larger and a tagline was added.
My first question was about the specific segment that faces outwards. Was there a reason to choose the lower-left quarter? Why not top-right, or top-left? It turned out to be a random choice, so I presented the following option, where a subtle letter “G” is created by inverting the lower-right segment.
Gotham Rounded is the typeface used to display the tagline.
After further consideration the Giacom team were happy to proceed and asked for some colour experimentation. Blue was the predominant colour requested — already strongly associated with the company.
Giacom website
A new website design is being prepared to bring the best out of the identity. At present, the new logo has simply been slotted in where the old design was.
Before…
…and after.
At the time of writing, there’s no favicon uploaded to the website, but it’ll appear like so:
Here’s a closer look at the old and new identities, shown below at actual screen size. Note how the tagline on the old version was almost illegible.
Before…
…and after.
I supplied the design in black, reversed (white), and in colour. Files were provided with and without the accompanying tagline, “connecting to your world”. These six options were sent in EPS format (encapsulated postscript).
Client testimonial
I’ve always appreciated a good logo, but never invested quite enough time or resources to have one of our own that matched my aspirations. Many times I’d tinkered with ideas, but nothing had real meaning or impact. We were also frequently tempted by many of the online promises of corporate identities for around $100 or so.
Choosing to let David loose on our logo was an enormous leap of faith — and I was extremely skeptical whether he could extract our USP and form it into a logo that had meaning and purpose. To be honest, when I first saw the initial designs I still wasn’t convinced, but I soon realised that was just the start of an ongoing process — our logo idea evolved over a couple of weeks into exactly what I was looking for.
Now, thanks to David’s skill (and logo design is definitely a skill), we have a brand identity we can be proud of.
Nick Marshall
Managing Director, Giacom
If you have any questions about my working procedures, you may find them answered in my FAQ page. If not, do feel free to ask.
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Great work. At first glance I liked the keyhole symbol more, but after looking through the different color versions and reading the article I like the symbol that got picked the most. Keep writing these kinds of posts – really interesting to see how you work!
Love the logo, especially as it’s split into 4 sections and creating the slight “G” feature… works well.
Not sure on the colour combo though… to many shades of blue in my opinion.
Great work!
Interesting to see how the changes made by the client resulted in the final logo design, and the process from the start to finish.
Just a question too… why do you send .ai and .eps files – can’t you just open eps files in Illustrator anyway? Or save down in .eps format?
Also you have the ‘finish logo’ and then the logo underneath as different colours, why is that?
Thanks for another write up of your process David.
Thanks very much for your comments, guys.
Ole,
At first I also preferred the keyhole symbol, but I think my client made the right choice.
Chris,
The final logo uses just one blue, with varying degrees of transparency.
Jacob,
Perhaps the .eps files are the only ones necessary for supply. I like to offer the .ai files as they’re the true originals, but I’m not 100% sure on .eps compatibility, so will look into that. The last logo image was the preferred choice of my client, but until the new site design goes live, the existing website colours are being used (shown in the ‘after’ shot).
I really like the logo david. Your idea to incorporate the ‘G’ into the design is excellent. I also really like your initial option 1 logo. I do not understand the clients comment ‘when I first saw the initial designs I still wasn’t convinced’. I actually thought this was a little rude considering the quality of design work you supplied. I am glad that the client was pleased with the results in the end and that you have another excellent addition to your portfolio. Thanks for sharing David, I always enjoy reading your logo design development articles.
Wow–That´s an impressive article showing the developing process from sketch over prototypes to logo in a really stunning way. Thanks and keep it up!
Fantastic work David. If you don’t mind me saying, I think that typographically this is a big step forward for you – the type is perfect.
Great testimonial. Makes it all worthwhile hey?
Great execution David. As ever it’s great to see your thoughts, workings and design process. It’s funny how you put so much time and effort into a mark and then you make a small, random tweak at the end of the process, like you did, and it all comes together.
It’s interesting to see how neat your sketches are, Is this how you’ve always worked? I class myself as a tidy person, us graphic designers usually are, but when it comes to sketching and brainstorming – i’m allover the place.
I’m currently working on a logo for a property development company and i’ve got sketches and doodles on the backs of reciepts, post-it notes and allsorts.
I like it! I have to say I was note sure about the original concepts but the combination of the client amends and then your decision to create a subtle ‘G’ from them really brought the whole logo together.
What a great testimonial to receive from a client as well!
Steve
David, awesome work! The way you present your work on a logo, from beginning to end is inspiring and educational – thanks for setting a great standard of excellence.
