Great Ideas Are Never First Drafts
I’m in the process of designing a Tupac logo. Not client work, it’s just something for fun. I’ve fallen in love with documenting the entire process [side note: I’m obsessed with transformations. I stop mid-scroll when I see side-by-side weight loss pics], so I take pictures and record videos that I share on social media.
[another side note: I turn that footage into “Making the Logo” videos on my YouTube channel]
Someone on Instagram asked me, “Haven’t you shown us this thing too many times already?” I’m not sure, but I don’t think they were aware I was fine-tuning an idea.
When it comes to logo design, it’s important to sketch out as many ideas as possible. Tell me if this has ever happened to you:
You join a new site, and they ask you to choose your username. You write down something you think is unique and clever. The site tells you to try again, the name is already taken.
By now, you should know, first ideas are bad ideas. They’re obvious. They’re unoriginal. They’ve already been done.
I try to get as far away from my first idea as I possibly can. Depending on the problem I’m trying to solve, I usually start seeing magic happen around idea #78.
It may just be the perfectionist in me that isn’t satisfied with “good enough.” I keep sketching until I’m in love with the results. I want to fail as many times as possible, tripping and falling along the way. Each idea is something I build upon; a stepping stone leading me to awesomeness. It’s time-consuming, but totally worth it in the end.
Editor’s Note: I finished the logo. Watch the entire design process, from start to finish.