The first thing that online shoppers think about when looking for an online logo design firm is price.
Consumers looking for a customized logo are lucky in that the Internet has to some extent given logo design firms a chance to cut overheads on their services without compromising quality. Finding a logo online these days is convenient and cheap and consumers are spoiled for choice.
However, while it is great to save some money in the early stages of a business's life, stop and think about the importance of having a good logo in today's business environment.
Your logo is usually the first introduction that customers get to your company. In only a few seconds of glancing at your company logo customers subconsciously determine what kind of business you are and if you are the kind of business that they want to deal with. A logo can be the difference between gaining a customers business or a customer who goes over to a competitor who is projecting a better image through their branding.
So maybe price should not be the main focus when shopping for an online custom logo company.
Instead of looking at a logo design purchase as an expensive purchase of, say $240, try spreading the cost over your first two years of business at $10 a month and suddenly it does not seem so expensive after all. A logo is such an integral part of a company's marketing effort, yet $10 a month is insignificant compared to a typical firms average monthly marketing budget.
Some entrepreneurs these days, particularly those operating online start up many small businesses to quickly test markets before deciding to go ahead or quit. So a $27 custom logo design does still have its place for certain business models.
However, if you are starting a business with long-term intentions involving considerable investment then you should get off to the best start possible with a great custom logo design.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Bar, Pub, Or Nightclub Logo Design
Are you planning to set up a bar, tavern or a nightclub business? Or have you been thinking of giving your bar or nightclub a new look? Before you start ripping off the floors or start looking for the ideal business location, put some thought into getting a great logo design first. A logo should be the foundation of your branding efforts and will be an important step in getting your business off to a great start or a successful re-branding of your current operation.
Consulting with a designer to come up with a great bar or nightclub logo need not be very difficult. Nonetheless, there are a few things marketing experts recommend that one should keep in mind when planning a logo design. First of all, keep your logo simple. This does not mean that you have to settle for something too plain or boring though as pubs and clubs are usually associated with fun and entertainment after all.
Think hard about the kind of clients that you want to attract to your establishment. This will influence the kind of imagery that you will want use as part of the overall design. In this industry you will want to go with images that convey a message of quality service and pleasure and enjoyment. Food and music may also come into the mix as well. Designers will generally avoid cheap, tacky or loud symbols and go for images that appear more refined of tasteful. Symbols or objects that you can consider using within the logo could be martini glasses, wine bottles, smiling people or musical instruments. There are no limits here really and it is better if you can come up with something totally original to distinguish your business in this very competitive industry. Remember that you are not limited to realistic images and something more abstract can offer greater flexibility and can command more attention.
Think about if you want your bar or club to seem exclusive to a particular kind of customer or if you want to put on a friendly face to encourage all to enter. Your logo should immediately let patrons know if it is the kind of establishment that they are looking for in terms of atmosphere and dress code and the kind of people and alcohol that they will expect to find inside.
Design experts generally suggest using a maximum of three colors and prefer to avoid too many bright colors but these rules don't really apply for club and bars. Depending on the theme that you want your logo to reflect then bright colors can work really well, especially on nighttime neon signage.
Words may also be incorporated with your logo design. Again, think of what your company stands for. Reflect on the goals or mission of your business that you will have set out in a business plan when you started. Is the goal to make people have fun after a hard day at work? Is it to celebrate big and small achievements of different individuals every day? Play with words and you can probably come up with a catchy phrase or line that would best suit your establishment.
Keep in mind that whatever design you end up using, it is most likely that you will be using this for many years. So you should put some effort into getting the best possible bar, pub or nightclub logo design that can serve you well in the years ahead.
Consulting with a designer to come up with a great bar or nightclub logo need not be very difficult. Nonetheless, there are a few things marketing experts recommend that one should keep in mind when planning a logo design. First of all, keep your logo simple. This does not mean that you have to settle for something too plain or boring though as pubs and clubs are usually associated with fun and entertainment after all.