Matthew (firebubble),
I was pleased to receive a testimonial, and don’t consider Nick’s thoughts to be rude. Design can be very subjective, and it can take a client to have their own input before they’re happy with the presented options. Just another part of the client / designer relationship.
Jan, Ed,
Thanks very much. I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post, and Ed, no, I don’t mind you saying at all!
Abbas,
You’re not the first to ask about neat sketches, and you’re also not the only one who scribbles on receipts, post-it notes, envelopes etc. It usually works out that around half of my sketches are inside a work-book or pad. The remainder are, more often than not, binned with the household rubbish.
Steve,
Thanks for weighing in with your thoughts. Yep, another nice remark for the testimonials page.
It’s my pleasure, Brandon, and it makes it worthwhile when I receive comments like yours.
I really enjoyed this post, David. Lots of great insight here. Congrats to another successful project.
I’d love to know how long this process took you. I know client feedback is oftentimes the bottle neck, but aside from that, was this days, weeks, or months to complete? How long do you usually spend on sketching before you begin drawing electronically?
Love seeing your process. Thanks for the details.
Hi David! What a great work! My congratulations for this fantastic job! You have great ideas in your mind! I really enjoy to see how you start working the idea! Hugs!
Hi David,
I think this is one of my favorite logos that you have designed. Something about it just screams “perfect.” I really like the revision you made with bringing the fold back. I am really impressed by this design and its simplicity. Great job David and looking forward to seeing more of your work.
This is a great design David, the design is well measured and the fact that it works well as a favicon is great, as I guess this now an increasingly important consideration for any design.
Visit our site, and see our logo! :|
http://www.ladocriativo.com
It was very interesting to read this logo design process. Have you had such an experience before where the client came back with their own revised version of your logo and you continued from there point on? Either way, I really like the final result. I also liked your option 1, but it didn’t have the originality and quirkiness of the final version. And the fact that the logo resembles a letter G is a nice bonus.
once again a great job, David!
As usual, your write-up was spot-on; another interesting read. – do keep them coming!
Their old logo looks just like the Viaga one.
I appreciate that the client mentioned they weren’t convinced after the first two concepts but realized that it was just the first step in an ongoing process. With so many variables when it comes to designing a logo, it’s really this give and take between the designer and client that makes the process work.
The fact that they didn’t jump up and down for the first two concepts doesn’t mean they aren’t great, but for some reason the clients weren’t feeling it. It’s often hard to get to that point where both the designer and client are happy with the end result. But with open conversation and understanding on both sides- great things can happen.
Great lesson for anyone designing logos or hiring a logo designer. Thanks!
Great work once again David. I’ve been reading this blog for around 3 months now & now have it on RSS, yet this is the first time I’ve ever commented. How did you honestly feel when the client said they weren’t ‘convinced’ ?
Another question, how do you gain such clients ? I’ve been designing nightclub flyers for years now, and am now taking the plunge into gaining business/corporate clients. How is it best to approach such clients ? (I appreciate you’ve probably answered these questions a million times before!)
Regards
Another great article detailing your design process. I much prefer the finished version, to your first concepts.
It’s great to see you have such a friendly relationship with your clients. It must be rewarding to work with clients who value design and can add constructive changes and comments.
These logo design process articles are by far my most favourite on your site.
Thanks very much for sharing.
David – I think the final solution is just terrific. I am always grateful for your detailed description of process. But what I find most useful in this post is your open acknowledgment of the valuable role the client plays in arriving at a great design. Not just in providing a solid brief, but in being involved throughout. Too many designers seem to pooh-pooh client input because they’re not “professional designers.” So what could they know, right? And yet the client is truly the most knowledgeable about their business and their customers. The designer needs to bring the creativity and the understanding of colour and symbolism and balance (etc), and typographic discipline, but the client needs to play a role as well.
Sorry for running on. Great work!
It’s interesting to read the process behind this logo design and I think the final design is really strong. I like it. I know it can be difficult when clients start changing designs around, but in this instance their input has genuinely helped to develop the logo into a stronger design. Well done to Giacom for adding genuine value to the process and well done to David for being open to their suggestions.
I LOVE that “a subtle letter ‘G’ is created by inverting the lower-right segment.” I saw it right away!! Of course I’m always looking for something clever in your designs. GOOD WORK, MAN!! ugh! I’m so jealous! :-)
very impressive Mr. Airey. It is nearly mind boggling how such a small element on a website can say a lot and really bring the whole entire thing together :)
David, as always-excellent work! The implied G and concept is brilliant, looking forward to your next.
