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         <h1>Five Tips for a F’ing Great Logo</h1>
         <p class="text-muted">by <span class="author text-uppercase">David Hertog &amp; Fangjin Yang</span> · July 23, 2014</p>

         <p>Everyone wants a great logo, but it’s notoriously difficult work—prone to
 miscommunications, heated debates and countless revisions. Still, after three
 years we couldn’t put it off any longer. Druid needed a visual identity, so we
 partnered with the talented folks at <a href="http://focuslabllc.com/">Focus Lab</a> for
 help.</p>

 <p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image00.png" alt=""></p>

 <p>Our old logo (left) was...lacking. Much better now, right? </p>

 <p>Despite our fears, we cranked this out with Focus in a speedy three week
 sprint. Not only was the process drama-free, it was actually fun. The goal of
 this post is to give you some insight into how we did it and to share a few
 things that helped us support them in doing great work.</p>

 <h2 id="1-we-started-on-the-same-page">1. We started on the same page</h2>

 <p>Before the kickoff, Focus asked us to fill out <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/metamarkets.com/document/d/1AqEGLWeqTsuFiykOPDbwpptz9R40IIFPjn01OuG6e98/edit#heading=h.ffuked8l0n9w">this
 questionnaire</a>
 about our brand, our mission, and what we’re looking for in a logo. This
 exercise forced the Druid team into alignment about a variety of things,
 including our
 preferred style. We figured this out by asking each team member to pick a few
 logos they like and talk about why. Though we didn’t agree on everything, we
 did find common ground: logos that were simple, modern, and polished. Focus
 Lab took this and created a mood board (below), which served as a directional
 guide for the project’s aesthetic.</p>

 <p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image03.png" alt=""></p>

 <h2 id="2-we-picked-a-central-theme-and-stuck-with-it">2. We picked a central theme and stuck with it</h2>

 <p>Logos (like companies) fail when they try to do too many things at once.  The
 best logos succinctly convey one theme. Apple: Knowledge, Google: Playfulness,
 Ferrari: Power. Druid is fast, scalable, built for analytics, and open source.
 All of these themes are important, but we agreed that speed was the <em>most</em>
 important, so we asked Focus to prioritize it in their designs.  From there,
 they got to work brainstorming:</p>

 <p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image02.jpg" alt=""></p>

 <h2 id="3-we-sought-internal-consensus-at-major-milestones">3. We sought internal consensus at major milestones</h2>

 <p>At the end of week one, Focus brought us two very different concepts. We all
 preferred the one below, but before saying so we polled a few folks internally.
 Doing this at key milestones was critical because it helped to give everyone a
 sense of ownership in the project and it ensured we weren’t walking down the
 wrong road. What could be worse than going through this whole thing only to
 learn that a major stakeholder hates what you’ve come up with?</p>

 <p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image04.png" alt=""></p>

 <h2 id="4-we-structured-our-feedback-around-objectives-not-solutions">4. We structured our feedback around objectives, not solutions</h2>

 <p>Thankfully, everyone liked the above concept. It evoked a speeding bullet
 displacing air, and as an added bonus, it resembled a capital “D” for Druid.
 That said, it didn’t feel fast enough, and we were concerned that the graphic
 mark was too wide to fit inside a square avatar, such as a Twitter profile
 photo. Our first instinct was to start suggesting design tweaks: “What if you
 reduce the thickness of the lines?,” “Would it look better if you removed a
 line?,” “What about tilting it at an angle?” Giving designers this kind of
 feedback is tempting but counterproductive, so we focused on articulating the
 problems, and let them handle the solutions.</p>

 <p>Over three weeks of refining these ideas (and experimenting with a few out of
     the box ones), we arrived at the final, Round 3 version pictured below.
 There’s no doubt that it’s the fastest, and best-looking of the bunch. </p>

 <p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image05.png" alt=""></p>

 <h2 id="5-we-treated-our-designers-as-an-extension-of-our-team">5. We treated our designers as an extension of our team</h2>

 <p>There are lots of good designers out there, but great ones are rare. The
 difference between the two isn’t just design talent (though that’s important),
 it&#39;s in knowing how to guide a client through the process. That said, the
 world’s best guide can’t help you find something if you don’t know what you’re
 looking for. We learned that coming to the table prepared, and then
 collaborating with Focus as if they were members of our team made the
 difference between success and meh.</p>

