Design Considerations – Preparation for Creating a Logo and Infographics

When you begin to design your artwork, you need to consider that each logo and infographic that you create will be unique and different, and if you are creating them for a client whom you have not worked with before, it can be a challenge to know where to begin. You may also be used to creating logos in the past, and now you are creating an infographic for the first time. This chapter will look at some of the main considerations and steps that you can take, either independently or with your team, as you create an infographic for a client.

Note  This chapter is a discussion on the process of logo and infographic creation but does not contain any actual projects other than a reference file in the Volume 1 Chapter 2 folder mentioned in this chapter. However, you can use the online application of Adobe Color in the chapter mentioned later if you want to follow along.

Design Considerations

With any type of data visualization, the goal of course should be to create an infographic that shows the data in an easy-to-understand way through a picture but at the same time causes the viewer to contemplate and compare what is being presented. In doing so, you, the designer, must avoid such things as causing a distortion of that data. Yet this can be difficult when you have a limited amount of space to incorporate a lot of information. The graphic may be very straightforward, but there also may be two or more levels of

© Jennifer Harder 2023

J. Harder, Creating Infographics with Adobe Illustrator: Volume 1, https://doi.org/10.1007/979-8-8688-0005-4_2

detail in the data that you want the graphic and text to reveal. How can you incorporate a full story onto one page? The answer is to focus on the highlights or memorable moments as one might do in a trailer for a movie and remove any unneeded clutter, but to edit it down takes time, both in the data and various visual elements.

To review, designing a professional logo for a client is probably one of the main tasks that most graphic designers encounter when a client is starting a new business or refreshing their brand. If you have been lucky enough to have been chosen to do this task for the first time, as a new designer, it is definitely important that you practice your drawing skills in applications like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Note  An infographic will likely be required to be designed for a client after they have established their brand or logo. Their logo may be incorporated as part of the infographic on the page or not at all depending on what its topic will be. Nevertheless, similar requirements will apply as follows to working with your client, whether as a team or individually.

Once you have acquired some skills, such as the ones you will be reviewing in this book, before you get to work on any projects for your client, it’s always important to spend some time meeting with your client. This first meeting should be done either in person or virtually, for at least an hour. Refer to Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1.  Illustration of meeting with client in person or on the computer to discuss artwork

During that time, it is good to ask them some questions as to

•\    What are their goals and expectations with the logo or infographic?

•\    What message they are trying to convey (such as values, missionstatement, and accomplishments)?

•\    Who is their target audience? The graphic needs to reach a target audience, which could be defined by age, gender, and race as well as location, income, and core values. Logos are used as the company brand on a variety of media whether it be in print on paper and packaging or actual promotional items (T-shirts, water bottles, bags, etc.) or as seen on a website on the web page or in a video. However, infographics will mostly appear in a publication whether it be print or online. Still, you need to consider who will be viewing them and what message the graphic conveys.

•\    It’s important to discuss with the client the various multimedia options, with regard to how the design will affect marketing channels and brand perception as well as what topics to avoid keeping good PR (public relations). We’ll consider some of these factors later in the chapter.