A logo creates immediate recognition and establishes a visual identity for a business. Businesses want to be trusted and viewed as having a superior quality in their market, so a logo should imply trustworthiness and superiority. Your logo is the centerpiece to your brand identity, and consequently a cheap-looking logo will make your business look cheap as well. Considering the magnitude of a logo’s many purposes, why would a business want to spend as little as possible on their logo? Let’s compare some cheap/budget logos with professional logos.

Cheap Logo Design

Here are some logo designs I rounded up from samples on Craigslist.

Notice some things they all have in common: they look like they were created in all of 5 minutes, use basic typefaces that can be downloaded for free, and their logo marks all look like clipart that was downloaded for free from some clipart website. None of them are particularly memorable, either.

Now ask yourself the following questions about the above logos.

• How many of the logos can you remember?
• Are any of them effective without color?
• Are they immediately recognizable?
• Do they convey the personality or message of their companies?
• Would you associate them with quality and satisfaction?

Professional Logo Design

Now look at these professionally-designed logos and compare them with the cheap logos by asking yourself the same questions.

Can you see the difference?

Now you’re probably wondering why they’re so different. What it boils down to is the design process. Professional designers have an actual process that involves researching, conceptualizing, sketching, and refining. This is why a professional designer does not charge $10 for a logo. Pricing for design is based upon a desired hourly rate, and no professional of any field provides their services for $1-2 an hour.

Let’s look at the design process of the average professional designer. A professional designer’s process usually involves the following:

1. The Consultation: They interview the client to learn more about the client and their business.
2. Research: They conduct research focused on the industry itself, on its history, and on the client’s competitors.
3. Reference: They conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that are related to the client’s field .
4. Sketching & Conceptualising: They develop the logo design concept(s) around the consultation and research. The professional is creative and knows how to create a logo.
5. Reflection: They take breaks throughout their design process to allow their ideas to mature, and to get feedback from colleagues and fellow designers.
6. Presentation: They then choose which logo concepts to present to their client.
7. Celebration: They then drink beer and cook a celebratory dinner that includes a solid dessert.

Do you think all of that is only worth $10? And for that matter, is your company’s identity only worth $10? On top of all that work, the software alone for creating a logo costs well over $500, not to mention the computer that this software must be used on.

When it comes to logos and branding, you truly get what you pay for.

Here is a core list of colors with their meaning. Keep in mind that the precise hue and combination of colors used also has an affect on the overall meaning.

Red

Red is an intense color denoting passion, and can represent both love and anger.

Orange

Being a combination of red and yellow, orange takes on attributes of both. It isn’t as intense as red, and creates a feeling of warmth and energy

Yellow

Yellow is a cordial and happy color, and can denote both joy and shyness.

Green

Green is a refreshing color, signifying nature, growth, and renewal. Depending on how it is used, green can also be associated with envy.

Blue

Blue has a cool, calming quality to it. Like with any good thing, though, too much blue can appear cold and depressing. Blue is frequently used in corporate images.

Violet

Violet/purple is a spiritual color that has long been associated with wealth.

Black

Black can be all kinds of things, both conservative and edgy. Depending on how it’s used, it can be sexy and modern, or more traditional and safe.

White

White is a soft color that denotes purity and innocence, and meshes well in combination with any other color.

Gray

Gray is the most neutral color of all, being conservative and balanced. It is generally more sophisticated, but can also appear moody.

Brown

Brown is a wholesome earth tone that creates a sense of reliability and stability.

What is a typeface?

A typeface is the actual design of the characters of the alphabet; the style of that particular set of letters, numbers, and other characters. Times New Roman refers to a specific style – it’s a typeface.

What is a font?

A font is a single style and size of an assortment of alpha-numeric characters and punctuation. Think of a font is being the file on your computer that contains the information for that single style and size; it tells your computer and printer how to displace a typeface. Times New Roman 12 point bold refers to a font.

Adobe’s Definition

The definition of a font according to Adobe: “A font is one weight, width, and style of a typeface.”

Now You Know

I leave you with this humorous Periodic Table of Typefaces from geekologie.com

I recently took on new branding & identity project for a sports league in Florida called Future Sports League. This is the logo I created for them, and I will soon be posting their marketing materials once that aspect of the project is complete.

What is “spec?”

“Spec” has become the short form for any work done on a speculative basis. In other words, any requested work for which a fair and reasonable fee has not been agreed upon, preferably in writing.

What’s so wrong with that?

In a nutshell, spec requires the designer to invest time and resources with no guarantee of payment.

Isn’t it wise for a client to “try before they buy?”

On the surface it may seem so. But, digging a bit deeper, one realizes that professional graphic design is about creating custom solutions, not cookie-cutter concepts.

But, with today’s computers and software, how long could it take?

This is a common point-of-view for many who confuse the professional with his or her tools. The “process” is more than simply tapping at a keyboard or clicking a mouse. It’s about understanding the nature of a communication challenge and then using one’s brain to find the appropriate solution.

At the end of the day, there is a certain irony in spec work. A prospect requesting it is ultimately saying, “My project isn’t important enough to hire a professional who will take the time to understand my situation and goals and invest the time needed to create a suitable solution.”

Got any questions? Contact me