Really Good Logos Explained shares the thoughts and opinions of 4 designers on the topic of logo design. Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, Ron Miriello, and Alex W. White explain what makes each logo design effective, or how the design could have been improved. What might be hard form some, they had to present their material with a straightforward approach and explain it with 5 sentences or less. this, in my opinion, made for a good read.

The limit of writing space the four designers had provided straightforward, to-the-point critiques that designers and non-designers can engage in. Giving the opportunity for the reader to side with a designer on their comment. At times, I felt my head nodding up and down, left and right, with what a designer wrote and disagreeing with another. While most of the critiques were positive or provided positive feedback, some critiques felt more like negative criticism. Other critiques limited the topic of concept and focused too much attention on letter spacing.

Brightlines, simple and conceptual logo design by Mytton Williams.

Really Good Logos Explained does a good job of classifying the logo designs into 4 chapters; 1. Loud & Proud 2. Sleek & Subtle 3. Shelf-Savvy and 4. Smart & Effective. The book also include a bonus chapter of not so good logos and a just-for-fun section with author favorites. If you pick up the book, look for chapter 4 (my favorite), it provides examples of smart design and simplified solutions to design problems. No trends, only well executed logo design.

At times, logo design critiques were limited to one, instead of a full critique by all designers.

A drawback of the book falls on the lack of a full analysis by all designers on all logo designs. At times, only one designer shared his or her input, eliminating the possibility of contrasting views between creative minds.

Overall, Really Good Logos Explained is good at presenting various types and styles of logo designs and sharing what makes them standout. Providing designers with useful information to apply on their next logo design project. It’s available at Amazon, starting at $27.94.