I get asked regularly about designing a new logo or redesigning an existing one. I tend to go through a similar process each time, asking a lot of questions and generally trying to untangle the thoughts, the plans, and what exactly is needed. I’ve created this article to help go through some frequently asked questions and to help with the logo designing thought process early on in the journey.
When you think of the big brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Facebook, and Nike, you can probably picture their logos. A great deal of care and thought go into those logos, and it’s all thanks to graphic designers.
You can find graphic designers for logo work all over the internet. But you’re here, and this is my site, and as you can see from my logos page I also design and create logos that have a certain unique style. This article is about whether you need a logo designer and I’ll cover a few questions such as:
Do you need a new logo or your old logo redesigned?
How much does a new logo design cost?
Why is there such crazy difference in logo design costs?
With a logo design you usually get what you pay for
How long should a logo design take?
Can I just design a logo myself?
How to work with a logo designer
Examples of good and bad logo designs
Some final thoughts on logo design
Do you need a new logo or your old logo redesigned?
If you’re a new business, then you probably do need a logo. This is different for every business, but if you plan on your business being in front of a customer in any way then they need to see your brand.
If you’re an existing business, you need to ask yourself the question “do I need a new logo?” Or do you just simply “want” one? Choosing a logo, regardless of what stage of the business you’re in, is an important decision and is usually part of a much bigger marketing strategy.
There are a few things to remember when considering a logo design:
It only takes a customer 10 seconds to form a first impression of a brand from their logo, but it takes 5-7 impressions for a customer to recognise the logo.
Colour can be a huge factor in brand recognition. A signature colour can increase brand recognition by 80% (like Coca-Cola red, Starbucks green, or McDonalds yellow).
Up to 90% of all purchasing decisions are made subconsciously.
Before you even consider hiring anyone to design your logo, make sure it serves a real purpose. Don’t just be looking for a new logo because someone said yours is outdated, or you feel the need to be keep up with modern trends. You may still feel you need a new logo but answer the following questions to help determine whether your need is strong enough to consider a new logo re-design.
Why do you want a new logo?
What don’t you like about your current logo?
Does your current logo stand out and is recognisable from your competitors?
Will a new logo help re-position your brand in your market?
Can a new logo potentially improve business/sales?
Does your current logo communicate what you do or who you are?
Is your current logo hurting your business?
Does your current logo fit nicely on print and digital marketing materials?
Does your team/staff like the current logo?
How much will it cost you in the long run if you keep your current logo?
Once you’ve asked yourself the questions above, you should have a better idea if you need a logo re-design or not.
How much does a new logo design cost?
The first question everyone has when discussing a new logo or rebrand is “How much is a logo design going to cost me?” Unfortunately the answer I have to give you is it depends. There are many things that ultimately determine the price of a logo and it’s somewhat to do with how much work is involved, but mainly about what type of business is the logo being created for.
Is the logo for a new business or an existing brand? What type of business is it? A one man band or huge multinational? Is the business always going to be small, or are there big expansion plans in the pipeline? Is the logo going to be seen by 100 people a year, or a million people a day?
These are just some of the variables that determine a logo cost, and the reason that a logo design can cost anything from £5 to £1 million.
Why is there such crazy difference in logo design costs?
If a designer creates a leaflet or a flyer the this is usually a straightforward thing. The design doesn’t need approval from the a board of directors, the CEO, or the founders of the company. The people who can make the decision to sign off on the design can be anyone on the marketing team. But, if there’s a mistake and something goes wrong it’s fairly minimal, and at most it may be a £500 mistake.
A logo, on the other hand, requires so much more time commitment from both the leaders within a business AND the designer. It can be a hugely labour-intensive process that requires countless hours of research, design and revisions. The logo is going to determine the future branding of a hopefully lucrative company and will to some degree govern the future successes of that company. If the branding is not right, or there’s a mistake that’s not found right away, it’ll likely be a £100,000 mistake further down the road.
With a logo design you usually get what you pay for
If you decide that you need to hire a graphic designer, then be willing to spend a bit of money to get quality. A bigger budget will mean that you can give a designer more time and freedom to embrace the project and give it the right amount of attention. I’ve seen all sorts of logos over the years, and I’m guessing it’s fair to say that perhaps not every cheap one has been bad, but every bad one was cheap.
Remember that rebranding can be very expensive and time-consuming. DO NOT go cheap on the most important piece of graphic your company will ever possess.
In the couple of decades I’ve been doing this job, I’ve seen all sorts of prices and all sorts of different ways to source a new logo. I hate logo competitions, and using cheap designer bidding services usually means that your new logo design is being ‘ripped off’ from elsewhere such as someone else's logo. From experience I’d say a new logo for a small business that isn’t expecting to take over the world should budget from around £1000 upwards. Bigger businesses with more complexity will need to be thinking much higher than this.
