The Notebook

Daily notes from the Lab.

Logo design, brand identity, and the technology that builds them. One post a day, evidence over vibes. Follow along by RSS.

Logo technology · August 2, 2026

Born Vector: The Quality Bar for AI Logo Generation

One question separates serious AI logo tools from toys: what format is the mark born in? Not exported to. Born in.

2 min read
Craft · August 1, 2026

Wordmark, Monogram, or Symbol: Picking the Right Logo Type

Before fonts and colors, a logo makes one structural choice, and each option is a bet on how your brand will be encountered.

2 min read
Strategy · July 31, 2026

Rebrand or Refresh? Grade Your Own Logo First

Named problems have sized solutions, from a $0 consistency tune-up to a full rebrand. Five questions tell you which one you actually need.

2 min read
Color · July 30, 2026

Logo Color Psychology: Less Magic, More Market

Blue does not manufacture trust. Color's real job is identification, and identification is relative to who else in your market got there first.

2 min read
Craft · July 29, 2026

Favicon to Billboard: Designing a Logo That Scales

A logo lives between 16 pixels and 48 feet. Most marks are designed for the one size they will never be used at: comfortably large on a monitor.

2 min read
Ownability · July 28, 2026

The Real Cost of a Free Logo

A free logo is a loan with compounding interest: shared DNA, no legal footing, ransomed files, and a rebrand already on the calendar.

2 min read
Design theory · July 27, 2026

Why Every Logo Looks the Same: The Blanding Problem

Nobody sets out to be generic. Blanding is the sum of individually reasonable decisions, and it quietly transfers your ad spend to the market leader.

2 min read
Logo technology · July 26, 2026

How AI Logo Generators Actually Work (and Where They Fail)

Template shufflers, diffusion models, and constrained vector generation: three very different machines hide behind the same marketing label.

2 min read
Files and formats · July 25, 2026

Vector vs. Raster Logos: Why That PNG Is Costing You

If a PNG is the master file of your brand, you are one billboard, one embroidered polo, or one retina display away from an expensive lesson.

2 min read
Design theory · July 24, 2026

The Five-Second Logo Test: Why Memorability Beats Beauty

Show someone your logo for five seconds. What they can sketch an hour later is your actual brand. Everything else is decoration.

2 min read