The Best Custom Logo Design

Logo Arena Review

2011-11-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

Logo Arena, the brainchild of Usman Malik, was founded by Usman Malik and Massimo Perini. Based in Waterloo, Canada, Logo Arena is a web of designers who are reputed for their ability to deliver customized logos to cater to the commercial requirements of individuals or companies.

Usman Malik serves as the marketing director for the company, global management and marketing being the fields of his specialization. Having worked as a business consultant, Usman has a lot of e-commerce experience, which allows him to handle the marketing of the company well.

Massimo Perini is the technical architect of Logo Arena, and is reputed for being a whiz at web development. Having studied Computer Science and Accountancy, Perini has handled a number of project along with Usman. Multi-talented, Perini is also a budding music producer and has lent his music to an Italian mobile ad.

Based in Middle-East, after receiving an education in Canada, Samir Anwar contributes as the risk manager with Logo Arena. Having worked in the risk and credit control departments at Middle Eastern banks, Samir is considered an asset to the company.

Taking care of the search engine optimization requirements of Logo Arena is a pro in the sector, Ghias Uddin. A prolific search engine optimizer and search engine marketer, Ghias Uddin keeps the sire high on the rankings of search engines.

A Toronto-based student of Accountancy and Bookkeeping, Abdullah Malik was recently upgraded to the post of Marketing Manager, and is set to take the company into global e-market.

Talal Khan and Saad Mahmood are the people who manage the global community of designers working with the site, and maintain public relations with clients of the company.

The designing of logos is the sole service offered by Logo Arena – a service that appears to have garnered proper support from its customers. The site boasts of an almost 100% satisfaction rate from its customers. A sizeable network of designers from all over the world participates in the contests held on this site.

The process of launching a logo designing contest on Logo Arena is a hassle-free comprehensive process. Clients are required to specify the name of their companies, and describe the products and services offered by their companies. The target market they wish to woo via the logo, the message they intend to send, must all be specified. A prize amount must be finalized and the contest confirmed. A nominal payment is required to be made in order to air the contest. The 300+ designing community then checks out the contest, and entries start dribbling in. The clients are required to review the logos submitted, and continually provide constructive feedback so as to guide the designers in the right direction and enable them to come out with designs that better meet the needs of the client. During the course of the contest, clients are given the freedom to request as many revisions from the participants as they choose. At the completion of the contest, clients are to pick out a winner. Clients may also avail themselves of the upgrade options offered by the site – at the payment of $50, a client may screen his contest from search engines and visitors of Logo Arena. And only those designers registered with the company can see and participate in upgraded contests. This $50 will directly be deposited into the account of the company, and this service charge will not make any difference in the prize money offered. Once the winning designer is paid his prize money, the chosen logo design is delivered to the client in EPS vector format. The copyrights of the logo, too, are legally transferred to the client. The logos that did not end up at the top rank in the contest are all the properties of the designers. They own the intellectual property rights to the logo, and can sue any reproducers of their designs.

Logo Arena offers a 100% money back guarantee if a contest receives less than 50 entries for the contests run – an event that, according to reviews, seldom occurs. However, those contests that do receive more than 50 entries by designers are no longer eligible for the refund, as offering such clients a refund would rob the participants of the guarantee of a winning prize, and their effort would be wasted

All About DesignCrowd and Their Logo Design Contests

2011-11-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

DesignCrowd Pty. Ltd. is a private Australian company, supported by a number of investors, providing a platform for freelancers to prove their skills as designers. The management team of the company forms the backbone of a network of more than 38,000 graphic designers. The mission statement of DesignCrowd, “To give people opportunities to be creative and to provide businesses with risk-free graphic design”, says it all about the company.

The management team comprises the following:

Alec Lynch – a Bachelor of Information Technology who has worked as a strategy consultant at various companies is a founder of the company.

Adam Arbolino, also a founding member, is the in-house tech guru, and he also handles the designer community. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in IT from University of Technology, in Sydney.

Garry Visontay, who is currently the Managing Director of The Venture Group, is the chairman of DesignCrowd. An entrepreneur who has initiated five different businesses, Garry has worked with high-flying companies including Procter and Gamble.

Les Szekely, a Grand Prix Capital director, is a specialist in rapid growth businesses. He has also authored around 14 publications on tax planning, which have been received well by the business community.

