Your logo is the fundamental basis of the brand identity for your product or service, and hence it is absolutely critical that you get it right. A logo is often your only chance to catch someone’s attention and communicate your message, and hence you have maybe a split second to influence someone’s spending decisions or their commitment to taking an interest in you.
With all this in mind, the golden rule about logo design is that you shouldn’t try to do it yourself. It simply isn’t worth saving a bit of money just to create a poor logo which doesn’t show any technical ability or marketing knowledge, and this will be reflected in your customer’s perception of your brand. So you need to find a professional logo designer, and whether you opt for an agency or a freelancer may come down to money or availability, but you still need to be convinced they are the right design partner for you. So here we have outlined the key things you need to consider when choosing the perfect logo designer:
Variation
Any professional graphic designer should be able to show you a portfolio of their work, and hence you want to see a good range of styles in what they have produced. This shows they are adaptable to different industry sectors and can use different colours and images etc, and fundamentally they are very creative and can come up with a range of ideas. At the moment they don’t know anything about your business, so you don’t want them to have preconceived ideas about what they will produce, and rather than presenting a ‘new’ logo from a stock template, you want innovative and dynamic ideas that are unique and have freshness and energy.
Technical knowledge
A key difference between the DIY logo designer and hiring a professional, is the technical knowledge a proper expert should be able to bring. So this is knowing about file formats and things like vector graphics (creating a logo in a file size and format whereby there is no loss of quality however big or small the logo is re-sized). You may need your logo to be scalable for use on printed literature, packaging and maybe even premises, as well as digitally on social media and websites. So this requires good technical knowledge. However, you also need the logo designer to understand copyright and intellectual property and the basics of font licensing etc. This ensures your logo is completely unique and original and you won’t be stung by using graphics, images or fonts you don’t have permission for.
Marketing knowledge
This is a wide-ranging subject, but fundamentally you need your logo designer to understand your business, understand your target market and be able to design a logo which speaks to your market in the right way. Your business should have a message and a mission, and the logo designer’s job is to translate that into a logo that communicates to your intended audience. In addition to this, ideally you want your logo to grow with your business, so the logo designer needs to talk to you and understand your short and medium term objectives and reflect this in the logo. This ensures the logo is changeable and adaptable as your business grows, and so you don’t have to change it completely in five years’ time, which could be damaging to your business.
A good working partner
Again, this covers a lot of areas and is perhaps the feature that is most difficult to establish before you start working with someone. However, there are questions you can ask a potential design partner before committing to anything, about their working processes and how the logo project will evolve. So you want a logo designer who works with you, not in total isolation. This means they listen to your ideas, are open to your input and have a conversation about your business and its journey. They should explain how the design process works and should produce a range of design options, not just one. Then they should be open to reviewing and amending the design based on your comments, and should not take offence at this, although of course there is a balance to be struck, as you are ultimately paying for their professional opinions and knowledge. In addition, you need the logo designer to be reliable and on-time with their delivery, and also to be clear and honest about costs and lead times.
Good reviews
An easy way to circumnavigate much of the above is to search for online reviews that previous clients have left. Sometimes these will be posted as testimonials on the designer’s website, and hence won’t be too balanced in terms of objective comments, but it does give you an indication and enables you to ask questions of the designer for verification. You may also find some more independent client reviews if you keep searching.
Professional and distinctive logo design from Rebus
Rebus is a Yorkshire design and branding agency and we can take care of your logo design and involve you in the entire journey, with a two-way process of understanding your business and partnering with you to deliver a multi-use logo that can evolve with your business and tell your story, so get in touch today and we can make your logo a reality and get your brand out into the marketplace.