Design is everywhere. At least according to designer Jeroen Broersma. Walk down a shopping street, scroll through your timeline on social media or watch commercials on television. House styles, design language and logos determine how a brand's identity is perceived. And all that design, of course, there are real people behind it. In this interview you can read about the sources of inspiration and working methods of one of our own designers, Jeroen Broersma.
Need logo or corporate identity design? Click here!
Start at the beginning
Jeroen always starts with the briefing. Simply put, this is a client's fully written question. Where does a client want to go with his or her brand, and what visual identity can best support this. The better the briefing, the better Jeroen can get ideas for his design process.
Sometimes this can involve the smallest details. Little things that stand out from the letter keep rolling around in Jeroen's head for a while, slowly taking shape here. The next step is finding inspiration on various platforms. His favorites are: Dribbble, Behance and Pinterest.
''Actually, looking at the various Instagram pages I follow, and visiting sites like Dribbble and Behance has become a daily routine for me.''
These platforms are esteemed showcase sites for designers and creators, and thus the ideal place to get inspiration from. Jeroen also follows a number of designers on Instagram. At those moments when he has nothing to do, such as in the train or while waiting for the bus, Jeroen scrolls through various platforms to constantly stay up to date on developments in the field of design. ''Actually looking at the different Instagram pages I follow, and visiting sites like Dribbble and Behance has become a daily thing for me.''
Illustrator is his playground
''When I have enough inspiration I start sketching. I used to do this a lot with pencil on paper, but now I really only do that when I don't have a computer at my disposal, such as on the train. Right now Illustrator is my sketchbook, or rather playground. I work out different concepts here on multiple artboards.''
During the design process, Jeroen tries to look for the ''double layer'' in a design. ''That's actually the form that you don't initially see in a design. A form that only becomes clear on third or fourth viewing. But: there must be a thought behind it, of course. The form that I 'hide' in my design must fit the brand concept that we have drawn up for the client.''
See more logo cases here
Logo design process for SportJob
While sketching the various concepts, more and more work is done toward the final form. When Jeroen has a suitable image to grasp, he starts thinking about the presentation to the client. ''In a re-design (redesigning a brand) I always stick the old logo next to my own designed logo. That way the client can clearly see the differences. I then create a style sheet with the colors, typography and shapes used. In such a style sheet I can also show a logo or corporate identity in different applications. For example, portrait, landscape, black and white, but also applied in mock-ups (model of a design). A design really comes to life in a mock-up.
Logo concept in a mock-up for Marbles
Design trends
Jeroen does not directly believe in the importance of trends in design. ''Much more important to me is to look at the function of a design. I look at the client, not just the trends. When you talk about a logo, it should be applicable to the customer's needs above all. For example, I think about a shape that can be used as a favicon, for social media and in print. This can then be a full logo or, for example, just the shape without typography.
Furthermore, I do see certain developments in the world of design. Take gradients for example, they are used a lot now. It's funny, because five years ago when Instagram used a logo with a gradient in it, everyone fell over it. It really couldn't be done. But Instagram set a trend with this anyway, because now you see it everywhere.
Logo design stages for Fitgrounds
Personally, I usually use a set number of criteria that I think make a good design anyway. I pay attention to scalability, whether a logo still works well in black and white, and whether the design is pixel perfect.''
Design is everywhere
For Jeroen, inspiration is never far away. Basically, design is everywhere. ''When I'm on the road I always look around me. Take for example the industrial area along the side of the road. When I'm in the car I find it interesting to look at all those different logos on the facades of buildings.
Design process for a monogram
But also architecture, there is a form in everything. I like it when by chance somewhere on the street shapes merge into a new form. This can happen in so many different ways; I recently saw a stairwell that looked very interesting at a certain angle. I take that back with me as inspiration.''
Who is designer Jeroen Broersma?
By the way, Jeroen not only creates logos at Fitbrand, but is also involved in the creation of new brands, social media campaigns, brand manuals & style guides, corporate identities, printed matter, websites, template development and is a pro at designing mailchimp flows.
Were you inspired by this article? Make work of your logo design.