Taking innovation a couple of steps ahead in the company is Dr. Jeffery Tobias, an expert in innovation, business and strategy. Having worked as a professor at Australian Graduate School of Management and at University of Sydney, Tobias is considered an asset for the company.

Todd Forest, with 15 years of online experience with leading brands is dubbed Ironman at DesginCrowd, and is a respected member of the management team of the company.

DesignCrowd offers a wide range of services. Designing of corporate logos, office stationery, promotional stationery, business cards, brochures, posters, flyers, banners, wordpress, web pages, t-shirts and icons are among the services offered by the 38,000+ designing community whose designers hail from more than 70 countries. The company boasts that an average of 107 designs are submitted for every contest run. Logo designing has been reviewed to be the most active segment of the company, with a better part of clients visiting the site to have suitable logos designed for their companies or products.

A client who wants to have a logo designed for a product or for a pictorial depiction of his company must first upload a brief that contains details regarding the company and the nature of the services or products provided by the company. The deadline for the completion of the project must also be decided at this stage. The posting of this brief on DesignCrowd’s page will result in the inflow of more than a hundred unique entries from designers from all over the world. Clients are advised to frequently review the entries and provide appropriate feedback so as to help the designing community better understand his requirements. Once the winning design is selected, the designer is to upload files of the logo in recommended formats. The client is allowed to download the winning file from the site, following which the final payment is to be made. This is the skeletal structure of the procedure followed for the completion of all the different services offered by the company.

Clients are eligible to demand a refund of the fees paid if they are not satisfied with the designs they received. All the money invested, except the contesting posting fee charged to run the contest, will be returned to clients, without any questions being posed. In the highly unlikely event that not one entry is submitted for a contest run, the client gets a 100% refund, including the contest posting fee. However, a client is rendered ineligible to demand a refund if he guarantees his designing contest. Also, a client’s request for a refund is considered only if the request is made within 30 days of the completion of the project. Also, a client is advised to wait for the contest to finish so as to ensure that every entry is examined by the client and to eliminate the possibility that a little extra time would have brought out a design that woos the client. Stringent copyright policies protect the work of the designers and plagiarism is nipped in the bud.

Our Hatchwise Review

2011-10-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

The sole benefit of the bygone era wherein the popularity of a product or service provider spread by the word of mouth is that those who genuinely performed well would get a boost and consumers were seldom victimized by fraudsters. With the world being rendered a small but extremely competitive world by modernization, it has become a Herculean task for any business person to attract the attention that they deserve. Besides, people’s imagination has been nurtured by an endless stream of poetic and prosaic media of entertainment, and impressing the current buying section of the society calls for immense creativity. Spotting the benefits of catering to these demands, a number of online and offline companies have mushroomed, that rope in talented individuals to create a pool of creativity that clients can benefit from. HatchWise is a premier company that does the same.

Hatchwise is a pool of talent that serves the commercial interests of umpteen entrepreneurs across the world. Professional and highly creative, the company is a web of artistic designers and wizards of words. The company offers quality services at unbelievable low prices, which, according to reviews, is among the factors that has a considerable amount of consumer traffic being channeled towards it.

HatchWise is a myriad of designers and writers who are original and are brimming with untapped potential. At surprisingly low costs, clients of this company avail themselves of the services of designers who create logos, web pages, t-shirt designs, promotional banners, brochures or graphic designs. HatchWise also includes in its network of talent writers who play with words to come out with catchy phrases that catch attention, as well as author pages of content that do not lose a reader halfway through. Also, the company’s imaginative minds are renowned for their ability to come up with attractive names for companies or products. And a good name that is easily embedded in the minds of people automatically places the company a few steps ahead in the game.

HatchWise has a similar procedure for all services it offers. Clients are required to elaborate on their requirements and what they expect from a design or a writing project, pay the minimum deposit of $29 for their projects to go live. A project is run for a period of ten days – clients may choose to withdraw the contest if they are able to zero in on the right “creative” well within that time frame, or they may to choose to purchase extra time if it is taking them longer than anticipated to pick the right artist from the plethora of options available. Within hours of the project going on air, clients can be expected to be inundated with original work from the company’s designers. Clients are to review the entries and provide comprehensive feedback at regular intervals so as to help the designing community step up their efforts in the right direction. HatchWise allows clients to pick out the prize money they are willing to pay the winning designer or writer, and for as little as $100, the company’s clients find themselves the owners of original content. In the case of writers, the community of writers sends in upto 250 words relating to the project, and the winning writer completes and wraps up the project in entirety. The client is allowed to download the completed project from the company’s site only after the final payment is transacted.

