Why developing a new logo is such a headache

Here at Glorious Day, we have been struggling to come up with a new logo, partly due to time constraints, but also because we can't agree on the basics.

What we do have is a successful and proven methodology and wealth of ideas that we know will be profitable for all concerned: our clients, their customers and, not least, ourselves. So, what's the problem?

The big problem appears to lie in underestimating the complexity of the task. Conversely, that difficulty comes from trying to do too much. There are other, more effective and valuable ways to get your message across than attempting to say it all with a logo or design.

At the same time, it is easy to fall in love with a good logo without it being the right logo for you or your business. We have fallen onto this trap ourselves, both with the children's drawing and by going back to the Alchemy System design.

So, here are a few secrets to developing a good logo, as I see it:

• A logo is a visual bookmark you use to remind people who you are and "brand" (as in what happens to cows) everything you do. If the logo appears next to it, the product, item, article, business card, website, letter or banner is associated with you. It helps people remember you and compartmentalise everything you do. As such, it doesn't have to have anything to do with your "image" or other people's "perceptions" of you - it has a life of its own dependent entirely on how you use it.
• Like art or music, any design is subjective. A logo means something different to each person that sees it. It therefore follows that you must love your visual icons before anyone else does. For them to represent you, you must represent and nurture them. Learn to love them for what they are - works of art that have value both in themselves and by association.
• Remember that your design must have a "personality" that fits with (or, at the very least, does not contradict) your own or that of your company. And that your personality is something more complex than simply what you do and who you do it with.
• Pablo Picasso is reported to have said: "Good artists copy, great artists steal." Look around you and take inspiration, but always keep in mind how your favorite designs are relevant to the personality of your business. Also, there is no such thing as a stolen idea if the implementation is different.
• Simplicity works best - especially as any logo (or at least its central tenet) should be scalable to fit anything from a business card to a poster. How important is this to you?
• The problem with simplicity is that it often appears just too simple - like taking the easy way out. But really, has anything ever been "too simple"?
• It is all too easy to be critical - but this often kills good ideas at source. Ask yourself: "Could I get used to this?" "Could I learn to love this?" Any redesign encounters resistance to change at first, before it us hailed as ahead of the curve and ingenious. The more an idea jars at first, the more visionary it might appear two weeks from now.

To get what you want from your design team, you must be open with then and let them know everything about you. This way, the finished product will reflect you and the personality of your company first, and the message, the market or the latest trends. Most importantly, it will be something you love for what it is.