This tutorial details the creation of a logo design bag and an activity to learn how to design logos!

This activity is easily modifiable for different uses, lessons, age groups, abilities, and expertise! Only a slight modification in the lesson or the objectives can lead to drastically different outcomes! This bag opens up endless opportunities for creativity and design! All components needed can usually be found at home or can be created using paper, a pencil, scissors, and an imagination! This is not only classroom friendly but at-home learning-friendly as well!

The logo design bag was originally designed for 7th grade through 9th grade classrooms due to the learning of design fundamentals, skillsets, and structured creative thinking ability. It is meant to be an introduction project to logo design and graphic design.

Standards for Technological Literacy:

17 - Information and Communication Technologies

Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use information and communication technologies.

Benchmarks: Grades 6 - 8
- J (factors of influence in design) - This Logo Design Bag, while the creation of the bag itself is very simple, during the given activity, designing a logo for a club or hobby, the designer will have to think about the purpose, audience, and nature of their design.
- K (symbols as a common language) - The logo will consist of common symbols and graphics known worldwide that do not require words. A successful logo will be able to be interpreted without a translator.

Benchmarks: Grades 9 - 12
- N (systems to inform, persuade and educate) - A design is able to communicate, educate, inform, persuade, entertain and manage through the means of drawings, symbols, and colors. All these things lead to the audience feeling something deeper.
- P (ways of communication) - The logo design bag focused on graphic design and builds up to electronically creating a piece of artwork that sends a message.
- Q (technological knowledge and processes) - Creating a logo uses symbols, icons, graphic images, and even languages in some cases to demonstrate and communicate in a visual manner.

Step 1: Materials

Gather your materials! Most of these can be found around the house or in a dollar store!

1X Plastic Sandwich Bag

1X Scissors

1X Print out of the download

The download is easily editable if opened in a word or google document. All icons from The Noun Project Feel free to customize and add own graphics specific to your project or design.

1X Printer

The printer is not necessary. All components can be hand-drawn and cut out with a pair of scissors. This also allows for further customization of the design bag.

1X Blank Paper

1X Pencil

1X Eraser

Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons

Creative thinking skills and an open mind!

Cost estimation: $0.00 if you can find everything around the house! $1 - $5 dollars for materials from the dollar store.

Logo Design Bag Components.pdf
Download

Step 2: Assemble the Bag

Now it is time to put together the bag! This has to be done before we can start the activity!

Take a pair of scissors and the printed bag component document. Cut out each icon close to the printed graphic. Some of them can be cut into smaller pieces. This is up to the designer's artistic decision making.

It is ok to leave a thin white border around the printed icon if it is complex or has multiple parts. You will still be able to do the main activity successfully.

If there are other icons that you would like to add that are not featured, feel free to hand draw them and cut them out or print out some more!

After everything is cut out, place the icons into the sandwich bag. Recycle the paper scraps.

If able, laminate the cutout icons and cut them out again. This will make them last much longer.

Now you have created your logo design bag!

Step 3: Brainstorm

We are going to be designing a logo for a club, activity, hobby or passion!

Think of clubs or things that you are involved in. List them out on a piece the paper. Circle the one that you are going to design a logo for!

Examples:

Robotics Team
Drama/Theatre
Football Team
Basketball Team
Art Club
Garden Club
Hiking Club
Scouts
Cooking Club
Band

Create another list of things that are associated with the chosen club. These are things like traditional symbols, icons or items used in the activity. These can also be feeling that you feel while participating in the club or want others who see the logo to feel.

Example:

Garden Club:

Flower
Sprout
Shovel
Hands
Gloves
Caring
Kind
Gentle
Earth
Sunshine
Watering Can

Step 4: Icon (visual) Brainstorm

Looking at your list for the specific club/activity that you chose, empty all the icons onto the table from your logo design bag.

Go through the pile and place the ones that relate to your brainstormed list in a separate pile. Once complete, place all the icons that you did not select back into the logo design bag for future use.

Now, spread out the related icons on a flat surface like a table. Now that you are able to see everything, pick a couple to try to combine into a logo. Know that the pieces of paper can be layered, angled, upside down, and every which way!

If you start to create a combination that you like but think a different image would look better there, switch it out!

REMEMBER: LESS IS MORE

When you find a logo that you like, sketch it onto the piece of paper with a pencil below the brainstorming section. It is alright if your sketch is not perfect. As long as the main features of the design are present, the sketch is perfect!

Repeat this process 3 times with different combinations, sketching each one on the paper.

Step 5: Pick the One

Now it is time to choose one of your sketch designs for your final logo. When selecting, ask yourself these questions:

Who is my audience? What would they interpret this design?
Could someone who is not apart of the club understand what the logo is for with a quick glance?
Is there a deeper meaning that can be attached to the design?
How would this design look on a tee-shirt? a mug? a bag?

After going through these questions, choose your design! Circle the one that you are moving forward with on the piece of paper.

Step 6: Sketch and Color Selection

Turn the piece of paper over. Redraw the design but much larger so it fits the page with a pencil. Draw with more detail than the previous sketch! Again, it is alright if your sketch does not perfectly match the icon. Put your artistic spin on it! Just try your best!

It can be helpful to recreate your design using the icons from the Logo Design Bag and having that next to you while you draw.

Now it is time to think about colors.

Colors can do more than just make a design look pretty. Colors can portray moods, attitudes, feelings, environments, meanings and much more. See the Color Emotion Guidefor a guide to help pick colors that are accurate to the mood and meaning you want to portray.

Would a purple logo for a home improvement store be accurate? No!

Would a fast-food company want a yellow logo? Yes!

If you are having trouble understanding the connection between color and meaning, think about brand logos that you see around you. Does the color of the logo and the emotion associated with it align with the club's attitude?

The more colors a logo has, the more it tends to cost to print.

Printing in color can be very costly. Also, too many completing colors in a logo can distract the viewer from the deeper meaning or the message that is trying to be communicated. Keeping this in mind, pick one main color and 1-2 accent colors for your logo to have from the color selection present.

In my example, I choose to have green as my main color because of the garden club members having green thumbs. Also, most plants have the color green in them in the stems. Green is also connected with the emotions related to growth and health so it is the perfect choice. My accent colors are blue and orange because those are my highschool colors and it is a school club.

Step 7: Color

Now it is time to color your logo!

Remember which color you choose for your main color and which ones are your accent colors.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a logo for your school club or activity!

Step 8: Next Steps

While you have finished the main activity, there are many more ways that you can continue to grow and learn from this project!

Create Your Design Online!

In order for your logo to be the best quality, it can be, you must create the design online! There are many software's available and tutorials on how to use these. This making the leap from logo design to graphic design!

Here is a list of free software available for graphic design:

Product Creation

If you want to take it a step further and curious what your logo would look like in real life? Try uploading your logo to these sites to see what it would look like on shirts, mugs, bags, etc.