Kevin, Aldo, Sean,
Thanks for the kind words.
Melissa,
I was contacted by Giacom in November ‘08, and it was approximately four weeks later when the final artwork was supplied. The time spent sketching can vary a huge amount, as it depends on how fast the ideas are flowing. Not sure if that helps?
Steve,
Favicons are definitely worth considering. I don’t think they’re vital, by any means, but it’s a nice bonus if the icon scales that well.
Vivien,
I have had clients come back to me with their own take on my ideas. The Berthier logo was one such case, which was to be expected, given that I was working with a team of designers. I’m glad you approve of this logo.
Richard, Antonea, Dave, Fabian,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Heather, freddygirl,
I couldn’t agree with you more. The most successful projects are mainly those where the client becomes involved in valuable discussion.
Kem,
Actually, the first time I saw the words, “I still wasn’t convinced” was after I asked for the testimonial — once the project was complete. Nick and I had a great working relationship throughout the month.
Mark,
When you work with someone who appreciates the design process, it makes such a difference. I’ve been fortunate with my clients, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the more transparent my process, the higher the quality of client I attract.
Aaron,
I’m with you. Giacom helped create a more effective identity, and I was very glad of the input. Thanks again for the recent emails. No matter what your choice, it’s means a lot you’d consider the option.
Hi David,
great work, it is nice to see your design approach as you seem to be one of those who didn’t forget that a pencil has a purpose and sketching time based on keywords that expresses clients values is absolutely crucial for the logo to deliver. We are, if I may, very alike on that matter.
Something I may would have like to see is a strong storyline behind the schematic “G” to add to its communication attributes and ease its memorability. Just a thought… ;)
Overall, great great work. I especially like the one color version.
Nice work, David. I do enjoy seeing your in depth processes and with Giacom in particular, it seems that the process was slighter longer than usual. At least, that’s how it seems from the length of your post.
Nice work, always great seeing your process too.
It looks beautiful. I appreciate the process you share here with your readers.
Hey David,
The logo is good, but I’m more impressed with the detail you went into above about your design process, I found it extremely educational. Logo design is one of my worst weaknesses and explanations like the above are far more useful than the “how to create a web 2.0 logo in Photoshop” bollocks that spans the web.
Plus the logo looks great on the website, it looks really comfortable and appropriate.
Thanks
Nathan
Very comprehensive, David. As usual. Nice to know every design workflow you’ve workin’ on.
David, I was not implying that your client should not have an input on the design process, of course they should as it is their logo after all. I simply meant that I personally felt that your initial option 1 logo was also very good in comparison to the logo that was currently being used by the company.
Thanks a lot for the continued feedback.
David,
Sketching time is hugely important to me. I know this isn’t the case with some other designers I’ve come across, but it helps streamline my process — without doubt.
Neil,
It’s not that this particular process was longer than the norm. Probably just that I’ve shown more information than my average portfolio entry.
Nathan,
Very glad you learnt something from my process description. That was my intention, so thanks for letting me know.
Matthew,
My prior reply should’ve been worded more appropriately, and I can see how you took it in a way I didn’t mean. Excuse me for that, and thanks for the compliment on my first logo option. It’s much appreciated.
Very nice work David. Minimalist yet powerful.
Nice work David – and a great example of a successful collaboration with a client (no – that’s not an oxymoron). I always enjoy these posts about your process and find it interesting in how closely it mirrors my own.
thanks!
John Lepp
It reminds me of Nokia Logo. :)
I think here the strapline is acting as a glue sticking the icon and the text balancing the whole thing. Without the strapline below i think weight will be more in the icon as if its going to roll on the other side. :P
Option 1 was also good. I am following your blog since last 1 year. Its good.
Hi David,
I have to disagree with most of the comments on here.
Your 2 initial designs achieved the goal perfectly in my opinion. They gives a sense of unity, connection, and security. The design that their internal design team created gives off an entirely different feeling.
Their concept portrays “disconnect”, “separation”, “disjointed”, “difference” etc. The single piece turned outwards creates an overwhelming feeling of disconnect. The balance of the mark is thrown off and the overall identity portrays an idea of “separation” , not “connection to my world”.
Your original concepts on the other hand portray everything that the brief called for….unity, connection, security.
Their concept does not give me a secure feeling. The 4th piece breaking away gives me a feeling of weakness and vulnerability.
