Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities [Paperback]

David Airey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0321660765 | ISBN-13: 978-0321660763 | Edition: 1

There are a lot of books out there that show collections of logos. But David Airey’s “Logo Design Love” is something different: it’s a guide for designers (and clients) who want to understand what this mysterious business is all about. Written in reader-friendly, concise language, with a minimum of designer jargon, Airey gives a surprisingly clear explanation of the process, using a wide assortment of real-life examples to support his points. Anyone involved in creating visual identities, or wanting to learn how to go about it, will find this book invaluable. - Tom Geismar, Chermayeff & Geismar

In Logo Design Love, Irish graphic designer David Airey brings the best parts of his wildly popular blog of the same name to the printed page. Just as in the blog, David fills each page of this simple, modern-looking book with gorgeous logos and real world anecdotes that illustrate best practices for designing brand identity systems that last.
 
David not only shares his experiences working with clients, including sketches and final results of his successful designs, but uses the work of many well-known designers to explain why well-crafted brand identity systems are important, how to create iconic logos, and how to best work with clients to achieve success as a designer. Contributors include Gerard Huerta, who designed the logos for Time magazine and Waldenbooks; Lindon Leader, who created the current FedEx brand identity system as well as the CIGNA logo; and many more.
 
Readers will learn:
 

• Why one logo is more effective than another
• How to create their own iconic designs
• What sets some designers above the rest
• Best practices for working with clients
• 25 practical design tips for creating logos that last

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Airey, a graphic designer from Northern Ireland, has been intrigued about brand identity since the 1990s, when he enrolled on his first graphic design course. Having honed his skills working in the UK and the United States, he then made a conscious choice to specialize in logo design.

Self-employed since 2005, David has amassed an impressive global client list, including Yellow Pages (Canada), Giacom (England), and Berthier Associates (Japan). He writes three of the most popular graphic design blogs on the Internet: davidairey.com, logodesignlove.com, and identitydesigned.com, attracting more than 600,000 online visitors every month.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: New Riders; 1 edition (December 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321660765
• ISBN-13: 978-0321660763
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.4 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial > Branding & Logo Design
  • #13 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Desktop Publishing
  • #27 in Books > Arts & Photography > Decorative Arts & Design

More About the Author

David Airey has been successfully self-employed as a graphic designer since 2005. Specializing in the design of brand identities, he works with clients of all sizes from his studio in Northern Ireland.

He is the author and editor of three of the most popular design blogs on the Internet: davidairey.com, logodesignlove.com, and identitydesigned.com, with the sites attracting hundreds of thousands of subscribers and more than 600K visitors every month.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book We Have Needed! January 7, 2010

By Christopher W. Taylor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

David Airey has nailed the topic of logo / identity design right on the head!

I have been fortunate enough to have a handful of my logos featured in a few best selling books. By no means do I consider myself an expert, but instead (just as every designer should be): a constant learner. Success is fleeting and then it's back to the drawing board to try and repeat the process. Just as every designer with a beating heart, I have questioned my design process, my pricing, my abilities, and my skill at negotiating with the client. Logo Design Love gave me the confidence to say: "You know what? I'm doing ok, but here's what I'm going to work on..." David Airey has come as close to mastering the topic as one can and he translates his methods flawlessly into an easy to understand series of steps that are sure to get your designs on the right track every-time. I am pleased to say that though I have been using much the same approach as David when constructing logos, I took some very valuable tips and strategies away from this that I can not wait to apply to my next identity design!

Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it can serve as the perfect way to educate your client on the concept and process of logo design! 2009 found many of my clients consistently trying to pit my prices against crowd-sourcing sites even though there was absolutely no comparison in the quality and level of service between us...AND IT'S FRUSTRATING! VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING! You must remember that to the average client: a logo is just a logo and therefore shouldn't cost that much to create...to make matters worse, we designers have collectively pandered to this mentality instead of correcting it. This book, when given to your client, will correct it!... I am going to buy a handful of copies and every-time I start a new identity design I will supply the client with this book as a cornerstone of education and communication on the topic to ensure that we are on the same page. If you like the idea of having a smoother client-designer relationship, you'd be smart to do the same. I managed to read the book in two sittings, so don't worry, it will not delay the process, but will undoubtedly save much time and frustration. Thank you David Airey for such a valuable contribution! Read more ›

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know that you won't learn in school. September 14, 2010

By Kristin

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's fairly short and to the point and will hold your attention unlike a lot of books I have purchased in this category. I wasn't sure I needed it at first. I have quite a few books on my bookshelf on this subject, some that I have never been able to stomach for more than a few pages. This book is not one that will sit on your shelf unread. It's chock full of useful, real life business advice for the freelance designer. David also walks you through his identity design process using real examples. This is everything I wanted to learn in school, but never did. If you are a graphic designer and you haven't read this, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A-OK May 31, 2011

By J. cheung

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Like another reviewer mentioned, I bought this book hoping to gain new insight on the thinking process behind designing logos and such. My favorite section of the book is where the author explains how designers use mind maps to draft ideas before turning to use the computer.

However, when it came to showcasing different logos, it almost came across as advertising how great the respective designer(s) were for coming up with the different logo designers, and consequently how successful the company did after the re-branding effort. There was the problem (logo was boring), and then the solution (designer drew up some ideas and voila, a cool logo was implemented)...but what I really wanted to know was the thought process in between these two steps!

All in all, a good read with some useful tips

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for graphic designers and for those looking to hire one! January 11, 2010

By Angela Lawrence

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a professional graphic designer for the last 10 years, I have run across too many clients who have asked me to design them a logo and believe that the process consists of me doodling on the computer for a few minutes and then hitting the print button. The process is much more in-depth than that and this book by David Airey lays out the process in an easy to understand way. I love this book and devoured it in one day. David's writing style is not only down to earth and gets straight to the point, but he also shows you exactly what he means with excellent logo examples. David unleashes a lot of misconceptions about logo design and covers everything from brand identity, to the design process, to working with clients. Just as logos should be simple and timeless, this book is beautifully simplistic and will definitely prove to be timeless. This is a must read for any graphic designer or for those looking to hire one.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities January 15, 2010

By Victor Zuniga

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

David's book is more than a guide to creating iconic brand identities, is a guide to be a more successful graphic designer in anyway. The book was easy to follow and there is nothing bad I can say about it. I am a graphic design student and this book is very inspiring, I can only say that is an excellent read. I have learn more from this book than any graphic design professor I have had.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for established & aspiring logo designers January 22, 2012

By Adam Taylor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Whether you're well established in the creative industry, you're just starting out, or you're simply fascinated by the subject of logos, branding and brand identity, Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities is a must read.

David Airey, the gentlemen (who took the time to reply to my follow up question on safeguarding against copyright infringement), scholar (of all things Brand ID) and author (of this book + the almanac logodesignlove.com blog on which it's based), walks you through a history of branding and demystifies the process of designing brand identity with numerous examples from his portfolio and those of other renowned designers & agencies.

This book makes for easy, informative, instructive and inspirational reading... and as such I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone with even the slightest interest in the subject of brand identity.

Thanks again David, for the body of work and for the reply!