How long should a logo design take?
My advice is to not rush it, but keep it moving. A new logo design can take days or months. I’ve created logos that have come from the very first idea and sketch, and then others that have had countless revisions before reaching the final design.
The whole process does depend heavily on a client’s ability to provide quality and clear feedback as well as the ability to express exactly what they want and don’t want. That’s why it’s so important to put the extra effort in at the start to really think about what you need and why you need it.
If you hire a logo designer, keep in mind that they can only work as fast as you provide feedback and directions. If you’re slow at giving feedback or can’t express what you want clearly, expect delays. a project can become stale and forgotten if it’s not given the attention it needs when it needs it. Keep it moving and give it some love.
Can I just design a logo myself?
Yes. Or you can get your nephew who’s good at drawing to do it, or your friend’s daughter who’s a fashion student. Maybe your cousin has a new MacBook and has all the fancy software? Remember you usually get what you pay for (see above).
Also remember that the cost to re-design a logo is negligible compared to the astronomical cost of a business changing the logo on their building, their fleet of cars, every business card/flyer/promotional material etc. The entire re-branding of just the logo can easily cost many thousands of pounds.
Do it right and you’ll only do it once.
How to work with a logo designer
As with any other industry, every graphic designer is different, and getting to know them before you embark on your logo designing journey is essential. Some things to consider beforehand are:
What are your expectations?
Designing a logo isn’t the sole responsibility of a designer. You have to know what you want to gain from it, your objectives, goals, and expectations for the designer to do their job well. Talk to your designer about all these and ask them for their input as well as suggestions that can make the design go precisely as you want it.
Tell them about your target audience, the image you want your brand to project, and the style that you want them to use. Only when you establish what your logo needs can the graphic designer really start with their sketches and rough designs.
Share some examples
After communicating what your logo idea is, it’s always recommended to show your designer some examples. You’re not asking them to copy it; it’s telling them what you like and what you don’t. Humans are visual beings, and your designer will get a better grasp of what you want if you show them something that they can see.
Graphic designers aren’t mind readers. Although they may understand logo designing better than anyone else in your company, they need to know what it really is you want from them.
Give good quality feedback
Constructive criticism is always welcome when you hire someone to create a company logo design for you. Graphic designers thrive on getting feedback for their work. You are two distinct individuals and may see things differently, so always make an effort to give them honest feedback on their work.
The creative process takes time and several adjustments to get the perfect logo for your brand. Always let your designer know how you feel and what you think needs to be changed or improved.
It’s handy to know basic design terms
It’s not mandatory, but it surely helps to understand some basic terms that are used in the graphic design industry. Typography, fonts, colour schemes, composition, and texture are just some of the words you’ll frequently hear from your graphic designer. However, if there’s something you don’t understand, just ask.
Set realistic expectations
Don’t expect that the logo would have your expected vision. If you’re asking for a custom logo, it may take time (depending on the graphic designer’s skills) to have your expectations realised. At the start of the project, you have to voice what you want. It prevents further misunderstanding of the design you wish to have.
Don’t hesitate to ask
Maybe there’s a specific element in the design you’re not getting. Or perhaps there’s something in the design that isn’t to your liking. Don’t be hesitant in asking about the graphic designer’s work. That way, you’re able to learn more about the graphic designer’s mindset in creating your logo and the process it took to do it.
Also, if you ask about the design further, you can get an idea of what other aspects of a design you might haven’t encountered yet. From there, you will have more knowledge about design for your upcoming projects.
Examples of good and bad logo designs
A logo is are usually the first thing people notice when they see a business or a brand. A bad logo design can hinder growth, turn people off and generally set a bad reputation whether it’s in line with the actual service or not.
Meanwhile a good logo design can encapsulate the brand even if when it’s just a really simple logo. Good logos will have a long term effect on someone, and allows the brand to stay in the customers mind for a long time.
Logos from Apple, Google, and Nike capture the essence of their brand with an enviable simplicity.
Cleverly designed logos like FedEx (arrow), Amazon (smile), and Tour de France (bike) do a great job by hiding a subtle message inside the logo, thereby causing people to point them out to others.
And here’s a few logo designs (from lesser known, although perhaps now infamous brands) that failed the design test.
Some final thoughts on logo design
Having your logo designed requires you to trust in the process and have faith in the designer. Understand that designing a new logo needs time and that sometimes, what you get isn’t what you may have initially expected, but should be better and something you are 100% proud of. Know that a great logo design will take time and lots of communication with your designer to get the perfect logo for your brand.