About me
Call me M. I'm a freelance graphic designer currently living in Virginia with a passion for clever creation. I work in a variety of mediums, but my primary goal is always to create something that leaves an impact on all who view it.
I am currently looking for a full-time graphic design position, available immediately for remote work or with advance notice for in-person work. I am also currently accepting new freelance clients. Contact me with opportunities through the form below or via email at mheimburgdesign@gmail.com.
Résumé
Process
Brainstorming
I've found that the best way to brainstorm ideas is to throw everything you have at the paper and see what sticks, and then throw some more on top of that just for good measure. Although I've had some good results from my first ideas, my best ideas always come after hours and sometimes days of going through idea after idea and working out what works and what doesn't.
For this logo, I had initially wanted to use the imagery of a boat and gears, but after several iterations I found that it just wasn't working. I went back to the board and decided to go with some less obvious but still nautical imagery: anchors, rope, a wave, and life preservers. At this point, the client wasn't sure which they preferred, so I took all of them to the next stage.
Sketches
Once I have the concept of the design in place, I get to work with pen and paper to visualize my concept in more detail. I find that it helps me to focus on the big picture and leave the fine details for the later stages. I make several large sketches, one after another, referencing the previous one each time as I add, remove, or change details to make it work better.
The design the client chose to continue forward with was the life preserver. In this logo, it was here that I realized that a serif typeface was going to work better with the design to add some variation in line weight. I also knew that I really wanted to play with positive and negative space, and use simple shapes to suggest the more complex shape of the life preserver.
Mockups
After I've gotten all the detail I can out of a pen-and-paper sketch, I move to my computer to begin working on the details. This is where I get to see the design really come to life and get to play with scale, line weights, typefaces, and more. I prefer to stick to grayscale for these initial mockups so I can focus more on the form and contrast of the design.
Choosing a typeface was the challenge for this logo. I went through several different styles ranging from slab serifs to elegant classic serifs to stencil-like typefaces to the classic 70's throwback of Cooper Black. In the end, I decided that a classic thick-and-thin serif would work best as I had predicted in the sketch stage, and the client agreed.
Final render
With the design digitized and details decided on, I finally add colors to my design. I typically use premade color palettes and Pantone colors as a starting point and then move into fine-tuning the color scheme. The final color can make or break a design, and I like to leave and return to my design several times during the color choosing process to see it with fresh eyes.
The client requested that this logo use blue and yellow as its primary colors. Starting with some pre-generated palettes, I worked with various shades of both colors to find hues that worked well together. I found that a warmer yellow worked best, and a mostly-true blue with a hint of green complimented it well. And with that, the logo is complete!
Special Thanks to Terry,
A guy who tried to scam me and instead got his logos used as my design process examples. Looks like the seven and a half hours I spent on your fake boat company logo weren't useless after all.
