Logo Design: Shapes and Symbols

Course details

Storytellers weave their tales with words. Designers must do it with pictures, and shapes and symbols are their visual shorthand, a way of quickly communicating emotion and meaning. Here Bill Gardner, founder of LogoLounge, examines how shapes and symbols help designers integrate story into their logo designs and explores the mystery behind these forms. Learn why people respond emotionally to certain geometric shapes, the history behind common symbols, and new and emerging symbols that will help your logo age gracefully. This course will give you the tools to convey the meaning behind your designs to your clients.

Learning objectives
Why common shapes are so powerful
Where stars, hearts, and shields get their meaning
How using lines in unique ways can impart a message
What repetition says to a viewer
When personification is the right strategy

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome
What is LogoLounge
The common language of symbols

Geometry

Why logo design gravitates toward shapes
Circles - The universal answer
Squares - Structure and progress
Triangles - Stability at a cost

Symbols

It's called a clich because it works
Stars - A symbol of excellence
Shields - Representing strength
Hearts - Origins with the tree of life
Flames - A mix of old and new
Crosses - Packed with symbology
Speech bubbles - Not just for comics

Lines

Lines - Ribbons creating logos
Symbolism - Taking lines further
Challenge - Creating logos with lines
Solution - Creating logos with lines

Parts

Repetition to create form
Field in motion

Similes

Advantages of anthropomorphism
Animals - An amazing shortcut
Mythology - The power of the story
Mascots - Bringing a logo to life
Challenge - Putting personification to work - Part one
Solution - Putting personification to work - Part one
Challenge - Putting personification to work - Part two
Solution - Putting personification to work - Part two

Conclusion

Next steps