Letterhead And Logo Design Inspiration – 60+ Cool Examples

The letterhead provides an important addition to a brand’s image, with a simple and careful placement of it’s logo and corporate design. It’s importance must not be underestimated when working on a company’s identity and stationery.

Finding letterhead designs for your inspiration is pretty hard, especially when you need something top notch to see in order to have some guidelines for your project. In this article you have a little over 60 cool examples of letterhead and logo design inspiration which should help you get an idea on how other designers have worked on the identity and stationery of various brands.

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Designing Style Guidelines For Brands And Websites

A website is never done. Everyone has worked on a project that changed so much after it launched that they no longer wanted it in their portfolio. One way to help those who take over your projects is to produce a style guide.

Edward Tufte once said: “Great design is not democratic; it comes from great designers. If the standard is lousy, then develop another standard.” Although there’s no stopping some clients from making their website awful, by creating a style guide, you’re effectively establishing rules for those who take over from you.

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5 Steps to the Birth of a Logo

I actually wanted to name the title "5 Steps to the Birth of a Brand", but unfortunately people still don't know the difference and that's why I'm writing today's post. You may be thinking it's time to invest in your brand and have a designer create your logo. Or perhaps you have a logo, but want to give it a good face lift. Well, I'm going to take you through the steps of such a process and hopefully create some converts. Let's face it, logo design is a big investment and some see it as one that is over priced. After all you're not a huge corporation. But success isn't measured in big or small. Size only matters in your way of thinking.

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35 Constructive and Appealing Stamp Designs

I’ve always wanted to have a stamp with my logo on it and use it for client work. Even if it’s the ‘paid’ invoice stamp. For some reason I don’t mind using old technology in 2012. Having a stamp gives people a personalized feeling. The thought of you having to literally use the stamp, means you carefully worked on the project and overlooked everything.

Today we decided to showcase some beautifully designed stamps by designers from Dribbble. We hope you will enjoy this roundup and maybe even create a custom stamp yourself! If you do decide to pursue this task, we collected some useful info listed below:

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25 Crazy Typography Artworks – Logos, Posters, Packaging & Ads!

Typography is an integral part of visual arts and is executed by creative professionals like graphic designers, art directors, comic book artists and graffiti artists. There is a general misconception that typography is, similar and easy as writing. But in reality, the arrangement of typeset entails various details like point size, line length, line spacing, tracking and kerning.

In the contemporary graphic design world, typography is seen everywhere from logos to poster designs and graffiti. It enables a designer to put their thoughts into motion and add emotions to their message. Even the world of advertising has employed typographic prints ads to convey the marketing message. Today’s post presents a rundown on some of the best works of typography across genres like logo design, poster design, packaging and print ads.

Each of these 25 typography inspired graphic artworks exhibit a unique and clever way of presenting the idea and concepts:


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Boost Sales By Establishing Your Business' Corporate Identity

The Importance Of Corporate Identity Have you ever wondered the first thing that comes to mind when a consumer thinks about your brand or company? Unless you haven’t worked on building a corporate image for your company, your company logo is the first thing that a consumer will remember.

Brand awareness is crucial to creating and enhancing your company’s market presence, and to maximize brand recognition. You need to apply strategies that will define the uniqueness of your company. A strong corporate identity is key to reaching your target audience. Quite simply, if they don’t know you exist, how will they buy from you?

Two of the most successful and cost effective brand awareness strategies used by businesses to give their company a distinct identity are:

· Professional Logo Design
· Corporate Identity Packages

How Corporate Identity Helps Small Businesses Establish Their Brand Most small business owners mistakenly think that creating a strong corporate identity is for big businesses only. Just because you have a small business catering to a small segment of the consumer market does not mean that you should not try different ways of expanding it. A distinctive corporate identity will help to establish your company image among suppliers, distributors, and above all, your potential customers.

Ideally, a good corporate identity package should include a business logo, a motto or company slogan, and other promotional materials such as letterhead, business cards, and envelopes. When you have your corporate identity package designed by a professional company, the graphic design artists will take care of important details such as the font to be used, icons, graphics, color and spacing of the text. Your corporate identity package will give your business the professional image it needs to win the trust of your customers.