I am interested to know your thoughts on this and if you agree with me on some of these points.
Well done. I really like the new logo.
Mostly I like the article that shows the process. Can I ask you how long the creative process took, from you receiving the brief to the first 2 logos you presented. If I may, can you tell me how much you charged, or if you like it better can I have a idea, between what and what?
Thanks David.
Oops I have another question. About the typeface Expressway Bold, did you buy it, showed the client and then charged him for it? You found it thanks to a little bit of help from Twitter, but how did it work exactly? Is there a right to use it? So many questions but you probably are the one person to know the answers.
Thanks.
Hi David,
First of all, congrats for your works… you seem to be a very good designer!
Sorry, but I think that you’re proceeding wrong, rejecting my comment, and not even replied by email about the logo.
Best regards,
Hugo Figueiredo
David,
Well done! It is nice to see a smooth process and nice design come from solid dialogue between the designer and client. Kudos to you!
Nice work. What do you charge for a logo design anyway David? (or should that be a private question).
Brian,
You present a good case, well explained. For me, the chosen icon still represents a solid, global feel, which was ultimately preferred by the client. It’s good of you to back my initial ideas, though, as I have respect for your opinion.
Loony,
Between two and three weeks passed between the start of the project, and presenting the initial two ideas. I’ll not be publicly disclosing the price as I’m not sure it would be approved of.
Regarding the typeface, I supplied links to some typeface options, and my client then purchased the one they found most effective. I hope those answers help.
Hugo,
Please accept my apologies for your first comment not showing before now. It was caught in my spam folder — with quite a few other false positives — but now it’s been freed.
With the simplicity of this logo, it’s no surprise to see your own design.
You can find logos very similar to my ownMy own logo is similar to a number of others, and here’s a related feature on Logo Design Love.What’s of great importance is the likelihood of your target audience coming into contact with a similar identity, and I hope you can appreciate that similarities are completely unintentional.
Aaron, Ganpati, David,
Thank you guys.
John,
I visited your site in the hope of finding your process. Do you happen to document it anywhere? I’d like to see.
Derek,
The question of ‘how much?’ is addressed on my FAQ page. I’m happy to tailor a quote.
Hey David, maybe the better question is – when do you get any work done mate? Seriously you are a machine. You’re right – I have touched on my process only slightly on my blog – you can get a good sense of my process right here: http://www.ideadesign.ca/the-naked-idea/epiphany
thanks for the response David. john
The new logo slots into the old web design very well though doesn’t it!
Ever tempted to offer your clients front end web design as well as branding and associated print design? I offer that and quite enjoy it.
love the final logo. i actually liked option 2 as it was much simpler. however, the way the G was fit into the final logo swayed me. plus it looks really great showing it in the different colors. great stuff David, as usual! keep it coming, i’m always looking forward to articles about the logos you’ve designed.
Like this one a lot, man. The subtle value change in each of the segments is a nice touch. It might be a little too subtle for my taste, but it’s not a deal breaker.
I’m currently revamping my freelance design contract so I did a quick search, and what do you know? Your post on that very topic was one of the top returns on the first page. I think I might have missed reading that post in the past, but glad I found it as I think it includes some good tips. Thanks.
To David Airey:
Logo Digital Angel was made in early 2005, much earlier than you! How can you say that Digital Angel is similar to your logo? This has been confirmed by an international jury for the contest Identity: Best of the Best
http://www.artgraphics.ru/identity/best2006eng.html
If you see an archive in 2005, your logo has not been on your site!
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.davidairey.com
It was very interesting to walk through the design process from brief to acceptance of a final product.
I’m a “gifted amateur” in design and as would be expected, it’s largely a hit and miss process.
Thank you.
Robin Henry
Central Australia
Hi David,
don’t worry, apologies accepted!
I know that was 100% unintentional… it happens in our area, because almost everything was done before (or similar)! =/
I appreciate your work, and I reported our site to see the logo, because I thought the similarity funny.
I only posted other comment, because I think it’s wrong to ignore people.
Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Hugo Figueiredo
John,
Publishing a blog takes up a lot of time, no doubt. Thanks for that link. I’ll pop over now.
Amanda,
I was tempted to offer web work, and have completed a few projects in the past, but to be honest, I don’t get the same enjoyment from it. What percentage of your work would you say involves web design / development? Pretty much all my clients nowadays are for brand identity.
Thanks, Mel, for checking in and reading my post.
