I was recently commissioned to design the logo for Alliance Business Insurance and, as luck would have it, haven't accidentally destroyed my notebook yet, so I'm presented with the golden opportunity to document my logo design process.

I feel it's noteworthy that although I do have a general process for logo design, it changes on every project. First, I am always trying to improve it. Second, every client is different. Third, I think design is about discovery, and you have to go where tha process takes you. Although design is a process, it does have a result, and the service of that result needs to be the ultimate goal.
Okay, so now that I am down from my soap box, here's how I designed this logo.