This week, we’re talking with Ian Paget (AKA Logo Geek). Ian is one of the most established and talented logo designers in the field who has built an incredible brand around his work. Today, we are so excited to pick Ian’s brain on what makes for a successful logo design, as well as hear his philosophy on brand building, marketing, and standing out in a busy field. So without further ado, let’s get into the show!
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Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] The gang welcome Ian to the show.
[2:25] Ian introduces himself to the panel.
[3:00] Ian discovers logos are his passion.
[4:20] An unexpected first client reaches out for logo design.
[5:00] Overwhelming growth catapults Logo Geek into a full-blown brand.
[6:25] Logo Geek is a classic example of doing everything right.
[7:00] Simple. Helps a logo be remembered and timeless.
[8:00] Ian explains the S.M.A.R.T. Principle.
[9:05] Tom shares a behind the scenes of the Design Cuts logo.
[10:00] Researching competitor logos is a must.
[11:00] Memorable attributes people remember about logos.
[12:00] Ian shares a logo experiment he created for Comic Sans.
[13:00] Appropriate. Designing logos with the business audience in mind.
[14:00] Understand the business and the target audience you’re designing for.
[15:00] Great logo design is a lot like baking a cake.
[16:00] Combine feelings, shapes and colors to find the right logo aesthetic.
[17:00] Ian talks through an Edgy Lawyer logo design.
[18:30] Ian’s logo design process starts with a questionnaire.
[19:40] Goals based on conversations, competition, key words, and their products.
[20:20] The 3 Who’s of Logo Design.
[21:00] Proper contracts protect you when people change their minds.
[22:00] Ian shares an example when a client changed their logo direction.
[23:00] Tom’s shares his recent logo design experience for his personal trainer.
[24:00] Lisa asks Ian how he handles when a logo falls flat when shared with clients.
[25:00] Outlining that goals were achieved to resell the design.
[27:00] Having everything in writing protects you and the integrity of the design.
[28:50] Deeper dive into the logo brief.
[29:00] Transferring the brief into a visual. Ian walks through his process.
[30:00] The Logo Mind Trick.
[31:20] Gold can be hiding in the roughs. Presenting various logo options.
[32:40] Sketched ideas are the foundation blocks for great logo design.
[33:00] Selecting sketches that feels strong and moving to Illustrator.
[34:00] Typography is key.
[35:00] Google Fonts save startups a lot of money.
[36:00] Understanding typeface licenses.
[37:15] The most versatile logos contain these qualities.
[38:00] Flexible designs are so important in logo design.
[39:00] Distilling your logo design. A tip Ian learned from Draplin.
[40:00] Adobe Illustrator’s LiveSurface plugin is a powerful tool for logo visualization.
[41:25] Logo testing can be very helpful. Ian shares a real user-testing example.
[42:00] User testing cements a logos impact.
[43:20] Ian talks isolating a logo design for client presentation.
[44:20] Presenting when you can’t sit in front of the client.
[45:10] Holding thoughts until the presentation is complete.
[46:10] The #1 question you should NEVER ask your client.
[47:00] Focus on the goals of the design.
[48:55] Tom asks Ian how he prices himself.
[49:20] From £25 to £700.
[50:00] Know your average project time investment.
[51:20] One price, Value based pricing, or Tiered pricing
[52:00] Ian explains why Blair Enns’ Price Comparison Strategy works.
[53:00] Anchor pricing.
[54:00] Base and middle tier price.
[55:00] A client’s thought process on pricing.
[56:00] Why the tiered pricing strategy earns Ian more money.
[57:00] A process driven system keeps projects moving smoothly.
[58:20] Tom asks Ian if most clients accept his prices.
[59:00] Gradual price increases helped Ian feel more comfortable in his pricing.
[01:00:00] Ian talks about growing up with little money.
[01:02:00] Ian is continually learning through community and podcasting.
[01:03:00] Ian’s customers are buying the impact and not the process.
[01:04:00] If you have a lot of work raise your price.
[01:05:00] Charting your own course with pricing.
[01:07:00] Ian is very content and not chasing happiness.
[01:08:40] Tom talks about meeting so many amazing designers at Creative South.
[01:09:30] Tom asks Ian why he believes he’s been so successful.
[01:10:10] Learn to market yourself. Clients have to be able to find you.
[01:11:00] Ian has learned search engine optimization to get found.
[01:12:00] Ian focuses on being seen.
[01:13:00] Choose conferences where you level up your marketing.
[01:14:00] Once you are good at something focus on marketing and networking.
[01:15:00] Marketing, SEO, Blogging, Search Engine Optimization
[01:16:50] Special thanks to Ian for joining us.
[01:17:00] Search LogoGeekto find Ian Padgett!
[01:18:00] That’s a wrap and don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes!
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“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!” – AG_GD
GREAT episode! Usually listen at work while taking some small notes here and there on a post-it. Love at the end when you are like “I know that everyone have been taking a lot of notes..” and I look over at my 7 post-it notes that I’ve taped together, with just notes of the creative process. A lot of helpful material here, love how all the different episodes bring a different kind of value. You rock!
Woohoo we’re so happy that you think so Julia and we love the sound of all of your post-its of notes from this one! I hope that you find all of these tips really handy, and just in case you aren’t already aware Julia, you can always use the video link to watch a replay anytime, in case you want to be able to add to your post-its another day :).