// pencil before pixels
Every great logo starts on paper. Not because digital tools are bad — but because paper is faster, looser, and more forgiving. When you sketch, you're not committing to anything. You're exploring.
Professional designers sketch dozens of concepts before opening a single design app. The goal of sketching is quantity over quality. Get ideas out of your head and onto paper as fast as possible.
Key idea: Your first idea is rarely your best idea. Your tenth idea is usually better. Your twentieth is often the one you use. Sketching fast lets you reach idea twenty before you've spent hours on idea one.
// the thumbnail method
Draw small boxes — about the size of a postage stamp. Fill each one with a rough logo idea. Don't draw details. Just shapes, letters, and basic compositions. Aim for 20 thumbnails in 20 minutes.
At this stage, nothing is too weird or too simple. Draw everything that comes to mind. You're not judging yet — you're generating.
→ The first letter of the brand name in different styles
→ An object that represents what the brand does
→ An abstract shape that feels like the brand's personality
→ The full name in different font styles
→ Combinations of icon + text in different layouts
// selecting and refining
After 20 thumbnails, step back. Circle the three that feel most right. Don't overthink it — go with your gut. Then sketch those three again, slightly larger, with a bit more detail.
From those three, pick one. That's your concept to take into the digital phase. You're not locked in — but you need a direction to move forward.
What to look for: Which sketch is most simple? Which one would still be recognisable at thumbnail size? Which one feels most like the brand? Those three questions will point you to the right concept.
Set a timer for 20 minutes. Draw 20 thumbnail logo concepts for your brand. No erasing — just keep moving. When the timer stops, circle your top three. Take a photo of your sketches. You'll need them in the next lesson.