No refund policies have been extended by the company. The company also ensures that the clients pay up in a timely fashion and encourage clients to pick out a winner for every contest that they run. This way, all the effort put in by the company’s administration and the numerous creatives who send in their entries. HatchWise refuses to take any responsibility regarding patents or trademarks issues regarding the logos, web designs, t-shirt designs, brand-storming results or writing and editing projects completed. The company also allows in-house and outdoor designers and content contributors to file a complaint against any work submitted by the designers and writers that they feel are heavily borrowed from their works. Policies are in place to ensure fair play for both the clients and the designers and writers.

DesignContest Review and Company Information

2011-10-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

The Internet truly is credited with making the world a global village. Though it was conceived in a science research facility to enable the pooling in of ideas to create a virtual think tank, the Internet has today revolutionarised the world. It has changed forever the dynamics of human relations, business, pedagogy and every other aspect of life. The Internet is today the home of millions of businesses and ideas. Needless to mention, business tactics and marketing on the Internet soon entered and dominated the scene. How does the host of an online portal set his site above and apart from the web of similar sites, even if the subject matter is the same? You package the same deal in an attractive cover. DesignContest.com offers its clients just that, the option to revamp their sites to revive people’s interest in it.

DesignContest has been reviewed by users to be a one-stop-shop wherein a consumer can receive any and all desired products that can together liven up a site or a business. Pictures know no language and an online portal that uses more pictures is bound to find itself accepted more readily than those that disseminate large amounts of information without warming up to a user. DesignContest serves as a platform for individuals and companies to choose from a wide range of original creative options to remodel their site for the better.
DesignContest offers a wide range of services. Logo designing, website designing, customized web banner designs and unique icon sets are among the services offered to meet the online demands of multitudes. A client of the company may choose to up the attractiveness of his site by infusing originality and creativity into the icons used, the layout and background of their site and the like. A client may also choose unleash imagination on the background space of their twitter page to make their page a competition to that of celebrities. Logos, arguably the most important part of a company given that they speak the loudest on visiting cards, brochures, banners and other promotional material, are also designed by the team of DesignContest. Designing of business cards, images meant to be displayed on t-shirts, flyer and brochures are among the other services offered by the company. However, more than 70% of the clients of DesignContest approach the company to hold logo contests.

The procedure to get work done, no matter what category the service desired falls under, is the same. A client is required to carefully all the parts of an exhaustive list of questions given. It is the answers on this questionnaire that guides the designers with DesignContest understand the requirements of the client, and design logos or whatever is needed to best cater to the needs of the client. The client is also to finalize the prize money to be awarded to the winning designer at this stage. After these decisions are made, the contest goes live, and the client witnesses the first drips of responses within a couple of hours. The drip becomes a full-fledged stream soon if the client is responsive and frequently reviews the entries and provides detailed feedback. Once the winning design is selected, the client is to pay the prize money and other services charges levied by DesignContest. Once the prize money is delivered to the bank account of the winning designer, the official package of the design is sent to the client via e-mail. And the client is also given the exclusive right to use the design.

DesignContest, like every other service provider confident about the quality of their service and their ability to deliver, offers a 100% money back guarantee if the designs submitted fail to satisfy the client. The company also has in place a stringent set of terms and conditions that prohibit clients and designers from engaging in any malpractices or illegal activities. For example, a client is not to promote pornography, child abuse and the like in the designs sought for. Similarly, a designer is to be an ethical individual with integrity. A diligent team ensures that both designers and client do their part. Strict copyright laws ensure that a client receives only genuine entries. Categories of designers, based on their experience with the company, are another method of ensuring fair play. Users of the site are also prohibited from discussing clients or designers with a third party, and failure to comply with the rules come result in the doling out of severe penalties.

The Perfect Hair Salon Logo - What to Consider When Choosing Hair Stylist Logos

2010-12-15T00:30:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for a logo design for your hair salon business? If so, read on and find out what you must consider before you consult with a designer.

Hair stylists are essentially creative professionals. The creativity of a salon’s stylists and the kind of service that they offer can be expressed in a hair salon's logo design. Logo design is very important in this industry for creating brand flavor, creating the right first impressions and putting out the right image to the market.

