What is logo design?

Logo design is one of the foundations of creating a brand. It is the most tangible asset that people see, and while it is one of the many brand signals, it is the most common.

A logo has been called many things --identity, trademark, brand (incorrectly), token, avatar, symbol, device, figure, badge... you get the idea. But they all point to one thing. A visual representation of your companies name.

It does not have to spell the name out. It does not have to have a symbol. But it must be associated with your name. No matter how "cool","edgy", or otherwise hip your logo might be, if it does not create an association with your name, it is going to fail to garner your consumers memory and thus attention.

Why do you need a strong logo?

You might need a mark, a word mark, or an icon. It might be metaphorical, abstract or literal. Like the many shapes, sizes and colors of a persons face, your logo must have a unique look that appeals to your customers or target audience.

This is just the starting point that will spring your company into action, allowing your audience to connect and find interest in your brand.

The economies of today bring 100's if not 1000's of new products, brands and names to market EVERY SINGLE DAY. The trademarks and registration offices are overflowing with new submissions all the time.

Now, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can start a company. It can seem daunting to start a company when a quick Google search might yield twenty versions of your same idea.

Why not source it to a logo design contest?

With the advent of the internet came the democratization of data. Unfortunately this also brought about a stream of online-only startups that specialized in diluting the quality of design.

You may have heard of some of these sites: 99designs, 48hourslogo, logomyway, hatchwise, etc....You might have even tried one yourself. Sometimes you can find some quality work. But its very "hit or miss." You cannot guarantee a specific person will work on your project, and you have little control over the process.

The format of these sites is so confined that it does not allow any discovery phase to exist. This lack of discovery limits creativity by homogenizing the process into a near assembly line of thought.

I have talked with many clients who have gone this route and ended up switching tracks at the last minute, or ended up throwing away all the work they had received. Why does this happen?

It is very important to understand a brand before you develop a logo around it. Limitations, necessities, requirements, and usage are just a few metrics that should be used to measure a logo.

Why hire an experienced professional if you're just "testing the waters"?

Many might ask themselves,  "why does it matter so much?", or "why can't I just get a quick logo to start off with?" These are fairly reasonable questions, especially coming from someone who has little background in the entrepreneurial field.

A quick aside: as a designer, I deal mostly with the creation of new brands. A lot of companies that have already existed for some time have built up brand equity and do not hire specialists outside of their corporate realm. The incredibly complex branding programs they have created are often managed by an equally complex team that exists inside or alongside their company.

That said, I think its important to realize the potential of some talented individuals such as myself, that do have experience in building brands, but do not cater to very large corporations.

You can still get a quality brand without sacrificing cost. You just need to understand your goals and you need to understand your audience.

Most importantly, you need to have a vision. It's certainly possible that I can help with that vision. With vision, you can see far ahead of your competitors. Vision exudes confidence, and just like a real person, very often a confident company is a successful company.