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.