Why You Need A Professionally Designed Logo – NOW! A professionally designed logo has several advantages:

- Help in building your corporate image: Whether you are trying to get funding for your fledgling business or additional capital for an established one, it is important that your business looks professional. A professionally designed business logo, along with other marketing collateral, will help you to build a strong, professional image for your business.

- Increase sales: Being associated with good brands is important to most customers - and the look and feel of the business can greatly influence their buying decisions, helping to boost your company’s sales.

- Establishes credibility: A well-designed logo helps to convey to your target audience that you are established and strongly committed to your business as well as your customers.

- Brand recognition: Usually people will remember a logo more readily than the name of the company itself. A logo is often synonymous with quality and trust (provided your company also has great service).

It is very important for your company to establish it’s corporate identity and brand image. Marketing works because many people become emotionally attached to brands. The key to remember is that it is not necessarily great customer service or innovative products that will bring new customers in the door. People make decisions to buy based on emotions - then they rationalize their decision. If you can remember this, then you can understand how important it is to include a professionaly designed logo and corporate identity package as part of your company’s overall marketing and branding strategy.

Author
Michelle McCray is a marketing expert, author, and entrepreneur. She’s President of Swell Creative, a marketing and graphic design firm that specializes in marketing consulting, graphic design, corporate branding, , creative ideas, and advertising for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Visit http://www.swellcreative.com for more info.
Copyright © 2007 Michelle McCray

the role of a Logo Design in Branding a Business Organization

As Wikipedia states, branding has become an “increasingly important component of culture and the economy, now being described as cultural accessories and personal philosophies.” Simply put, a brand is “a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer.” In laymen’s terms, branding is the process of creating a recognizable identity for a company or product. In today’s society, branding is one of the most important steps that a company can take. Modern consumers are willing to buy a product based solely on the fact that they are familiar with the brand. Because advertising is driven by television and the internet, the visual aspects of a brand’s identity are extremely important. The most recognizable aspect of a brand is its logo design.

Although the average consumer will take it for granted, logo design is an extremely complicated process. Contrary to popular belief, it would be almost impossible to find a major company that designed their logo by accident or chance. In reality, logo design is a process that requires the full attention of a qualified group of individuals.

Logo design lies within the larger field of graphic design. According to many industry experts, logo design is considered to be the most difficult part of graphic design. The reason that logo design is so much more difficult than many other areas of graphic design is because a company logo is not just an image. Instead, a logo is an embodiment of an organization. Therefore, a professional logo design team must possess an extremely high level of skills in several different areas. According to several sources, there are a handful of general guidelines which dictate the process of most logo designs.

To begin with, all logos should be vector graphics. Logos that are created as vector graphics can be blown up or shrunk down without losing their quality. Therefore, you can use the same logo on a business card and a billboard without sacrificing detail or quality. The next rule that guides logo design is to avoid using gradients as a major feature of any logo. Along the same line, logos should utilize as few colors as possible. This will not only make the task of reproduction much easier, but it will also ensure that a logo design does not overwhelm consumers.

In addition to the rules outlined above, there are several guidelines for custom logo design which many people would consider to be common sense. For example, a logo should not feature the face of a person that is still alive. Additionally, a logo should never include imagery that could be classified as culturally sensitive. This could range from national flags to religious icons. Finally, a quality logo design will never rely on photography, clipart or other forms of complex imagery. These items can significantly decrease that a logo design provides for a brand.

Even though you the purpose of logo design is to come up with a logo that sets a company or product from the rest of the crowd, a quality logo designer will not try to be over the top in their design. Trying too hard to develop a unique logo can have the same results as blatantly copying another company’s logo.

Author
Harris Jhosta is holding the market experience of IT industry and immense business solutions for about 2 decades now. His vast experience in the related field gave him the acclamation and renownship in many sectors of business. Harris has been involved in variety of work and giving training in designing also.Click here for more Logo Design details!".

Symbol? Or Wordmark?