Think hard about the kind of clients that you want to attract to your establishment. This will influence the kind of imagery that you will want use as part of the overall design. In this industry you will want to go with images that convey a message of quality service and pleasure and enjoyment. Food and music may also come into the mix as well. Designers will generally avoid cheap, tacky or loud symbols and go for images that appear more refined of tasteful. Symbols or objects that you can consider using within the logo could be martini glasses, wine bottles, smiling people or musical instruments. There are no limits here really and it is better if you can come up with something totally original to distinguish your business in this very competitive industry. Remember that you are not limited to realistic images and something more abstract can offer greater flexibility and can command more attention.
Think about if you want your bar or club to seem exclusive to a particular kind of customer or if you want to put on a friendly face to encourage all to enter. Your logo should immediately let patrons know if it is the kind of establishment that they are looking for in terms of atmosphere and dress code and the kind of people and alcohol that they will expect to find inside.
Design experts generally suggest using a maximum of three colors and prefer to avoid too many bright colors but these rules don't really apply for club and bars. Depending on the theme that you want your logo to reflect then bright colors can work really well, especially on nighttime neon signage.
Words may also be incorporated with your logo design. Again, think of what your company stands for. Reflect on the goals or mission of your business that you will have set out in a business plan when you started. Is the goal to make people have fun after a hard day at work? Is it to celebrate big and small achievements of different individuals every day? Play with words and you can probably come up with a catchy phrase or line that would best suit your establishment.
Keep in mind that whatever design you end up using, it is most likely that you will be using this for many years. So you should put some effort into getting the best possible bar, pub or nightclub logo design that can serve you well in the years ahead.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Business Logo Design Portfolios - Find Examples and Samples
When it comes to shopping for a logo design online one of the first things that you will want to do is find some examples or samples to get an idea about what you want.
Most design firms have a portfolio of logo designs on their website that you can browse through to get an idea of their work. Of course this method is not a fool-proof way of determining quality as companies will naturally only profile their best work and leave out the duds. Logo design is also heavily influenced by the customer so the samples that you see may represent a lot of customer influence that goes against professional design advice.
All in all though design portfolios are useful for giving you a general idea and you can usually browse through samples from a variety of different industries to find logos for companies that are in the same niche as you.
Comparing companies based on their design portfolio is one good way to make a decision but you should also consider other factors as well such as price, delivery time, company location, guarantee policy and what is included in the package. You will usually be offered a variety of packages that specify how many unique concepts you will be presented with, how many redraws or revisions are permitted and how many designers will work on the project.
When briefing your designer it is great if you can point to an example from their portfolio that you like. Their are other ways of finding some examples of great logos so that you can give your designer an idea of what you want. Find samples of logos in your industry or in similar industries by looking online or in the Yellow Pages. Search the internet for classic logo designs from some of the worlds largest companies for design elements that catch your eye that you would consider incorporating into your company brand. Lastly you can search for logo design awards, contests or competitions to find some great contemporary styles.
Remember that it is OK to point your designer to examples but you should strongly consider their advice as an expert rather than insisting on what you want.
By taking some time to look over a variety of logo portfolios samples and other examples of great logos you can increase your chances of getting great branding design work done for your business.
Compare logo companies by design, service, guarantee policy and price in our comparative review chart.
Most design firms have a portfolio of logo designs on their website that you can browse through to get an idea of their work. Of course this method is not a fool-proof way of determining quality as companies will naturally only profile their best work and leave out the duds. Logo design is also heavily influenced by the customer so the samples that you see may represent a lot of customer influence that goes against professional design advice.
All in all though design portfolios are useful for giving you a general idea and you can usually browse through samples from a variety of different industries to find logos for companies that are in the same niche as you.
Comparing companies based on their design portfolio is one good way to make a decision but you should also consider other factors as well such as price, delivery time, company location, guarantee policy and what is included in the package. You will usually be offered a variety of packages that specify how many unique concepts you will be presented with, how many redraws or revisions are permitted and how many designers will work on the project.