PG,
Good to know my contact post was high in the rankings, and that it was of some use to you. :)
Dron,
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m aware the Digital Angel logo was created before mine, and I appreciate the design, but I’m not sure how you can’t see any similarity between the two. I used it as an example of how you can always find a logo with similar attributes, no matter how honest the intentions.
Hugo,
Thanks for understanding, and for taking the time to respond.
I think Dron was saying that you shouldn’t say:
“The Digital Angel logo is similar to my logo” you should instead be saying…
“My logo is similar to the Digital Angel logo”
I believe Dron is saying you should word it in the right way to be clear that your logo is the follow up logo, whereas the other way of saying it can sound like you did the logo first.
Web work – front end web design seems to follow on quite naturally for a lot of projects for me.
I’d say that if I have a logo design project, this naturally then tends to follow onto print design work, and then in most cases it’s also natural that they will want the web design also.
So a large percentage of my brand design jobs also require front end web design. Front end web design offers the same level of enjoyment as print design work I find, it’s very similar type of work really.
I just the ‘design’ of the web site though, not the coding, I don’t touch coding. I hate building sites, it’s loathesomely boring for me and also I don’t have sufficient web development skills to do a really good job of it.
I send them to a web developer I recommend for that – someone really techy who knows all the coding languages. I have 2/3 three that I know are good that I send clients to and they take it from there for them.
Fantastic case study David, I find the pieces of paper with doodles on more interesting than the final product!
I see your point, Amanda, RE: Digital Angel, and have edited my previous comment to avoid confusion.
Coding is the main reason why I don’t develop websites, and I’ll maybe ask some future clients about front-end work. I never really considered how closely tied to print it is, and I also have a few great contacts I can talk to about the back-end. Good people like Alex Peterson and Aaron Russell.
Jordan,
Glad you enjoyed the sketches. Thanks a lot.
David
I like the finished product, and thanks for going into detail of the process and I’d be interested to know how long the overall process takes, if you’re willing to explain.
Rgds
Awesome work David! I find the symbol very memorable and easily to reproduce… even at small sizes.
As always David, great writeup.
I especially like how you presented the pantone colour choices for the logo design. It’s amazing how a slight colour variation can procure a whole new perception of a logo design.
I like the logo design. I don’t think it’s anything outstanding, but it works well, and I admire the process you took to reach the end result.
Matt,
The entire process took one month, mentioned in a previous comment (it’s completely understandable that you don’t have time to read the discussion).
Said,
Scalability is a feature I always aim for. Gladly, it worked well here, thanks.
Andrew,
Those slight Pantone changes do significantly alter the appearance, which is why I tend to ‘finalise’ the design before using colour. The ‘idea’ is much more important than aesthetics. Thanks for commenting.
Good design and I like how you explained why you did what you did.
By the way, I have you listed as a dofollow blog and send a few readers your way. I’ve linked to the page above.
I’m in the process of updating the rankings and providing a bit of information about each site. Updates should be up by Wednesday. Let me know if you’d like to change yours.
Warmly,
Linda P. Morton
Hello Linda,
Please remove my blog from your list. Comments here have the ‘nofollow’ attribute attached. If you download the search status plugin you’ll get a quick snapshot of links that are followed / not followed.
wow! Great post David. :) I loved reading through the process, and I think the end result is a very strong logo.
This is definitely one of my favorite parts about working with clients — the back & forth “tweaking” process. The input from both sides combines together to create something completely unique …something neither the designer nor the client would have ever created on their own!
Call me a dork, but I love teamwork. :) haha
Great work David. Very nicely explained and good result. Looks good in the site and the favicon is awesome.
Thanks, Jamie, Arturo. Good of you to comment.
BOOM! Love it. Great work.
Another great article David. Great insight and inspirational material.
Thanks again!
Hi David,
I’m Gabriele from Italy (sorry for my english). I follow your blog, I find it very interesting. Just to invite you to look at this link of an italian school of graphic design
http://www.scuolagrafica.it/gp/scheda.php?sez=&c=consultorio_fam
You find the GIACOM logo rotate by 45°. In this case the logo stands for a Family Consultory.
Sure that nobody as copied only to note that working on basic form and simplicity it’s hard to obtain a design really original.
I love seeing the progression of this logo. I feel like sometimes the client comes back with some odd suggestions that you have to reel in to make work with the logo. In this case though, I love the way they suggested only having one segment turned out from the globe. It’s fun to see a client take a great idea and make it even better.
Good work on the logo. It turned out really well.
Really like the clean color palette. I’m a sucker for the light blue colors. I feel they work very well across different mediums. Keep up the good work!
