One of my earliest conversations with Rich were about autobots and dinobots from the Transformers series. An avid fan myself, it was so cool to talk to a fellow logo designer about the fandom that the series demanded.  Rich is from Australia and is a really swell guy, it is always a pleasure to correspond and chat with him.  In the logo designing world, he goes by the moniker of designabot.  From watching his amazing logos pop up on website inspiration lists to reading the deeply philosophical quotes he shares on twitter, Rich never fails to amaze me with his depth of perception. He experiments, adapts and is always there with a kind word of encouragement and a sunny demeanor. I had so much fun reading more about him in this interview that he kindly did for us. I hope you do too.

Thanks Rich for taking the time out for this interview. It is good to have you on the blog.

1. Tell us a little about yourself. About Rich Scott the person and Rich Scott the designer.

I am a 30 year old currently living in Queensland, Australia. I appreciate all aspects of creativity and right-brain thinking! Love a bit of tennis, chess and music (mainly funk and break beats). I have worked on a Mac since forever but am pleased to have avoided all hype surrounding other Apple products… so far! I have run my own business for the last 2+ years and enjoy the freedom this brings to my life. I find it hard to be creative on demand, so working freelance gives me the chance to dictate my own schedule and let creativity flow at leisure.

2. How did you get started with logo designing? Why logo designing?
I am fond of all aspects related to the logo design process, from initial brainstorming to seeing the final article in use. I have always been inquisitive into the origins and meanings behind hieroglyphs and ancient symbols. I found myself gravitating towards logo design because of the emotion and messages you can impart on a viewer with just a simple icon and/or font. After a few years out of the game it wasn’t until quite recently where my passion for graphic design returned and with it my focus became logos/brand identity. It is quite a specialist field but one that really captured my heart.

3. What according to you is the most fulfilling part of being a brand creator?
I would have to say bringing an idea to life that was once a mere flicker of inspiration in my mind then seeing the finished article is also a real pleasure. The amount of ideas and possible brand solutions are infinite which really fascinates and inspires me. It’s a really great feeling to receive feedback from your peers when you create identities that are unique, recognizable and fingers crossed, stand the test of time.

4. Can you share with us your most challenging logo design to date? What was the biggest hurdle in doing it?
Surprisingly one of my most challenging logos appears to be one of the simplest. It was originally an unused concept, which I re-worked for sale on Brandstack called ‘Silk Skin’. The concept came to me in a flash but when it came to vectorising in Adobe Illustrator, it took forever! Adjusting the size of one foot in relation to the other while still forming a recognisable letter ‘s’ was a real challenge but I got there in the end.

5. What has been the most unusual source of inspiration for your logos?
A designer takes inspiration from all areas of life not just the design world. One of my more recent brands ‘Vacuum Viper’ was probably the most unusual source. I was finishing up some house work (yawn) … then packing up the vacuum I pressed the cord release button. The speed and velocity of the cords recall reminded me of a snake as it nipped me on the way back! I jumped straight into illustrator with the idea still fresh in my mind and so this brand was born.

6. If there was one logo out there in the real world that you wished you had created, which one would that be?
There are so many but one recent logo that keeps popping up and stands out is ‘Under Armour’. It’s a simple and strong design, and as with all great logos combines graphic elements to convey a distinct message.

7. Out of your own portfolio, which logo is the dearest to you? Why?
I love all my creations but one that is dear to me is ‘Penny Puddle’. The main reason I am happy with this one is the strength of concept combined with the speed it took me to execute. I began reading the clients brief and the concept was in my mind before I finished reading. I wanted to convey emotions relating to financial wishes and upward mobility. I really think this solution delivers effectively.

8. Can you share with us your logo design process for Brandstack?
In the early days of Brandstack I re-worked a number of unused concepts and developed new brand names. More recently however all my designs have been crafted specifically for Brandstack. The process usually begins with a spark of inspiration, which can come to me at any point in the day. I will check to see if the .com or appropriate domain is available and then start sketching or jump into Illustrator. Nowadays on Brandstack you will notice most logos will sell as a package with a unique domain included, so it’s worth giving some serious thought.

9. How do you market yourself as a brand creator? What sites and tools do you use for promotion?
One aspect I have had to really push myself with is the whole marketing thing. It is all a bit of a learning curve but with the aid of sites like Brandstack it gives us designers exposure to many potential clients and is a useful marketing tool. As well as selling the odd logo here and there I am now in contact with lots of fellow creatives and have a few new clients gained exclusively through Brandstack. I also use sites such as, Logopond, Faveup and Logospire for promoting logos. I was dubious with Twitter to start with but it has turned out to be a very handy communication tool.

10. What is the single most valuable trait of a logo designer? If one doesn’t have it, is there a way to develop and hone it?
I would say self-belief is the most important thing to have as a logo designer. You have to be confident enough to follow your intuition and believe in all your creations. Putting your work ‘out there’ for critique can be daunting but my advice is, just go for it! Belief is within all of us but can still be developed further by taking criticism of all types, learning and moving forward in a positive direction.

11. What are your preferred choice of fonts for logos?
I always try and match icon and font as seamlessly as possible. My style is quite clean and minimalist so generally I gravitate towards san serif fonts. A few favourites are Bryant, Univers and Proxima

12. Superman logo or Batman Logo? Why?
I am a sucker for symmetry so on that basis I would have to say the Batman logo!

13. What are your plans and goals for yourself in the year 2010?
I try not to plan too far ahead or even set that many goals. I am pretty easy going and do my best to live in the moment and create the best experience I can. The main objective is to stay in business for myself as long as I can… I really couldn’t go back to working for ‘the man’ so I stay on my toes and work hard. That said I always have un-design related business ideas up my sleeve. It’s just finding the time to gain some revenue and get them going!

14. Any words of wisdom for newbie designers?
We have all at some point in time been new to the design industry. I would say try to be creative and as unique as possible. Create your own little niche within a fairly tough industry. Always keep a positive mind-set and have strong intent that you can and will succeed! Listen to others, ask questions and keep practicing whatever design process you feel most comfortable with. I would always recommend a design course of some sort to gain key knowledge and understanding of design principles. Whatever your skill level the main thing is to have a great concept. I agree that ‘less is more’ but it can be okay to come up with more complex logos providing the concept is strong and then presented in a visually appealing manner.

Thanks for the interview Sneh! ; )

And thanks for sharing some great advice with us Rich. We wish you the very best.

You can view Rich’s portfolio on his website Revivify Graphic Design. Follow Rich on Twitter for some great social interaction.

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Sneh Roy is a designer and creative trends blogger. You can follow her @LBOI on Twitter and keep up with her at her site, Little Box of Ideas.