Choosing the right logo designer is a crucial decision for any small business owner. Your logo is more than just a pretty picture; it represents your brand, conveys your values, and helps customers recognize your business. Selecting a logo designer requires careful consideration and a clear understanding of your needs and expectations.
This post in the ‘You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know’ (YDKWYDK) Series will guide you through the process, divided into four key sections: distinguishing between general graphic designers and logo designers, understanding the application and importance of the logo, considering where the logo will be used, and knowing what to expect in terms of deliverables and software.
If you’ve got a bit of a cold, going to a general practitioner is going to be all you really need. They’re going to check you out, recommend rest or maybe an antibiotic, and send you on your way.
However, if you’ve just tried to catch a baseball with your face, I’m guessing that you’re going to want to see a specialist to try and put your nose back where it belongs.
If you’ve decided to create a logo, or redesign an existing logo for your business, I’m going to strongly encourage you to take a similar approach, for a very similar reason – specifically because…
Not All Graphic Designers Are Logo Designers
Graphic design is a broad field encompassing various types of visual communication, including print design, web design, illustration, and more. However, not all graphic designers specialize in logo design. Logo design is a unique discipline requiring a deep understanding of branding, visual identity, and marketing principles. When selecting a logo designer, it’s essential to look for someone with specific expertise in creating logos. Things to look for include:
Experience and Portfolio: Review the designer’s portfolio to see if they have experience in logo design. Look for a diverse range of logos they have created for different businesses. A strong portfolio will showcase their ability to create unique, memorable, and versatile logos for a VARIETY of businesses.
Specialization: Some designers may advertise themselves as generalists, but if you’re looking for a logo, you need a specialist (remember- baseball to the face). A designer who focuses on logos will be more familiar with the requirements needed by a strong logo design. These considerations are what leads to creating an effective brand mark.
Client Testimonials: Check for client testimonials or reviews specifically about logo design projects. Positive feedback from previous clients can give you confidence in the designer’s ability to deliver a high-quality logo that meets your needs.
Design Process: A good logo designer will have a clear and structured design process. They will start with a thorough understanding of your business, your target audience, and your brand values. Look for a designer who involves you in the process and values your input.
“Uh, Where Are You Gonna Put That Exactly?”
The application of your logo also plays an important role in its design. You may love the idea of having an incredibly detailed logo, and this type of detail might work well on printed materials – even a website. But what happens to this logo’s effectiveness if it’s splashed onto the side of a delivery van that’s moving at 30 miles an hour?
Can anybody read it? Or does your logo become useless in this instance?
A logo isn’t just a standalone image; it needs to work across various mediums and applications. Whether it’s printed on business cards, embroidered on uniforms, or displayed on your website, the logo must maintain its integrity and effectiveness.
Scalability: Your logo should look good at any size, whether it’s on a tiny social media icon or a large billboard. A skilled logo designer will create a logo that scales well without losing clarity or impact (or will provide you different logo versions to use contextually).
Versatility: A versatile logo works across different mediums and formats. It should be effective in both color and black-and-white, on different backgrounds, and in various orientations. Discuss with your designer how the logo will be used to ensure it’s adaptable.
Simplicity: Often, simple logos are more effective because they are easier to recognize and remember. A good logo designer will aim for simplicity while ensuring the logo still conveys the desired message and aligns with your brand identity.
Relevance: The logo should be relevant to your industry, target audience, and brand values. An experienced logo designer will consider these factors and create a logo that resonates with your customers and differentiates your business from competitors.
“I can get a $25 logo on Fiverr. Why on earth would I pay hundreds, or even thousands, for a new logo?”
How Logo Development Cost (Can) Affect The End Result
I absolutely understand that as a small business owner we are not sitting on piles of cash – usually – I mean, that’s the goal, right?
Until we get there, every dollar that we spend on our business has to be scrutinized. The explosion of platforms offering access to incredibly affordable and skilled designers has provided business owners with more choices than ever before. And I’ll admit, I have certainly heard of and personally experienced some great interactions with these providers.
But here’s the kicker: this is like finding a diamond in the rough. Are you able to to recognize a rough diamond? Meaning, you know what a rough diamond looks like, or, you know exactly what you’re looking for and have the ability to communicate exactly what you want.
Unfortunately, most business owners don’t have the ability or the knowledge to act as a project manager who can successfully navigate a design project on these platforms. In fact, what I see happening most frequently is that a business owner will get started with a provider, not get what they want initially, try again, and then get sucked into throwing more money at the process only to ramp up their frustration and in the end, may or may not have something usable.
At the end of a lot of these efforts, the business owner actually spends more than if they had used a professional, experienced logo designer from the start. They also probably would have enjoyed the experience more and definitely would have had less stress throughout the effort.
