The Logo Geek Podcast

Paul Nicholson designed the logo for one of the most celebrated and influential electronic artists, Aphex Twin, as well as a host of other musicians. But how has he been able to translate music into simple graphical forms? What does his design process look like? In this episode Ian interviews Paul to discover how he works with clients, his approach to experimental idea generation, and how he ultim...

As a designer you’ll need to ask for feedback on your work at some point. That could be a client who you’re hoping to approve the logo you’ve designed for them, or you could simply be asking a friend, colleague or a community of designers for their thoughts on your work. But how can you avoid getting subjective, unhelpful feedback? In this weeks episode, Ian Paget shares his advice for presenting...

Gerard Huerta’s life as a designer has been incredible. After graduating he began his career at CBS Records, creating artwork and logos for numerous well-known musicians including Boston, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and many, many more. He then went on to work for himself, where he’s designed the lettering for AC/DC’s High Voltage, and logos for Swiss Army Brands, HBO, Calvin Klein’s Eternity, Pepsi,...

When you’re a new graduate or newly self-taught designer, searching for your first job in the design industry can be tough. Applying for job after job with no immediate success can leave you feeling low, and wondering if you’ll ever make it in the industry. But you’re not alone, and this weeks episode is designed to give you some much needed motivation. Ian Paget interviews  Ram Castillo  who shar...

According to this weeks guest, brands that thrive are those with the highest quality communities, and to attract members to that community companies should work to develop belief systems. But how can they do that? In this episode Ian Paget interviews Patrick Hanlon, author of Primal Branding, and founder of the agency of the same name to discover the 7 key components that help to create, drive and...

In this episode Ian takes a look back at 2019, shares his plans for 2020 and provides advice for planning for the new year and beyond. Thank you to the sponsor, FreshBooks I’m incredibly thankful to  FreshBooks  for sponsoring season 6 of the Logo Geek Podcast! FreshBooks is an online accounting tool that makes it really easy to create and send invoices, track time and manage your money. You can t...

How do you select the most appropriate colour for a logo? How about selecting the perfect supporting colour palette? What colour mode should you be working in? In this weeks podcast Ian interviews  Greg Gunn  to answer these questions, and to discover more about his new training course,  Colour for Creatives . Greg is a Los Angeles based Illustrator and Animator working as Creative Director for Bl...

If you want to start your own design business the recommended approach for most is to start it as a side hustle whilst your 9-5 job brings in the money. But how do you make time around a full time job? and how do you reach your goals? In this weeks episode Ian speaks to  Scotty Russell , the founder of Perspective Collective, a business he built and run on the side of a full time job. We discover...

When working on identity design it’s important to know who you’re targeting so that you can create a solution that attracts the desired audience. But exactly how to approach this can often be subjective, but what if there was a more strategic way? Enneagram Personalities is one fascinating approach. 9 personality types which are represented by the points of a geometric figure known as an enneagram...

As a logo designer you’ve probably been approached by companies who have names that are far from perfect… they’re too long, hard to say, or just don’t properly represent the brand. You’ll likely want to help them improve, but where do you start? What does an expert brand naming service look like? In this episode Ian interviews Jeremy Miller to find out. Jeremy is the author of the new book  Brand...

Typography is a fundamental part of logo design, but what does it take to design a font from scratch? What software do you use? How do you sell and licence the font once complete, where can you seek advice when you get stuck? In this weeks episode Ian Paget interviews type designer  Adam Ladd  to answer these questions and more. Adam Ladd is a type designer and graphic designer based in Cincinnati...

If you want to design logos and identities that succeed in the real world you must truly understand the business, competition and target audience. To understand that you need to make research part of your design process. The information you gather will ensure you have a thorough understanding of the problem you need to solve, so design decisions can be made with intent. Not only will your designs...

