Logo Identity Question

Logo design is something that takes many concepts and principles of graphic design and melds them into one project. It’s more than just picking a piece of clipart to stick on top of your organization’s name.

A logo symbolizes who you are and what you’re about. So if you are designing a logo, the first question to ask is, “What is this organization/person about?”

Then the next question is to ask, “How do I communicate that message through a logo?”

Elements that could be used are:

• Fonts. (Example: A modern font for a contemporary company, an old-fashioned font for a traditional one.)
• Shapes. (Slanted shapes could convey energy and moving forward.)
• Colors. (Bright for high energy, soft for soothing and comfortable messages.)
• Lines. (Bold and heavy for strength.)

I recently had to make a logo for myself, as after a long break from freelance design, I started doing a few jobs again.

The first time about 20 years ago I tried to make a logo for myself, I spent weeks on it and was never happy with what I came up with. Over the years I’ve tried to make a logo for myself but they say you are always your worst customer, and in this case it was true! I’ve had a number of designs. I always went, “Bleah,” or “So-so,” but could never come up with anything I liked.

Perhaps over the decades I have come to understand a little more about myself and my style, so the main phrase that came to mind was that I wanted my symbol to reflect the concept of diversity and contrast. Though I do have a primary design style, I am flexible to create other styles. I also dabble in so many different areas of interest that I wanted the logo to reflect my broad range of interests.

The idea was to use my initials (for Angela Yee), and have them contrast with one another. I picked two opposite typefaces and configured them in various arrangements until I came up with the final logo. Now that I think about it, it’s almost like A to Z. (Y is the next to last letter!) The two ends of the alphabet, the whole spectrum… broad and wide. Bold and elegant, modern with a touch of conservative.

For the format of the letterhead and forms, I played off the circular motif by creating a large circle in the background.

This was one of those miraculous, serendipitous logos. It was super quick and simple and probably the one I like out of all the logos I have made for myself in the past! It also gives me the option to create different color palettes for different applications. I’m pretty happy with it!