In this article we take a look at some of the elements that make up a great hair salon logo and we offer some suggestions on how to get the right design to represent the brand that you want to develop.

Marketing an Image

It is important to put some thought into what kind of clients you want to attract to your hair salon. You then need to present an image that is appealing to people in this target market. Depending on your clientele you may want to present an image that is charming, chic, classic, stylish, modern, exclusive or friendly and welcoming. Your logo design, working hand in hand with your interior decorating can go a long way towards putting forward the right image.

Be Unique - Be Remarkable

Your logo design should distinguish you from other hair salons. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with the design of another hairdresser logo and asking your designer to imitate it.

If you do see other salon, spa or beauty logos that you like you should try to understand exactly what elements about them are so appealing to you. Rather then trying to imitate other logos it is better to take small elements from each that can be incorporated into something fresh and original that you can truly call your own.

Keep it Simple

Insist that your logo designer keep your logo simple. Logos that are simple are usually more memorable and easy to understand than those that are too cluttered. Modern design trends are moving towards simplicity. If you look at the logos of some Fortune 500 companies you will see this trend. On the other hand, small, old fashioned or amateurish businesses are usually the ones with complicated logos.

Usage of Color

All good logo designs should look good in black and white so that they can easily be faxed or photocopied without losing their effect. It is usually best to keep the combinations of color used in a logo to a minimum. With a maximum of two or three colors, your hair salon's logo will be clear and easy to understand. By minimizing the use of color you may also be able to save money on printing costs.

Font - What Style of Lettering Looks Good?

One trend with hair salon logo design is that designers and salon owners are going mostly for text based logos or for lettermarks featuring the initials of their business name. Font is important for visual appeal, clarity and it contributes a lot towards brand image. Hair salons usually either go for a font that is elegant, flowing and feminine or they go for something bold, modern and urban. The number of fonts is almost endless and a good logo designer will be able to make recommendations.

Popular Hair Salon Logo Images

Aside from text, images can also add to the power of a logo. While there are no limits here with what you can do and it is advisable to come up with something original, there are some images that commonly appear on hair salon logos.

Hair, in many different styles is of course a popular image. Images can be realistic looking but are usually more effective if they are a little more abstract. Faces are sometimes included and sometimes hair is featured on its own. Scissors, hair dryers and other hair dresser equipment can be featured as part of a logo but can look a little clichéd so be careful. Other hair stylists have gone for logos with images that match their business name or their salon location.

A logo is a crucial part a of the marketing effort for any hairdressing business so it is important to put the time, effort and money into getting something effective that is going to serve your salon well over the long term.

Why Getting the Cheapest Logo Design May Not Be the Best Idea

2010-01-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Bar, Pub, Or Nightclub Logo Design

2010-01-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

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.

Business Logo Design Portfolios - Find Examples and Samples

2009-12-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

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.

Review of 'The Logo Company' - Custom Logo Design Services

2009-12-10T00:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Logo Design For Websites, E-Commerce Sites, Blogs and Forums

2009-11-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Re-Branding - Updating a Business Logo

2009-11-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

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.

Logo Design For a Cleaning Or Janitorial Services Business

2009-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Different Types of Logo Design

2009-10-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Most logos include a combination of text and image (shapes or symbols) however some logos work well with only text and some are identifiable only by their symbol. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of logo design at the basic level.

Text Based Logos

Text-based logos or ‘wordmarks’ use a font or type style to represent a company’s brand name. The company’s name, represented in the logo essentially becomes the visual representation of the business. The font in this kind of logo may have some unique styling or artistic flair but generally it will not have any symbols to complement the name. ‘Wordmarks’ keep a logo simple and make it distinct and easy to remember. Companies that have highly effective text-based logos include Google and Yahoo.

Another kind of text-based logo is the ‘lettermark’. This is when a company uses only its initials within its logo design. CNN (Cable News Network) and GE (General Electric) are examples of successful companies that have done this. This type of logo is great for companies that have exceptionally long names.

Brandmarks

Brandmarks are perhaps the most difficult logos to promote to consumers. A brandmark is a symbol, representing a company that is able to stand alone and represent a brand without any text to clarify to the viewer who the company is. To develop a brandmark that is recognizable to viewers who immediately associate it with the company in question requires a concerted marketing effort. One of the most famous brandmarks in the world today is the swoosh symbol used by Nike.

