How to analyze a logo before and after a redesign

Analyzing a logo is a repeatable inspection of the mark’s drawing, lettering, color, variants and files, done so you can decide whether the artwork is fit for use. Run that inspection on the current identity to create a baseline, then run the same inspection on the redesigned artwork and compare the two records. The work is finished when you can say what changed, which faults remain, and whether the new files are usable vector artwork.

A vector logo is a drawing defined by paths: anchor points joined by straight segments or curves. Those paths scale as drawing instructions, so the edge stays a line instead of breaking into pixels. A raster image is a pixel grid and is a picture of a logo when it is used in place of paths. Live type is lettering still tied to a font file. Outlined type is lettering converted into paths, so the letters draw without that font and can no longer be edited as text. A lockup is a fixed arrangement of a symbol and lettering. A wordmark is lettering used as the logo. A filename or extension does not establish any of these conditions; the objects inside the file do.

Build a baseline before the mark is redrawn

Start with the identity already in use. Collect every official variant you can obtain and open the actual files. Written brand rules for color, clear space or minimum size are documented requirements when they exist. Where no rule is written, record what you observe in the artwork and in real placements. Treat those notes as observations.

Primary horizontal lockup, stacked or vertical lockup, symbol-only mark and wordmark-only version, when each exists
One-color, reversed and limited-color versions that are actually used
Whether lettering is live type, outlined paths or a mix
Whether the drawing uses live strokes, overlapping shapes, embedded images or effects that turn into pixels on output
Known failures already in circulation: weak small-size reading, color-only distinction, uneven spacing or conflicting versions

Use one construction checklist on both versions

Apply the same construction checks to the old mark and the new one. You are scoring drawing quality and delivery risk. A redesign can look finished in a slide and still fail as artwork if the paths are messy, the type is inconsistent or the file still contains a picture of the logo.

Path geometry: curve tension, intended symmetry, clean joins, complete closed fills and the absence of stray anchors
Boolean construction: shapes that should share a single fill united into one path, counters (the holes in letters such as O) as compound paths, and no hidden leftover shapes
Strokes and fills: whether thickness is a live stroke whose weight will change with scale, or a filled outline that keeps its proportion
Typography: weight and contrast across letters, even tracking, optical spacing at tight pairs, custom-drawn letters versus an unmodified typeface, and baseline alignment between symbol and type
Color: how many distinct colors the mark needs, and whether it still reads when reduced to a single color
Reduction and reversal: whether the mark holds as a small icon and as a light mark on a dark field
Lockup spacing: the space between symbol and type, and the space the lockup needs around itself, taken from the files and from any written brand rule

Logo analysis record
Identity / version:
Variant compared (primary, stacked, symbol, wordmark, one-color, reverse):
Path construction:
Type (live / outlined / mixed):
Color count and one-color test:
Small-size and reverse test:
Embedded images or raster effects:
Faults to carry into the redesign:
Faults still present after the redesign:
Decision (accept / revise / reject):

Compare the redesigned files to the baseline

After the redesign, open the new files and walk the same checklist. Place old and new in matching conditions: the same variant, the same size, the same one-color test and the same reversal. Write down only differences you can point to in the artwork.

Match equivalent variants: primary lockup to primary lockup, icon to icon
Repeat construction, type, color and reduction checks on the new files
Check each fault recorded in the baseline and mark it fixed or still present
List faults the redesign introduced: broken counters, heavier or lighter type, lost distinctiveness, embedded raster, live fonts where outlines were required, or lockup proportions that no longer hold
State whether the result is a refinement of the same identity or a different mark
Judge the files as delivery objects: consistent variants, paths where paths are required, type outlined where the handover requires outlines, and no embedded picture of the logo

Inspection	Before the redesign	After the redesign
Path quality	Record stray points, open strokes and uneven curves	Confirm the new paths are complete and cleaner
Type	Note live type, outlines, spacing and custom letters	Repeat those notes and check that lettering still belongs to the identity
Color and reduction	Record one-color and small-size behavior	Confirm the new drawing still holds in those tests
File construction	Record raster embeds, effects and mixed type	Confirm the new files did not bring those problems back
Identity	Record what must stay recognizable	Judge whether recognition and distinctiveness improved

Turn the comparison into a decision

The notes support one of three outcomes. Choose from what the artwork shows.

Accept for use when the new mark meets the stated intent, holds in one color and at small size, and the files are vector drawings with consistent variants
Request revision when the idea is sound and construction, spacing, lockup proportion or file hygiene still needs work
Reject or restart when recognition is lost, variants disagree, or the delivery is a picture of a logo

Limits of the files in front of you

A container name such as SVG, EPS or AI describes a file type. Usability depends on the objects inside: paths, live type, embedded images and effects. Permission to reuse a logo is a legal question separate from possessing a drawing of it.

There is no single numeric figure for clear space, minimum size, stroke width or export resolution that applies to every logo. Use numbers only when a brand or a printer has documented them. Menu commands, tracing options and export presets depend on the drawing application and version; verify those in the tool you use. Those application-specific settings are a gap in this guide and must be checked against the installed software.