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:

Designing Identities for TV & Film, an Interview with Emily Oberman Sep 27, 2020

Show notes

Over the past few years there have been some pretty big movie identities designed by Pentagram. These include "DC Entertainment", JK Rowling’s films "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "The Crimes of Grindelwald", Steven Spielberg‘s adaptation of "Ready Player One", "Birds of Prey'" the Warner Brothers identity... the list goes on.

The person behind all of this is Emily Oberman.

Emilys had an incredible career in design. After graduation she joined the legendary design studio M&Co, collaborating with Tibor Kalman. She also cofounded the design studio Number Seventeen, where she worked on the identities for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Saturday Night Live." Then in 2012, Emily joined Pentagram’s New York office as a partner.

In this interview we discover the surprisingly relatable story of how she got to work on identities for blockbuster movies. We also uncover the process her and her team take when working on logos and identities for movies. Then we end the interview with an honest discussion about how she was approached by Pentagram, and what it’s like to be a partner at one of the most well-know design agencies in the world.

Show notes and interview transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/emily-oberman

This episode is sponsored by Webflow, the tool that gives designers the power of code in a visual interface, allowing you to directly build whatever they have in mind without engineers. To get 10% OFF on any new annual plan use promo code LOGOGEEK (Limited to 50 uses).

A Niche Design Business Branding Podcasts - An interview with Mark Des Cotes Sep 20, 2020

Show notes

Mark Des Cotes is a well known podcaster in the design industry, being the host of The Resourceful Designer Podcast.

After several years of attending podcasting events to learn more about the craft, as a way to attract potential clients from the events he created a new brand for himself, where he was positioned as the go-to designer for any podcast design requirements. And so the niche design service, Podcast Branding was born.

In this episode we discover how Mark founded Podcast Branding along side his main design practice, how and why he treats the service as a product and how he targets potential clients too.

We also discuss the value of creating a niche design business, with actionable advice to help and inspire you to do the same.

Show notes and episode transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/niche-branding-podcasts

On Target to Design Badge Logos - An interview with Allan Peters Sep 13, 2020

Show notes

Allen Peters has a fascination for handcrafted antique design. This has inspired him to focus almost entirely on the niche style of vintage badge logo design through his own design studio, Peters Design Company.

Throughout his career Allans done just about every kind of design job. He’s worked for large and small design agencies, he's worked in-house at Target, and as an independant designer. Through these positions he's been able to learn from others to master the business of design, whilst working with brands such as Nike, Amazon and Patagonia.

In this podcast Ian interviews Allen to discover the benefits of working at different types of design positions. We learn what it was like to work within the in-house design team at Target. We also take a deep dive into the process behind designing badge logos, and end discussing Allens love for badge hunting and how you can do the same.

Show notes and episode transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/badge-logos-allan-peters

Resources mentioned:

Badge Hunting - A talk from Allan Peters.
Design process & presentation examples from Allan Peters (PDF).

Motivation to Escape the Rut with Sophia Ahamed Sep 06, 2020

Show notes

At some point in your career you might get stuck in a rut. Stuck in a pattern doing the same thing day in, day out, without making any progress. But because change is hard, it’s easy to become comfortably unhappy, and let the days pass.

This is what happened to Sophia Ahmed. She was in a dead-end job, and at a low point in her life. But after dramatic personal life events she was pushed to reflect on her life, and so made the necessary changes to get out of that rut, and make a change for the better.

In this interview we discover how Sophia started Monograph&Co, her own design agency where she works with talented partners to provide the best possible design service. We also uncover how she left a dead-end job to start her own thing, the motivation needed to get out of a rut, then end the discussion talking through her process for designing a brand identity.

Sponsored by Webflow, A visual way to build the web.

Stylescapes™: Learn how to make more money doing what you love with fewer client revisions.

Show notes and episode transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/escape-the-rut

Growing as a Freelance Designer - An interview with Jay Clouse Aug 30, 2020

Show notes

The dream for many designers is to work exclusively on logo design. But most design jobs sadly require you to work on many different types of design projects. So if you want to work exclusively on logo design, you need to work as a freelance graphic designer, and build your own business.

Freelancing can be tough, so to help you grow and flourish as a freelance graphic designer Ian's joined by Jay Clouse, the founder of Freelancing School, where he helps creatives thrive as business owners. Jay also hosts the Creative Elements, a podcast where he talks to high-profile creators about the nitty gritty of building their creative career.

We discuss a wide range of topics to help you succeed as a freelance designer. This includes common mistakes freelancers make, the importance of systems, networking and relationship building, CRMs and managing your finances.

For show notes and episode transcription: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/freelance-designer-jay-clouse

Books and resources mentioned:

The E-Myth Revisited - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US

Creative Elements Podcast

Freelancing School Course Bundle‍

Marketing for Freelancers Course

Selling for Freelancers Course

Logo Package Express

Preserving Standards Manuals with Jesse Reed Aug 23, 2020

Show notes

Back in 2012, in the basement of the New York Pentagram office, Jesse Reed, along with his colleague Hamish Smyth, unexpectedly came across a piece of design history - the original New York City Transit Authority graphic standards manual, a modernist masterpiece designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda.