And then there’s the cost of experience. You might be incredibly happy with your amazingly detailed logo that includes a gradient or nine colors. And this logo may work perfectly across the majority of your applications like print or digital. Until you get a quote to embroider your logo on polo shirts for your staff and realize that for every extra color (past the first) you’re going to pay an additional cost. Do you sacrifice the money, paying double or triple what the cost would have been? Or do you sacrifice your brand equity by changing your logo after you’ve already put effort into its exposure?
An experienced logo designer would have (at least) given you a heads up during the design process that you were heading down this path.
(Spoiler Alert: you’ll also run into this if you plan on screen printing, as each color uses its own plate. And each plate will have an additional cost.)
Make Sure You Know What You’re Paying For (i.e., Logo Deliverables)
When hiring a logo designer, it’s essential to understand what you will receive at the end of the project and how it will be delivered. This includes the software used to create the logo and the file formats provided. This can get murky because different designers include different deliverables (yay for no standardization!)- how do you know what you’ll need?
Fully understanding what logo elements are important to you and your logo application will help you ask the right questions to find the best logo designer for your business.
When designing logos, I like to provide as much as possible to the client so that they have the logo versions they’re going to need for just about any situation. This includes a variety of layouts, various file types, and all of their native format files. I’ve outlined several considerations below so that you can ask your designer whether these are included in your package.
I’ve also indicated which deliverables I feel are a ‘basic requirement’ versus ‘nice to have.’ This should allow you a little bit of budget flexibility when talking to designers.
Absolute Requirements: (In fact, a logo designer NOT providing these would cause me to question their suitability to be offering this service. I said what I said.)
Vector-Based Software: A professional logo should be created using vector-based software such as Adobe Illustrator. NOT CANVA. Vector files are scalable without losing quality, which is crucial for maintaining the logo’s integrity across different sizes and applications. And again, I love Canva- we use it internally for some graphics. But a PROFESSIONAL LOGO will NOT be designed in Canva (not to mention the copyright issues…).
Native Files: You’re paying for the logo design, make sure you get the raw (editable) file formats. Specifically ask the designer whether they provide the native vector files (e.g., AI or EPS files). Having access to these files allows you to make adjustments to the logo in the future without needing to recreate it from scratch.
General Requirements: (You’re probably going to need these within the first year, so suck it up and include them now.)
Contextual Variations: So many business owners try and save money here, and it tends to backfire. They only get one version of their logo. Uno. And what happens? At some point, they try to put their square logo on a long skinny banner. And then get bent out of shape because of allll the wasted space.
If they had a second layout version of their logo that was horizontal, that would be the version to use on this particular application. Likewise on social. If you squash your beautiful logo into that tiny circular bubble on Instagram, I can almost guaranty it becomes illegible. Go ahead and spring for multiple versions of your logo so you’re not running around, crazy at the last minute trying to develop a new logo layout against a print deadline (yep. totally happened to me early in my career. it sucked).
File Formats: Different applications require different file formats. For example, web use often requires PNG or JPEG formats, while print may require high-resolution PDFs or vector files. Make sure your designer provides the necessary file formats for your needs.
Ohhh, That’s Sparkly! (The icing on the cake)
Usage Guidelines/Style Guide: Some designers provide a brand guide or usage guidelines that outline how to use the logo correctly. This can include specifications for color usage, spacing, and placement to ensure consistency across all applications. These are nice to have as this is the BIBLE for your logo. This is the document that should be handed to ALL designers (print, web, etc.) so that your logo is used correctly and cohesively across every iteration.
Process Fit: Do you know exactly what you like and can communicate that fully and completely? Yea, me neither, and this is my JOB. After 20+ years of designing logos, I’ve found that most people know what they like when they see it, but can’t tell you what they’re going to like until they do.
Because of this, my design process includes a lot of mock ups, so that I can hone into the client’s perfect logo result. Other designers, not so much. I’ve seen some logo packages that only offer 1 or 2 designs, and then a specific number of editing rounds. I couldn’t be at a happy conclusion this quickly, so I don’t expect my clients to be either. If you can? Awesome- that will certainly save you some money, because it’s going to reduce the total amount of time needed to get you where you want to be.
Finding a designer that works in a way that works for you is really going to make the entire process more enjoyable, and most likely, will result in a great end result.
“Forget it, my logo will just be an ‘X.'”
Selecting the right logo designer for your small business is a vital step in building a strong brand identity, and it doesn’t have to stress you out. By understanding the differences between general graphic designers and logo specialists, considering the application and versatility of your logo, and knowing what to expect in terms of deliverables and software, you can make an informed decision that will benefit your business in the long run.
Investing in a professional logo designer who understands your business and can deliver a versatile, scalable, and memorable logo is a decision that will pay off as your business grows and evolves. Your logo is usually the first impression customers have of your brand, so make sure it says exactly what you want.
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