Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a unique identification element to a business or product. Logos provide quick visual recognition of a Company which in-turn builds branding. Business owners and overly enthusiastic artists can often go astray in their efforts to design the perfect logo.
Remember that your logo is a business tool. A logo is not an art piece! A logo design should take into consideration how, when and where the logo will be used. A logo has a cost impact upon your business from the day that it is introduced. There is more to designing a logo than simply hiring an artist or online art shop to assemble shapes and colors – it is a business decision.
Create your logo using vector graphics software. Simply put, images done in vector graphics can be resized and maintain design integrity. You can create your original image in any software but have it redone in a vector graphics format before you print or reproduce your logo. After all, a logo is all about sharp image.
Avoid complicated and intricate designs. A logo that is too intricate hinders rapid visual identification. Note the simplicity and high visual impact of the Nike “Swish”, an excellent image. Another reason to avoid complicated designs is that they do not reduce well. A busy, intricate logo on the side of a company truck may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink.
Limit color selection to a maximum of three colors. One, your printing costs for printing business cards, letterhead, envelops, labels, etc. are increased for every additional color that you require. Your “cheap” logo design could end up costing you a lot of money. Consider a logo that has overlaid images of different colors – looks nice, right?
Consistency and control in font usage. Any font style should be sans serif and typically non-script to improve clarity in small format reproduction. An exception is a logo/name where the logo is the script font such as the trade name of a popular soft drink in a uniquely shaped bottle.
Check Trademark and Registration Rights. While a new logo runs a low statistical chance of violating any trademark or registration rights of any existing logo it is not a bad idea to make some effort to confirm this before you publish your new logo. And after you have settled on a final logo design you should take the effort to register or trademark your own logo. If you need an example of why then consider the yellow pages “Walking Fingers” logo.
A. How Much Is A Great Business Logo Really Worth?
A great logo can help a business project a positive image while a bad logo can bring a negative impression about a company. If a logo is the company spokesman, how much is it really worth?
Cheap logo designs are all over the Internet - logo designs under $150!, $99 logo designs, $75 logo designs, $49 logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of prices for logo design on the Internet. Be careful of cheap logo design offers, some designers may be using clip art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art cannot be copyrighted.
That same piece of clip art could be used on dozens of other logo designs. A designers portfolio should be displayed and there should be a wide variety of logo samples. Some logo designers charge one flat fee for a logo with no questions asked. Can you imagine Coca-Cola purchasing a logo design for $99? All designs are not equal. Some logo designers charge additional costs for extra colors, extra modifications and extra preliminary designs. How much is a logo design really worth? A logo design is more valuable to a company than a single spot illustration. A logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes the companies identity.
Professional graphic design rates average anywhere from $30 to $75 per hour. If you see a logo design priced at $125 and that designer charges $50 per hour for design work, do you assume that they spent 2.5 hours on your logo? That price would include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So how much time was actually spent creating your logo?
Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create a top notch illustration for under $150 let alone a creative, well designed logo. So beware of logos priced under $150, you may get what you pay for.
There's even more confusion about logo pricing. Some designers base their logo rates on several of these factors:
Logo Modifications - You could get charged for each time you want a change or modification to your logo. If a logo designer asks the right questions, does the research and stays in close communication with the client there should be no need for major changes during the creation of a logo design. Be a good communicator and explain to the logo designer exactly what you want your logo to be saying about your business.
Extra Colors - Printers charge more for extra colors. If a logo designer charges more for a two color logo than they do for a three color logo, get a detailed explanation as to why. A logo designer should be able to decide for you the correct amount of preliminary designs it will require to create your perfect logo. An example would be asking for a yellow duck logo design and changing your mind to a red dog design once the logos are presented to you.
Adding an identity program to your logo is a legitimate cost. Designing the business card, letterhead and envelope layouts are normally a higher priced package. You should receive camera ready files for each design.
There is a standard reference for pricing graphic design and corporate identity projects. Any logo designer can purchase the book. A professional graphic designer would have a tough time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos below $200.
I'm not writing this to give exact prices for a logo design because each logo designers circumstances are different. The standard logo design rates are based on two major components, company size and application or distribution size. The majority of logo designs created over the Internet are created for small companies and individuals with limited application and distribution uses. Fortune 500 companies normally pay much higher logo design rates and use advertising agencies.
My conclusion is that the value of a logo should be based on a few important criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and usage of the logo
4. Difficulty of the design
An individual or small company with small to average uses should be prepared to pay anywhere from $300 to $1500 for a top quality, professional logo design. What's included with your logo? You will then have to pay another graphic designer or printer to create the correct files. Be aware of what file types you will be needing and ask your logo designer what file types are included in their price.
The most common file types needed are AI (Illustrator) and EPS for most professional print jobs. These are vector format files. These files should be in a CMYK color format. Be aware that not all colors translate well on the Internet, especially GIF files. Ask if the logo designer used web safe colors. You should receive crisp 72 dpi files for the Internet. Be sure and ask your logo designer about your logo colors. You will need this information each time your logo is printed. Ask your designer how long they keep your logo on file in case you lose your versions later down the road.
You should also receive all rights (copyrights) to your logo. How long have they designed logos? In closing let me say that the information above is a personal opinion and is taken from years of searching logo design web sites and reading books on graphic design. An advertising agency handles logo design on a larger scale and incorporates an entire corporate identity service. Their logo design rates are many times higher than a graphic designers.
