Logo design, logo designer | Logo design process for Komplett Fitness

41 spot-on reader comments to “Logo design process for Komplett Fitness”

1. Richard, Peacock Carter, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   A nice, clean concept, and always great to have a client be able to give a glowing testimonial - we just got one from a client who has generated £10k of business from his website in 6 months!

   I do like the logo’s motif on the website’s design (bottom left) - adds a nice touch.

2. Phil Chairez, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   You never cease to impress me, David. At first glance, I said to myself “Yes! Great logo. Definitely works”. I tend to always do that with your work.

   What amazes me is that at first glance, everything about that logo works well. But at second glance, I almost ask myself “really? How does that work so well”. I think I tend to OVERTHINK my work sometimes. If I came up with this logo, I would get to your end result, probably not like it or think it wouldn’t work in application and move on to something else.

   But after seeing this logo work beautifully in application on their website along with the different types of variations that can be used, once again I am humbled. Good work David!

   As always, I take something very useful away from your work that I hope to apply to my own.

   Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be back for more.

3. Paul J, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   I, as always, love the simplicity of your designs I do love the “little extra” changed you did to the original to arrive at the final logo. And despite the simple shapes, the logo has a very unique look (i.e. no other logos come to mind when I see it). My only “issue” with it is that I’m not seeing the “fitness” element in the logo, nor much of a “K”. Maybe I just need more information on the company to get a better feel of the connection between the symbol and what the company offers.

   Great work nonetheless. And also greatly appreciate your articles on your logo processes. Thanks!

4. Robert Augustin, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   Great work David, I like the result very much.

   I noticed your use of whitespace: The composition of whitespace in the symbol is perfectly weighted in my opinion. I say this because it is always tempting to adapt certain elements to be the same - i’m referring to the space between the “pie piece” and its surrounding elements to the left and right. I usually find myself looking for harmony at such a point, and finding out how it looks if I make all three spaces the same. Which, in this case, would not be right.

   Your final symbol has a nice incremential increase in whitespace from left to right, which literally opens it up on a very subtle level. Very nice indeed!

   I love the type also. Is that P22 Underground you used?

   Robert Augustin’s last blog post…Magenta Lessons, Part 4: The Wonderful World of Public Relations

5. Mark Cameron, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   I really like the weight of the typeface you chose it compliments the logo mark perfectly in my opinion. Another great logo you have achieved here. Congratulations :)

6. Nate, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   It’s one thing to add simple geometric shapes together to create a logo like your first concepts - it’s another thing to make those pieces work in harmony to create unique shapes for a brand identity. This is a perfect example of that concept–something I have always struggled to grasp in my design efforts. Thanks for the inspiration.

7. David Airey, on October 7th, 2008 said:
   Richard,

   Absolutely. Such testimonials definitely keep enthusiasm levels up. Great news about your own client recommendation, well done, and yes, I also liked that bottom-left logo addition on the KF website.

   Phil,

   That’s very kind of you to say. Thank you. It can be all too easy to overthink design briefs, when more than often, it’s the simple ideas that are most effective. No doubt many others would agree.

   Paul,

   Without that ‘little extra’, the design wouldn’t have been accepted by my client, which just goes to highlight how the small details really matter. I know where you’re coming from RE: less of a ‘K’ and how the fitness element isn’t obvious within the symbol. Many of my designs aren’t very literal, and this is based upon the fact that logos are used as identifiers, and not as descriptive images. I’m very glad you appreciate these types of blog post. There are quite a few I’ve yet to showcase, but just don’t much time lately.

   Robert,

   I’m also keen on the weighting, so it’s nice to have you point it out. The type is shown using two members of the Gotham family. More and more, I send initial logo ideas purposely without using Gotham, because it is used a lot, but as soon as I do offer an idea in that face, the client favours it. Testament to the great type work of H&FJ.

   Mark, Nate,

   Thanks a lot for offering your thoughts. Greatly appreciated.

8. Jason, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   Love to see the sketch process and mind map!

   Jason’s last blog post…Moncton Street Signs Improved

9. Jeremy, on October 7th, 2008 said:

   Very good. The first thing I thought of when seeing the symbol with the name, was a person laying down doing situps or laying on a bench about to benchpress.

10. Daniel Blackball, on October 7th, 2008 said:

    a really fantastic and interesting logo, its always great to see the working process, especially this one.always good to be reminded how much small changes can effect the dynamics of the design.

    I was wondering though about your logo ‘design questionnaire’. you may of already written a post about this, but do you have some sort of questionnaire template for all your potential clients?

11. jj-momscashblog, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    You make it all look so easy…until one reads your thought process behind all of that work. I like the end result and thank you for bringing us in on your creative process it helped me understand more about the inception of a logo. Thanks so much, very glad I found this site.