Of the 15 marks in my "1996" article, nine are essentially "wordmarks," while six feature graphic symbols (Lucent, NCR, Imation, Pharmacia & Upjohn, McGraw-Hill, and LG; I count Nortel as a wordmark, but its "O" can also function as a freestanding symbol).

Which logo strategy is best? When should a CEO choose a wordmark, when a symbol? In general, consider a symbol only when:

Your name is too generic, too long, doesn't translate well globally, or is hopelessly deficient in personality.

You need an emblem on the product, as on a car hood-or a sneaker.

You need to link subsidiaries to the parent and can't easily use the name. (The Bell symbol served this function for the old AT&T and its operating companies.)

You have (or can afford) ample media, to teach us what the symbol means.

Choose a wordmark when: Your name is reasonably distinctive but not (yet) a household word.

You want to associate products or subsidiaries with the parent more clearly and directly than a symbol permits.

Communication funds are limited and should be focused on name recognition.

A case in point: In 1995, Novell wanted to be a more powerful umbrella brand over its various software names. Consultants Frankfurt Balkind designed a striking new N symbol, appropriately expressive of a focal "enterprise networking" concept, accompanied by an elegant low-key wordmark.

In 1996, the "dots" were banished from marketing communications, to better focus on the branding essential-the Novell name. Rationale: "We don't have time for trinkets that serve no functional need."

Bottom line: Wordmark or symbol, make sure your identity consultant provides a strategic application-based rationale-not just a pretty face.

By: Tony Spaeth / www.identityworks.com
Source: http://www.logoorange.com

logo design History

Based on its company name, they selected an apple as its main form of branding. Initially, the very first logo depicted a small apple shape sitting under a tree with Apple Computer Co set into the frame of the picture. It is this apple that has continued to be used. This initial logo design was perceived to be a bit too complex and hard to view, so Regis McKenna worked on the logo some years later and added a “bite mark" into the apple to symbolise the concept of seduction of the customers and the marketplace in general. The colours of the rainbows were used in this next iteration to form a link with Christian mythology in helping to encourage people to pursue their dreams. While this was not initially a deliberate goal, it did encourage business and consumers to consider the Apple brand for the first time and was successful in generating increased profits.

One of the worlds most recognised logos, the Coca-Cola brand dates back to 1886, where initially it sold very well in Atlanta Georgia because the city was the subject of local alcohol prohibition at the time. The signature used in the logo was sketched by their Publicity Director at the time, Franc Robinson.

This well known and highly recognizable logo depicts a jumping black horse known as "Rampante Cavallo." This logo is for the world famous Italian sport car manufacturer from Maranello – Ferrari. This company has designed and built quality performance sport and racing cars since 1847. The logo design is based upon the family coat of arms of the Countess Paolina Baracca; and the coloured stripes found in the upper area of the logo are symbolic of the Italian national flag.

In the early 1950's in Salt Lake City USA, Pete Harman opened a fast food restaurant. In 1952 Harman met Sanders in Chicago. Sanders was working as a versatile and experienced cook who worked out of a successful restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky at the time. During his time there, Harman visited this restaurant on a daily basis and sampled Sander’s cooked chicken coated in a special mixture of herbs and spices. He loved the chicken and its coating so much that he proposed to Sanders that they work together to build the cooked chicken business. Once customers had tasted this special coating, then the business grew. It became known as "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and as a result of its popularity, franchise stores began to sprout up all over the country. The “Kentucky Fried Chicken” brand was changed to the abbreviation KFC from the early 1990s so as to move away from the fatty connation with the word fried. The logo itself as shown to the left depicts the creator of KFC – Sanders himself.


Source: http://www.logoorange.com

the Six Universal Attributes of a Great Mark

If we weren't in the room when the decisions were made, if we don't know what the CEO's intentions were, how can we say one logo is "better" than another?

As in ice skating, technical merit can be judged independently of communications content, and we can all see the skater fall. The first five things that distinguish great marks from ordinary ones are technical; the last one addresses content. Great marks are always:

1. Distinctive. The design idea need not be unique in the world, just distinctive enough so you can "own" it in your particular marketplace.

2. Practical. Can be printed small, in ink or pixels; works in black on white as well as in colors; works in reverse too, white on black. (Faces, human or animal, usually flunk this last test; the eyes turn white.)