When briefing your designer it is great if you can point to an example from their portfolio that you like. Their are other ways of finding some examples of great logos so that you can give your designer an idea of what you want. Find samples of logos in your industry or in similar industries by looking online or in the Yellow Pages. Search the internet for classic logo designs from some of the worlds largest companies for design elements that catch your eye that you would consider incorporating into your company brand. Lastly you can search for logo design awards, contests or competitions to find some great contemporary styles.
Remember that it is OK to point your designer to examples but you should strongly consider their advice as an expert rather than insisting on what you want.
By taking some time to look over a variety of logo portfolios samples and other examples of great logos you can increase your chances of getting great branding design work done for your business.
Compare logo companies by design, service, guarantee policy and price in our comparative review chart.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Review of 'The Logo Company' - Custom Logo Design Services
The Logo Company is a well established logo design firm with offices in the US and the UK. They specialize in custom logo design, which means that a designer puts together a logo that is specifically made to meet the clients needs. The client still has some input into the designs and has the right to request revisions or changes until they can perfect the design that they want. I recently ordered a custom design from them and this is a review of their service.
I was initially attracted to The Logo Company due to their refund policy and because a few of the samples in their portfolio caught my eye. They were the only one offering a full money back guarantee right up to the final design so I thought that I'd give them a try as I had nothing to lose.
I ordered their $149 package which seemed to offer good value compared to other firms on the Internet.
After paying I filled out a briefing form with as much information as I could think of about my company and the brand image that I was hoping to develop.
Two days later I heard back from them and was able to view five proposed designs which were done by five different designers.
The next step from here was to review the initial designs, choose the one that I liked the most and to let them know how I wanted to change or refine it. The Logo Company offer an unlimited number of revisions but I actually didn't need any. After looking at the color, shape, font style, image and other design elements I decided that they had it looking pretty much as good as it could get so I decided that I'd go with their professional recommendation and not mess around with it.
The result is a great looking logo, simple, effective, a little abstract and overall well suited to the new business venture I had in mind.
The Logo Company were professional and responsive during my experience with them and I would highly recommend then to anyone looking for a logo design online.
I was initially attracted to The Logo Company due to their refund policy and because a few of the samples in their portfolio caught my eye. They were the only one offering a full money back guarantee right up to the final design so I thought that I'd give them a try as I had nothing to lose.
I ordered their $149 package which seemed to offer good value compared to other firms on the Internet.
After paying I filled out a briefing form with as much information as I could think of about my company and the brand image that I was hoping to develop.
Two days later I heard back from them and was able to view five proposed designs which were done by five different designers.
The next step from here was to review the initial designs, choose the one that I liked the most and to let them know how I wanted to change or refine it. The Logo Company offer an unlimited number of revisions but I actually didn't need any. After looking at the color, shape, font style, image and other design elements I decided that they had it looking pretty much as good as it could get so I decided that I'd go with their professional recommendation and not mess around with it.
The result is a great looking logo, simple, effective, a little abstract and overall well suited to the new business venture I had in mind.
The Logo Company were professional and responsive during my experience with them and I would highly recommend then to anyone looking for a logo design online.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Logo Design For Websites, E-Commerce Sites, Blogs and Forums
When it comes to setting up an e-commerce site, forum, blog or an Internet startup website one of your first considerations will be getting a logo design. In this article we look at some of the features of logo design for web based businesses and look at how you should go about getting the best design for your new venture.
Your website developer may offer to put something together for you but if you really want to create and grow an online brand then it is best to approach designers who specialize in logo design.
There are many options to get a free logo design online but these should be avoided as they use mostly 'do it yourself' templates that allow you to combine clip-art with a customized text logo. Results are amateurish to say the least and you risk being sued for infringing on the trademarks of other firms.
The best option is to go for a custom logo design as the designer will tailor-make their product to suit your business needs, incorporating your ideas with their good design and branding sense. A customized logo can be cheaper than you think and some companies do web logos at lower prices than all purpose logos.
