I draw inspiration from many places when designing logos, such as the internet, but one place I go to the most is my own reference library. I have been building this library for many, many years and am quite proud of it. It currently takes up one entire wall of our living room with overflow in my shed. I have an enormous clip art library (Bottom and middle 2 shelves to the far right) of which I use for some base illustrations, (always modifying into custom art.) The bottom shelf holds the vintage printer clips, art catalogs and other miscellaneous vintage art reference. The top right is my collection of rare sign-painter books. Signpainters were the original graphic designers. Their work showcased in these books would knock your socks off.
Gathering inspiration from the past as well as from current works, I usually sit in my most comfortable chair with post-its, a rollerball pen and a sketchbook for hours thumb-nailing ideas before ever sitting behind the wheel (monitor). I have been hoarding a large selection of the most current reference books on Logo design and related works. Trends are important to follow as well as create.
About 8 of the graphic design books and design annuals on my shelves feature my very own designs chosen for publication.
So remember, if you find I’m not responding quickly enough to an email, there’s a good chance I’m buried in beautiful books and post-it notes.
