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You can find logo designs from $5 up to £2,000+ (and that’s just businesses/people I know that offer logo design). Each will give you different quality, information, support, guidance, strategy, thought, peace of mind and number/type of files when complete.
The thing is, most business people who are having logos designed base their decision on cost… because they don’t know what they should be looking out for and what should be part of the package. Also they aren’t aware of what they need to be careful of too, particularly with some of the cheaper options.
Here are my top tips for when you’re deciding who should design your logo and what you need to be asking for:
Firstly, do some research. Ask around for personal recommendations for logo design from businesses you know and like the logo they had designed.
Next step is to create a short list of the graphic designers that you like best in terms of style and start asking for prices. You may find this short list gets even smaller depending on your budget.
Go with someone who’s work you like and who you feel is able to really ‘get’ what you’re trying to do, understands the profile of the people you want to attract and will do so at a price that you’re comfortable with.
Some pitfalls to avoid:
Going Cheap:
It’s all very well using $5 logo design but chances are they won’t really consider your target audience, they’ll just design what they think looks nice. They may also not consider the larger usability of your logo for your actual ‘brand’, i.e. where and how you’ll be using it long term. You can also face some copyright issues, though this is not always the case of course, so just tread carefully here. You may strike it lucky but then I’ve also heard some horror stories over the years.
Copyright Issues:
Many people still are unaware of copyright issues when it comes to logos and fonts. I didn’t fully understand them when I started out either, but it’s something you need to consider. Some fonts you will need a commercial licence to use for your logo, some are in the free domain. It’s not going to do you any harm to double check, particularly when you are choosing the lower priced designs, that the fonts used are copyright free.
This also applies to stock images, as most state in the T&Cs that they can’t be used as elements in logo design. I’m not expecting you to check all this with a fine toothed comb, I just want you to be aware and be able to make informed choices and potentially have a conversation with your designer to be sure they are also in-the-know and have checked the usage rights.
One File Supplied:
Make sure you’re going to get all the files you need as this will save you money later. I know plenty of people who have had a logo done on Fiverr and only have a low resolution jpeg to show for it and that’s it! I’m not blaming the customer here, they didn’t know better – but you now do, after reading this. A low resolution (ie web sized) jpeg is no good for printing, signage and many other applications. In many cases I’ve seen the quality ofthe jpeg is even pretty bad for web use because it’s so small.
What should you get when you’ve approved the logo design?
The absolute bare minimum that you should have is:
- A vector PDF (with all text as outlines)
- A high resolution jpeg
In an ideal world, this is the minimum I supply clients with, you want to receive:
- A vector PDF (with all text as outlines)
- A vector eps (with all text as outlines)
- A high resolution jpeg (for printing or larger designs that don’t require a PDF)
- A low resolution jpeg (for web use)
- A high resolution png (a transparent background / for printing)
- A low resolution png (a transparent background / for web use)
Ideally you want all of the above in both colour and black and white.
Some extras that are really handy to have and that you’re likely to get with the higher priced designers:
- A square version of the logo for use on social media and other similar places
- An icon version of your logo (if relevant) for use as a favicon for your website
- The font files that are being used so you can use them for your own branding
- Basic or comprehensive brand guidelines (see below)
Brand Guidelines explained
Brand guidelines are your blueprint for your branding and without them it’s highly likely that you will go ‘off-brand’ incredibly easily. What am I talking about? You can click here to read more about brand guidelines but in a nutshell a basic set of guidelines will give you:
The CMYK, RGB and Hex(#) values for the colours used in your logo as well as the fonts used for your branding. Don’t panic – it’s not some other language! These are simply numbers that you can give other designers or use yourself on websites and documents to ensure the colours are always the same. For example the hex number for black is #000000 and white is #FFFFFF – I’m betting you’ve seen these before on a colour picker somewhere.
More comprehensive guidelines will give the entire brand set up for all designs for your business. When I say comprehensive I mean comprehensive, I’ve seen brand guideline booklets over 50 pages long.
Armed with this information you can ensure that you always use your brand colours both in print and online and that you stick with your brand fonts too. Remember consistency is key to building a clear, identifiable brand.
In summary…
There are a gazillion businesses out there that do logo design. Many will be able to do a fantastic job for you. So, get some quotes, drill down to a top 3 that have the style and price you want and then go for the one that feels right for you. BUT be sure to ask for the files you want so you have them when you need them. Feel free to copy and paste my list from above when ordering your logo design.
Cheap doesn’t always mean worse design wise, I’ve seen some great low cost designs, however it is worth bearing in mind that the likelihood is that you will get a more experienced designer with a better understanding of your needs and a better ability to give you guidance and see the bigger picture when you pay a bit more.
I’d love to hear your logo design experiences so join in the conversation and leave your comments below…
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Need a logo designed and want a quote from me? Great! Find out more here: www.media8.co.uk/logodesign
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