There are no rules really when it comes to designing logos for the Internet. Simplicity still works well, high tech logos that can be almost three dimensional in appearance are popular and characters, cartoon images and mascots also work well online.
Most niche websites go for images and coloring that are not unlike their offline counterparts. Business models that are unique to the internet often go for images that express connectivity and communication between people. Among Web 2.0 sites, blogs and forums it is now almost a cliche to have MySpace style outlines of people positioned in a way that highlights human interaction.
Ask your website developer about the format that they prefer to receive the file in so that you can put in a request to the designer. Vector based formats offer the most flexibility.
You may also consider having your logo designer put together some banner designs as well so that you can promote your site.
Make sure that you shop around and don't make a decision based solely on price. Try to find out how many designers will work on your logo, how many rounds of revisions are permitted, how many unique concepts will be presented to you, delivery time and guarantee policies.
A lot of your brand reputation can be lost if you later realize that you don't have the best logo for your website and have to re-brand. It is therefore important that you put a little time and investment into getting a great logo design for your Internet Startup.
Your website developer may offer to put something together for you but if you really want to create and grow an online brand then it is best to approach designers who specialize in logo design.
There are many options to get a free logo design online but these should be avoided as they use mostly 'do it yourself' templates that allow you to combine clip-art with a customized text logo. Results are amateurish to say the least and you risk being sued for infringing on the trademarks of other firms.
The best option is to go for a custom logo design as the designer will tailor-make their product to suit your business needs, incorporating your ideas with their good design and branding sense. A customized logo can be cheaper than you think and some companies do web logos at lower prices than all purpose logos.
There are no rules really when it comes to designing logos for the Internet. Simplicity still works well, high tech logos that can be almost three dimensional in appearance are popular and characters, cartoon images and mascots also work well online.
Most niche websites go for images and coloring that are not unlike their offline counterparts. Business models that are unique to the internet often go for images that express connectivity and communication between people. Among Web 2.0 sites, blogs and forums it is now almost a cliche to have MySpace style outlines of people positioned in a way that highlights human interaction.
Ask your website developer about the format that they prefer to receive the file in so that you can put in a request to the designer. Vector based formats offer the most flexibility.
You may also consider having your logo designer put together some banner designs as well so that you can promote your site.
Make sure that you shop around and don't make a decision based solely on price. Try to find out how many designers will work on your logo, how many rounds of revisions are permitted, how many unique concepts will be presented to you, delivery time and guarantee policies.
A lot of your brand reputation can be lost if you later realize that you don't have the best logo for your website and have to re-brand. It is therefore important that you put a little time and investment into getting a great logo design for your Internet Startup.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Re-Branding - Updating a Business Logo
As companies mature and take different directions it is sometime necessary for them to update or redesign their business logos to improve them and make them more modern or relevant.
Businesses evolve with time, enter new markets, offer new products or change the entire way that they do business. Sometimes a businesses logo design is no longer relevant to what the company does and a new logo, or a major redesign of the existing logo becomes essential.
Design trends change over time too and some logos, which were poorly thought through at the time, go out of fashion and just start to look tired or ugly.
However, a lot of value has been built up in a brand over time and to just 'dump it' risks losing a lot of customer recognition and trust that is so valuable. And a logo change can be expensive when you consider that all your company stationary and promotional materials will have to be scrapped and replaced. For these reasons it is best to avoid a complete change of logo if possible.
If you feel that a change is necessary you should seriously think about the reasons why it is necessary and the effects of a change. Try to get some honest opinions from colleagues and customers before deciding. As the business owner, the logo is your baby and maybe you have just seen it so much that you, and only you have tired of it.
A better option than a completely new logo is to look at only having it redesigned or refreshed. Keep some of the basic design elements such as color and shape. If done well, customers should immediately be able to recognize your new logo as being an improved version of the old one.
Informing your customers about any change to your logo is a good idea though to avoid confusion.
And if you are scrapping your logo make sure that you let your designer know that you are looking for something timeless or classic so that you won't have to make any changes again for a very long time.
