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Cheap logo design: when is cheap too cheap?
Wesley Nicholson - Logo Design Blog   
Sunday, 30 September 2007
When you are comparison shopping, there are three ways to go about deciding which product or service you are ultimately going to purchase:

1. Compare prices and go with the lowest priced, most economical service or product.

2. Compare prices versus quality and go with the best combination of the two, in other words get the biggest "bang for your buck".

3. Ignore the prices and select the highest quality, top of the line  product or service.

Now, when you are trying for that new garbage can, it makes sense to go with option number 1 or number 2, and unless you are buying the garbage can as a replacement  for the one in the oval office, you probably aren't going to select option number 3.

If, however, you are hiring a Logo Design Firm, you need to be careful how you comparison shop, for the following reasons:

1. Going with the lowest priced service:

What I think: If there is a company out there that gives you an incredible, custom drawn, 100% unique logo for $49.99 then I haven't found it yet. Most so called "design companies" offering logo design for pennies are really just a couple of  teenagers slapping together clipart in the basement after school. Buyer beware.

Look out for: If it looks to good to be true, it probably is. Without trying too hard you can easily find so called "design companies" offering logo design packages from $49 all the way down to $10.  With logo design, as with just about everything, you get what you pay for. If you pay $49 for a logo, you're going to end up with a $49 logo. If a firm is a reputable design company they should be charging a fair price. Professional logo design takes time, and the way that any logo company cuts prices is by reducing the amount of time put into it. Period. Also look carefully at their logo portfolio, usually companies with bargain basement prices haven't been around for that long, and their portfolio will reflect it, every design firm puts their best foot forward when displaying their portfolio, so if you don't like what you see there, then don't buy, 'cause that's what you're going to get.

If a designer with an incredible portfolio is offering you logo design for a few bucks then they probably stole the entire portfolio.

I'm not saying NOT to go with a design service because it has low prices, but that should definitely not be the only deciding factor.

2. Going with the best combination of quailty and cost.

What I think: Comparing prices versus quality is probably the best way to select a logo design service. Make sure to take into consideration factors like revisions, redraws, number of concepts, refund policy etc..

Look out for: DON'T look for the company with the best prices and then select the one you like the best. Select the logo design companies who you feel can do the best job, have the best portfolio and can competently answer all of your questions, and then compare prices between them. Remember, quality is the most important factor, price is secondary.

3.  Ignoring prices and selecting the best logo design service for your company.

What I think: If you can afford it, I wholeheartedly suggest that you ignore prices altogether and simply select the company that you think will do the best job. Your logo is one of the most important aspects of your company and you should treat it like that. Look for the company that can completely convince you that they can do the job. They should have an incredible website, beautiful portfolio, and you should be able to speak to a knowledgeable company representative before and after placing the order. Also look around on the internet for any negative or positive reviews of the company.

Look out for: I DON'T recommend purchasing the most expensive service simply because it is the most expensive, that is a surefire way to waste alot of money. Also, regardless of the amount of money you are WILLING to spend, if you are going with an online design firm, you shouldn't have to spend more then $1000 for the entire process, and most times you will be able to spend much less.

To sum it all up: if you have a limited budget, make sure to put quality before price or gaudy "extras" - regardless of how cheap it is or many revisions you get with the design package, your first question should be "can they design a logo?".  If you have the budget then just look for the company that can do the job the best.

You should treat hiring a design firm for your company the same way that you would treat buying a parachute: would you jump out a plane with a $39.99 bargain basement special?

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All about ugly logos, and how they get that way.
Wesley Nicholson - Logo Design Blog   
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
I've been in the logo design and marketing business for a while, and although some people might not share my tastes in design, I can safely say that I know an ugly logo when I see one. The problem is that the majority of business owners like their logos ugly. Really ugly.

Now there are some designers out there who want the business owner out of the picture altogether when it comes to the logo design process. I disagree. The average business owner knows far more about their company, their clients, and the direction they are going in then the designer ever will. However, this does not mean that many business owners won't end up settling on a very hideous logo to adorn their business cards, storefront and vehicles with.

Now before I explain why I think this is, I have to admit that there have been a few occasions when I saw some concept logos before they were presented to the client, and I would have put good money on the fact that the client was going to completely lose it when they saw the ideas. I was wrong. Every time. Without fail. For some reason some people like very gaudy, flashy, ugly logos! I won't even try to explain it.

There are the majority of the other cases though, where a client ENDS UP with a really bad logo after going through extensive revisions. The problem is that when a reputable designer creates a logo, there is a continuity to it. There is a reason behind everything in the logo. The font is just so for a reason, and the way that blue contrasts the yellow was very carefully thought out. When the client gets a hold of the logo and breaks it down into different elements they destroy it, because you can't change individual elements of the logo without considering the whole, or you end up with a mangled mess.

Of course, there is the age old adage, "the customer is always right", and I suppose that there is some truth to it. I just think that in order to achieve the perfect custom logo, the designer needs to fully involve the client. The designer should be able to explain exactly why the logo looks the way it does, and work with the client on revising the logo while still maintaining the integrity of the design. In short, it's all about communication.


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