Clients often ask what actually happens between paying for a logo and receiving one. Here is my process, honestly, including the boring parts.

1. The brief

I ask three things: what do you sell, who buys it, and who are your competitors. That is it. I do not need a mood board on day one. I need to understand the business. If you have existing materials — a sign, a vehicle wrap, packaging — send photos. Where the logo will live changes how it should be drawn.

2. Sketching on paper

I sketch first, always. Twenty to forty rough marks, most of them bad. Paper is fast and it stops me falling in love with the first idea because it looked nice with a gradient on it.

3. Digital drawing

The best three or four sketches get drawn properly in vector. This is where geometry matters — consistent stroke weights, real circles, optical alignment rather than mathematical alignment. Your eye is not a ruler and the logo has to satisfy the eye.

4. Testing small and testing flat

Every logo gets tested at 16 pixels, in pure black, and in pure white. If it does not survive all three, it is not finished. A mark that only works at 500 pixels in full colour is an illustration, not a logo.

5. Presentation

I show you two or three directions, each in context — on a card, a sign, an app icon. Not floating on a white square. You should see it doing its job.

6. Final files

You should receive, at minimum:

  • AI or EPS vector master
  • PDF vector
  • PNG with transparency, several sizes
  • JPG for anyone who asks for a JPG
  • Black, white and colour versions
  • A simple guideline sheet: clear space, minimum size, correct and incorrect use

If a designer gives you only a JPG, ask for the vector. You paid for it.

How long it takes

A single logo, about one week. A full brand identity with stationery and guidelines, two to three weeks. Rushing this part is the most expensive saving you can make.

I am Md Alamin Ashif, a brand identity and print designer in New York. You can see over a hundred finished projects on this site.