This Graphic Design project must be saved as a PDF, and saved in the appropriate location on the server, in order to be considered a "Completed Assignment"

Logo for Illinois State University's CeSTEM Program

Logo for Technology Education Collegiate Association at Illinois State

Corporate “Branding” stems as far back as the old west, and beyond. These icons serve businesses, world wide, as a quick identifier for consumer to product gravitation. And, it is because of the very nature of branding and logo design that companies pay out top dollar for designers to illustrate their calling card to the general public. Of course, this wasn’t always the case.

The complexity or simplicity of a logo can act to either build a logo’s strengths or to expose it’s every weakness. Take, for instance, the Nike Logo (the swoop). This logo has been around since 1971, designed by Carolyn Davidson for a whopping $35, and represents the wings of the Greek goddess of victory. Microsoft’s logo, designed by Scott Baker, utilized a lower case “s” in it’s design to emphasize the “soft” part for “software”. The slant of the logo is illustrative of speed.

There is a wide variety of logos in the world today. From local bands to stadium-filling rock stars, from small mom-and-pop stores to globally renowned super markets, the list of logos and brands is endless. And, designers are demanding good pay for their craft, especially because of the exposure of their creation to the public eye. It is your task to step into the designer’s shoes, to create your own identity as a designer. Your logo must reflect not only something about yourself, but also your ability and your attention to detail and quality.

For more information on corporate logos, view this website

In order to complete this assignment, the student must provide the following
(2 points each - 18 points total):

Steps for Completing Logos (Objective)

• Three thumbnail sketches must be provided (2 points)
• One "rough" of the accepted logo must be illustrated (2 points)
• Logo must be created in Adobe Illustrator (2 points)
• Logo must accurately reflect the rough (this is your "comp") (2 points)
• Logo must be "school appropriate" (2 points)
• Logo must not be a blatant plagorization of another logo (2 points)
• Finished logo (thumbnails, rough, and comp) must be submitted to the instructor (2 points)
• Two versions of your Logo must be created (2 points)
  • Black and White Version.
  • Color Version! (feel free to add Photoshop Effects)
• Completed logos must be saved as an Adobe PDF document (2 points). Logos that are not saved as PDF will not be considered submitted and therefore will not be graded.
• Subjective analysis of Logo (see Grading Policy)

Things to consider:

• Does your logo look just as good in black and white as it does in color? Good logos look fine in color. Great logos look fabulous in black and white.
• Does your logo look too "photographic?" Logos should be very "vector" - objects, lines, shapes, etc. Avoid the photographically 3D look.
• For this assignment, avoid using just a straight text logo.

When your logo is completed, continue to Step 2: Designing a Business Card