Getting What You Want in a Logo
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If there is any truth the old proverb about first impressions, then a logo is much more than a graphical icon. Your logo is the symbol that others use to form a mental representation of your company’s identity, so its form and quality are of primary importance.
If you are in the market for a logo, you have probably thought about how it should represent your enterprise, but how do you go about getting that perfect symbol?
From the mouths of my clients I have learned that this endeavor is a tricky one. Your logo does not exist yet, so it is not a matter of picking one from among many choices. You must find a competent artist who can pluck that ideal icon from his or her creativity for a reasonable price.
Yes, first impressions count, and just as true is the saying “time is money.” You can bet that professional logo artists who offer their services at rock bottom prices are not just altruistically giving away their time. They have a system that pays the bills. That system relies on volume, and volume requires speed. They must get you in the door and out so they can move on to the next rapid turn-around.
Are they superior artists with infinite intuition and skill? No, quite the opposite. If they were, they would demand higher prices. These bargain artists use a library of graphical elements that can be mixed and matched to rapidly develop logos for a general set of clients. Their skill is in laying out pleasing designs from what they have at hand. Request anything special and you will have to pay more—if they can do the job at all.
Does rapid turn-around mean that you get your logo fast from the bargain commercial firms? No again. One of my clients came to me unhappy with the work of the artist he had hired to develop his business logo. He had first waited in line for a month and a half, then, when his turn came and he described his vision for a logo, the artist put all kinds of limitations on what could be done. The final product was a rather generic looking logo that he was, rightfully, disappointed with. Because he was not satisfied with the designs that were presented to him, the price got revised, but it was another month and a half before he realized that he was not going to get what he wanted.
Having wasted three months and $2,000, he came to me for help. He knew what he wanted, but had been told that his company’s initials would not make a good logo. How ridiculous, I replied, and within a week I had created something that fit his vision. The other artist had simply not been willing to connect with him, or perhaps lacked the skills to do so.
This article provides tips for getting the logo that you really want for a reasonable price. There are three main factors to consider: 1) quality, 2) time, and 3) price. Quality is the factor most important in the long run, but price is often the primary concern, so we begin there.
The most important tip for getting what you want—a finely crafted, well designed logo—is to realize that you will have to pay a fair price for good quality. Skilled artists charge more because their experience is valuable. Your money pays not only for their technical expertise and training, but also for their imagination and intuition.
On rare and fortuitous circumstances, you can get a logo for next to nothing. Talented young artists sometimes create outstanding logos. The trick is in finding these prodigies to exploit. Barring such possibilities, an experienced professional is the most expedient way to logo bliss. Unless you have drafted a close approximation of your desired logo for the artist, you should expect to pay no less than $1,000 for original work of unique design from a professional. Graphic design work is time consuming and a good artist will spend many hours consulting with you to get things just right. The skill of a graphic artist is the primary determinant of price, but beware of those whose egos do not match their competence. I know many artists with superior technical skills who simply cannot generate an original idea. They eke by, snatching ideas from here and there, but their work shows this lack of imagination.
If you hire someone with excellent skills, a superior imagination, and plenty of experience your price range will be more like $3,000-$10,000, and high-end design firms often get $40,000 from corporate clients. Don’t let those high end numbers put you off, though. The fact is, you can get a great original design for $3,000, or even half of that. It depends to a large degree on how willing you are to be a participant in the design process, rather than a spectator who picks through the options presented.
Some executives just can’t spare the time to work with an artist, so they have to pick from among the designs that the artist develops. This strategy can be time consuming and expensive, especially if the artist lacks the ability to assess the client’s needs, preferences, and sense of style.
Forming a committee to oversee logo design is a sure way to drive up costs. There is a simple reason why this is so: many opinions and inevitable rivalries result in more rejections and revisions. It does not matter how competent the artist; committees are more demanding clients than individuals and experienced artists will ask how many people will be involved in the selection process and will charge according to what they know will be an arduous process.