This was the moment that lead to the pair founding Standards Manual, an independent publisher focused on archiving and preserving artefacts of design history to make them available for future generations.

In this episode, Ian interviews Jesse Reed to learn more about the origins of Standards Manual, lessons learned from preserving the historical documents, as well as behind the scenes lessons learned working with design legend, Michael Beirut. We also discover how Jesse co-founded the Brooklyn-based design office, Order.

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

Book & Resources Mentioned

New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
Environmental Protection Agency Graphic Standards System - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
NASA Graphics Standards Manual - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
The Worm - Available for Pre-order
Parks - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv - Buy on Amazon UK | Amazon US
Unit Editions Manuals 1 and Manuals 2.
Logo Package Express 2.0.

Designing a Monogram - An interview with Hope Meng Aug 15, 2020

Show notes

Some of the most famous logo designs in the world feature a monogram, including General Electric, Louis Vuitton and Hewlett-Packard. But how do you approach designing a monogram? In this weeks episode Ian's joined by Hope Meng to find out.

Hope is a brand designer and lettering artist from San Francisco, CA. In November 2015 she started Monogram Project, a personal challenge to draw every letter combination from AA to ZZ. In this episode we learn more about the project and the lessons learned to help you design monograms for yourself. We also discuss TEXT/TILE project, as well as productivity tips and tools to allow time for personal projects.

For show notes and an interview transcription visit: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/designing-a-monogram

Resources mentioned include:

Monogram Project
Letterform Archive
OH no Type Co - Website | Instagram
TEXT/TILE Studios on Instagram
Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple
Logo Package Express
Perfect Proposal Futur Template

Moving from Designer to Full Time Brand Consultant with Matt Davies Aug 02, 2020

Show notes

When you start out as a designer you'll likely focus on the visuals. But as you begin to understand the role design plays in business, you'll start to see the value of good brand strategy, and will want to work closer with your clients to understand and solve deeper business challenges before you work on any design.

For some designers, as they grow in their career they become more interested in the strategy side of branding more than the design, and they may want to focus on that full time. But how can you make the transition from designer to full time brand consultant?

On this weeks podcast we learn how Matt Davies did it. Matt started out as a designer, built an agency and managed a team before becoming a full-time independant brand consultant. Ian interviews Matt to discover his journey, why he made the transition, how he works with clients, and how becoming a brand consultant has allowed him to earn a higher income too.

Matt Davies is a brand & culture strategy consultant, UK top 50 advisor, speaker, co-host of JUSTBranding and the author of 'Storyategy', a book designed to help business owners unlock the power of their brand with a story based branding strategy.

This episode is sponsored by Wireframe, a podcast from Adobe XD.

Show notes and full episode transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/designer-to-brand-consultant

Books & Resources Mentioned

JUSTBranding Podcast
Storyategy: Unlock the Power of Your Brand with a Story Based Branding Strategy - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Million Dollar Consulting: The Professional's Guide to Growing a Practice - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Zag: The #1 Strategy of High-Performance Brands - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Brand Flip: Why customers now run companies and how to profit from it - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Scramble: How agile strategy can build epic brands in record time - Buy on Amazon US | Amazon UK
Freelance with Janda Training Course

How To Get Logo Design Clients - Tom Ross & Michael Janda Jul 26, 2020

Show notes

You know how to design logos and brand identities, but to turn that skill into a sustainable freelance design business, you need find people who will pay for those services... you need clients.

On this weeks podcast, Ian interviews BizBuds, Tom Ross and Michael Janda to discover how you can get your first client, establishing a niche as a designer and building a reputation to attract logo design clients ongoing.

Resources mentioned:

Biz Buds Podcast

Freelance with Janda: A suite of comprehensive courses.

Design Cuts: Save 50-99% on quality design resources.

The Ultimate Guide to Niching by Tom Ross.

Show notes & interviews transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/how-to-get-clients

Creating a Personalised Design Process with Evelyn Powers Jul 19, 2020

Show notes

If you run a design business, the offering that you present to clients should be clear and easy to understand. Someone who has done this well is Evelyn Powers, the founder of Design Powers, where she focuses on branding, web design and print for small service based businesses.

Evelyn's primary offering is website design. A service that can often be shrouded in complex terminology. But she's made it feel easy, and effortless for her clients. Her website messaging is very clear, and the process easy to understand... nothing technical, just clear and simple steps for success.

But it doesn't end there. Her process is personalised to her, with each step having a unique name based on her surname 'Power'. She's not offering strategy sessions like everyone else, she "provides clarity with the Power Plan"... she doesn't just build a website, she "gets legit with the Power Launch". This allows Evelyn to stand out from the crowd.

In this episode we discuss Evelyn's personalised design process, and how she pivoted from traditional print based designer to focus on web design.

Show notes and interview transcription can be found here: https://logogeek.uk/podcast/personalised-design-process

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Here's a few useful resources for logo designers: