Arts

The Logo Geek Podcast

Want to know what it takes to design logos and brand identities? In the Logo Geek podcast, award winning logo design expert Ian Paget finds out by interviewing successful graphic designers and entrepreneurs around the world so you can learn from their experiences. Topics include logo design tips, getting clients, how much to charge, coming up with ideas, choosing fonts, portfolio mistakes, branding, online marketing and so much more!

Latest Episodes:

How to Register a Trademark - An Interview with Marcella Dominguez May 03, 2020

Show notes

If you’re designing logos, you meed to be aware that we live in a world where business names and logos are registered, owned and legally protected by individuals and businesses.

Ignoring trademark law could mean you end up unintentionally designing a logo that breaches an already established trademark, and your client could get in some serious legal trouble. So the more you about the topic, the better.

To learn how to register a business name and logo, Ian interviews Marcella Dominguez, a trademark attorney from El Paso, Texas.

Show notes & episode transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/register-a-trademark/

Resources Mentioned

Marcella Dominguez: Website | YouTube | Podcast
Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS)
Madrid – The International Trademark System

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

I’m incredibly thankful to FreshBooks for sponsoring this episode of the Logo Geek Podcast! FreshBooks is an online accounting tool that makes it really easy to create and send invoices, track time and manage your money. You can try it out for yourself with a free 30 day trial.

How Can a Logo Cost $250,000? An interview with Philip VanDusen Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Designers know that creating the perfect logo can be a time consuming process. But even when you know what's involved, for most it's hard to comprehend how some logos can be priced in the millions. How can you justify charging so much money, just for a logo?

To discover the answer, on this weeks episode Ian interviews Philip VanDusen who's worked with a host of the Fortune 100 companies, with logos in excess of $250,000. We learn what's involved with projects of this scale, how to accurately price a logo project, user research, testing and more.

Philip VanDusen, is a creative entrepreneur and owner of Verhaal Brand Design, a branding agency based in New Jersey, USA. In his career Philip has lead creative teams, serving as VP of Design for PepsiCo and Old Navy and Executive Creative Director at the iconic branding firm Landor Associates.

Show notes and episode transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/how-can-a-logo-cost-250000/

Resources Mentioned

Verhaul Brand Design
Philip VanDusen on YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter
Brand Design Masters
Brand Design Masters Podcast

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

Can You Design the Worst Logo? - An interview with Helen Rice & Colin Pinegar Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

We all know what a bad logo looks like, but could you design the worst logo?

The team from the design Agency Fuzzco have created a contest encouraging you to undertake that challenge, with the chance for your worst work to be judged by some big name designers including Michael Bierut, Jessica Hische and Armin Vit.

To learn more about the project Ian interviews Helen Rice and Colin Pinegar from Fuzzco, a Creative Agency in Charleston, Seattle and New York.

Show notes and episode transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/what-makes-a-bad-logo/

Resources Mentioned

How Low Can Your Logo
Fuzzco: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Dribbble
8 characteristics of a successful logo.
Pretend Store

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

Creating Stylescapes & Proposals - An interview with Ben Burns Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

Have you ever designed a logo for a client and totally missed the mark? Or been stuck in the situation where you’re endlessly making revisions? The cause is most likely that you and your clients visions do not align. But how to you work this out?

One fantastic solution, devised by the team at Blind, has been to create a Stylescape™, an enhanced mood board that expresses and steers the visual language for a branding project, providing much needed clarity before proceeding with any design work.

In this episode Ian interviews Ben Burns to discover what a Stylescape is, how to create one, and how present them to clients. We also discuss how to prepare the perfect proposal, to help convert prospects to customers.

Ben is Chief Operating Officer of The Futur, as well as Digital Creative Director at the branding agency, Blind.

Show notes and episode transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/ben-burns/

Resources Mentioned

Ben Burns: Website | Dribbble | YouTube | Instagram | Behance
The Futur: Website | YouTube
Build a Brand YouTube Series
Stylescapes™: Your design projects can be more profitable. Learn how to make more money doing what you love with fewer client revisions.
The Perfect Proposal: Everything you need to craft effective proposals that win jobs and close leads.
Core: Define, align, and design with confidence. Run effective discovery sessions to land on the same vision as your clients.
The Win Without Pitching Manifesto – Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

Becoming a Premier League Designer - An interview with Mark Hirons Apr 05, 2020

Show notes

With a love of football, Mark Hirons dreamed to one day work as a graphic designer for an international football club. This year, at the age of only 22, his dream has come true, becoming an in-house designer for a Premier League football club.

