When clients come to me for a logo design they are often looking for text and a symbol, just a symbol and in some cases just text. Text only logos can be very effective form of branding when you consider the logos of companies like FedEx, Dell, The Home Depot, Ebay and Kellog’s.
The complexity of a logo or lack there of for that matter should not be taken as a determinant of its value. The value of a logo is determined by what stands behind it, ask yourself how much do you value your brand and service and that is how much your logo is valued. Whether as complex as and containing as much symbolism as the Presidential Seal or as plain as HBO’s logo the purpose of your logo is to represent you and your organization/company.
Logo Design
A new logo design doesn't have to cost you thousands of dollars. A new logo design can invigorate your business, therefore you don’t want to rely on just anyone with a copy of Photoshop to create the symbol that your organization will become known by over the years ahead, you may well get less than you bargained for. On the other hand one should not be cheap when it comes to something as important as your image. Business owners should know that the most vital part of promotional material is the message that it communicates to the customers. That is why even the logo has to be carefully designed and created to make sure that it gives the right meaning.
When designing a logo the first and most important element is the idea. You have your business idea, product or service, the next step is naming it and once you come up with your name the process of giving it an identity begins.
When you contract RCA-Media* for a logo design job, the first thing that you will be asked is, “what do you want?” During your consultation we will go back and fourth over your vision of your logo. It’s always important to have some sort of an idea of what you want. Some companies offer unlimited revisions, but it makes the process so much easier when you have ideas of what you want. Details like colors, font styles (bold, elegant, script,…), what type of images, if any, that you would like to use makes the process less tedious for both parties.
Once I have the details I need to start with, I deliver comps. Based on the information gathered during consultation and my creative flow, I will deliver up to 8 comps. It is then up to the client to choose the best out of those comps or even elements from different comps to build on and begin revisions. If none of those comps are appealing to the client, a second consultation is done to narrow the idea down and more comps are submitted. 3 rounds of comps are my limit and again, this is why it is important to have some idea of what you are looking for. My set turn around time for a logo is up to 5 business days with good communication but I have worked on a design for up to 2 weeks. This is good for the client because they get exactly what they want but it’s not so good for me because the time put in exceeds the cost. So, to keep things balanced if the client has still not approved a design within that week there will be an extension fee. There are also times when a designer comes across a client that is difficult to please, because of this communication is very important and the designer should not have to pay for this difficulty.
In the end, the client is pleased with the work completed and the designer doesn’t feel as if they sold themselves short. To put this very frankly, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Great design takes time, research, hard work, discipline, experience, talent, and great communication with the client. When you take shortcuts (especially in price) you sacrifice these things and in turn sacrifice the quality of the logo. I understand that clients are usually looking for a good deal, but really cheap design is not it!
The information in this blog is just a few things to consider when contracting a designer and for a designer to think
about when taking a job.
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