When you need a logo for your brand, how do you go about getting one designed?
The Internet has plenty of services. Some sites offer “free” logo design. Some offer custom work for $39 or less. One site will give you 99 options and you only have to pay for the one you pick. (Great! Sign me up! Um. Right?)
When you need a logo for your brand, keep it simple.
But where to begin?
The Internet has plenty of services. Some sites offer “free” logo design. Some offer “custom” work for $39 or less. (If you can really get something usable for that kind of price that accurately reflects your vision of your brand, grab it!)
For a lot of people, the $500-$1,000 that they’ll spend on Logotournament or 99 Designs will deliver a perfectly serviceable logo. Probably not exactly what they were looking for, but a reasonable return for the money.
When you engage a flesh-and-blood designer, you have conversations about your vision. These conversations inform the designer’s understanding of your values, your mission, and your target audiences. With a true understanding of what you’re after, the designer can then put together something that matches your brand’s essence.
But if your designer – in-person or online – wants to throw a bunch of designs at you, it’s a sign you may need to engage more deeply. Having too many choices is unsettling – you don’t want to fall into the trap of the confused mind shutting down and just saying “no” to everything.[ref] The actual quote being “A confused mind always says, ‘no’.” – attributed on the Internet to marketing consultant Jody Sutter.[/ref]
Choices, Choices
Think of it this way: if you go into a bicycle shop, the salesperson won’t have you ride every bike in the place, from a little bike with training wheels to a Tour de France racer. She’ll talk with you about what kind of riding you’d like to do, she’ll make sure the size of the bike is right, and she’ll ask about your price range. With this information, she’ll be able to offer you three or four options that will work for you. Now, it’s just a matter of settling on a color and figuring out which ride feels a little better.
The same is true for logo design. If a designer wants to show you a dozen options – or 99! – then she hasn’t gotten to know you and your needs very well. In the initial consultation, she’ll get a pretty good idea of what you’re after, then do plenty of sketching behind the scenes, then be able to present you with probably three basic designs: something moderate, something cautious, and something that pushes the limit. All within the bounds of your conversations, of course. You can then see where you want to go, and refine the one that suits you best.
What you wind up with is a strong, well-thought-out logo that works for your brand. You’ll have it for the long-term, and won’t need to worry about it being stale, or generic, or just not-quite-right. As a small business owner, you know that working with intention if the only way to go. And it just makes sense to work with intention on your logo, too.
