The Lawn Lab, providing lawn care services in Charleston, SC.

Ian Paget of LogoGeek says on his blog,  “I frequently see logos that have a great idea, and so much potential, but the way they’ve been put together is not quite there.”

When my new client, TJ of The Lawn Lab, contacted me about his lawn care business, he had a logo that was created by a friend. It was designed with an adorable cartoon dog, but it wasn’t exactly what he wanted. It wasn’t quite “there”. The dog represented his own dog – a black labrador retriever named Moultire and the “Lab” name also went along with his wife’s career in pharmacy. Clever name and close to coming together, but he needed something else to make it more of a lawn maintenance visual.   

I’ve talked before about clients coming to me for a logo update. Logo updates are usually requested for a number of reasons. The logo may have been in use for years and the client decides it’s time for a refresh. Or the logo may have been created by the client themselves when the company was launched and now they are ready for something more professional and unique. The logo may also need an update because of a name change, a need for something more easily scalable or maybe just a change of the heart on the look.  In the case of The Lawn Lab, the client had an element that he liked a lot, but he needed it fine-tuned to include type and the lawn maintenance connection to turn it into his final logo for the business. It was a fun project and we were able to complete the process within two weeks.

Along with clearly identifying what the business is and the services it provides, a critical characteristic of a successful logo is scalability. For The Lawn Lab, TJ would need a variety of sizes for the logo – including everything from uniform shirt prints, invoices and social media to eventually adding it to the side of a truck. It was important to him that the logo could work at 2 inches as well as 4 feet. Also, clients that come to me now know how important it is to have a logo and files that can be used for any kind of social media that they might choose to use in the beginning and in the future … and social media sizing includes a wide variety of sizes. I let all of my clients know that I can provide a variety of sizes when the logo is completed and they can always come back to me for additional sizes and/or configurations.

For The Lawn Lab, I created some polo shirt mock-ups on his layouts to show how the logo would look for his uniforms. It was easy for him to see how legible it would be and whether it would be recognizable in a smaller format size.  I provided files of the full logo and some files with only the type. I know a website is in the works, but for now, you can see (and follow) Charleston, SC based, The Lawn Lab on Instagram! Click below:

The Lawn Lab

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If your clients have an idea of what they want for their logo, ask them for visuals before getting started. It will save you a lot of time to see exactly what they like and don’t like and what colors they lean towards …

When I begin a new relationship with a client who needs a logo, I like to start with a visual. I ask the client to text or email me some drawings or images that they like or that have particular colors they lean towards. It could be something they find on the internet or something they sketch out themselves. I’ve received everything from a sketch on a cocktail napkin, a photo they’ve taken or a group of 10 or more images they have found searching the net. Anything they send over is a help to me. The images can help with concept, as well as color. What is a soft blue to them may be a completely different shade to me. What is a simple figure of a tree might be much more realistic than I am imagining. 

Here are three examples of images given to me and the final logo. All three of these logos were recently completed and are now being used for marketing for the three businesses. The Palmetto Travel logo is currently on their Facebook page, The Charleston Cat Groomer logo will be used on her social media, the outside of her grooming vehicle and her business cards – and the Charleston Warehouse Boutique Sale is posted on Instagram, Facebook and marketing materials.

1) Palmetto Sun Travel sent a mock-up the client did in Word giving me exactly the kind of logo she was looking for and the color scheme.

2) The Charleston Cat Groomer sent a photo. She wanted this particular pose and took a photo of herself with her own cat. 

3) Charleston Warehouse Boutique Sale sent some images she grabbed from the internet to give me the theme and graphic look she was hoping for. 

It’s not always easy to get inside your client’s head and having them send any visuals they have or can find will often get you in the right direction … without spending too much time trying to figure out the style, color scheme and font choices that appeal to them.

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Hathaway Studio stained glass design in Greenville, SC contacted me for a logo design …

These days, a logo designer has to keep in mind from the first layout that a business logo will be used on everything from business cards to a website – and many applications in between. It’s a rare occasion to get a request for a single use logo. Another thing to keep in mind is that with social media in the mix, logo files need to be provided in numerous sizes and configurations. Some clients can handle sizing themselves, but many can’t or don’t want the hassle and would rather they be provided. Along with getting the sizes correct for social media is keeping up with size changes as social media apps change and reconfigure. Getting a size wrong can make your online presence look unprofessional. If you plan to do your logo sizing yourself, make sure you check the most current sizing requirements. 

Hathaway Studio, in Greenville SC, designs and crafts stained glass jewelry, along with artistic pieces, many of them combining driftwood and stained glass. Although in business for a while, they needed a way to brand their jewelry bags and also a logo for use online. The plan was to order a custom stamp with the logo and then print the bags with black ink and add the logo in color to their Etsy shop, as well as for use elsewhere online. The stamp worked well for invoices, too.

I started with offering them some logo designs and then once they decided on their pick, I offered a number of color combos. I based the colors on the stained glass art and the most used color combos used by the artist, Todd Wilklow. Many of his designs portray beach colors and scenes, which go along well with the driftwood he collects in Charleston, SC. Todd works out of his home workshop and displays his creations at local shops and festivals – and online. One of his other popular lines uses bike gears inlaid with stained glass. He and his wife, Debbie manage the business and hope to see it grow even more in 2019. 

