Step
1: Every work begins with a pen or a pencil on a piece of
paper. For the Planet logotype, it was decided to combine a pictogram
with a typogram (the typographic part). Here the research was focused
on the pictogram alone.
For me, the graphic concept of the logo is derived from the top left
on the board ie a kind of planet with satellits around and a "PT"
monogram. Generally, I draw all what I have in mind. Sometimes, I find
interesting things without really thinking about.
However, this R&D part is the most important step : it’s better
to lose time on it.
Step
2: After the brainstorming part,
you have a lot of roughs to analyze : in order to keep a mininum amount
of options. This is my choice.
Step 3:
And the question is
which typo to use for te name. Taking
into account the fact that the typogram will sometimes live by himself
and sometimes be combined with the monogram.
Typically
the idea is to combine a serif typeface with a sans-serif, light and
bold, in order to make contrast the two words "Planète"
and "Typographie"..
One idea will have to picked among these roughs. Later, I will redesign
entirely the letters in order to make them fit to the monogram.
Step
4:
The job is finished
but everything has to be done:
the design of the logotype. Pictogram and letters are designed with
FontLab, a powerful typeface design software. I prefer to use this soft
as it is clearly more precise than the traditionnal vectorial drawings
soft.

Step
5: The pictogram is now associated to the monogram in Illustrator
in order to design the logo globally and to color it. The logotype is
now nearly finished. Some small corrections appear; some are eliminated.
This step is often difficult because a lot of decisions have to be taken;
some choices have to be made. For instance, the planet was initially
illustrated with a circle; it has been changed by a less geometric shape,
more dynamic, to reinforce the identity of the logo.
Step
6: That’s that! The final version is now designed again in
FontLab. All the angles, tangents, curved and straight lines, are scrupulously
checked and set up. Then the design is imported in Illustrator for the
colorization and the design of a final document to be used depending
needs and media supports..
Step 7: A must!
To work out a reference board or a style guide to group on a single
document all the logotype versions (colored, B&W, combined with
the monogram, without, etc.).
Step
8: ...Another must : a Planète typographie font including
all the elements of the logotype. Very convenient for a day to day use
Step 9: The international
versions of the logotype: in English, Spanish, Italian, German and Czech.
Very close in design as the word Typography and Planet is very similar
in these Latin, Anglo-Saxon and Slavic languages.
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