Alex Cornell discusses the process of creating the logo for Plancast. The first point that stuck out for me is that having image based mark that can stand alone is a plus.

We also discussed the need for an imagery-based logo as well as a typographic one. Unlike many start ups, Plancast was to have a symbol that could stand alone to represent the brand. I agreed with them completely on this point; I think if you can pull it off, having a stand alone mark without type is always a good idea. I get the all type thing of course, but it can be a wasted opportunity not to at least try for an icon.

The other thing that resonated with my experiences as a designer was this.

Each of the above was at one point considered (by me) to be the new logo. Each had a lifespan of anywhere between three hours to three days. Eventually they all fell by the wayside as both Mark and I didn’t see what we were hoping for in the penguin. There wasn’t enough personality, they weren’t cute enough, they just weren’t right.

I think that the logo is very successful based on the brief and the product. I look forward to seeing the all the different ways in which it is applied. Read all about the process here.