The logo design process: from first meeting to final files

From the outside, logo design looks like a single moment. Someone sits down, draws, done. From the inside, it’s a process that runs over several weeks, with each step resting on the one before. This is how a logo project runs with us, alongside the rounds of a real one.

1. Analysis and planning

It starts with a detailed first meeting about your goals. Then comes the research: your audience, your sector and competitors, how your brand communicates today and how well your current logo, colours or type still work.

At the end of this stage there isn’t a single line drawn yet. There is a clear idea of what needs drawing.

2. Strategy and roadmap

We turn what we’ve learned into a roadmap: scope and goals, design steps, timeline and budget. For logo projects, this is also where the scope is fixed. Our standard proposal for logo design includes three concept presentations and two rounds of revisions on the chosen design.

3. Design, in rounds

The design stage starts with a moodboard and work that tries out different directions. Then come the presentations. Each one is a round, and after each round the direction gets a little clearer.

The Pekin Yapı Market logo took three rounds. In the order they were presented:

Round 1. A red, hexagonal P drawn from geometric building forms. Its sharp edges carried the technical side and the open shapes inside carried the balance. A small red square dotted the i.

Round 2. Somewhere else entirely: a dark green house with a window, and a light, widely spaced wordmark. There was no P at all.

Round 3. Back to the P. The hexagonal P was shown three ways, and two things changed between them: the shapes inside the P and the dot on the i.

The one chosen was the first option from round 3, and that option was the round 1 P itself, with its rounded counter and square red dot. The whole Pekin Yapı Market identity was built around it.

The sequence shows something worth knowing. Rounds don’t always move in a straight line. Sometimes seeing a different direction is what shows you why the first idea was right.

We share every stage of this with you as we go, and your feedback steers the work.

4. Revision and delivery

Revisions are made on the chosen design, followed by a thorough final check. Every version of the logo (horizontal, vertical and the small version with the symbol on its own) goes through that check. Files heading to print get an extra check for colour consistency and material.

Delivery is more than one logo file. You get every format you need: AI, PDF, PNG and JPG. If brand guidelines are in the scope, the rules for using the logo come with them. For Pekin, delivery meant the logo versions, a palette of Pekin Red, Industrial Black and Pure White, with the red defined as #CA2027 for screen, RAL 3020 for paint and Pantone 711 C for print, and print-ready files for the business card, letterhead and flag.

What helps from your side

Coming to the first meeting with a few things in mind speeds everything up: what your brand wants to say, who it’s for, examples you like and don’t like, and where the logo will be used. During the rounds, honest feedback is the biggest help. Even “I’m not sure, something’s missing” is useful. We’ll work out what’s missing together.

If you’re thinking about a logo project, get in touch. You can see the whole Pekin identity on its case page.