The plan this year is for every student in here to have a fictitious business (which could become an ACTUAL business if you choose). This could be a photography business, a video editing business, a digital arts, business, etc. Think about some names that you could call your business -- and think about how that name limits you, identifies you, or advances you.
If I was starting my own photography or video business, I might think about some general names:
- Griffith Enterprises
- Lake County Studios
- AskGriff Productions
- Konocti Industries
- Kelseyville Photography
So looking at those, there are a couple of problems. First, names like Griffith Enterprises are a little obscure. If you heard someone say, "I went to Griffith Enterprises" you would have no idea why. Lake County Studios is a little better, but people aren't really going to know what sort of studios it is -- and it will limit you if you ever want to do work in another county or state. AskGriff Productions is also too vague. Konocti Industries is not only too specific, but also -- industries? Do I manufacture something> Kelseyville Photography is pretty straightforward, but what if you want to do video? Web design? What if someone is in Lakeport or Clearlake and they would rather hire someone from their home town?
When choosing a business name, keep the following tips in mind:
- Choose a name that appeals not only to you but also to the kind of customers you are trying to attract.
- Choose a comforting or familiar name that conjures up pleasant memories so customers respond to your business on an emotional level.
- Don't pick a name that is long or confusing.
- Stay away from cute puns that only you understand.
- Don't use the word “Inc.” after your name unless your company is actually incorporated.
- Ask family or friends if it makes sense -- and then ask them, "Could it be seen as offensive in ANY way?" (Sometimes these little things will pop up and kill a business)
The other thing to think about when starting a business is what sort of logo would your business have? Nike has a swoosh. Disney has a castle with a Disney signature. Playboy has a rabbit. What would YOUR business have?
Once you have an idea for a business name, you will need to think about what your logo will look like. Today we will begin planning out a production logo -- a company logo which is shown before a movie, TV show, or video game, or even printed on a letterhead or business card. Logos are also used to develop company branding. The Raiders shield, the Nike swoosh, or the Chevron standard. It becomes the symbol by which a company is identified.
A good logo should be easily recognizable, fairly simple, and be able to be reproduced with limited colors -- including black and white. When I taught graphic design before, I drew a whiteboard full of logos (see below) which are easily recognizable (or were at the time) and I used only one color -- black.
Here are some color examples of logos:
Once you have a basic logo in black and white, it's easy to use Photoshop to create a variety of modifications of your logo. The "Espresso A-Go-Go" logo (below) demonstrates that.
Another example is the NBA logo (below) showing black and white, 2 colors, and 2 colors with an effect. Note the differences between the heads/ears of the three examples. Even though they are slightly different, they are still recognizable as the NBA logo.
Your logo should be describable ("It's a big golden M"), effective without color, memorable, and scalable.
Remember, it's okay to keep it simple -- and stick to what works. This example shows two similar companies and their different approaches to logo design and corporate branding:
I want you to conceive a logo that depicts you, your style, your business, etc. Begin sketching ideas on paper for now and turn in your paper(s) on Friday. You might think of something local (i.e. Konocti or Lake) or use your name (i.e. Griffith Enterprises, Griffith Inc., etc.). Don't over-complicate things or be too literal -- look at all of the most recognizable logos and you will notice that very few demonstrate what the company actually does. For example, if your company was called Sun Beach Productions you don't have to use a sun shining on a beach.
You may want to try V Entertainment -- or W Creations -- or X Productions -- or Y Enterprises -- or Z Designs. Something that will allow you to do a variety of different things -- such as graphic design, web design, multimedia, video editing, or whatever.
Still confused about what makes a good logo? Check out this logo design tips article or from a professional logo designer for some extra information.
Here's a demonstration of the logo development process:
Finally, I would like you to find some examples of well-designed logos [and poorly designed logos] and bring them in to class. Check newspapers, junk mail, catalogs, etc. I will use the examples to showcase the differences.
And speaking of "The Bad" and "The Ugly"... here are some more examples of logo design gone wrong:
You will soon be doing your logo design in Photoshop. Your logo should be at least 1024x1024 pixels, have a white background, and be ONLY BLACK (at least at this point -- we will add color later). Here are some examples of black and white logo's [these are for car companies, obviously] to show you that it's possible.
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| Click Image to Enlarge |
A few more well-known logos in black and white:
This was a tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs after his passing:
Finally, here are some examples of student-created logo's:
There are many websites and blogs out there that focus on logos and logo design. I will list some as I discover them:
Finally, you might want to consider how your logo or production company name will sound if you ever created one of those fancy animations you see at the beginning of movies or video games. Here are some examples:
And here are some more. Note in the beginning the Disney logo (the castle) was relatively simple in design. They have now moved to a fully 3D rendered castle with a river in front at the beginning of their movies.
I ran across these applications while researching movie company names:
Also, here is a list of existing film production company names:
Obviously if you're just starting out in photography or web page design or independent movie production, a logo's not a huge deal... but it potentially could be.
Sometimes a logo comes out that is iconic. Bad Robot made a big name in television and is now doing motion pictures. The "Bad Robot" doesn't really have anything to do with movies or television or anything else... but it's memorable.