3. Graphic. Communicates purely in visual terms, to the right brain hemisphere; doesn't depend on verbal, intellectual interpretation. (Example: Tenneco seriously considered and rejected a "10ECO" logo design. Clever, but it's not a mark, it's a pun.) If a wordmark, it can be recognized by form alone (you don't have to "read" Coca-Cola's logo more than once or twice).

4. Simple in form. Contains only one graphic idea, one gimmick, one dingbat. Thus if there's a symbol, the accompanying name is plain and unadorned. And if it is a wordmark, one idea or device makes it special-like IBM's stripes. (The more unique the name, the simpler the graphics can be.)

5. One message. In content too, great designs try to express no more than one attribute (such as stature or speed or dynamism) and support a single aspect of positioning.

6. Appropriate. In the end, of course, the content's got to be right. An otherwise-great mark fails if the reputation, positioning, and personality expressed are at odds with management intentions. -T.S.

By: Tony Spaeth / www.identityworks.com
Source: www.logoorange.com

3 steps to creating a Knockout Corporate Logo

A corporate looking logo can effectively make you look far more important than you actually are. By adopting this simple 1,2,3 step guide we can turn your existing crummy logo into a world beating effort - garaunteed to impress the ladieees.

Step 1 - Choose a dull font such as helvetica
In the world of high flying executives and corporate back slapping deals done upon yachts etc. the one thing almost all self-made millionaires will agree on is that you must give the impression that your company is a straightlaced solemn outfit. Standard fontfaces such as helvetica or times will signify your ability to fit in with suits without ruffling too many feathers and will be looked favourably upon by those all important investors looking to harvest some of their cash in your business.

Step 2 - Choose a dull colour such as grey
Battleship grey - has there ever been a colour more appropriate for the deadening nature of high corporate investiture? No, not by my reckoning at any rate. But surely a grey logo among a sea of other bland logos is just going to get lost isn't it? Hmmm, I've got to hand it to you, you're right but do you know what - if we add a smidgin of royal blue somewhere within our hypothetical logo we achieve the type of chin stroking brilliance that committee members and associate directors can spend literally minutes debating before abstaining to the golf course and soho massage parlours.

Step 3 - Choose a dull symbol such as a circle
Right, this is where our creative minds get to have some fun. Do we put the grey/blue circle before the words or after? Above or below? Whatever you choose to do make sure it doesn't involve anything too clever or inspiring. Remember our aim here is to look 'corporate' and sensible not like some kind of fun loving chimps, you gets me. Right the logo should be just about complete and ready to enter the exhilarating world of corporate high life. To celebrate why not throw a lavish party inviting your corporate buddies like Dave and Steve from down the pub?To summarise, what we want to achieve is an air of 'dullness' yet reliability. Choose a dull font, keep the colour palette strictly dull- nothing too interesting and if you must add a quirky symbol of some sort make sure it keeps well within the dull spectrum of ideas i.e. a circle or square. Corporate Logo Design is not rocket science but if you want to give off the right impression you've got to go with the flow. Right now where did I leave that bowl of cocaine I'm off to a corporate party. Toodle pip.

By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com

winning logo lesign - how to earn big money from your logo designs

Making a living out of selling Logo Designs can be fraught with danger. Cuthroats willing to slash your throat on street corners, drug crazed thugs and conniving conmen are just some of the things to avoid. Its a jungle out there so make sure your logo design is bulletproof.

Buy Low - Sell high
In terms of outlay the resources you'll need to produce your logo designs are pretty minimal and the returns can be huge. What you'll need is either a pen and paper or in todays modern fangled world a mouse and computer to produce your designs. Pop along to your local electrical retailer and see what offers they've got on for computers. Alternatively make one yourself out of an old radio and a broken down TV. Hey presto a fully functioning desktop publishing empire for the price of a cup of tea.

