Logos resources,

[tacor]

Hi there,
Some trendy links about this visual identity(logo) aspect :
http://go2web20.net/
www.rajasandhu.com
http://logopond.com/
http://eulda.com/
We can talk about "logo world"(concept. logo profiler, colors, etc.) and other identity elemts.

[F.Maya]

Nice Links, thanks for sharing ;)

[Justin Loxley-Smith]

On that theme a great and often used (at least by me :)) resource is:

Best Brands of the World (http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/categories/)

Tons of logos all EPS files.

[phantasm]

Wow Justin! I have never come across this site in the past - what a find :)

I always had to trawl through corporate websites to find PDFs which had their vector logo embedded within.

They have soooo many EPS files on there!

Nick

[tacor]

More resources about "identity brand"(because logo or other visual design are just a small part in this complex process) :
www.identityworks.com
www.medinge.org
www.superbrands.com
www.allaboutbranding.com
www.brandchannel.com
www.brandlogic.com
www.dmi.org
www.temporalbrand.com
www.wallyolins.com
www.logolounge.com
www.designmuseum.org

[jctremblay]

Wow Justin! I have never come across this site in the past - what a find :)

I always had to trawl through corporate websites to find PDFs which had their vector logo embedded within.

They have soooo many EPS files on there!

Hey Nick... If your on a mac, their is even a DashBoard Widget for it.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/search/logosearchwidget.html

[paispais]

I've bookmarked all these good sites.

Here's one I find helpful. http://www.lalogotheque.com/eng/

[GIGANTOR]

Wow that awesome and helpfully at the same time cheers.

[tacor]

A short history of branding for some of the major brands : http://www.historyofbranding.com/

[Bobby H]

Here's a word of caution about the Brands of the World website: many of the logos there are fake. The unauthorized reproductions range in quality from well done or slightly flawed to just downright laughably horrid.

This problem exists for many other sites offering download-able logos. It's even a big problem in a lot of logo libraries for sale on CD. Buyer beware!

Using a bogus logo may seem pretty innocent if the mark is just used for hobbyist purposes or a simple temporary place holder in a design. But even in that case, I can often find company materials in PDF form online and get an authentic logo as easily as getting knock offs from Brands of the World.

Anyone using artwork of an established brand for any professional/paid purpose really should get authorized artwork and the usage guidelines, which include color specifications, mandatory white space boundaries, etc. from that company's marketing department.

In doing a lot of billboard and sign design work, I have to work with lots of trademarked brands frequently. Many of these companies want to see sketches of the design to verify the proper artwork and color specifications have been used before they grant approval. Often, I'll work with a franchisee who gets reimbursed for advertising expenses from the parent company's marketing department once the job is approved. Failure to work through those proper channels and use the right artwork may end up with that franchisee losing his co-op ad money and having the finished project dismantled. The person who did the design work without involving that company's marketing department can also get into some serious trouble.

At best, I consider sites like Brands of the World a decent research tool to use in conjunction with other sources. However, I never use any logos posted there for finished projects.

[tacor]

True Bobby M, I appreciate(and accept 120%) your consideration.
Short intro about "brand identity" : The identity is more than just a logo, it is the visual interpretation of how you are perceived to the outside world. So the identity will include the colours and the typefaces, and how the logo is displayed in all of its applications. The designer will normally create versions of the logo to encompass all usage requirements in spot colour, full colour and single colour applications. Also the designer creates a 'corporate identity guidelines' document that sets the rules to ensure that the new identity is applied consistently.

[tacor]

Unfortunately in the last time i meet clients like this : "Will pay someone $150 for the best logo design. Before selecting the best designer, please send us a few samples of your work".

[Bobby H]

Such "design contests" are a rip off and an insult to the design profession. $150 as top prize? Blah. That money may get them a couple hours worth of work on conceptual thumbnail sketches from me. But $150 isn't enough for a finished, vector-based design.

A couple of people from our local chamber of commerce asked me to participate in a contest they were running in order to come up with a new logo. I declined and told them I was doing so on a matter of professional principal.

Running an open design contest is not a professional method in developing a logo design. The right way to do it is by hiring a reputable designer, working through a series of concepts and revisions until a good result is reached. Professional designers think about a lot of important, cost affecting issues rather than just trying to make a logo look pretty. And the result has to be something that can be developed into an entire corporate identity.

Design contests normally yield very random results. One entry and that's it. You don't get the level of interaction, feedback, discussion of issues like how the logo must function on a sign, limits on printing budget (ink plates) and more. The winning entry is just announced and that's pretty much it -provided the company received any entries that were actually pretty good.

[tacor]

I agree with you again. I never take clients like this guy . About this discussion : http://www.creativelatitude.com/articles/articles_fisher_dcontest.html
New resources for freelancers :
http://freelanceswitch.com/general/101-essential-freelancing-resources/

[TORCH511]

Running an open design contest is not a professional method in developing a logo design.

In the corporate world I would tend to agree with you, but that is not to say that opening up the design process, sometimes in contest form, can serve a purpose.

In 1992 the New England Patriots basically did this in coming up with thier new logo (the fact that they settled on the flying elvis still is a source of bewilderment)

In 2005, Lowe's changed the design of the Nextel Cup Series 48 car based on an internal employee contest.

You have a dicotomy when it comes to logo design and corporate image. Some companies take their overall corporate image very seriously and do as you described, hiring and working with a design firm.

On the opposite pole, you have companies that don't have a clue as to how the visual impact of their image impacts business, so they just pick something that looks good, and the source of that is anything from a random design firm... to the owners grand-daughter and a pack of crayolas.

Obvioulsy, from your standpoint being a design professional, you would want companies to care about their image, and you are not alone however in reality, many just don't.

[vmagic118]

Honestly I fell for one of these contest a few years ago. I was just getting into design and saw a chance to make a few dollars to help with tuition cost and maybe get my name known for designing not only a logo but also the package design. You where allowed to submit 3 designs. I worked day and night coming up with 3 great proposals. During the submission process emails came from the president and vice president of the company, and responses where returned quickly. The contest was extended 15 days for some reason (maybe just to get more submissions) and the prize was to be announced on the 15th of May that year. Emails stopped and replys never came as of that date. No information on who even won the contest. NEVER AGAIN!! My recommendation to all designers is to read the fine print and make sure you protect your work. Too many people are out there to promise you riches just to get your skills. However the riches never come.

[Mrbaseball34]

I have used them before to get ideas. But since they took the sports logos off the site, I don't frequent them that often, anymore. ;-)

[jgreene777]

FPO... and again
FPO!!!

[illustrator]

Thanx alot for them all. :)

[Gen]

On that theme a great and often used (at least by me :)) resource is:

Best Brands of the World (http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/categories/)

Tons of logos all EPS files.

Wow, this site is insane. Thanks :D

[rowemo]

I had a company approach me a while back and request that I design their logo. They were a new company and wanted something fresh and modern looking. The company's main focus was IT and networking and wanted a MULTI-colored design, three-dimensional, and vector based. They also requested that I create several variations. Then they told me their budget was about $100.

Needless to say I passed.

Why is it that people don't want to compensate you for your time. Creating a logo that will function over various mediums and that will stand on its own without text takes several weeks in most cases. There are several revisions that need to be made. Not to mention testing the logo prior to releasing it across the board. You would think a company would be willing to invest in the one thing that will honestly MAKE or BREAK them.

I understand small businesses have to work within there budget, but the adage of "you get what you pay for" rings so true when dealing with branding a company.