Brandmarks are perhaps the most difficult logos to promote to consumers. A brandmark is a symbol, representing a company that is able to stand alone and represent a brand without any text to clarify to the viewer who the company is. To develop a brandmark that is recognizable to viewers who immediately associate it with the company in question requires a concerted marketing effort. One of the most famous brandmarks in the world today is the swoosh symbol used by Nike.

Combinations

Customers want to deal with companies that are well established and professional so you should try to convey this message in your logo design. By branding your Lastly, probably the most popular type of logo design is a combination of a wordmark and a brandmark. Combined in the right configuration, text and symbol fit together in a way that they compliment each other and make up a companies logomark or logo. Sometimes a tagline or slogan can be attached to complete the overall trademark that a company needs to be the ‘public face’ of their branding strategy.

Logo Design For a Financial, Insurance Or Accounting Company

2009-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

When starting out in financial services, insurance or accounting, one of the all important first decisions to make is your logo design and overall branding strategy. The financial services industry is so competitive these days that having a strong brand is essential to help you stand out in a very crowded market place.

As you develop your business plan, try to understand more about your customers and think about how you want them to perceive your company.

Traditionally, companies in finance, banking, insurance and accounting have featured themes in their logos that relate to strength, reliability and stability. Images of pillars, a lion, bricks or a mountain can convey these themes.

Companies in these fields also have traditionally tried to highlight their professionalism and attention to detail. Images of pencils, scales or charts can go along way towards letting customers know exactly what your company does and how you go about doing it.

However some of these themes and imagery in logo design in these industries can look a little clichéd, old fashioned and boring. The key is to try and be original by conveying the same message that financial companies always have but convey it in a modern, interesting way.

When people are going to putting a lot of trust into a financial institution it is generally better to have a serious, conservative looking logo design.

You should avoid currency symbols as they can appear crude or amateurish on a logo for the finance, insurance or accounting industries.
Give plenty of thought to color as a lot of meaning and emotion can be conveyed through its careful use. Financial and insurance institutions have typically gone with black representing seriousness, red for strength, white for truth, and darker shades of blue for security, professionalism and faithfulness. Some modern companies are shaking up tradition though and are starting to go with a whole variety of colors so you by no means have to limit yourself here.

Financial institutions should use a bold face font to express strength and stability and have typically gone with readable, conservative, formal fonts. Most companies in the financial services follow convention and place the font below the logo image.

Having a great logo design for financial, insurance or accounting company is easy these days with so many ways to a get a logo online or offline. Get your business off to a great start and invest in a great logo design that can carry your business forward to success!

Ordering a Custom Logo Online – Briefing your Logo Designer

2009-09-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

To get the logo that is best for your company you have to be able to communicate clearly with your logo designer to get your ideas across to him or her.

When you order a custom logo online you will always be given a briefing form to complete. It is worth taking the time to go through this form carefully. If you don’t include precise information about your company and what you want then the designer has nothing to go on and will come up with concepts that are not appropriate

While good designers may do some research on their own it is important that you pass on as much information as possible to them to assist them in the design process.

The following article outlines the things that you should consider when completing the briefing form before you email your order to your chosen online logo designer.

Nature of your Company and Brand

As a customer ordering a logo you should try to fully convey the nature and character of your business to the logo design company. What is your brand (or the brand you want to develop) all about?

One way to convey to the designer what your company is about is to offer some words that describe your business. Give the logo designer a list of words such as ‘reliable’, ‘modern’, ‘great customer service’ etc to help them fully understand you.

You should let you designers have a detailed profile of your business and let them know about the industry you are in and your position within it.

Your Customers

You should also let the designer have a clear idea of who your customers are, their values and the image that you want to project to them. If you are marketing to a specific demographic let your designer know so that he/she can design something to target that particular group.

Why do you need a Logo?

Let your designer know how you intend to use the logo? Of course you can request a logo for all purposes but if you only need a logo for a website or a select few other reasons then that will help your logo designer immensely.

Design Preferences

Do you have any preferences for images, shape, style, color or font? Is there anything that you really don’t want?

While you will want to give your designers as much creative freedom as possible it is important to put some constraints on them if you really have something specific in mind. Should the shape be long, stretching across the page, should it be more of a ‘top left hand corner’ square shape or can it be a circular shape?

Examples

Offering the designer links to the logos of other companies can be helpful although you really want to differentiate your company from your competitors as much as possible. You may even consider providing examples of logos that you don’t like so that your logo designer has an idea of what you don’t want.