Look close to home for design inspiration
Now that you're fully set up to produce quality logo designs, you've actually got to come up with some rather fancy ideas. A good place to go for inspiration is the front living room where you'll be amazed to find lots of branded products just waiting to be copied and served up as your own logo design ideas. Another place you might want to look at is your own kitchen. Go on, take a look in your fridge - it's brimming with things like cream cheese, beefburgers and probably some skanky vegetables. If that doesn't inspire you to create, I don't know what will

Hands up who wants a logo?
Your hardest task in making your logos pay for your living is going to be finding anyone vaguely interested in what you have to offer. Once you've asked your small circle of friends and family for the umpteenth time whether they want to pay you to produce a logo for them, its time to look at advertising your services to a wider audience. Try producing a TV commercial using a movie camera and the help of a local TV production crew. Once your ad is shown on primetime TV those orders will start to rollin...

...or they would have done, but for one fact on this journey of self discovery we forgot to build ourselves a website or leave a contact number for people to call. In hindsight remember to have a website designer build you a logo design website before you spend thousands on producing your tv ad. OK, for arguments sake lets say we had a website ready beforehand and now we've got something like 200 logos to produce, how are we going to cope? Outsource, my friend and soon like this article recommends - you'll be earning BIG BIG money baby. Damned right.

By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesphere.com

how to find Free Business Logo Design

Free business logo design can be found in a variety of areas. There are many logo design companies that will design your free business logo design if you purchase other products from them. Some logo design businesses will provide the free logo design with website design, stationary design and web hosting. For example, you purchase your website design and hosting through them and they will design a free business logo design for you. The price you pay for the website design and hosting depends on your needs in those areas but you are able to lump your free business logo design in the package as well for no additional cost.

Many logo design businesses will also provide you with discounts on products if you purchase your stationary and envelope design through them. You may not receive a free logo design but you will be able to save a little money on other business necessities. You may also find packages that offer other free services if you purchase your logo design from them. For example, some graphic design businesses will provide you with stationary and envelope design, a black and white logo design and your logo design in a variety of useful file formats. You may not be receiving a free business logo design but the other services are free or included in the price of the business logo design.

There are many options available to businesses that will help relieve the stress on the budget. Combining packages of products that you will need for your business will help you save both time and money. You will be able to find various graphic design packages that include free business logo design with the purchase of other services. Remember that you get what you pay for in the graphic design industry. Before you commit to any package in particular you should research the portfolio and pricing of the graphic designer. Designers must also be able to show you a logo design portfolio with several different types of work. You want to be sure that the designer you choose will be able to develop a logo in your industry. Many logo designers will have their logo design portfolios divided up by type or industry. Find your industry and compare those logo design portfolios between each other until you are sure you have found the designer and logo design portfolio that you like. You should feel satisfied with the logo design portfolio that you choose. If you feel like you need to keep looking do so until you find the logo design portfolio that you are looking for.

Whether you have any artistic abilities at all, graphic designers are able to use your ideas and recreate the image in your mind. If you have some artistic abilities, you can provide the graphic designer with a rough sketch of what you envision. You may also provide them with samples that you like and would like a variation of. The graphic designer will gather as much information as they can from you for your graphic design logo. They will need to know what your ideas are and what you are looking for in a graphic design logo. They will also need to know what your business name is, the area your business is involved in and if you have any key phrases or terms that you would like incorporated. You want to design your own logo so that it is unique but you also want a logo that you can be happy with.

By: Jeff Marsh / http://www.articlesphere.com

logo designers - the 5 Point Plan to Designing a Stunning Logo

If we had a dollar every time somebody gave us their opinions on what makes a great logo we'd be able to at least buy a round or two round The Porter during happy hour (providing they'd allow payment in dollars). So, are there any big secrets to putting together a recognisable brand? Indeed there are my friends, read on if you dare...

Sign of the times
Back in the seventies it was reasonable enough for logo designers to simply choose a fat bottomed psychadelic font, add a bit of glitter, stick on a few stars and hey presto you've got yourself a logo. These days clients are a little more discerning and demand you at least use felt tip pens or magic markers to colour in the fiddly bits. So how are things likely to look in ten years time? The canny logo designer always looks backwards as well as forwards and we wouldn't be surprised to see some of those retro fuzzy felt style logos making a reappearance come the year 2020.