Remember that your logo is a business tool. A logo is not an art piece! A logo design should take into consideration how, when and where the logo will be used. A logo has a cost impact upon your business from the day that it is introduced. There is more to designing a logo than simply hiring an artist or online art shop to assemble shapes and colors – it is a business decision.
Create your logo using vector graphics software. Simply put, images done in vector graphics can be resized and maintain design integrity. You can create your original image in any software but have it redone in a vector graphics format before you print or reproduce your logo. After all, a logo is all about sharp image.
Avoid complicated and intricate designs. A logo that is too intricate hinders rapid visual identification. Note the simplicity and high visual impact of the Nike “Swish”, an excellent image. Another reason to avoid complicated designs is that they do not reduce well. A busy, intricate logo on the side of a company truck may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink.
Limit color selection to a maximum of three colors. One, your printing costs for printing business cards, letterhead, envelops, labels, etc. are increased for every additional color that you require. Your “cheap” logo design could end up costing you a lot of money. Consider a logo that has overlaid images of different colors – looks nice, right?
Consistency and control in font usage. Any font style should be sans serif and typically non-script to improve clarity in small format reproduction. An exception is a logo/name where the logo is the script font such as the trade name of a popular soft drink in a uniquely shaped bottle.
Check Trademark and Registration Rights. While a new logo runs a low statistical chance of violating any trademark or registration rights of any existing logo it is not a bad idea to make some effort to confirm this before you publish your new logo. And after you have settled on a final logo design you should take the effort to register or trademark your own logo. If you need an example of why then consider the yellow pages “Walking Fingers” logo.
A. How Much Is A Great Business Logo Really Worth?
A great logo can help a business project a positive image while a bad logo can bring a negative impression about a company. If a logo is the company spokesman, how much is it really worth?
Cheap logo designs are all over the Internet - logo designs under $150!, $99 logo designs, $75 logo designs, $49 logo designs and even lower! You will easily find a wide range of prices for logo design on the Internet. Be careful of cheap logo design offers, some designers may be using clip art. A logo design that includes a royalty free piece of clip art cannot be copyrighted.
That same piece of clip art could be used on dozens of other logo designs. A designers portfolio should be displayed and there should be a wide variety of logo samples. Some logo designers charge one flat fee for a logo with no questions asked. Can you imagine Coca-Cola purchasing a logo design for $99? All designs are not equal. Some logo designers charge additional costs for extra colors, extra modifications and extra preliminary designs. How much is a logo design really worth? A logo design is more valuable to a company than a single spot illustration. A logo has more value than just the hours spent on creating it. It becomes the companies identity.
Professional graphic design rates average anywhere from $30 to $75 per hour. If you see a logo design priced at $125 and that designer charges $50 per hour for design work, do you assume that they spent 2.5 hours on your logo? That price would include the time spent to contact you, the research done on your company and competition, the preliminary ideas, the changes, the finalizing of the logo, the file prep for each different format, sending the logo, billing and allowing you to have all rights to the design. So how much time was actually spent creating your logo?
Many professional graphic designers would be hard pressed to create a top notch illustration for under $150 let alone a creative, well designed logo. So beware of logos priced under $150, you may get what you pay for.
There's even more confusion about logo pricing. Some designers base their logo rates on several of these factors:
Logo Modifications - You could get charged for each time you want a change or modification to your logo. If a logo designer asks the right questions, does the research and stays in close communication with the client there should be no need for major changes during the creation of a logo design. Be a good communicator and explain to the logo designer exactly what you want your logo to be saying about your business.
Extra Colors - Printers charge more for extra colors. If a logo designer charges more for a two color logo than they do for a three color logo, get a detailed explanation as to why. A logo designer should be able to decide for you the correct amount of preliminary designs it will require to create your perfect logo. An example would be asking for a yellow duck logo design and changing your mind to a red dog design once the logos are presented to you.
Adding an identity program to your logo is a legitimate cost. Designing the business card, letterhead and envelope layouts are normally a higher priced package. You should receive camera ready files for each design.
There is a standard reference for pricing graphic design and corporate identity projects. Any logo designer can purchase the book. A professional graphic designer would have a tough time supporting a family and a studio designing all of their logos below $200.
I'm not writing this to give exact prices for a logo design because each logo designers circumstances are different. The standard logo design rates are based on two major components, company size and application or distribution size. The majority of logo designs created over the Internet are created for small companies and individuals with limited application and distribution uses. Fortune 500 companies normally pay much higher logo design rates and use advertising agencies.
My conclusion is that the value of a logo should be based on a few important criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and usage of the logo
4. Difficulty of the design
An individual or small company with small to average uses should be prepared to pay anywhere from $300 to $1500 for a top quality, professional logo design. What's included with your logo? You will then have to pay another graphic designer or printer to create the correct files. Be aware of what file types you will be needing and ask your logo designer what file types are included in their price.
The most common file types needed are AI (Illustrator) and EPS for most professional print jobs. These are vector format files. These files should be in a CMYK color format. Be aware that not all colors translate well on the Internet, especially GIF files. Ask if the logo designer used web safe colors. You should receive crisp 72 dpi files for the Internet. Be sure and ask your logo designer about your logo colors. You will need this information each time your logo is printed. Ask your designer how long they keep your logo on file in case you lose your versions later down the road.
You should also receive all rights (copyrights) to your logo. How long have they designed logos? In closing let me say that the information above is a personal opinion and is taken from years of searching logo design web sites and reading books on graphic design. An advertising agency handles logo design on a larger scale and incorporates an entire corporate identity service. Their logo design rates are many times higher than a graphic designers.
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