Gatlin International

Description

Gatlin International's logo design class is ideal for full-time students and busy, working professionals.

What's in a name? Everything, if you're a logo designer.

An effective logo represents much more than a company, product, or service. In the words of the late Paul Rand, logos should be like flags: universal, timeless, and durable.

In this 6-lesson logo design course, you'll build your portfolio by tackling a series of challenging logo and branding design projects.  Lessons cover such important logo concepts as corporate identity, image, branding, and repositioning, with reference to intriguing real-world case studies. Exercises offer a range of creative challenges, allowing you to build your personal style within constraints of realistic project briefs.

Throughout our logo design course, the focus will be on learning how to approach each stage of the logo design process, from concept to execution and client presentation. When that Fortune 500 company calls, you'll be ready.

Take your career to the next level with the

Outline

LESSON 1 Visual Communication What makes a logo work? In Lesson One, the logo course developer shares his personal vision of visual communication. Successful logos achieve a tradeoff between flexibility (appearing anywhere, at any size) and communication. To build a conceptual foundation, you'll look at the purpose of logo design from ancient times to today's consumer society, exploring the fundamental properties of a successful logo. You'll get an overview of the logo design process in a professional environment. Then the exercise will focus on creating 3 distinct identities for a record label, working from a creative brief.
 
LESSON 2 Identity, Image, and Branding We're all familiar with the power of a major brand (Nike, anyone?). But designers often confuse the differences between corporate identity, image, and branding. Lesson Two clarifies the issues and focuses squarely on branding Ñ the essence, character, and purpose of a company and its services. The process by which a company builds and extends or repositions a brand is explored, with reference to contrasting case studies. In the exercise, you'll create a branding system for an airline.
 
LESSON 3 Expansion and Evolution Lesson Three looks at the critical first stage of any professional logo design process. You'll examine the logo expansion/evolution phase, in which you set up a client meeting to determine his or her needs, produce a creative brief, and brainstorm a range of options. Strategies for effective logo brainstorming are discussed, with an emphasis on opening the door to creativity and productivity. The exercise provides practice in both brainstorming and creative logo identity evolution.

LESSON 4 Identity Imperatives A s uccessful logo conveys the essential identity of a company or individual Ñ saying "I'm friendly" or "strong" or "smart." Lesson Four explores the various techniques logo designers use to create identity: spacing, color, shape, and letterform. You'll learn tricks of the trade to add impact and personality to your logo designs. In the exercise, you'll design a visual identity for a movie studio, working from a brief.

LESSON 5 Contraction and Definition Lesson Five covers the second step in the logo design process: the contraction phase. After a second client meeting, the designer's options are generally narrowed to a few leading logo designs. Armed with client feedback, the designer focuses on honing the artwork, addressing such key issues as legibility, simplicity, and typography. In the exercise, you'll select a logo design from lesson 4 and evolve it to a professional foundation, and also create some identity logo designs for yourself or your company.
 
LESSON 6 Finalization and Presentation To become a successful logo designer, you must know how to pitch your work. This involves both presenting the logo effectively and handling client feedback in a professional manner that moves the project forward. Lesson Six deals with these real-world issues: how to schedule and price logo projects, how to make client presentations, and how to give the client tools for measuring the project's success. The Final Project integrates client communication and presentation into the challenging logo assignment Ñ finalizing a logo for yourself or your company.

Demo

3 CEU's

Sessions College is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). Certificate programs are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools.

Additional Info

Languages

English

Course Length

60.00 hours

Duration of Access

Enrolled students have access to the class for six months. During this period, questions or assignments may be submitted at any time to the instructor. Each course lesson requires an average of 10 hours of study time.

Instructor

Thom McKenna is the Owner/Senior Creative Director of Flatiron Industries, a graphic design/multimedia firm based in the New York area. Thom has over 18 years experience in the graphic design industry, including multimedia and television work within the advertising, design and, publishing world. Thom earned a BA in Political Science at the University of Maryland. As Art Director of Emerging Markets, an international daily newspaper covering the major IMF/World Bank and Regional Bank meetings, Thom has published on-site in the following countries: Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Ivory Coast, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, The Philippines, Portugal, Russia, and Spain. Flatiron Industries recent clients include: AIG, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, American College of Physicians, American Express, Berlitz International, Citibank, Computer Associates, JP Morgan Chase, J. Wiley & Sons, ING Bank, Morgan Stanley, Sports Illustrated, Thomson Financial, and The United Nations.

Prerequisites/Audience

Courses are designed for adult learners interested in building skills and portfolio for a design career. To take the course, students simply require a computer (PC or Mac), an Internet connection (56 Kbps modem or faster), and any required software. For courses with software requirements, computers must meet software manufacturers' system requirements.

Requirements/Materials Included

To take this course you'll need Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop or equivalent programs, and basic experience in graphic design and the software packages needed for this course.