1. How it usually happens
You present 3 or 4 proposals. Maybe even more variants: colour, font, icon, compact version.
Client shares them internally: marketing, management, maybe even some external partner. Files travel. Downloaded, printed, modified.
Then something curious happens:
- an "unchosen" variant reappears slightly modified
- another designer is involved using your material as base
- logo evolves, but keeps structure and proportions of yours
A designer told of presenting a logo with very precise geometric construction. Client rejects it. Two months later publishes different brand, but with same construction grid. Hard coincidence to ignore.
The point is that logo, unlike other assets, is easily dismantlable and rebuildable.
2. What you need to prove
Here focus is proving those visual solutions already existed, defined and articulated.
Concretely:
- that logo (and variants) were already designed
- that they included specific choices (shapes, proportions, typography)
- that they existed in a certain version on a certain date
- that variants belong to same creative process
- that any subsequent solutions derive from those
In practice:
"These graphic solutions were already developed like this, before any subsequent evolution."
3. What to collect
For logos it's fundamental documenting both result and construction.
Collect:
- source files (AI, SVG, PSD, etc.)
- PDF or image exports of variants
- presentation boards (logo + applications)
- construction grids or geometric schemes
- colour and typographic variants
- delivery email or messages to client
- initial brief
- any feedback or revisions
- screenshots of presentations or calls
A very useful detail: a board showing all variants together tells the work better than separate files.
4. How to proceed
Effective protection starts before client presentation.
When proposals are ready:
- organise variants into coherent set (board or PDF)
- export stable versions (PDF or high-quality images)
- assign clear file names (client + date + concept)
Then:
- use ExistBefore to timestamp whole package
- keep source files separately
- send material via traceable channel
During revisions:
- create new versions for every relevant modification
- avoid overwriting previous files
- document rejected variants too
A useful habit: consider "unapproved" variants too as part of your documented creative heritage.
5. Mistakes to avoid
Some behaviours make protecting logo work difficult:
- sending only isolated images without context
- not keeping source files
- working always on same file updating it
- not saving rejected variants
- using generic names like "final_logo.png"
Useful precautions:
- always keep a complete version of project
- keep constructive logic, not just aesthetics
- avoid files easily reusable without references
Free timestamping allows you to secure every project phase, keeping clear when and how different solutions were born.
6. After documenting
Once you have documented work, you can also better manage project evoluzioni.
You can:
- clarify which variants belong to proposal
- manage revisions and new requests with more control
- compare any subsequent developments
- build an orderly archive of your projects
If similarities with other works emerge:
- compare graphic structures
- verify documented variants
- evaluate direct confrontation based on concrete elements
When every logo version is tracked, explaining the origin of a visual solution becomes much simpler.