What makes a logo?

When I was asked to make a logo for an energy consultant, I wasn’t sure what to do that hadn’t already been done. For years I’ve been illustrating energy technologies for the National Energy Technology Laboratory so I was quite accustomed to going through the usual gambit of gas flames, lightning bolts and electrical towers. However, this time I wanted to try something different but at the same time, wanted to meet the expectations of my client. He gave me a rough draft of something he thought would work but it really didn’t say much about what service he provided…unless it was to show he was going in different directions.

He mentioned he was taking his business internationally and that gave chase to the world…or should I say the “globe.” I started to play around with the shape and disassemble its grid. Things were taking shape. But it looked more like nuclear atoms and didn’t really say “international.” So I assembled more of the globe to get the message across. And I wanted somehow to incorporate the name of his company, Enerconnex, into the shape I was toying with. My attempts were lame and really didn’t illustrate that the “X” was a part of the name of the company. Definitely needed to pursue another avenue and not make this a 1970’s style.

 

After many iterations, the design was coming together quite nicely, especially when I decided to make the globe like a watermark. It was much more subtle but it still didn’t look like it was conveying the international sense that my client wanted. The “X” was becoming more of a part with the text but it just wasn’t quite there yet.

 

Going back to the drawing board I began to put more structure to the globe and decided to show off the “top” in order to provide a more positive perspective. Also, by angling the “X” differently it showed a more upright feel and motion. I also repositioned the text and find fonts that were more timeless. Now to add color…do we go with eco-friendly colors like green or should we be brazen and pick warmer hues. Instead we decided to choose very clean and professional steel teal blues to show strength and versatility.

The client was extremely pleased with the result and I also designed a business card and letterhead to show-off the logo’s finer elements.