I have reiterated this time and again that being a graphic design student doesn’t mean you can skip math. Knowing your shapes and symbols is essential in becoming a successful logo designer. Some of you may not realize but most famous logos were created using simple shapes. Without understanding the geometrics and dimensions of common symbols, you cannot create a professional logo design.

Isometrics is a branch of mathematics that deals with shapes of equal measurement. It is a function between metric spaces that preserves distance using rotation or transformation of a surface. This geometric technique has also been adopted in designing corporate identities. Remember playing with a Rubik’s Cube in your childhood? An Isometric logo design is similar to the Rubik’s shape but is shaped creatively in a way to conserve space. They are not only restricted to the cubic shape and can be of numerous symbols.

If you are still confused as to how an isometric logo looks like, take a look at 25 remarkable examples of logos that follow the isometric principle.

Abu Younis Carpentry	URBANCARE
DiagBlock	Language in a Box
Peter Lea	LEAN
Lucid Form Architecture	Templates4You
Villen im Cottage	AMA | Ashok Mistry Associates
Envision CustomWorks	H, H and N
OSS BOX	UBOX
Marksmen Construction	The Independent Party
Archetype	Locate
Uranus Holdings	c4w
Create Studio	3D Generalist
T-Box	Gravity Architecture
fibralyte

Ever wondered how famous brands conceal their true identity under the cloak of their logo design? Even though companies portray themselves as being extremely beneficial and useful entities, sometimes you wonder if that is their real purpose. For instance, social networking site Twitter consumes so much of our daily time that frankly speaking it should have been name ‘Time Pass’. Similarly, Facebook is another addictive obsession that causes much distraction for logo designers. I’d say ‘Procrastination’ would be a better name for this social networking site.

Apart from my own suggestions for truthful brand names, artist Viktor Hertz has conjured up his own versions of candid brand identities called ‘Honest Logos’. The project reveals what the logos for famous brands should actually be. This project was originally done for the purpose of humor, but if you watch these funny logo parodies some of them are extremely apposite.

So have a look and decide yourself if these 15 ‘honest logos’ truly expose the company’s true purpose.

1. Dunkin Donuts Buildin’ Bodyfat

2. MySpace Noplace

3. Nokia Nokids

4. Olympics Money Rings

5. Walt Disney Pictures Very Cheesy Pictures

6. Harley Davidson Adult toys

7. Starbucks Sugarbomb combos

8. Hollywood Hollywood Recycle

9. Budweiser Bellyexpander

10. IMDB Nerd info

11. Nintendo Procrastination

12. Marlboro Money waster

Inspired by Viktor’s work, I created a few of my own versions of honest logos. Hope you enjoy them.

13. eBay Upay

14. Google Doodle

15. Twitter Timepass

Creative people from the design industry recognize that inspiration is an integral aspect of the design process. As a logo designer myself, I’m always alert to my level of creativity. It becomes quite intricate for me, at times, when my inspirational sources deplete. This is the point where your creative juices get complete exhausted and you are in search to quench you desire for new logo design ideas and concepts. My associates who are engaged in the graphic design disciplines complain about the same issue.

While discussing with my colleagues, I found out that there are plenty of easy and quick ways through which you can regain your creativity and inspiration in logo design. I’ve enlisted some of my preferred ways that I employ whenever I suffer from lack of inspiration.

1. Visit Design Blogs & Galleries:

It is a good idea for logo designers to stay abreast of what other creative people are doing. In spite of everything, one of the efficient methods to get better as a creative individual is to discover designers who are up in their game and seek to master from them. Alternately, you can visit tones of online logo design galleries that showcase over thousands of inspirational logos designs. In addition to this, a logo design contest site is also a great place to seek inspiration as there are hundreds of design entries on a single project.

2. Keep an Unrelated Hobby:

Sometimes, doing the same thing over and over reduces your ability to think differently. As a logo designer, you can get bogged down in the same redundant work that you need a distraction to unload your tensions. A hobby that is unrelated to your profession is a good idea to relax your mind and refuel your creative thinking. For instance, you can take up guitar lessons or some other pastime that is not related to your area expertise.

3. Be Friends with Creative People:

One more way to gain some excellent creativity is to keep a creative circle of friends and colleagues. By collaborating alongside other creative people, you gain insights and wisdoms of others. This technique is extremely worthwhile in a pleasant and sociable manner. Not only do you get to make new friends and acquaintances, you learn unique concepts and viewpoints that you never knew.

