Logo Design for Small Business 2 Paperback – December 15, 2004

When I opened the box from Amazon my first impression was that this book isn't very big. Most of the books I buy on design, software and photography are between 100 and 500 pages. Dan's book has just 71 pages.I had mixed feelings about this at first. On one hand I was wondering if I had gotten my money's worth and on the other hand I was relieved that I didn't have to find a way to fit another large book into my schedule.After a couple of days carrying this book around with me I had actually finished reading the whole thing. The short answer to my query above is yes, I got my money's worth.My impression of this book is that it's a 71 page summary of a four year college design program and it is written more from an applied perspective than an academic perspective. This book doesn't teach you how to use your software, the principles of color science or technical terminology. This book points out things that you need to consider when dealing with real life situations, gives you some solutions to these issues and many sample designs (including the names of many of the fonts). Some examples include:What to do when a customer wants you to create a fresh identity for them using their old art work (that may have been done by their niece in MS Word)What to consider when designing a logo that will be used in different types of collateral. Business cards, web sites, windows and vehicles have different requirements.Differences in designing for a large corporation vs. a small business.Being a successful designer means that your work produces results for your customers. What do you do when a customer says "I just need an inexpensive logo and some cheap cards."? You know that giving them what they asked for will make them and you look bad.I like this book. It deals with real life and gives real life examples. It is readable in a reasonable amount of time.I recommend this book to designers and to customers of design services. If you need design services this book will help you understand what your designer is saying and if they are doing a good job for you.

The book seems to be a much newer edition than the first one. The only issue that I had is that it was packed with other items and it was horrible warped. It's been underneath a heavy side table ever since I bought it.

I read this book along with the first Logo Design for Small Business and loved all of the visual examples and critiques of logos. Unlike so many other logo design books I really appreciate that this one took a critical eye at logos the author and other designers created in the past. It was nice to hear what they were thinking when they designed the logos and maybe even what they would do different if they had to do it all over again. It was a nice follow up to the first book which really went over more of the "foundations" of logo design but I would definitely recommend getting both since this one has updated logos.

Good book. Small but full of great information. I'm an amateur graphics artist. Mostly I Paint and draw but i find this book to be helpful for my commercial jobs and making logos.

If you own the prequel to this book, you know exactly what to expect. It contains more of the same kinds of designs, in very similar styles, with additional commentary.My thoughts about this volume are pretty much the same as my thoughts about volume 1. It's OK, not great, but a fine resource to have on hand.I'm in the process of producing candidates for a possible redesign of our corporate logo. The logos in this book are a bit too colorful and casual for an organization of our size and nature. But I did find the designs to be artisticly pleasing. For me it is more of a general design resource than something that would help me with my particular goals.Having said that, the title of the book after all is "Logo Design FOR SMALL BUSINESS." Pay attention to that last part, and you may be pleased with what you get.

Good book for beginers in graphic design and business owners

Dan Antonelli's first book, Logo Design for Small Business, provides the artist with tools and concepts to create effective logos. His second book, Logo Design for Small Business 2, explores in greater detail what artists need to consider when designing logos for small businesses and how to more effectively sell logo design to small businesses.My personal favorite of Dan's sage advice: no abstract graphics! Dan says on page 15, "...don't design meaningless icons. Don't design something that needs to be explained. If you need to explain what the graphic means, you're really not serving the needs of the small business."What about the contractor whose business is doing great without a logo? Why should a small business owner pay you $400 or $500 for a logo when he or she can get one from an "internet logo mill" for $99? Dan's book answers questions like these.Dan shows how he provides his clients with marketing strategies by incorporating effective logo designs in various advertising media. Whether it's logos, business cards, brochures, billboards or websites, Dan's work is always over-the-top! Dan considers himself to be his clients' marketing partner. He`s committed to his clients, and his commitment has paid off!While logos are displayed and examined throughout the book, chapters 5 and 6 together showcase almost 160 different logos. Chapter 5 presents logos designed by Dan. Chapter 6 presents logos by several exceptional artists. Each logo is accompanied by a short explanation. These last two chapters are a great source of inspiration.Logo Design for Small Business 2 will benefit those that routinely design (or want to routinely design) logos for small businesses.