Over the years, we've been lucky to have been chosen to work with some fabulous businesses on designing their logos. It is from this experience that we've compiled our list of helpful tips to help guide you before hiring a logo designer.
1 - Have Your Business Name Ready
In order to create a logo, you'll need a business name. When choosing a business name, we recommend trying to keep it short as, from a design perspective, it can be challenging using a logo down the line with a lengthy business name. Two to four words is a great number to aim for!
Once you have your business name, then it's time to verify it isn't already in use. For this part, you can start with a Google search. Be sure to search for both the key words and the hashtag and see what the results look like. If another business appears with the same name and in the same field as yours, then you may want to consider alternate options. You can also perform a trademark check at www.uspto.gov.
The logo pictured below is a design we created for Whole Story Health Coaching. You can see it uses four words and two of those words describe their business services.
2 - Think About A Business Tagline
Oftentimes, your business name may not explain the services you offer clearly enough and this can pose a branding challenge, especially if potential customers find you online. In cases like these, we recommend adding a business tagline to help clarify what your business is about and reassure potential customers that they're in the right place.
The image in point 1 above, has the words "Health Coaching" clearly describing their business services, but we wanted to further clarify why Health Coaching is important and how it can help. The image below shows their tagline of "Find your Balance. Magnify your Joy."
Once we had both the business name and business tagline, the larger picture of business Branding began to take shape, and because this is a Florida-based business, the sea turtle and tropical elements worked perfectly. To take it a step further, the fingerprint within the turtle implies that "Balance," "Joy," and the overall "Health" needs of each client are unique and require a customized approach. All of this is communicated through the careful creation of both a business name and business tagline.
Of course, as you're working to develop your business tagline, you'll also want to run possible options through the www.uspto.gov database to ensure they're not already in use.
3 - Color Palette
This may seem simple, but it can be quite tricky and it's a pretty important component of logo design as, typically, the colors you choose for your logo are the building blocks of your Brand Colors. The images below show how your logo colors can then be incorporated into things like business cards and letterhead. How do you envision those items looking? Are there examples you've seen for other businesses that you love? What about ones you don't love? All this can help your logo designer provide you with design options that fit your vision.
4 - Have An Idea of Your Budget
Budget is important when you're looking to have your logo professionally designed. With the plethora of $75 DIY logos out there, you'll want to compare your wish list to your budget. Logo design is an investment and it's important to know what you get for your money.
For example, going with a DIY logo creator or the current $75 deal with a mass producer, will mean that your logo graphics will be reused for other businesses logos as they're typically not custom designing a logo for you. In most cases these options are adding your business name to something predesigned. Going this route could mean the cost of rework later and branding changes can be expensive, especially after you've had business cards and other marketing materials produced. In addition, if you're looking to Trademark your logo or business tagline, that pretty much rules this option out.
If you know you want to Trademark your logo right away or plan to in the very near future, then you'll want a professional graphic designer with experience in logo design. This option will cost more in the short term, but save you the expense of branding changes in the long term. A logo designer should also be thinking about your brand as a whole to ensure they're setting you on the right track that aligns with your goals. Be sure to find a designer that will work for you, support your design vision, and guide you on the branding journey. Our article on "Tips for Choosing a Graphic Designer" will help in choosing a good match!
5 - Start Gathering Quotes
After you've established the above, it's time to start finding logo designers, reviewing portfolios, and gathering quotes. Logo designers and design agencies can vary quite a bit, so be sure to ask for details so you know exactly what you're getting for your money - every penny counts, especially when you're a new business on a budget. Our article on "Tips for Choosing a Graphic Designer" has additional helpful tips for choosing a designer.
6 - Files You Should Receive
We'll end with one last note to ensure you know what you should be provided once your logo has been created. At a minimum, you should be provided with:
.eps files - used for printing/embroidery for accurate color and resolution
.jpg files - used digitally and where you have a white background
.png files - used digitally and where you have a transparent background
.pdf files - preferred by some printers in place of .eps files
For each of the four files types listed above, you should receive a full color, white, and black version of your logo.
Written by: Crystal Davies, Owner, Davies Designs Studio
Crystal Davies is a Brand Consultant and Owner of Davies Designs Studio. Her passion is using her 10+ years experience in corporate marketing and branding to help her clients design visions become reality.
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