12. Beth Ellen, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    A great logo, as usual!

13. Anand, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    Hi David,

    Don’t you feel the “negative space K” you created in the draft that you presented was compromised on when you tweaked the symbol to nudge the pie-piece into the half-circle? I like the way you simplistically break up your thoughts, which becomes apparent from your mind-map and initial scribbles. Real neat.

    Cheers,
    Anand

14. firebubble - logo design, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    I like the bold typeface with the thin type they compliment each other well. I also really like that you add the sketches I can see a number of strong concepts in the initial ideas. Good work David it’s a really nice logo.

15. Niyaz, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    The sketches are awesome. I see why the logo looks so good.

    Niyaz’s last blog post…24 x 7 support is offline !!!

16. Daiver, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    Awesome!

    What font is that?

17. Karel - Caribbean Public Relations, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    David I think the logo is wonderful. I personally like modern-looking designs that are simple yet very striking. You can see that you put a lot of thought into the logo design, and it’s not just a matter of creating a “pretty” logo, but one that trul embodies brand values and personality.

    I love the K that is formed in the negative space, and of couse the one of ultimate defining factors is how well it works in black and white, and it’s gorgeous anyway you take it.

    It would be lovely to work with you on stuff. One day when my budgets allow for the exchange rate. It’s one of my dollars to 12 of yours. But methinks that sometime in life, hopefully we’ll get to work on something together.

    Cheers!

    Karel - Caribbean Public Relations’s last blog post…YouTube gets Caribbean partner

18. umberto micheli, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    Hi David

    Nice, simple application.
    Not entirely sold on the font selection, just my opinion - it leaves me a bit cold, it’s rather stark and if the audience is strictly “gym’ that’s great, but if we’re leaning toward the Health Care instiutions as well, I may have gone for a “friendlier” font choice. Nonetheless great work.

    Keep up.

    umberto micheli’s last blog post…10 Simple, Yet Effective Logo Designs.

19. Dainis Graveris, on October 8th, 2008 said:

    Oh, lovely! One more step by step logo creation process! You really create huge amount of examples before choosing one.

20. Emily Veras, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    I really loved this post ,usually I just skim by design blogs and usually read as much as I can without commenting , but I was just shocked at how simple but complicated this seemed. As a graphic design student , I haven’t been taught yet the thought processes of anything just technical stuff right now. Anywhoo , I love the logo , and the post is very helpful.

    Emily Veras’s last blog post…Your not a graphic designer if..

21. Steve, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    Great design, it is interesting to see the thought processes, looks great in context, and helpful to see some of the logo adaptability laid out.

    Steve’s last blog post…Tour T shirts for La Fuga

22. David Airey, on October 9th, 2008 said:
    Daniel,

    You can see the initial questions I ask of clients here: my logo design questionnaire.

    Anand,

    You’re right. There was some compromising of the negative space, but the argument towards it’s change involved an increased integration between the two main services offered. A kind of merging of the segments if you will.

    Daiver,

    I mention the type in this previous comment.

    Karel,

    The exchange rate does sometimes prove a barrier, which is completely understandable. Here’s hoping we can work together at some point in the future, and thanks for the kind words.

    Thanks very much to everyone else who’s comments I’ve enjoyed reading.

23. Deron Sizemore, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    I agree with what others have said David, wonderful work. I too tend to over think logo designs and probably wouldn’t have settled on this one had I designed it because it’s pretty basic. For whatever reason I develop something that is minimal and seems to work but I keep adding to it and eventually turn it into something that doesn’t work. I wish I could get to the point where I settle for something simple yet effective as this logo is. A lot of people may look at this logo and think that there’s really nothing much too it and they’re right, but that is what makes it great. I think a lot of people have no idea how much effort goes into developing something like this that seems to be so simple that anyone could do yet it’s really not that simple. Again you deliver a great design.

    Deron Sizemore’s last blog post…Improved Browser Standards = Bad News for Front-end Developers?

24. Syd McKeever, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    I’m not a designer and I’m not an expert, but I am impressed.

    Not just with the final project, but with your willingness to spend the time to share your process with all of us.

    It increases my appreciation for those of you in the design biz and it’s just flat-out interesting, too!

    Thanks for a glimpse into a the creative process!

    Syd

    Syd McKeever’s last blog post…How to Fix a Broken Marriage - The Difference Between Failure and Success

25. James Kurtz III, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    Wow. Even your sketches are well organized. Impressive.

26. Shaun Barnes, on October 9th, 2008 said:

    Hey David, long time no see!

    I’ve been checking back here every now and again but struggling to find the time to post.

    This logo has made me find time though!

    I’ve not been a huge fan of your last couple of designs (no offence! You know i’m a big fan generally ;) ) but I think this is very much back to your best.

    I love the choice of font and particularly the different weighting.

    Shaun Barnes’s last blog post…Upgrade NOW! BBC said so!

