How I Approach a Logo Design Brief from Scratch

Starting with Questions, Not Sketches

The worst logo work I've seen — including some of my own early stuff — starts with opening Illustrator before understanding what the client actually needs. I've learned to slow down at the beginning of every project. The brief is never enough. I always schedule a call to go deeper.

I want to know what the business does, obviously. But more than that, I want to know what they want people to feel when they encounter the brand. I want to know who they're trying to reach and, crucially, who they are not trying to reach. I want to know what they're tired of seeing in their category.

Those answers shape everything.

Research Before Concepts

Once I understand the landscape, I spend real time in competitive research. I map out what logos exist in the client's space. Not to avoid them — though that matters — but to understand the visual language of the category so I can make a deliberate choice about whether to speak that language or break from it.

A law firm logo and a streetwear logo are playing by completely different rules. That's obvious. But the nuance is within categories — the way two competing brands use the same visual tropes and end up looking like siblings. I don't want to design a sibling.

The Sketch Phase is Not Optional

I sketch by hand before touching software. This feels slow to some clients and even some designers, but it's the fastest way I know to generate and discard ideas quickly. A page of rough marks takes twenty minutes. Those same explorations in Illustrator would take hours.

I'm not precious about these sketches. Most of them are bad. The point is to get the bad ideas out so I can find the good ones underneath.

Moving into Software

When I move into Illustrator, I already have a direction. I'm not exploring; I'm refining. The software is for execution, not ideation — at least at this stage. I work in black and white until the form is resolved, because color can seduce you into thinking something is working when the underlying shape is weak.

A logo that holds up in black on white will hold up anywhere.

What I Present to Clients

I present two or three distinct directions, not ten variations of the same idea. Each direction comes with a rationale. I'm not just showing marks; I'm explaining the strategic thinking behind each one. Clients make better decisions when they understand why, not just what.

That's the process. It's not glamorous, but it works.