Unique Value Proposition

Give your logo designer a clear idea of how you distinguish your company from the competition. First you should identify your companies unique ‘value proposition’ which basically means how you differentiate yourself from other companies in your industry. Your unique value proposition may be price, faster service, more variety of products or many other aspects that make your company unique.

Once your designer has sent you the initial concepts you will have to choose one to move forward with for revisions and improvement. Now is the time to ask friends, family and co-workers what they think of the logo design concepts, which design they prefer and what changes need to be made.

By talking to people in your target market you will get the best idea of what kind of logo will work well in your industry. Relying too much on just your own opinion is often a mistake.

If you brief your designer clearly he or she should be able to create a logo design that can serve as the perfect visual representation of your brand for many years.

Logo Design For a Beauty Salon, Hair Stylist Or Spa Business

2009-09-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

When starting out or re-branding a beauty salon, hair salon or spa business, a great logo design is of the utmost importance. This article looks at what logos in these industries are usually like and gives you some ideas about how to go about getting a logo for your health and beauty related business.

The beauty and spa business is all about personal grooming as well as image and effective logos in this industry reflect that by being neat, classy, elegant and exclusive at the same time.

As modern trends in the salon and spa business are towards natural products based on natural plant, fruit and vegetable extracts, colors for logos tend to be natural and not too bright and flashy. Feminine colors are popular, earthy colors such as light browns work well and light blues are common too.

Fonts tend to be classic with characters flowing together in a style that is beautiful, soft and delicate.

A typical image used in beauty and hair logos includes an outline of a female body or face, either abstract or with minor detailing. Other popular imagery includes, hair, hands and eyes.

Most online logo designers have an extensive portfolio of logo designs on their website. Some even have a specific section of health and beauty logos that they have done and this can be a great way to see what you could expect if you go with one of their packages.

A logo will form the base of your salon or spa branding strategy and will be one of the key factors in determining how customers perceive the quality of your services. Like in the fashion industry, beauty salons and spas can command a premium for their services by appealing to an exclusive clientele who want to be part of 'the club'.

A great logo will give your salon or beauty business a unique image that will take you forward to profitability and success.

Shopping for Logos - How to Compare Custom Logo Design Firms

2009-09-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

With the number of companies offering logo design services on the Internet increasing on a daily basis it is challenging for online shoppers to determine which company to go with. Above all the other options we suggest going for a custom-made logo design as this is a good method of getting something especially made for your business for a reasonable amount of money.

In this report we outline several of the factors that one should take into consideration prior to picking a firm for the critical assignment of putting together your company's logo, the face of your brand.

Cost is one selection consideration that shoppers usually rank as being important. Low price doesn't always mean poor quality or service but in general you get what you pay for. Look for value instead of just choosing the cheapest alternative.

You could find that you are facing legal troubles before too long if you purchase a design that infringes on another company's trademark. Going with a US based logo firm is generally the safer approach as they can usually ensure that you have exclusive rights to the images used in your logo.

Start out by looking at the portfolios of a number of companies offering custom logo services. Many place their earlier design work into industry categories so you can see the projects that they have done in the past for businesses similar to yours.

As soon as you find a selection of firms that seem promising you can begin to compare packages and see what they include for the price. Consider the following points.

1) Will more than one designer be involved with your project? The more expensive packages usually offer preliminary designs from at least two designers to offer a few different angles on what you are looking for.

2) How many preliminary concepts will be offered to you for you to choose from? And will they all be markedly different design variations or will some of them be similar or only offer color variations.

3) How many times are you able to request alterations? Custom logo businesses usually offer a number of preliminary designs and the purchaser then has to select their favorite with the chance to have revisions carried out.

4) Find out how long it takes to complete the design process and when you can expect to have the designs emailed to you, especially if you are rushing to get them.

5) The money back policies set out by every logo company will be different. They often seem to offer a generous policy on their website but escape from their obligations in the fine print. Be sure to read the fine print relating to money back and satisfaction guarantees.

Make sure that you are clear when you communicate your logo specifications to the provider. Be meticulous when filling out the briefing form so that they can fully understand what your business is about and have an exact comprehension of what you require.

Investigate the market and proceed carefully and you will find that you can get a professional looking custom business logo without breaking the bank.

Custom Logo Company Reviews, Ratings and Opinions

2009-07-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Getting an affordable logo design done these days is a simple process and there are many providers online catering to this demand.