Businesses evolve with time, enter new markets, offer new products or change the entire way that they do business. Sometimes a businesses logo design is no longer relevant to what the company does and a new logo, or a major redesign of the existing logo becomes essential.
Design trends change over time too and some logos, which were poorly thought through at the time, go out of fashion and just start to look tired or ugly.
However, a lot of value has been built up in a brand over time and to just 'dump it' risks losing a lot of customer recognition and trust that is so valuable. And a logo change can be expensive when you consider that all your company stationary and promotional materials will have to be scrapped and replaced. For these reasons it is best to avoid a complete change of logo if possible.
If you feel that a change is necessary you should seriously think about the reasons why it is necessary and the effects of a change. Try to get some honest opinions from colleagues and customers before deciding. As the business owner, the logo is your baby and maybe you have just seen it so much that you, and only you have tired of it.
A better option than a completely new logo is to look at only having it redesigned or refreshed. Keep some of the basic design elements such as color and shape. If done well, customers should immediately be able to recognize your new logo as being an improved version of the old one.
Informing your customers about any change to your logo is a good idea though to avoid confusion.
And if you are scrapping your logo make sure that you let your designer know that you are looking for something timeless or classic so that you won't have to make any changes again for a very long time.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Logo Design For a Cleaning Or Janitorial Services Business
When you set up your cleaning business, janitorial service or maid service, one of your first concerns will be getting a logo design. Along with your business name, your company logo will form the cornerstone of your overall branding strategy. Your logo will play an important role in giving a good first impression, 'jumping out' at the customer from the Yellow Pages and generally being a symbol that represents the quality of your service and your company values.
This article looks at some characteristics of cleaning business logos and offers advice on how to get a great logo online.
Cleaning business logos serve their companies best when they look modern and sharp with well defined lines. To state the obvious, it should look 'clean' and designers can give a logo a shiny or sparkling effect to enhance this.
Popular images that cleaning companies have used include soapy bubbles, splashes of water and mascot characters and animals with cleaning equipment in hand.
Some companies logos include images to hint at the niche that they specialize in such as glistening office buildings, shapes of residential houses or cartoon maids.
Blue always seems to be the most popular color in cleaning business branding and to most people blue represents water and cleanliness. Some environmentally friendly cleaning companies are starting to go with predominantly green coloring to highlight their clean 'green' services.
Keep in mind that there are really no rules and that it is better to go for something unique then to look cliched and the same as every other company.
Your logo will have to look good in all sizes as your branding could be used on company materials ranging from tiny business cards up to large vehicle wrap advertising.
There are many logo designers online who can provide you with a business logo. The best method is to get a customized logo design as the designer will come up with a unique design (that you will own) that is tailor made to your requirements.
Get your cleaning business or janitorial service off to the best possible start by getting a logo that is bold, flexible and memorable.
This article looks at some characteristics of cleaning business logos and offers advice on how to get a great logo online.
Cleaning business logos serve their companies best when they look modern and sharp with well defined lines. To state the obvious, it should look 'clean' and designers can give a logo a shiny or sparkling effect to enhance this.
Popular images that cleaning companies have used include soapy bubbles, splashes of water and mascot characters and animals with cleaning equipment in hand.
Some companies logos include images to hint at the niche that they specialize in such as glistening office buildings, shapes of residential houses or cartoon maids.
Blue always seems to be the most popular color in cleaning business branding and to most people blue represents water and cleanliness. Some environmentally friendly cleaning companies are starting to go with predominantly green coloring to highlight their clean 'green' services.
Keep in mind that there are really no rules and that it is better to go for something unique then to look cliched and the same as every other company.
Your logo will have to look good in all sizes as your branding could be used on company materials ranging from tiny business cards up to large vehicle wrap advertising.
There are many logo designers online who can provide you with a business logo. The best method is to get a customized logo design as the designer will come up with a unique design (that you will own) that is tailor made to your requirements.
Get your cleaning business or janitorial service off to the best possible start by getting a logo that is bold, flexible and memorable.
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