But how did Mark make this happen? On this weeks podcast Ian interviews Mark to discuss the events that lead up to this moment, with actionable advice for anyone also wanting to make their dreams come true.

Mark is also host of the Creative Waffle Podcast, where he’s interviewed some of the biggest names in the design industry, including Draplin, Sagmeister and Paula Scher.

Show notes and interview transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/premier-league-designer/

Resources Mentioned

Mark Hirons on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
Hirons Creative
Creative Waffle Podcast

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

Be An Expert, Not An Order Taker - An interview with Colleen Gratzer Mar 29, 2020

Show notes

When you start out as a graphic designer it’s easy to become an order taker, to do exactly as the client asks. This can make you feel, and be treated like a puppet on a string. But how do you move away from that?

On this weeks podcast Ian interviews Colleen Gratzer to discover how you become the expert, allowing you to become the puppeteer. A designer who understands the why behind every project, who solves the problem, and is trusted by clients to provide the most effective solution.

In this episode we also discuss Brand Style Guidelines, to understand why you should provide one to your clients, what details should be included, and how to put one together.

Colleen Gratzer is the face behind Design Domination, a podcast and community for aspiring graphic designers. She also runs her own design practice, Gratzer Graphics, which she started back in 2003, so all advice she offers is very current, genuine and helpful.

Resources Mentioned

Brand Style Guide Template
Creative Boost
Design Domination – Podcast & Facebook Community
Designing Brand Identity – Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

8 Characteristics of Successful Logos Mar 21, 2020

Show notes

When designing a logo, how can you be sure that the identity that you're working on will be a long term success in the real world? It's impossible to know for sure, but to give you the best opportunity to create a logo that will succeed in the real world, in this weeks podcast Ian breaks down the 8 characteristics that timeless logos share.

https://logogeek.uk/logo-design/8-traits-successful-logos/

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

What it takes to be a Brand Strategist - An interview with Stephen Houraghan Mar 15, 2020

Show notes

Brand Strategy has become a buzz word in design communities. Some designers, with very little experience are calling themselves brand strategists, but it’s a deep topic that can take years to master. So what does it really take to become a brand strategist? How can you learn everything you need to develop brands from the ground up? How do you conduct a strategy session, and what do you provide as a deliverable?

On this weeks episode, Ian interviews Stephen Houraghan to answer these questions. Stephen is the founder of Brand Master Academy, a training course developed to help you build strategic brands, grow your expert profile and command premium fees.

Show notes and interview transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/brand-strategist/

Resources Mentioned

Brand Master Academy Training Course
Stephen Houraghan on Facebook and Linkedin
Marty Neumeier’s Level C
Core from The Futur

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

How to Scale Your Design Business - An interview with Greg Hickman Mar 08, 2020

Show notes

Most designers work 1-on-1 with clients on custom projects based on their requirements. This means every new project is like starting from scratch… new proposals, contracts, emails and design work – most of which can never be used again since it’s tailored to that one client.

For most that approach is fine, but if you want to build a business that’s both profitable and scalable, there’s a better way. To grow your design business, you need to implement productised services using predictable systems. But how do you do that? On this weeks episode, Ian interviews Greg Hickman to find out.

Greg Hickman is the founder of AltAgency, a business helping agency owners, freelancers and service providers grow and scale their business without working nights and weekends.

View the show notes and episode transcription here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/scale-design-business/

Books & Resources Mentioned

AltAgency
Free Training Course: How I Scaled My Agency By Doing Less With Productised Services & Predictable Systems
Build to Sell – Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
The E-Myth Revisited – Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US

Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks

Pivoting from Brand Designer to Visual Storyteller - An interview with Laura Evans Mar 01, 2020

Show notes

As designers we learn a wide range of skills and tools to effectively carry out our roles. Many of us pursue a career in branding, but the landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, so how can you stand out from the competition?

On this weeks podcast Ian interviews Laura Evans, who has transitioned from working as a generalist brand identity designer, to carving out a niche for herself to become a visual storyteller. This combines her design and illustration skills with her ability to communicate complex stories more effectively. Laura is now able to do something she loves, that makes an impact, whilst allowing her to stand out in a crowded market place.

Laura Evans is the founder of Nifty Fox Creative, who uses the power of pictures to help her clients more effectively communicate and engage with their audience, motivate internal teams and drive change in a visual world.

Show notes and transcription of the episode can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/visual-storyteller-laura-evans/

Resources Mentioned