LOGO Lab

"Logo Lab," the new HOW Design Books release from designer/author Christopher C.H. Simmons, is the identity design book many in the profession have been waiting for to help actually explain the process of creating logos. The book lives up to its subhead by really demonstrating "identity creation from concept to completion" in a clean and beautifully designed format. Simmons, in a conversational style of writing, introduces us to the creative geniuses behind 18 individual identity projects and then takes us through the client meetings, concepting, sketching, scheduling, presentations and execution of the final design for the businesses, organizations and products featured. Along the way the reader is visually stimulated by initial logo scribbles, presentation boards and the end applications for the identities of Converse, the New York City Olympic bid, an NFL team, the Georgia Music Hall of fame and more. From the one-person firm efforts of sports identity specialist Mark Verlander to the teamwork of Ogilvy & Mather's Brand Integration Group, the author takes the viewer to a position of peering over the shoulder of the designers hard at work through his text and vibrant illustrative elements. A favorite chapter is the presentation of Simmon's fascinating interview with the perennially cranky and brilliant Art Chantry, as he explains his working relationship with client Estrus Records - illustrated with 60 logos produced for the company. It is also thrilling to have Simmons include the story and process of his own design for Paradox Media in this volume. His chicken and egg (or is it egg and chicken) design is destined to be a classic - as is this book. From now on, whenever a designer asks for an explanation of the logo design process the easy answer is: "Go buy a copy of "Logo Lab." I do have one gripe about the book. At 144 pages, and with only 18 excellent case studies, the book is far too short. We can only hope that "Logo Lab, Vol. 2" is a future possibility. - Jeff Fisher, Logo Notions, CreativeLatitude.com