I was happy to find out that they decided on the ocean colors logo – a good fit for their business and a timeless color combo. It seems that people all over the world like to be reminded of the ocean! These blue and green shades are appealing, calming and have wonderful connotations – green is the color of life and blue always reminds of us of the sea.

To see more of the beautiful work done by Todd, visit his Instagram or his Etsy shop.

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Crescent Home Services contacted me about a logo/branding package …

When the owner of Crescent Home Services contacted me about a logo/branding package, he already had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted. Clients choose to share their ideas with me in a number of different ways. They may send me links to logos they like, send me ideas describing what they want or as this client did – he texted me a photo of a rough sketch he drew (and yes, I have gotten sketches done on a bar napkin). This Charleston, SC based business needed to appeal to locals and with the SC flag he hoped to achieve that. I can’t take any credit for the SC flag and crescent of course, but for this logo – the flag imagery was combined with a simple house structure and bold font to give the client what he wanted. I gave him several font and house shape selections and he decided on this combo. Clean, simple and hopefully eye-catching for his clientele. The branding package was created in Adobe Illustrator, and he ordered business cards and letterhead. If you live in the Charleston area and need some skilled carpentry, this could be your guy!

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CMD Engineering contacted me by email to explore the development of a logo for his new business …

When your client is an engineer, details of the components are critical. This logo may look simple, but getting it exact was more involved than you might think. The logo began with a sketch he sent by text. In the last three months, that seems to have become the quickest and best way for clients to send over ideas.

Challenging and interesting, the owner of CMD Engineering gave instructions on line weights, curve measurements and radial balance – the kind of direction I don’t often get. It took a series of layouts to get it right, but the client was pleased and will be launching a website soon. As much as I enjoy working in color, this monochromatic logo helped remind me that sometimes working in black and white is a good place to start and fine-tune. Although I always include a black & white logo version with any logo package, I don’t usually start there. 

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Met at a local coffee shop with entrepreneur, Amy Bone to discuss a logo and pet illustrations …

Met at a local coffee shop with entrepreneur, Amy Bone to discuss a logo and pet illustrations for her pet photography business. Amy is an impressive young business woman filled with ideas!

We worked on the logo first, using the idea of the dog paw (of course!) and Amy picked out several of her favorite fonts for me to try out. Since developing the logo for her, Amy made a big decision to move her business to Chicago! I continue to work with her on pet illustrations that she sells in her Etsy shop. I’ll feature some of those later on my blog … but for now, here’s the final logo!

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Maria contacted me through my website because she was developing a skin care line and needed a logo …

Maria contacted me through my website because she was developing a skin care line and needed a logo and labels for the products. She was also trying to decide on the name of her company and wasn’t sure which name to use: Derm Logics or Derm Logix. Although I liked both, I recommended Derm Logics because if people were searching for it online and they would use the first spelling more often. 

She wanted to use silver and gold and also depict the berries she uses in her natural formulas. She sent me photos of all of the bottles she would be using, along with the dimensions so I could develop the labels at the correct sizing. Maria is still developing her website, but I hope to see it soon!

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A local couple met with me to discuss a branding package for the errand services company they were planning …

A local couple met with me to discuss a branding package for the errand services company they were planning – an online business to provide concierge services and more. From daily errands to out-of-town guests, Beck and Call of Charleston is the most valued personal assistant / concierge firm in Charleston.  Providing premium “past-the-front-door services” and taking care of all the tasks that take up valuable time. 

We began with the logo and their idea was a checklist type image. They already had chosen colors which were to be used in the website development. I created several different versions of their logo which could be used on the website, for business cards and rack cards and marketing ads. 

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King Fish Environmental is a company started by Jim Koenig to provide hands on outdoor environmental education …

King Fish Environmental is a company started by Jim Koenig to provide hands on outdoor environmental education to school children and adults across the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Jim’s vision is to get kids and adults back in the outdoors. His classes started in 2008 and are for both young and old, as Jim has a wide range of experience with all age groups.  Wether pulling a net in the surf or taking kids on an outdoor scavenger hunt using a biological key or bringing creatures to the class room, Jim makes the experience one of a kind. Jim also is available for a wide range of consulting using his experience in science as an educator and as a director of an outdoor environmental education camp.  He has written curriculum and created programs for Camp Leopold as well as working with many schools throughout South Carolina.

Jim contacted me to create a logo, to be used primarily on hats and other outdoor gear. He had a rough drawing and just needed some fine-tuning and the files he would need for printing. His expertise on the king fish made perfecting the details critical! We worked on several drafts to get the colors just right and Jim was very pleased with the final logo.

Visit this local Charleston company: KingFishEnvironmental.com

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A local dentist, Nathan Becker, wrote me an email about his new business and his need for a logo …

A local dentist, Nathan Becker, wrote me an email about his new business and his need for a logo for a mobile dental company which would deliver comprehensive dental care primarily to Medicaid-eligible children on-site at their schools. Additional venues are hubs of the underserved — such as housing projects, homeless shelters, battered women shelters, mental/behavioral health facilities, and prisons/juvenile detention centers will be served as well, although not as frequently as schools.

It was very important to Dr. Becker to portray a dental company that was kid-friendly, as well as a service to adults. The other challenge was that the logo would be going on the side of the large vehicle, so it would need to work well in a very large format, and look good on a business card.

After I designed the logo, I developed some business cards and letterhead for him.

Visit this delivery dentist company: www.NoSmileLeftBehind.com

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