As a designer you’ll put your heart and soul into your portfolio… and if your portfolio is the best in the world, you’ll get clients, right? Sadly your design work alone won’t lead to success. To be a successful graphic designer you’ll also need to develop interpersonal skills to get your dream job, or to attract and work with clients of your own. In this episode,  Michael Janda , the author of  B...

LogoArchive  is an online gallery and series of collectable monthly ‘zines’ focused on researching and restoring mid-century logo design, featuring work by design studios such as mucho, Pentagram and Anagrama. This is one of the self-initiated projects founded and run by  Richard Baird , a British freelance designer and writer. In this episode we discover how Richard started his career, why he foc...

When working on logo design a large bulk of the process is working through a visual journey. This is part of the process that’s rarely shared, and is often surrounded in mystery, but a new book published by Counter Print has worked to address this by highlighting the rarely shown sketching and process behind the making of marks and logotypes…  Process: Visual Journeys in Graphic Design , created b...

Mental health is a serious topic and all too common in the design industry, but due to fear most of us keep our problems private, and some never seek help. To encourage people to open up, to talk about their problems and get the help they need, in this episode Ian interviews Abi Lemon to have an honest and open discussion about the challenges they’ve both faced with mental health, how they acknowl...

Once your clients agreed the logo you’ve designed what files should you be sending? As a professional logo designer you need to provide the logo in a number of formats for web and print, as well as colour variations and configurations to ensure the logo you’ve designed is versatile. In this episode Ian interviews Michael Bruny-Groth to learn how to create a comprehensive logo package, and the file...

At the age of 22  Joana Galvão  made the decision to leave her junior design position to start her own agency,  Gif Design Studios . Within the first 10 months she made over $100K, and was able to fulfil her dream to work with ambitious and revolutionary entrepreneurs, such as Lewis Howes, Danielle LaPorte, and Selena Soo. But how did she do it? In this interview Ian uncovers Joanas story to learn...

In 2012 when Google changed its algorithm, the company Logo Design Works went from having hundreds of enquiries a day, to almost zero. The founder Mash Bonigala hit rock bottom, and ultimately needed to let his team go. He made the decision to start again under the parent name of  Spellbrand , which he built up to become a million dollar agency with offices in 5 countries around the world. In this...

How do you stand out from other designers, attract clients, and work on projects you enjoy? One solution is to build a business that specialises in one area, that targets a specific niche audience. In this interview, Ian speaks to Sara Dunn who’s done just that. She transitioned from a general web agency to building a niche business offering SEO services for Wedding planners. In this interview we...

In order to be respected as a designer you need to be able to show the value of design. But how do you do that? In this weeks episode Ian Paget interviews  Aarron Walter  to find out. In this interview we learn how designers can gain the respect of business owners, how to measure the success of a project, Aarrons approach to UX design, and how you can use emotion to create incredible user experien...

The Logo Design Idea Book is the latest inspirational book from  Steven Heller , which shares the story behind 50 successful logos. In this episode Ian Paget interviews Steven to discuss the new book, which leads down a path to discover the origins of logo design. Steven Heller is the author, co-author, and/or editor of over 100 books on design and popular culture. For 33 years of his career he wa...

In 1999, when she was art professor at the Stanford Art Department,  Ruth Kedar  was approached by 2 students to design a logo for their startup business. Those students were Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, which has now become one of the worlds most profitable businesses, and the logo one of the most recognisable in the process. In the weeks interview Ian Paget speaks with Rut...

In this weeks podcast Ian interviews the super talented  Alexa Erkaeva , who produces stylised logo designs and illustrations that gleam with character, which also come to life through effective use of animation. In this interview we discuss how she first became a graphic designer despite not being able to attend university, what her logo design process looks like, how she animates her logo design...

If you’re working as a freelancer or a one person company in order to scale your business you need to start hiring others to help and support your goals. But the thought of hiring someone can incredibly daunting. In this weeks interview Ian discusses this topic with Tom Ross, founder and CEO of  Design Cuts  and host of the popular podcast,  The Honest Designers  show. In this interview we also di...