How to Design a Logo for an Airplane
Logos are a form of branding used by corporations and individuals eager to represent their businesses through a design consisting of either the company name or slogan in a specific style of type - or font, a graphic image or both elements together. Effective logos are memorable and visually appealing (consider McDonald's golden arches and their bright yellow "M" as a prime example). Ideally, the public will be reminded of your business by simply seeing the logo, even if it is unaccompanied by any other information. No matter what business category your logo represents, striking a balance between too much clutter and too much white space is essential. A logo can be hand drawn and then scanned into a computer or designed in software programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Quark. A successful logo will also give the public an idea of the category of business that is represented by the image. A preschool center's logo may utilize bright, primary colors and an easy to read font in a child's handwriting while an elegant catering business may rely on rich vibrant shades and a font that is reminiscent of calligraphy but also easy to read. There are endless options to consider. If you're designing a logo for an airplane, for example, you'll need to consider carefully what font and graphic image will best represent the industry and the plane itself.
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Things You'll Need
- Pencil
- Paper
- Markers
- Scanner
- Computer
- Adobe Photoshop, Quark or a similar computer design software
Instructions
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Identify key elements about the airplane or airline company that can be incorporated into the logo. A slogan, image of the airplane or a specific part of the airplane, specific colors or the initials of the owner of the plane or the company itself may be useful when you're designing the logo.
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Focus on the key elements of the logo such as the outline of a basic airplane shape against a blue sky that is represented by a blue sphere. Avoid the addition of too many elements to the logo. Adding clouds to the blue backdrop, for example, could make the logo too complex. A successful logo must be legible and easy to read whether it's presented on a large scale, such as on the airplane, or on a very small scale (on a business card or in the corner of a print advertisement).
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Decide whether the main focus of your logo will be a graphic image or the type. If you would like the illustration to serve as the focal point, you'll need to experiment with the placement of the name of the company or the slogan. Will the type sweep across the entire image or be flush left, flush right or centered? On occasion, the type may even circle the graphic image. The best thing to do is to create a wide range of examples. Scan the graphic image into your computer (or simply create it in your software program from the beginning) and experiment with many versions of the logo by changing the placement of the type and the font you're considering. Gradually delete options that don't work as well as others until you've created the perfect logo for the airplane.
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Check to make sure the logo is still as effective and legible in gray scale, or in black and white, as it is in color. The logo will inevitably be printed in black and white so the design must not be lost when the color is removed. Consider, for example, a circle that is split in half and imagine one side in bright purple and the other in bright red with the colors butting directly up against one another. If you were to convert this circle into black and white, the colors would be indistinguishable. To prevent an incident like this, make sure all the different design elements are in contrasting colors. A similar problem with color would occur if you were to create the plane in dark gray and the sky in dark blue. If the colors were turned to gray scale, the two elements would blend together. Using a white or light gray plane against a dark blue backdrop would eliminate any potential problem.
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Step back from the logo to look at it from all angles. This will allow you to see the flow and layout of the design clearly and identify any concerns. For example, if the plane's wings and body are angled in a certain manner, the image could resemble a peace sign instead of the wings of a plane. With some simple tweaking, the image will retain its integrity from any angle. By experimenting with color, fonts and graphics until you have a winning combination, you'll be able to create a logo for the airplane that will be attractive and memorable.
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References
- Photo Credit logo image by Juliane from Fotolia.com