4. Go for a Stroll:

Sometimes, spending too much time on the computer can leave your creative ability dried out. When I face this issue, I prefer going for a walk or just a stroll in the park to get some fresh air. A clean tranquil environment is a wonderful inspiration spot. You never know which element of your surroundings will lead you to a creative idea or concept for your logo design.

5. Develop a Reading Habit:

Most people believe books are for dorks and nerds, but the reality is otherwise. The concept of reading is not limited to digesting piles of academic material. Reading an interesting novel or a design magazine is also a nice way to revive your creative spark. Reading not only increases your knowledge, helps you cultivate your power to comprehend things effective and understand various perspectives.

Some graphic and logo design students seldom have a negative predisposition with the subject of Math. For example, they would say “I want to become a logo designer so I won’t need all this.” But the truth is, learning your shapes and angles in geometry are crucial to become a successful designer.

The reason why I say this is that some of the most famous logos were created using simple shapes. Although when we view the final logo, we believe that there must be complex symbols used in designing famous logos like Pepsi and FedEx. But in reality, they were formed with the help of simple shapes like triangles, squares and rectangles that we learn in middle school geometry class. But this doesn’t mean that the logo design processes behind these logos was easy too. It is just to say that simple shapes build up in creating a memorable brand identity.

Today, let’s take a look at how to re-create 10 famous logos using simple and easy geometric shapes. Do try creating them and you will be amazed at how easy they are to design:

1. Sun Microsystems logo
	The Sun Microsystems logo portrays four intertwined replicas of “sun”. But the real secret behind making this skillful logo is by creating a magnet shaped symbol which itself is formed by using two rectangle shapes and a semi-circle.

2. Pepsi logo
	Would you believe that the old Pepsi logo was created by combining a few geometrical shapes? Although the conceptual process behind the logo that resembles shape of a bottle cap was extensive, but the symbols used to create it were rather simple. Anyone who knows Photoshop can create this logo using two semi circles (red and blue) and drag the curve shape (‘~’ on the keyboard) between them.

3. Adobe Logo
	Although it appears to be a tricky logo, you can easily make it by using a combination of a red parallelogram, a white triangle and a red square.

4. SANYO logo
	Many of us believe the Sanyo identity was created using a typographic logo. But the creativity exhibited in the letter ‘N’ was created using a few geometrical shapes. Just merge a rectangle shape with ten parallel linear rectangles and you get the desired outcome.

5. Chanel logo
	Chanel, one of the most renewed fashion brands. Its logo which reveals two overlapping C’s, was created using two circles inter-looped on one another. After that two white triangles are added on each side to create the letter ‘C’ form.

6. Chase logo
	The JPMorgan Chase Bank logo includes a peculiar shape that comprises of four right-angle trapezoids. These shapes were simply created by using a square and a right-angled triangle.

7. Alzheimer’s Australia logo
	Alzheimer’s Australia has a logo design that is creative and meaningful. Although it may seem complicated, it was designed using six simple circles, two being white and four of them blue.

8. IBM logo
	Even though we now have an “IBM font” that can be easily used, this logo was created using symbols and not just typography. Try designing this logo by inputting the word “IBM” and then insert seven white stripes over the text.

9. Cargoline logo
	The ‘K’ derived out of a ‘C’ is a work of art. But the working behind this is simple. The conjoined letters ‘C’ and ‘L’ are created using three rectangle shapes and two circles.

10. HBO logo
	The TV channel HBO holds a logo which consists of a circle within an ‘O’ create a bulls-eye effect. You can simply create this logo using two black circles and a white one.

Amidst controversies surrounding London 2012 Olympics Logo, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London is determined to rebrand London with a new logo design. In the process, an alternative identity has surfaced which is proposed to replace the previous logo identity. UK creative agency Venture Three has put forward a unified brand that is simpler and much more effective than the current one.

Problems with Current London 2012 Olympics Identity:

To recap, the current London 2012 Olympics brand identity was created by famous logo designer Wolff Olins. Right after its official launch in 2006, it has faced countless amount of censure from the UK public at large. Among the several controversies about this infamous logo, include inappropriate allusions to an objectionable pose, Zion symbol alleged by Iran and its resemblance to the Nazi Symbol.

Problems with Current London 2012 Olympics Identity:

The alternative London logo proposal was originally created as a response to a brief from Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. Following are the essential features encompassing the proposed identity:

As we are nearing end of 2011, time is running out for a logo redesign of the 2012 Olympics logo to be held next year in London. Still, VentureThree is positive that their effort will create awareness among the masses and instigate a change in the current brand identity.