The logo business is competitive though so it can be hard to find a design firm to work with as there are so many. Unless you have a personal recommendation from someone you trust then you will have to look at design portfolios on a variety of websites and then search for some reviews and opinions from some of their customers to confirm that their service is indeed professional.

In this article we offer you guidance on selecting a logo provider and set out some factors for consideration.

There are some review sites out there that have reviewed numerous logo companies and have them ranked against each other allowing you to compare them on a variety of factors. Be careful though as not all of these sites are independent. At least one of the market leaders has been accused of creating fake review sites where they rank themselves as number one in order to drive traffic to their site and make easy sales.

Before deciding on a company it also pays to do a bit of a background check to make sure that they don't have a lot of dissatisfied customers that are saying negative things about them online. There are consumer complaint websites that you can check including the 'Better Business Bureau' (BBB) site.

There are logo award ceremonies held by a variety of organizations every year. Some online custom logo design firms have won them from time to time and this can help you to assess design quality (but not necessarily service quality).

Eventually you will have to stop shopping around and decide on one firm. One way of protecting yourself against scams is to make sure that you are able to get your money back if you are not happy with their work, service or design concepts. Many offer guarantees but you must read the fine print to have a proper understanding of how their refund policy really works.

The online logo business offers you the chance to get a logo for a much cheaper price than a traditional local design firm so it is worth taking the time to look online and find one.

Get your business off to a great start or rebrand your existing operation with a great custom logo design. If you take the time to do some research you will find that getting a logo online is the best way to go.

Different Online Design Options – Why a Custom Logo is Best.

2009-06-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

When you start browsing the Internet looking for a logo for your business you will soon realize that there are four options available to you if you want to get a logo online.

Online shoppers looking for logo designs should weigh up the options themselves taking design quality, price and ownership rights into account as well as other factors such as delivery time and the amount of input that they want to have in the design process.

I am now going to outline what those four options are and I will tell you why I feel that custom logo design is the best.

Custom Logo Design

This option is the one that I recommend above all the others. By having a logo design tailor made by a graphic designer to suit your company’s needs you are assured of getting an original, professional looking design. Your logo designer does all the design work while you, as the customer still get a considerable amount of input into the design. A customized logo design offers the best of both worlds really.

Pre-made Logos

Pre-made or pre-designed logo templates allow the user to browse through hundreds of different designs with generic company names such as ‘XYZ Real Estate Company’. Once users see a logo design that they like they can then order it and have their company name incorporated into the logo. The main advantage here is the large variety of logos available and the delivery time which can be instant, or same day delivery. They are sometimes cheaper than custom logo designs.

You will have to make sure that you own the exclusive rights to the logo that you have created as some companies sell the same templates over and over again.

Free Online Logo Applications

There are numerous websites that offer free (or cheap) logo design applications online. Users are guided through the process of making a logo and have a lot of input into the finished logo design. The downside here is that some of the components that users can incorporate into their logo design such as shapes, symbols and clipart are unoriginal and in use by many other lower class business ventures. Without any design experience users usually end up with amateurish looking logos and sometimes even have to include a small credit on the logo referring to the site that was used to create it.

Once again, you will have to make sure that you own the rights to your logo creation and that the rights are not retained by the website in question.

Logo Design Software

You can now purchase some quite sophisticated logo design software that can assist you in the creation of professional looking logos on your home PC. The downside is that the better software packages can be expensive, there is a bit of a learning curve related to using the software properly and these packages still require some artistic input on the part of the user. Why would you bother really for only a few logo designs?

Each of the four options for getting a logo online offers advantages and disadvantages. While I recommend custom logo design above the other options some online shoppers may be more inclined to try the other options depending on their situation.

Should we go for a Cheap Logo Design Company?

2009-05-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Price is the first thing that people think about when looking at various options for logo design. It is great to get a good deal with a cheap logo design and to try and save a bit of money but stop and think for a moment how important a logo design is to your company.

With your logo being on your stationery, website, building signage, advertising and even vehicles it is often the first aspect of your company that customers run into. Within a few seconds potential customers subconsciously examine your logo and create their first impressions of your company. These first few seconds are very important in conveying the right image to customers and the quality of your company logo can in some cases help to determine whether you get those customers or they go to the competition.

With these thoughts in mind it becomes clear that maybe price shouldn’t be the main focus when shopping around for a logo provider.

