“The opposite of really good is not bad, mediocre, or even dreadful. The opposite of really good is random.”
Really Good Logos Explained is built on the idea that it would be interesting and useful to read what four name-brand designers have to say about the same designs. The truth about any one sample might then be found somewhere between the comments.
A logo is a microcosm of graphic design. There are a limited number of relationships that must be resolved in a way that looks thoughtful and purposeful. A logo must balance contrasts to make the mark visible and similarities to give it design unity. There are five considerations to making a design artful:
- A great idea, simplified to its essence
- Knowledgeable management of content
- Precise relationships
- Exact spacing
- Elegant execution
Most books just show samples and leave it to you to figure out what makes them good – or just swipe the ideas as your own. This book illustrates how to see critically by deconstructing a design and it gives you the understanding to construct your own really good logos. It is a nonstop discussion of design contrasts and relationships that you can apply to any design process, not just to logo design.
Really Good Logos Explained was coauthored with Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, and Ron Miriello. Margo lives in Los Angeles, Rian lives in the U.K., Ron lives in San Diego, and I live in Connecticut. That makes coauthoring dependent on remote writing, which is how this book was written under the excellent guidance of our publisher, Nancy Heinonen. It was a summer of great fun: logging on, commenting, and seeing what my coauthors had already said.
Published by Rockport Publishers in 2008.
Alexander W White 