After taking part in a few forum conversations about $50 logos, and then reading David Airey’s – What’s Your Logo Worth it prompted me to put pen to paper.
Why should a logo cost more than your lunch?
- A logo is the very first impression people get of your company –
Before a potential client even walks through your door, your logo is a representation of your company. It can make a company appear large, small (whether it really is or not) fun, serious, professional… - A logo needs longevity
Once a logo is designed it will represent your company for many years. - A logo needs to be original
A logo should be designed specifically for your company. A cheap “generic logo” may not reflect your company’s values. A cheap logo may also use clip art which could end up being used by another company. - A logo should look professional
You wouldn’t take a potential new client to Mac Donalds for lunch, in effect this is what is being done with a cheap logo. A logo should give your company a professional image, appropriate to its needs. - A logo should reflect the time and thought gone in to designing it
One of the problems here is that people don’t always realise the amount work that goes into a professionally designed logo:- The research – even if the budget is quite small I would expect at the very least to find out who the company’s main competitors are and how they present themselves
- The brainstorming of ideas
- The rough sketches
- The 4 or 5 logo options worked up on the computer
- The amends, tweaking and further amends
- A logo is the starting point of your whole corporate image
The colours typography and style of a logo will often dictate the corporate look of the rest of a company’s literature.
Any more suggestions?
A post also worth reading is Vivienne’s How much should you pay for a logo?
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90 Comments
There is a lot more to logo design then most people think.
Yes, I agree, you’re definitely right, professional logo represent that we are professional too
Professional logos are the only way to create brand identity for your company.I totally agree to that professional logos make companies look professional.
I absolutely agree that profesional logo makes our buisness looks professional also it’s represent our professionality too.
Logos on websites are like id cards in the society. We need them for identity and can be a significant way of showing authenticity.
That picture is making me hungry. I suppose that means it is an effective logo!
Not if you develop the logo yourself.
Buying a good quality logo off course would make a big differance to any brand however it is actually finding the fundung for this that can prove cumbersome for a small business and espically for a business that is just starting out.
A picture is worth a thousand words. You want a professional logo so that those words are the right ones.
I would much rather pay for a quality logo that will give me good brand recognition than go the cheap route and have no brand recognition. A logo IS your company and paying extra is definetly worth it.
Yes you’re right, in many cases a logo requires a lot of thought and a lot of imagination, but sometimes it can just be about the right font. Look at Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Google
Nice post.
I’m currently getting a logo designed with ideas coming from a 2 people.
I understand that this is an art,as stated people see the logo first,it’s a statement.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 2 compare.
An equally important job for designers responding to a client asks who you to modernize there logo after it has been in use for a number of years.
Hear I would argue that the key thing to bare in mined is that the logo remains instantly recognizable as belonging to the client. IE the changes are a gradual evolution and not a revolution.
I have had logos made on the cheap that were good, however the one that I had professionally designed stood out in the crowd and was a logo that you could remember. It can be difficult to justify the cost of a pro logo, but its worth every penny.
Great article again Tara!
Love the title of the blog post haha!
I conclude had logos made on the tasteless that were good, however the matchless that I had professionally designed stood foreign ropes the assortment also was a logo that you could remember. It authority exemplify intricate to describe the monetary worth of a pro logo, but its plus every penny.
Point #6 is reason enough to pay to get a quality original logo. It’s best to start off on the right foot rather than regret it later on.
The logo makes the company. If it’s not legit, no one will take the company seriously. The logo also needs to be memorable quickly – it must stand out and be remembered after first glance.
Nike’s swoosh costs a mere $35 (around $200 at today’s prices), if I’m not mistaken. But it was professionally designed nonetheless.
Its really important not to undercharge for logo – cheap design devalues the whole design industry.
However, a logo/brand’s value is relative to the wealth of the company its intended for. Its a tricky balance.
Richie
Thank Tara. I agree with your reasons. In the country that I work, Business companies don’t want to spend so much for logo design. And you know what, they copy some logo of the others and change a little bit or nothing. So sad for designer.
A well designed logo can be one of a companies most important assets. Sometimes you can’t even put a price on it. It’s best to put the funds up front and get something good.
Pay peanuts and you get monkeys. No professional will put good time and effort into a logo for that kind of price.
Some people are actually on a budget though so cannot always afford expensive design.
Branding, identity is key to a businesses success. A elegantly designed original logo will take a good business far.
It is getting tough for designers as they now have to educate clients before they can actually get to work but many will be attracted to the very small prices before they realise that they will need to spend more to get something both original and professional. The harsh truth is though that a cheap logo design usually costs a business more in the end when they realise the major mistake and have to rebrand everything!
A high professional logo shows you mean business! If you see quality, you then expect a quality service back so gives you the uper hand to come across as a professional company right away.
I have seen some expensive logo’s that are also hideous. However, the general rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for.
Great post, I totally agree logo design is very important. It could easily put clients off going with your company if you don’t have a proffesional looking logo.
Thanks.
I have seen some expensive logo’s that are also hideous, but you get what you pay for most of the time..
A logo has to be clever and liked by the audience and this way it’s memorized. Also it should stand out from the crowd of rival logos. It might be even funny having a little spice on it (look at OGC logo – everyone knows it!)
A properly researched and designed corporate logo should convey EVERYTHING about the business identity, even if you change the words. I always think Coca-cola or Disney when I’m creating a new branding or corporate logo for a client. Change the words, and you still have the same brand imagery.
Excellent artice!
Agree 100% with this article, another factor that tend people to go for the cheapest logo design is that there is so many people ¨generally speaking¨ ( and you can see them in your own familiy, circle of friends, besides clients of course.) that just can´t distinguish a good logo from a bad or a very bad logo, since they have no artistic, design skills nor education in the design area, so is very easy for them choosing the company which offers the lowest rates for a logo design project without knowing that they may also misrepresent the brand and spirit of your bussiness in a big way, well here is where we came to explain them the difference between them, and how extremely dangerous could be choosing a logo that will may transmit the very opposite of what you may wish for your targeted clients which usually is reliability, trustworthy, authority, integrity, etc.
In other terms a cheap and bad logo is instantanously related to a cheap and a bad company to the educated eye, and that educated eye might result to be one or many of your potencial customers.
Totally true! Anyone with a mac or pc can make a logo these days. But the quality and the distinctivebillity (is that pronounced correct?) of a logo is the most important thing. And that can’t be make by anyone who just bought a mac and downloaded a illegal copy of CS5. Thats where experience, profession and time… lots of time comes in. And thats why a professional logo can’t be make for 50 bucks.
Completely true. I’ve had quite a few clients who’ve had to spend additional time and money because they didn’t hire a professional the first time around. For instance, I once had a client who admitted spending over $10K trademarking a logo he didn’t like and for which he spent less than $200. How does that make any sense?
Hi Mdostudio – wow that is crazy
I remember a client a few years back who was looking for a new logo design after going for the cheaper option. The visuals which I saw looked like really bad clip art. I see a logo as an investment – it’s what identifies a business and it goes on nearly everything.
Ive tried making logos before and usually its the simple ones that prove as a challenge. Simple is effective, but they require the most thought and care.
I totally agree and can’t wait to get to the logo design stage and working with a graphic designer on my little start up. First impression is everything and getting the right name and or slogan is hard enough.
Agree with your post. Most people don’t understand what goes into making a professional, appealing logo. It’s much more work then people think! We print works all the time, and some of the best logos are ones I’ve seen much time put into.
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