Many logo design companies have sprung up on the Internet and by using the Internet as a platform to do business have been able to reduce overheads and still offer a quality service. For larger companies with huge budgets meeting with designers face to face to communicate is still the preferred method however for most small and medium sized businesses today, ordering a logo online offers a cheap and efficient way to have a logo designed without compromising quality.

There are many different ways to get a logo online ranging from customized designs and pre-designed templates through to do it yourself logo design options. Online shoppers should appreciate that these different methods have different price ranges and also vary in the quality that you can expect.

Your logo is an integral part of your organizations marketing plan and a fair amount of the company’s budget should be allocated to it just as a healthy budget is usually allocated to other marketing activities.

Spending $300 on a Logo may seem like a lot but if you spread the cost out over a period of say 10 years it only works out to a few dollars a month (a small amount compared to a monthly marketing budget that could run into hundreds or thousands of dollars).

Some businesses these days in industries with low barriers to entry (such as online business) are started in the short term to test the market and see if they are viable. For businesses such as this there are a good variety of companies producing cheap custom logos for under $100.

However, if you are starting a business that involves considerable investment and is one that you intend to grow over many years then you should start off right, start off with a great logo design.

Why a good Logo is so Important to your Company

2009-04-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

These days a logo is essential for even the smallest of businesses. For those who still disagree with a logo’s importance, below are some reasons why a logo can be one of the best investments your business will make.

First Impressions

A logo is often the first part of a company that customers come into contact with. It is therefore an important tool for giving customers their first impressions of a business.

To Establish a Brand

You want to be the company in your industry that stands out. You should aspire to be the company that your customer always thinks of first when they need the products and services that you provide. You don’t only want new customers but you also want to retain your existing customers over time. A great logo can position your company within your customer’s minds and make your company the one that they instantly associate with a specific product or service. This is a great way to enhance your credibility and brand reputation over time.

Also bear in mind that some people are visually orientated and ‘brand orientated’. Customers buying decisions are often irrational in that they are emotional in their choices rather than weighing up and comparing the true value of goods and services on offer. An appropriate logo design is able to target this kind or consumer effectively.

Professionalism

A logo conveys the idea to viewers that you are serious and professional in the way that you do business. The right logo lets your customers know that you are stable, reliable and successful and helps to build trust with them over time.

To Look Bigger and Better than you really are

A professional looking logo design combined with other clever marketing efforts can make a company with two employees seem more like a company with twenty employees. Done properly a logo design can also make you look well established even if you just opened your doors for business yesterday.

Company Identity

Give your business a personality that lets customers immediately know who you are and what your attitude to business is all about.

Differentiate yourself from your Competitors

Use your logo to make your company stand out in your industry. Let customers know why you are unique and how your products and services differ from your competitors.

Characteristics of a Quality Company Logo

2009-04-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Below are some of the characteristics that make a great logo. You should give some thought to each aspect when briefing your logo designer.

Relevancy

A great corporate Logo should be relevant to what the business does. While it can be a little abstract it should clearly identify the business that the company is in.

Distinct and Memorable

A great logo catches the eye and engages the viewer. A logo should demand attention and appeal to viewers to take a second look.

Simplicity

Keep it clean, clear and simple. Trying to be clever or humorous with the design or wording can work well for certain businesses but you should be careful that the logo can still be easily understood.

Timeless

A good logo should be a classic design that will never go out of fashion. Redesigning a logo (link to - Logo Redesign - Updating a Company Logo) usually means that you lose some or all of the brand awareness that you have built up over many years with your existing logo.

Uniqueness

Your logo should be unique to your company and should not attempt to imitate competitors. While you can gain inspiration by looking at other companies logos it is a mistake to try to imitate then too closely as customers may immediately think of your competitors when they look at your logo. Borrowing ideas from the logos of companies in other industries is better than borrowing ideas from competitors within your own industry.

Functional

A logo should be functional. It should be able to be easily integrated into all marketing materials and advertising campaigns.

Scalable

The logos size should be able to be reduced to a size suitable for a business card or pen yet should also be able to be enlarged to a size appropriate for a vehicle or advertising billboard.

Follow the Principals of Good Design

A logo should follow the principles of good design to make it pleasing on the eye. Good designers know how to balance color, space and shape in this respect. A logo is the sum of its parts and good designers take into account how the parts interact together to form the whole.