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	<h1>Five Tips for a F’ing Great Logo</h1>
	<p class="text-muted">by <span class="author text-uppercase">David Hertog & Fangjin Yang</span> · July 23, 2014</p>

	<p>Everyone wants a great logo, but it’s notoriously difficult work—prone to
	miscommunications, heated debates and countless revisions. Still, after three
	years we couldn’t put it off any longer. Druid needed a visual identity, so we
	partnered with the talented folks at <a href="http://focuslabllc.com/">Focus Lab</a> for
	help.</p>

	<p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image00.png" alt=""></p>

	<p>Our old logo (left) was...lacking. Much better now, right? </p>

	<p>Despite our fears, we cranked this out with Focus in a speedy three week
	sprint. Not only was the process drama-free, it was actually fun. The goal of
	this post is to give you some insight into how we did it and to share a few
	things that helped us support them in doing great work.</p>

	<h2 id="1-we-started-on-the-same-page">1. We started on the same page</h2>

	<p>Before the kickoff, Focus asked us to fill out <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/metamarkets.com/document/d/1AqEGLWeqTsuFiykOPDbwpptz9R40IIFPjn01OuG6e98/edit#heading=h.ffuked8l0n9w">this
	questionnaire</a>
	about our brand, our mission, and what we’re looking for in a logo. This
	exercise forced the Druid team into alignment about a variety of things,
	including our
	preferred style. We figured this out by asking each team member to pick a few
	logos they like and talk about why. Though we didn’t agree on everything, we
	did find common ground: logos that were simple, modern, and polished. Focus
	Lab took this and created a mood board (below), which served as a directional
	guide for the project’s aesthetic.</p>

	<p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image03.png" alt=""></p>

	<h2 id="2-we-picked-a-central-theme-and-stuck-with-it">2. We picked a central theme and stuck with it</h2>

	<p>Logos (like companies) fail when they try to do too many things at once. The
	best logos succinctly convey one theme. Apple: Knowledge, Google: Playfulness,
	Ferrari: Power. Druid is fast, scalable, built for analytics, and open source.
	All of these themes are important, but we agreed that speed was the <em>most</em>
	important, so we asked Focus to prioritize it in their designs. From there,
	they got to work brainstorming:</p>

	<p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image02.jpg" alt=""></p>

	<h2 id="3-we-sought-internal-consensus-at-major-milestones">3. We sought internal consensus at major milestones</h2>

	<p>At the end of week one, Focus brought us two very different concepts. We all
	preferred the one below, but before saying so we polled a few folks internally.
	Doing this at key milestones was critical because it helped to give everyone a
	sense of ownership in the project and it ensured we weren’t walking down the
	wrong road. What could be worse than going through this whole thing only to
	learn that a major stakeholder hates what you’ve come up with?</p>

	<p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image04.png" alt=""></p>

	<h2 id="4-we-structured-our-feedback-around-objectives-not-solutions">4. We structured our feedback around objectives, not solutions</h2>

	<p>Thankfully, everyone liked the above concept. It evoked a speeding bullet
	displacing air, and as an added bonus, it resembled a capital “D” for Druid.
	That said, it didn’t feel fast enough, and we were concerned that the graphic
	mark was too wide to fit inside a square avatar, such as a Twitter profile
	photo. Our first instinct was to start suggesting design tweaks: “What if you
	reduce the thickness of the lines?,” “Would it look better if you removed a
	line?,” “What about tilting it at an angle?” Giving designers this kind of
	feedback is tempting but counterproductive, so we focused on articulating the
	problems, and let them handle the solutions.</p>

	<p>Over three weeks of refining these ideas (and experimenting with a few out of
	the box ones), we arrived at the final, Round 3 version pictured below.
	There’s no doubt that it’s the fastest, and best-looking of the bunch. </p>

	<p><img src="/assets/2014-07-23-logo/image05.png" alt=""></p>

	<h2 id="5-we-treated-our-designers-as-an-extension-of-our-team">5. We treated our designers as an extension of our team</h2>

	<p>There are lots of good designers out there, but great ones are rare. The
	difference between the two isn’t just design talent (though that’s important),
	it's in knowing how to guide a client through the process. That said, the
	world’s best guide can’t help you find something if you don’t know what you’re
	looking for. We learned that coming to the table prepared, and then
	collaborating with Focus as if they were members of our team made the
	difference between success and meh.</p>

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