A call to action
When you see some of the most striking logos in the street what do they shout out to you? 'Buy Me!', 'I'm Lovely - Eat me!' or 'I am a serious looking company and far too important for the likes of you?' You see, every logo says something about us and how we go about our business. If you are really serious about getting your message accross then hit people with a big dumb no-brainer of a logo and you'll not go too far wrong.

Know your market - intimately
Market research is the be all and end all of whether your logo design is going to have an effect or not. To really know your market you've got to get inside the mind of the person you are looking to attract with your design. If you're designing a logo for a perfume manufacturer, try walking around a department store and allow yourself to be sprayed by the orange faced women on the cosmetics counter to truely get an inkling of their way of life. If you're designing a confectionary logo, act like a proper fatty and slob out on the settee stuffing your face with chocolate bars while watching the telly. Knowing your clientelle will pay dividends in the long run.

Search and you will find
Where to get inspiration from? Well it can come from many unusual places. If you've run the creative juices dry wracking your brains trying to think of a novel design for yet another dreary company logo, go and have a creative dump. The khazi may not be the first choice for the aspirational graphic designer but you'd be surprised at how many eureka moments have occurred while sat upon the porcelain straining the onions.

Create a superior broad-based secure protocol
What? I hear you ask. Well the 5th - some would say scraping the barrel - point to our logo design masterclass, is talking up your logo design using some interminable marketing speak garaunteed to fill airtime if not exactly making any sense. It's quite acceptable to offer a client a simple helvetica based typed logo design just as long as you can express to them the need for minimal juxtaposition among the ever increasing commercial based prioptic competition they are up against, while keeping a straight face. so there you have it. I think that's cleared things up. if there's any questions be sure to read the next exciting installment...

By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesbase.com

how to be a good logo designer

I would like to discuss about a few tips on becoming a good logo designer. Being a good logo designer is not simply being good with logo design software such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. It is about being good at understanding what branding is about and how it affects advertising and marketing.

When companies come looking for a logo design, the logo designer should be in a position to analyze the company, the industry, the competitors and brand principles in general to come up with concepts that work on the attributes of these factors. An effective logo should have an impact on its target audience. It should be able to deliver the intended message instantly. As they so often say, you have 4 seconds to grab your customers attention and when one sees your logo design they should be affected at some level almost immediately.
The problem with the current online logo design industry is that due to cut-throat competition and price wars due to fly-by-night companies mushrooming, genuine corporate identity companies are not in a position to get good logo designers and to invest the time it takes to create a good company logo. Sacrifices have to be made in order to pay the bills and keep the business afloat.

However even in such situations designers can follow some simple steps to ensure that they produce quality logo designs. These steps are by no means exhaustive nor are they intended to be the best possible advice. They are just a collection of ideas that I and other logo designers in Logo Design Works employ to be effective in creating logos.

1) Always ensure you understand what the client wants
It is very important to understand completely what the client is looking for. Some times clients do not have a clue as to how their logo should look. In such situations you will have more room to experiment and try out new ideas. But when a client has put some thought into their corporate identity, then it pays to listen to the client and not be shy about asking questions. If the client says they want to see some sort of a "pyramid" in the logo design, then it is your job to understand why and what of that request. Why does the client want to see the pyramid? What kind of pyramid would he/she like to see? 2D, 3D?

2) Always research a little on the industry in general
Before starting to put any thing on paper or on the screen, always spend at least 30 minutes researching the industry the client belongs to. What kind of companies are out there? A simple search on Google will reveal a bunch of companies in the same industry. Looking at their logos and their branding efforts will tell you about the current trends in that industry.

3) Always look at the competitor identities
It is also a good idea to check out the competition. This helps you identify the current trend so that you can see the similarities and come up with ideas that will make your client's logo stand apart. It will also help you realize what is working or not in that particular industry.

4) Try to comment on each of the concepts
I have noticed that when several concepts are presented to the client it always pays to comment each of them with notes of what each element in the logo design means. This helps the client see where you are coming from and also enhances the value of the concepts. Many times clients simply do not understand what a concept might mean and there fore would not like it.

By: Jeff Marsh / www.logodesignworks.com