You will most certainly save money by picking a competent artist the first time. Being able to read the artist through his or her verbal and non verbal messages will be to your advantage. Confidence is a key characteristic that signals competence, but not a fool proof one. Look for confidence that is backed up by results. Breadth in the portfolio is the most important adjunct to confidence when judging whether the artist can follow through.
If you need to keep costs down, there are some steps you can take to minimize them, but you must also find an artist who will relinquish some control in the design process. Look at logos from other companies in your industry and show your artist both the ones you like and those that don’t appeal to you.
Of course, you do not want the artist to copy the logos you like. The purpose in this exercise is to display your sense of style. The clearer your critique of other logos, the clearer your expectations will be to the artist. If you have some artistic skills, sketch out some ideas. Anything that you can do to specify what you want will help keep design time to a minimum.
Make sure that you communicate your expectations, including those pertaining to your role in the design process and how your efforts should reduce the price you pay. If you have no idea about what you want, and choose to take the “I’ll know it when I see it” track, be prepared to pay more to get what you want.
Quality is one of those slippery concepts that scholars have written volumes about, but still don’t understand entirely. It all has to do with another truism: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There are numerous elements that relate to quality in a logo, the most important of which are recognizability, graphical clarity, precision, balance, color scheme, and suitability to the industry.
Knowing and paying attention to these important elements comes with experience, and experience should be evident in the artist’s work. Never hire someone who does not have a strong portfolio. Don’t focus on quantity—many artists do great logo work in addition to their primary design focus—concentrate, instead, on the aesthetics of the artist’s work.
Make sure that the artist is interested in creating what you want, rather than creating a personally motivated masterpiece. You would be surprised at how many artists set out to please themselves. Since the reference for “quality” is, in this case, your taste, it is important that the artist be capable of listening to, assimilating, and executing your wishes. If the artist tells you that something can’t be done in good style (or similar remarks), it’s time to seek another artist. Such self limitation is the mark of the ungifted.
For best results, you should be closely involved in the design process, and you should have two or three other carefully chosen people to consult with. I added the words “carefully chosen” because if you pick a consultant who tends to negatively analyze and nit pick, you might find yourself rejecting great designs that you really like, that is, until your consultant picked them apart. You will keep your costs down by picking people who have a discriminating eye, but lack a chip on their shoulder. The less your selection team resembles a committee, the better, so accept opinions, but reserve the ultimate decision for yourself.
The final factor to consider in logo design is development time. Reputable artists usually have several jobs lined up and often can’t start your project right away. Rush jobs cost more, so try to plan ahead. Still, you should not have to wait more than about a month to get some draft ideas. Actual design time should take between a week and a month—more if the first several designs are not acceptable. Taking the steps outlined above can speed the design process considerably.
Being proactive is the surest way to get what you want in a logo, or any other custom artwork. A good artist asks questions that reveal the client’s preferences and sense of style, but it is important for both artist and client to be open and forthright. Communicate with the artist and express yourself in a way that imparts your likes and dislikes. A perceptive artist will easily pick up on your vibe and will be off to the races creating the ideal icon for your enterprise.
Getting the logo that you want can be an exercise in extreme consternation, but the following tips will help you through this important process with minimal frustration:
- Beware of the discount logo mills. They must get you in and out to make their scheme work and you will not get the personalized service that you deserve.
- Hire a confident artist with demonstrated design skills.
- Communicate your design and financial expectations clearly, and a demand clear price structure from the artist.
- Expect to pay for good quality and professionalism. A reasonable low-end price for a well crafted logo is about $3,000, but you can reduce that price (sometimes by half or more) through attentive participation in the design process. If price is a major concern, try to find a small firm or a freelance artist with the requisite skills.
- You can save money by taking on some of the preliminary work yourself, but you must find an artist who is not offended by your efforts to control the design process. The areas in which non-artists can easily participate are: development of boundaries through critique of several commercial logos, both appealing and unappealing ones; color, shape, and font specification or approximation; and attentive communication about draft designs.
- Seek opinions from other carefully chosen associates, but avoid making decisions by committee, as it will stifle the process and drive up costs.
Article by
Randall Reiserer, PhD
Presentation Magic
presentation-magic.com
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