Creating a logo

Sometimes it's really fun to see the creative process behind a logo design. I thought you might enjoy the process behind my Craft Junkie Bug design.

From This Sketch, 

to my final logo below.

   

I was cleaning out files on my computer the other day, and found several images showing the evolution of my little Craft Junkie Bug. Before tossing them out, I scanned them to share with you. The process can be quite lengthy - and most people don't realize the work and thought that often is behind a logo design.

It started like this:

I had just returned from a summer camping trip with my family, where we saw all sorts of dragon flies. One even landed on my daughter's nose while she was floating in our rubber raft! The dragonflies were so pretty - I got to thinking it would be fun to have a cute little "bug" that represented me on all my crafting collateral pieces (business cards, letterhead, class handouts, invoices, hang tags, posters, blog, and Etsy stores).  I wanted an image that could stand alone and would become recognizable -  it would become my brand. My trademark. 

I made several sketches of bugs holding various crafting tools - scissors, paint brushes, glue bottles. Tools I use regularly.

I'm a frilly girl, so creating a bug that was wearing a skirt seemed an appropriate choice.

After several sketches, I picked one to scan into the computer, and began redrawing it in Adobe Illustrator. 

I experimented with various brush strokes versus simple lines, and explored questions such as: Should the leggings be striped or plain. 

Should there be 3 toes or 4?

What kind of tail swirl should I use to show movement?

A Dashed line, or solid continuous line?

What shape will I use for the mouth? A toothy grin? Big plump lips?

 Each part of the design requires time consuming exploration. 

Attention to minute details are necessary to making a strong logo.  It can make the difference between good design and mediocre work and is something the general public is often unaware of.

For corporate logos, hundreds of design options will be explored. I remember working for Nordstrom Adverstising many years ago. At the time, The Nordstrom family wanted to change the lettering that was used in their logo identity. Hundreds of different type styles were explored before settling on a customized, hand lettered design that was unique to their stores. You would never know how many hours were spent on that final identity. But...it's necessary to get things exactly right and unique, and is also why a customized logo can cost a lot of money.

My mantra is, "God is in the details."

I decided on crisp clean lines for the drawing style of my final bug.

I simplified the mouth, crown and details of the legs.

I also enlarged the eyes for more prominance. 

Next, color and shadows were added for dimension.

At this point, I was pretty happy with the bug, but decided to explore one more variation before settling on a final design. 

This dragonfly was cute enough, and maybe could work as a visiting friend, but I decided to stick with the previous bug wearing a skirt to represent "Me." 

Along the way, I side tracked a bit and experimented with how my bug might look with words.

And there was the question of how I would spell the words: Junkie, Junkee?

The below version is what I finally settled on. A crisp clean line bug, contrasting with irregular messy type. This is quite representive of who I am in life and in my working style. I'm constantly striking a balance between my formal training as a Graphic Designer, my desire for cleanliness and order, to the reality of my life with husband, children, dog, and my intense passions as a messy addicted crafter!