为初创企业设计商标前应考虑清楚的七件事（中英）

聚龙

　　       不管你是与高端设计公司合作还是单纯地抄袭CS5的灵感，设计商标对所有人来说都不是件轻易事，特殊是给初创企业设计商标，难度就更大。经营一家公司已经很困难了，更别说是为了一个商标而剖析整个企业特征。
( a; n! i/ ?; Q+ @　　It doesn’t matter if you’re working with a top-tier design firm or going at it alone with dusty copy of CS5, creating a logo can be a challenging process for anyone. This is especially true if you’re designing for your own startup — it’s difficult enough to run a company, let alone break its entire identity down to a single logo.
# |7 h7 z  J/ d' B　　        但每家公司都需要设计一个商标，而且假如想让消费者对你的公司感爱好的话，你需要设计一个极具吸引力的商标。在设计之前，你应该考虑清晰以下这七件事：
+ m, P' @* g0 C4 ?0 D- d* X　　But every company needs a logo design, and you’ll want an attractive one if you’re interested in luring in customers. Before you embark on this journey, we’ve created a list of seven things to think about before creating a logo for your startup. Let us begin.
! H7 U+ |7 A* k5 ?8 b　　        1. 名字的含义
　　1. What’s in a name?
　　        假如你还没有确定品牌的名字或者还在纠结于要不要叫Pen Island这类名字的话，那就让消费者调查来帮你吧。Warby parker就在确定这个最契合公司形象的名字之前测试了成百上千个名字。假如你已经选好了，那就继承往下看吧。
　　In case you haven’t yet nailed down your name, user testing will help you finalize it before you’re stuck with something like Pen Island. Warby parker, for example, tested hundreds of names before finding something that fits its needs perfectly. Shift your eyes to the next one if you’ve already sorted this out.
　　        2. 不要依靠潮流
6 X% W6 p5 t& i* g　　2. Don’t depend on trends
　　        设计潮流变化多端，互联网的作用仅仅是加速了潮流的更新换代。从90年难看的样子到Web 2.0的渐变感，再到如今的平板风格，所有的设计都太过于依靠潮流了，因为这些潮流几年之后依旧会过时。
　　Design trends come and go, and the Internet has only accelerated trend turnover. From the grunge type of the 90s to Web 2.0 gradients to today’s flat styles, any design that relies too much on what’s trending will look outdated in a short few years.
2 ]. E/ f3 l. t( l4 V　　        所以不要过于依靠当下最流行的样式，而是应该注意经典的设计，设计出能够永恒的东西。你需要的是一个强盛的、能够将你的企业特征以最简约的方式展现出来的设计。
　　Instead of leaning on what’s hip, focus on classic design rules and build something that lasts. You’ll want a strong design that communicates your identity in the simplest way.
1 o) c: ?+ e7 R$ N% g1 n5 w0 e( @　　        3 黑白风格
　　3. Black and white
　　        说说最基本的要素吧，在设计过程最后就是选择颜色，极少数的设计师会建议用黑色和白色作为商标的主色调。
# t7 y$ R! Y4 c　　Speaking of bare essentials, quite a few designers recommend designing your logo in black and white first, bringing in color towards the end of the process.
4 r) B& U6 S' E, @8 o* R　　        传统意义上讲，对颜色的需要应追溯到印刷限制，当时的商标出现在黑白纸张、低保真度的传真和商务卡片上等等。现如今，印刷已经变得不那么重要了，但黑白颜色仍旧值得追从。在没有颜色的情况下，焦点全部貂皮在商标的结构和设计上，而颜色会分散人们的注重力，使其忽略设计的要素。
4 r& Q; a9 W! z" h# i　　Traditionally, the need for this stemmed back to the limitations of print. A design had to function in black and white prints, low-fidelity faxes, business cards, etc. Nowadays, print is significantly less important, but the black and white rule is still worth following. By leaving color out of the picture, you’ll focus entirely on the structure and white space of your design. Colors can distract from these elements early in the design process.
　　        4. 灵活性
, B' X% h, [, q$ k/ J　　4. Flexibility
  i* m9 D( I0 u& @% a　　        除了黑白色建议之外，商标的灵活性也是极其重要的。一个精彩的商标会呈现出不同的规格，从网站登录页面到新闻稿上拇指般大小的标记。
2 g& D% d6 g1 d　　Falling in line with the Black and White suggestion above, the flexibility of your logo design is incredibly important. An excellent logo works in various sizes, from an epic landing page to a thumbnail-sized mark on a press release.
　　        我们建议您设计出各种各样大小的商标，商标背景也应该有深有浅。提高商标的灵活性能够给你带来长期的效益。
　　We recommend creating variations of your logo for different sizes and even light and dark backgrounds. Sorting this out now will help you in the long-run.　        
　　        ……