What You See From Here: The Logo Design Process

A logo is the foundational graphic element of any brand identity. To give you a glimpse into my world, I want to share what you see from here: the logo design process. This process is a deeply personal journey of exploration, searching for the perfect shape, image, color, and typography that will ultimately bring the final logo to life. I walk this path alone, and only at the end do I select at least three distinct design directions to present to the client. Making them completely different from one another significantly increases the chances that the client will connect with one specific route and move forward from there.

Usually, I start by looking for a visual anchor to hold onto. Names like "Chameleon" or "Table" essentially skip the image search phase because the name itself provides the immediate, obvious visual. While it might sound a bit basic at first glance, an obvious starting point can evolve into fascinating and unexpected directions.

The Exploration Journey for the Shiluv Logo

Shiluv I2R is one of the leading market research companies in Israel, boasting four decades of experience. Following a strategic shift, they needed a new logo that communicated their status as a well established, veteran company with long standing client loyalty, while simultaneously highlighting their reputation for highly advanced and innovative solutions.

As I mentioned, an anchor is key. But with the name "Shiluv" (which means integration or combination in Hebrew), there was no immediate visual image or specific meaning that captured the company's unique character. Therefore, I decided that the first letter of their name, the 'S', would serve as the visual foundation for our search for the ultimate logo.

After countless attempts, sketches, typography experiments, and brainstorming whatever came to mind, I felt I had enough solid raw material to present several distinct concepts to the client.

Concept Number 1

The graphic symbol is built from the letter 'S', duplicated along a central axis and spread across different horizontal axes. This creates a highly dynamic symbol that visually echoes a DNA double helix. Just as DNA is made of molecules holding the unique code and traits of every living creature, Shiluv's services are rich, diverse, groundbreaking, and custom tailored to the specific DNA of every single client.

Concept Number 2

Here, the letter 'S' is duplicated and rotated to form a shape resembling a pinwheel. Just as a pinwheel catches the wind and indicates its direction, Shiluv points the way in the market research industry, bringing the most advanced innovations to the field. The monochromatic blue color palette is no accident. Major international brands often choose blue for their logos because it projects professionalism, reliability, and seriousness, exactly the traits that define Shiluv.

Concept Number 3

This was a surprising design direction meant to spark interest and perhaps even challenge the viewer to decode it. Colorful geometric shapes form a long rectangle, while the negative white space trapped between them spells out the company name, Shiluv I2R. The shapes themselves are diverse, creating a playful relationship between form and space that radiates innovation, progress, and pure creativity.

Concept Number 4

A lightbulb is the classic symbol of an original idea, innovation, and creativity. In this version, both the bulb's shape and its base subtly hint at the letter 'S', adding an extra layer of meaning to the icon. Its linear, dynamic, and modern form blends in perfect harmony with the typography beside it.

Concept Number 5

This was the concept chosen to move forward with on our journey. It features a large square made up of sixteen smaller squares, each representing a different category within the company's fields of activity. The letter 'S' emerges through the color differentiation of specific black squares.

During the review process, a great question came up. What happens if some of the squares break out of the frame?

We explored visual answers to that question. The version where proportions between the symbol and the text shifted, and three squares broke free from the grid, became the runner up.

In the final stage, the letter 'S' that started this entire journey actually vanished, as we realized it no longer added real value to the logo. Instead, every single square received a unique color representing a specific research category. The colors chosen were modern but not loud or highly saturated. We went with mature pastel tones, mixed with a tiny drop of black for depth.

The final logo as a whole projects absolute stability, establishment, precision, and quiet power. Meanwhile, the squares breaking out of the grid perfectly capture their spirit of innovation and thinking completely outside the box.