27. Vivienne Quek, on October 10th, 2008 said:

    David, it’s good that you drew the business direction and process chart.

    On it’s own, and without any additional information about the company, the name “Komplett Fitness’ only suggests the physical aspects - like getting fit, building up muscles and buying equipment. Most people will not assume that it is also offering lessons, nutritional planning, supplement and more. Your chart suggests that they are providing a full spectrum of service. That makes the “circle” all the more meaningful. To me, the “circle” is “all encompassing”. The “K” in the centre means Komplett is the brain controlling and commanding all the activities.

    I guess I’m one of those who don’t judge a logo by “nice or not nice”. I appreciate the bigger picture behind a logo.

    Vivienne Quek’s last blog post…Free is Not Free To Steal

28. Karl, on October 10th, 2008 said:

    Hi David,

    Great work (as usual!)

    Just a quick question, where did you purchase your squared pad that you use for your sketches? I have been looking round and can’t seem to find one like that.

    Thanks

29. J.T. Shaver, on October 10th, 2008 said:

    Great process. It’s good to see someone using synectics, semantics, semiotics, gestalt and all the other goodies to produce a good design.

    Shaver Design - Print, Identity, and Web Design

30. Richard Angstmann, on October 11th, 2008 said:

    Hi David,

    Always love reading your design process posts. Very inspiring. Its good to see the workflow and the thought processes. I also don’t think there’s a logo of yours I’ve seen that I don’t like!

31. Fernanda, on October 12th, 2008 said:

    Hello David,

    My name is Fernanda and im a Junior at a Graphic Design College in Brazil.
    I found you website 3 days ago and so far im lovin it.
    As a designer, I can definitely say that the articles and especially your design process posts are so inspiring and interesting to read.
    Congrats and get the good work!

32. cohnsey, on October 13th, 2008 said:

    i like the look of the logo but it looks like a slice of pizza in the circular part of it.

33. Thomas SG, on October 13th, 2008 said:

    The design is simply beautiful! What amazed my was the fact that one has to go through a complex process only to produce a simple yet splashing logo!

34. chaitanya, on October 13th, 2008 said:

    Wow. Great work david.

    In first look, It seem to appear as if the small portion towards the right is being removed from the left part. Some thing removed from, may be the body fat…. :)

    Nice work.

    chaitanya’s last blog post…Alas… Adobe CS4

35. David Airey, on October 13th, 2008 said:
    Deron, Syd, James,

    You’re very welcome! Thanks for your comments.

    Shaun,

    No offence taken whatsoever. My aim is never to please everyone, as that’d be unrealistic. My aim is to provide the client with an effective design for them and their business.

    Vivienne,

    Like you, I also appreciate logos by viewing the bigger picture. Thanks for offering your own thoughts on the design. Always appreciated.

    Karl,

    I picked up a few of those ‘graph pads’ in a stationery shop. I can’t remember the name, possibly Eason.

    J.T., Richard, Fernanda,

    Good of you to say, thanks.

    cohnsey,

    It’s watermelon — healthier than pizza.

    Chaitanya,

    I like your rationale, and hope you’re keeping well.

36. ed hardy, on October 17th, 2008 said:

    It’s amazing to see the amount of thought and effort that goes into the whole process. I beleive the chosen logo is the best. Nice and Simple not to over the top.

37. David Airey, on October 17th, 2008 said:
    Thanks a lot, Ed.
38. Doug, on October 27th, 2008 said:

    I really like this. I’ve looked at tutorials on making logos in Adobe and other apps. But nothing has ever shown this side of it.

    Its easy enough to learn to use an app but to develop ideas like this is much more important.

    One other thing - you’ve inspired me. I thought designers just went ‘PING’ and it happened as if by some great magic. But seeing as even the qualified and experienced allow themselves the time to brainstorm I think I may just give this a go myself on some of my own logos.

39. Sumesh, on October 27th, 2008 said:

    I liked the first logo (with those three bars, two of them inclined to the third) quite a lot. It is a pity that Komplett thought it was close to BMW or whatever.

    Logo for DoshDosh and now this - both circular, color-reversible and all - awesome, David. The logo looks better on the website screenshot than others - maybe because of the greyish background.

40. Ryan, on October 27th, 2008 said:

    On its own, to me at least, not your strongest logo. Most of yours I tend to love straight away, however it really does come together in execution with the website. On a bigger scale, especially as a watermark, the shapes have an excellent interplay. Maybe it’s the circular edges combined with the angles inside? Something to think about anyway if you ever need to design any stationary.

41. David Airey, on October 28th, 2008 said:
    Doug,

    Glad I’ve offered a little insight into the world of logo design. Thanks for your thoughts.

    Sumesh,

    I also liked the alternative, though I’m happy with the final outcome, and am very glad my client is too. Cheers.

    Ryan,

    I appreciate your feedback. Out of curiousity, which of my designs do you favour?

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