Great job on the logo. I love how you post from start to finish on designing your logos. Great post.
Appologies, I have placed this comment on this site a few weeks ago but I forgot to tick the notification box and I’ve lost it!
I have just starting freelance logo design and the last few designs I have used my own handwritten font as it has suited the style I wanted but I now want to use other font styles.
What are the legal issues concerning typeface? Can you use any font in your logo (e.g. from MS office, free fonts downloaded from the internet) or are you only legally allowed to use fonts you have paid for and therefore have the rights to use?
Thank you,
Jo
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
Jo,
Sorry your first comment didn’t appear. It must’ve been caught in my spam folder by accident, which happens sometimes for no apparent reason.
Legal issues concerning particular typefaces? There’s no single rule, so be sure to check the copyright terms when purchasing / downloading. As for those already contained on Microsoft products, I don’t know actually. If you find out, I’d appreciate you dropping me a message.
All the best.
hi david,
I’d like to know a certain thing : Is it very important to always have a logo that defines the kind of business the company does?
for example the ” G ” here appealed to me as a shape of a mouse as well as a “G”.
and the tag connecting to your world went perfectly with it.
Hi Tania,
To answer your question, it’s not necessary for a logo to literally define the business. It’s interesting that you see a mouse in the symbol. I didn’t get that.
not good but super work….. :D Giacom logo is good, its tips seems quite understand for us.
Great work! Thanks for sharing david….
Hi,
I enjoy the simplicity of your designs, i like the design that you settled on the best, but I dont like how it was mplemented in the web. That banner is way too big, and just SQUASHES it up in the corner… It does your elegant work NO justice. :D
great inspiration… I love the work
hi david, great design for the communications corporation really cool crisp and has real global appeal.
My question is simple
(brief background)
about 6 years ago I studied a Design degree that took in all or most design fields, due to failing health i had to pull out of the degree after one year. In this time I achieved the highest marks ever recorded on the course but this achievement is openended.
(present)
Anyway years pass I have ability but no formal degree or paper to certify my talent. I recently started a 13+ week ‘back to work programme’ a government initiaitive. I was looking to get a placement within a thriving graphics studio but ended up working for the actual outsourced company that try to find placements and offer skills etc…
in the 13-14 weeks I have designed 4 graphic identities for the various programes and new ventures this company runs ironically about getting back to work I produced posters and helped with their website. I have used only my own photographs within the posters all the logos my own designs.
i am proud of the work I have produced , some all or most of the logos look like corporate identities with hidden meanings ect that communicate more the more they are viewed.
I was paid the standard automated £15 each week that is all, nothing more. I have had no proper briefs or consolations.
these identies are really strong the posters all my own work and of a high standard they have got them for next to nothing. I made up clever bylines that work so well with the graphics.
(My questions)
”Do I have any rights over the designs the logos especially, their future use or are they wholly the companies property? ”
what rights as a designer do I have, i Know photographers have rights over all their work so you clients have to pay for further prints.
I feel I am been taken advantaged of, I have even designed another very strong logo for a utility company owned by a boyfriend of a employee of the employment programme company of which am placed. All with no real clear brief or meetings with clients.
prior to me they said they had not advertisements or any graphic or artistic element within the company but now that I am coming to the end of my placement they dont seem to be willing to take me on full time or even partime It seems when my time runs out i will leave on the most part sqeezed dry of my design work with nothing to show for it but strong deigns that will enhance the company but atleast thats something positve
Hi Colm,
It’s standard practice for companies to state ownership of all employee work for the duration of employment, but you should check the contract you signed.
When I start work with a new client, I make it clear I will use any designs for self-promotion (i.e., in a portfolio or book). As you were paid such a meagre amount, I doubt your employer would begrudge you the use of designs to promote your skills.
Sorry to know of the ill health and your course.
I admire your positive attitude toward client suggestions and changes, David. I think the Giacom logo benefited from the give and take. I must admit that when clients make suggestions, to this day a voice in my head screams I AM THE DESIGNER DAMMIT! But I’ve come to learn and accept that the work is almost always better when client feedback is folded into the batter. Did your flexibility regarding client input come naturally to you, or did you have to develop it? Do you not have that voice in your head? Is it because I’m from New Jersey? :-)
Hi Rob, it can be difficult to readily accept client requests, especially if you’re particularly keen on an idea you’ve generated. But like you say, the work is almost always better with intelligent client input, and I’ve just completed another project where the client really helped improve the outcome.