How to find a Logo Design that is Ideal for You Your logo is the signature of your brand, and one of the company's most valuable assets. It is the single element that will symbolize your brand more than anything else. A well-designed logo is a that reflects your company and communicates your message. It needs to be simple, unique, memorable, versatile, capable to work without colour.
To be able to select a logo, you will find important steps to go through, both on your own and with a graphic designer. In this post, I outline the emblem design process and some important guidelines to bear in mind when selecting a logo that's ideal for you.
In order to obtain your logo, you are free to choose either a freelance designer, a design firm, or even an advertising agency. Throughout this post, with regards to convenience and readability, I will use the term "designer" to include whichever kind of business or person is applicable for your case.
Select a budget
First off, you should decide on your financial allowance for the new logo. They are able to cost between $300-1500 (USD), and often more. Just remember that you get what you purchase, and a designer's fees will reflect experience, client history, and professionalism. Investing in a logo (and a corporate identity to choose it) is among the most important steps you can take when building a brand. A logo may be worth a lot more than the hours it requires to produce it.
You can find logo banks and contest sites on the internet and acquire one for approximately $150. You can even find different freelancer sites where people bid insanely low prices-like $50. Just be aware that selecting a logo for a cheap price online can be disastrous. Inexperienced designers might take forever, not communicate well, use clip art images (a definite no-no), and could not provide you with the correct files you need for print and web use.
Locate designers
There are plenty of places you'll find graphic designers. Deciding on the best designer for you personally is definitely a lot harder (and we'll reach that in a minute). You can locate lots of candidates by using different methods.
Check around. If you know someone with a great logo, simply ask them who made it happen. Most of my freelance design work originates from referrals.
Search graphic design firm directories like the one on GraphicDesign.com.
Browse design galleries and portfolio communities like The Behance Network.
Search for "logo design" and "logo development" on social networks like Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook.
Choose a suitable designer
After contacting a number of designers and requesting quotes, be sure you take a look at not only the cost when deciding who has got the job. Think about the designer's previous logos and also the corporate identities they've created around those logos. Look for good design presentations because it shows how much they are concerned regarding their own professional appearance. Browse the descriptions which go with each of the logo projects because a logo may look great and all sorts of, however it has to satisfy the specific design requirements to work.
More importantly, choose a logo designer whose type of design fits your personal preferred style. Using this method, you'll be pleased with the logo you end up with, and also the designer is going to be happy because that style is exactly what they're preferred with.
You are able to judge the professionalism of a artist through the following points. These don't all need to apply, but be on the lookout for at least some of them.
They are polite, direct, knowledgeable, and efficient communicators.
They explain their design process for you personally and tell you what will be delivered upon completion.
They will ask you relevant questions to understand your company.
They have some sort of contract or service agreement to sign before starting.
They require a specified up-front payment before beginning.
Their grammar, spelling, and punctuation are in least satisfactory. (As with any industry, bad writing says a lot in regards to a person).
One crucial note here: if the designer presents you with a contract or agreement, ensure that the ownership of the logo is transferred to you upon final payment. If there is nothing in writing that mentions ownership, then ask your designer to give you this agreement in writing. It's vital that you own your company logo to be able to legally utilize it any way you like in the future.
Brief the designer in detail
Great logosWhether you brief your designer face-to-face or send over a brief in email form, it is essential to explain what you would like at length. Answer these questions first:
If you have now a logo, why don't you like it?
What does your business do?
Who is your target market?
Who are your main competitors?
How are you different from your competition?
What qualities do you want your organization to project?
What feelings would you like your new logo to incite?
Do you have a saying that needs to be contained in the design?
Will your logo show up in videos? If that's the case, will it eventually need an animated version?
Which specific logos are the favourites, and why?
Are you partial to typographic logos (FedEx or ESPN), symbolic logos (Nike or Apple), or a combination of both (Pepsi or Adidas)?
Let the designer know exactly in which you plan on using the logo. Sure, you will have business cards along with a website, and can it also be seen on billboards and your social networking profiles?
Inquire if the designer will provide a logo usage guidelines document, which advises how the logo can and can't be utilized. For example, which logo variation can be used which colour background? Finally, request a favicon. This is actually the little image that appears in browser tabs, in your bookmarks manager, and on your computer when you save a webpage. They usually come in one of three sizes: 16×16, 32×32, or 64×64 pixels. Request a 64×64 pixel favicon, so that is looks crisp everywhere it appears.
Equipped with all this knowledge, your designer should be able to deliver an accurate visual representation of the business. Solidifying your vision before briefing an artist will certainly save you time, money, and headaches in the end.
After i entered into the logo design industry, I encountered a few clients who expected me to understand all of these things and deliver a perfect solution to a problem which was not expressed clearly. It inevitably resulted in non-stop revisions of the brand name and tired faces throughout. This is exactly why I made a decision to start delivering a list of preliminary logo design questions before even considering a job. If you do not know what you would like at first, you might keep altering your mind because the project moves forward. It's definitely okay to change your mind, but be aware that the designer will most likely charge a fee more money before continuing.
Choose a logo concept
The designer will then perform the necessary research and experiments, then return to you with a few concept designs. This can take around two to four days, depending on the specific job. Ideally, they will make available to you 3 to 6 hand-drawn sketches. When you initially see the concepts, select a logo that immediately catches your eye. This is usually the one that your gut is suggesting to choose. Continue the decision process by asking yourself some essential questions:
Does it represent my product or business?
Does it convey my message?
Is the look not so difficult?
Does the design plenty of contrast to stand out?
Will it work without colour?
Will it work when it's super small?
Does it look an excessive amount of like every other logos?
Will it be relevant 5 years or 10 years down the road?
Best LogosNext, sleep onto it. Perform the identical thing and ask yourself the same questions for any second time. Do your answers change? It's also smart to ask friends and family the things they think.
Give useful feedback
After the first draft, your designer may actually present a logo that's near to what you want, but it's seldom they'll hit the nail around the head right away. Therefore, the choice is yours to communicate your needs as best you can. Provide your designer with feedback that is useful. Simply saying, "I can't stand any of them" doesn't really help the process. Express the reason why you don't like something, or what you look for to see differently, for example, "I don't like how rigid and symmetrical this one is. Can you give it more movement or allow it to be more lively?"
Giving clear direction is essential, but do not get to be the designer yourself. You've hired an artist for any reason, so allow them to do what they do best. If you have chosen a good designer that communicates well and matches your chosen style, you'll be able to have confidence they'll present you with quality work.
Accept deliverables
Upon discharge of final payment to the designer, you should get the deliverables promised for you in the beginning from the business model. This should include vector files that are resizaeble, instead of raster images that can't be increased in dimensions without becoming pixelated (blurry).
You need files that you could start using on the web immediately (usually PNG, JPG, or GIF). Request a PNG of GIF if you would like the backdrop to become transparent (no white box around your logo). You also want to get the initial source files (usually AI or EPS). You certainly want to have the source files just in case another person needs to modify or expand on your logo someday. For example, if one day you bring in help to create a video for you, then a source file is required to add your logo-a JPG simply won't work.
When it's time to select a logo that is perfect for you, understand that it's not a simple process. It takes a lot of thought about your type of business, your audience, the content you need to send, the emotions you need to incite, in addition to open communication with your designer.
However, it's definitely worth the effort to strive for a strong company logo, because it is the very first thing your audience sees, and it will be with you for a long time to come.