Logo Designer Week – The work of Josiah Jost – Siah Design

I’m 6′3″, 210 pounds and design logos full time freelancing under my business Siah Design out of my home office. When I’m not doing logo design I enjoy playing bass guitar in our family band sharing God’s goodness. I also have a major addiction to ice cream and pasta.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO WORLD OF LOGO DESIGN?

I started freelancing as a graphic designer a few years ago and over time I found my heart was really into logo design. My first logo design project was designing over 100 simple logos for a domain name selling site. After that I was hooked.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A LOGO?

Your logo is the face to your brand. And the first thing people see is your face. First impressions are so important. For myself, I know when I’ve been searching for a product I’ve often chosen the product that has the most effective identity. It’s amazing how much a logo can communicate about a brand.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT LOGO?

I think a great logo is an identity that represents exactly what the face of a brand NEEDS. Sometimes the best logo for a brand will not win awards for being super clever or elaborate but will communicate about the brand. I think the most effective identities are simple, memorable, recognizable and clean.

YOUR FAVOURITE LOGO MADE BY YOU

One of my favorites would probably be the re-branding of Fresh Fruit Baskets. It took quite the journey of ideas to come upon the right concept. Considering it was a re-brand added a deeper sense of satisfaction as well.

YOUR FAVOURITE LOGO MADE BY OTHER DESIGNER

This is a toughie. One of my all time faves though is the “Families”, logo by Herb Lubalin. It’s so simple yet
effective. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling…

CHEAP LOGOS: YES OR NO? WHY?

You get what you pay for. Hence, most cheap logos are from the pit. I recently read a great article on David Airey’s blog titled Design Pricing Formula. It really gives insight to all the factors that need to be taken in for the cost of a project.

WHERE DO YOU USUALLY SEEK INSPIRATION?

I try to be careful when seeking inspiration as I want to make sure I don’t unconsciously copy someone else’s concept. But I think inspiration is important to stimulate ideas. A couple of places I go for inspiration on the web are Logopond.com and Logolounge.com and of course sites like LogoFromDreams.com. Other than that, everything around me has the tends to inspire me. I know for some of the logos I’ve designed I’ve been inspired just by observing nature. For example, for the logo My Divine Wedding we were driving by a lake and several swans flew out of the water which inspired the idea.

www.siahdesign.com