To start designing a logo the first step is to do some research on the particular industry trends, competition, certain styles, fonts, and descriptive words. The industry trends include what logos similar companies use. Some research on the company you are creating the logo for, will provide a number of trend examples as a starting point. Then, move to what style the logo should be from the visual point of view e.g. flashy, retro, modern, etc. Next come the fonts that will be used on the logo. The choice of fonts must correctly represent the business e.g. should the font be a Serif or San serif. Descriptive words are the first steps to be done in the process and they serve as an inspiration to think outside of the box.
In our example, the first step for the TDS logo was to conduct a thorough analysis of the outdoor equipment industry trends and competition. We soon found out that the majority of the outdoor supply companies had masculine solid colors. A good amount of them use upper case letters on their logo. Various versions of green and brown are the predominant colors. Then we played with the words as to what words the logo and the tag line would include. This are the fonts and words we came up with right of the bat:
The next step is sketching on the computer or on paper. During this stage different preliminary ideas are studied, reviewed and compared to each other where from one version is chosen for further development. This can include trying different fonts, shapes and elements. All options are being explored extensively without using too many details. This step helps determining what logo suits and matches the company’s needs best. Simply put, it helps determine what logo stands out to you when you see it from across the room.
With TDS we knew from the beginning that the shape of the logo had to be boxy and we somehow needed to include a leash in it. Out of the fifty versions we went through the four logos below were what caught our attention the most. We set that the logo would be developed on the basis of these four examples.
At the design phase, one logo is chosen and ways on how to make it stronger are explored. The first thing to be checked is if the font is working or not? Sometimes, after all the research you did and picked a font you really liked, you come to find out that particular font isn’t giving your logo enough strength. Sometimes it doesn’t even suit the logo!
Then, comes adding emphasis on elements. For example, on the sketching stage above, one of the logos has a curvy line that goes around the wording and resembles the tracking lead. We took that idea, and developed it further by adding a clip to the lead and making it more relevant and recognizable. The hardest part was to simplify the rounded line and have it surround the whole text, so that it brings your eye around. Surrounding it made the logo look more contained and complete from what the other versions were before. 
So far, in the process of a logo design there are no colors involved. You shouldn’t use colors because the logo should first work in black and white. The use of color can highly impact the design progress. If the logo works in black and white you will have a successful logo because those are the two simplest and purest forms where you can test the logo on all of its aspects. Black and white color also helps notice details that are difficult to detect when the logo is colored.
When applying colors, the knowledge gained from the research that was conducted in step one is applied. You narrow it down to 15-20 colors and see what colors work well together. Then, separate those colors and see how each of those works with the logo. The color can dramatically change a logo. Therefore, the choice of color must be made very carefully so that it will not take away the purity and simplicity of the logo.
In the TDS case we narrowed it down to six colors, green, brown, orange, blue, gray, black. We chose those colors because they represented the outdoors, nature, and they were different from the competition. Our final decision was black, which was more masculine, gray because it worked well with the green, and green which represented nature.

The final stage of the development of a logo is refinement where the logo gets then final touch from you, the crafty designer. The spacing between the letters and the font are aligned so that they come to a straight line. These are minor details that nobody can see but they are visible in print. This step allows the designer to bring the logo to a perfectly finalized piece of art. The last step is to make sure that everything is scalable. That means that the font on the logo can be used for a poster, but can be used for a business card and there is no need for further work on it.
This is the final product for TDS logo:
Can you add anything else to this list? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
by Beth & Gentian Shero
Gentian, CSO and co-founder of Shero Commerce, guides the company and client digital strategies. He's an expert in technical SEO, Inbound Marketing, and eCommerce strategy.
