Monday, September 6, 2010

Thoughts On Logo Design

Your logo is the face of your business. It is, arguably, the single most important part of your company's branding. Every part of your logo design puts forth tangible and intangible messages. Is your logo saying what you need it to say?

Our logo clients typically have trouble conveying what they want. The first problem is that they are usually poor designers yet have tried to rough out a design . . . and the battle starts here. The logo design firm then has to "unsell" the bad design before they can move on to a good design. The best clients provide a list of about ten adjectives that describe their business or business culture. These words, in the hands of an intuitive designer, can yield superb logo creations.

Here are some things TO DO and NOT TO DO.

1. Don't rely on family or friends to be your designer. And don't argue that "they have a good eye for design" or "they took a design course in school". Your potential logo designer will laugh hysterically when they leave the meeting. Let a professional do, what a professional does.

2. Pre-qualify your prospective design firm by reviewing their portfolio to see if their work is compatible with your tastes. Get a few references to check on the designers record for timely work and good attitude.

3. Set a reasonable budget. If you expect to get a good logo for under AT LEAST $250 you are in for a big surprise. Remember too that your designer is assuming a set number of hours to meet with you, discuss the project, create designs and make a few minor revisions. It is unfair and unreasonable to expect days or weeks of work for a small fee. Would you work days for $100? What you get is a direct reflection of how you, as a client, treat the designer.

5. Use a step-by-step process to create your logo. Agree on colors, fonts, any special images and then work into styling.
If these steps fail, perhaps the best logo isn't the one you personally love. Instead, your business may be better served by creating a logo that appeals to your clients.

Our bottom line advise is to understand that your logo is important, you will have to live with it a long time, and being in a rush or being cheap will haunt you. Hire the right logo designer, work together and you can definitely get a logo of which you will be proud.

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