Logo Design, A Test and Guide for Business Owners

This is a quick quide which is written for you, the business owner who's looking to dramatically improve his/her business in an easy, cost effective way and gain more loyal customers. Give it a few minutes of your time and make your move! It's unbeleivable how some people ignore the importance of corporate image. They think they don't need any branding work to become successful in their businesses. This ignorance leads to great loss of credibility and customer loyalty. Try to answer these questions honestly. If your answer to one of these questions is a "NO", then your company is in need of a corporate identity workout. We assume that you already have at least a business logo but even if you are a new start-up, read ahead for important tips which would be helpful while making a decision about the logo design company you will be working with. The Test: - Are you truely satisfied with the looks of your logo? - Is your logo suitable for your business? - Is your logo suitable for your target audience(Potential customers)? - Is your logo design capable of instantly grabbing attention of potential clients? - Does your business cards provide a good first impression? - Are you able to print your logo on promotional items such as coffee cups, T-shirts, mousepads, etc.? - Do you beleive that if your logo is seen by someone today, will the same person remember it tomorrow? - So, is your logo just perfect and can't be improved anymore? The Guide: We've said "Expecting a good service and great imaginative design is your right." So, here we list what you should ask for, in plain words: - You should ask for unlimited revisions and redraws of your logo design concepts. Some design companies limit the number of your change requests and you end up with a logo which isn't even close to what you've hoped for. Oh yes, you can't do anything at this point. You're blocked! Because that was what you've paid for! I want to underline this. That was What You Have Paid For!!! What have you done wrong? You expected too much for a low price. Did you think that you'd receive some original piece of art for a funny 50 bucks? Remember, only amateurs would charge such prices and you should guess what you'll receive. Don't hesitate to invest some real money for the successful future of your business. - You should ask for industry standard file types so that you won't have any trouble when you send your logo files to your local printshop. - You should be asked about your business model and audience before starting any logo design project. Check out how detailed these questions are. Basically, the more details you are asked for, there's more chance of getting a focused logo. You should feel safe that the design team has understood your needs otherwise you will lose time reviewing logo design concepts made for "some other company", not yours. -Your logo must not contain shaded colors and too much detail. Close your eyes and think for the first three logos you remember. How do they look? Simple and no more than two-three colors aren't they? Your logo must look good when printed using only one color on a white paper. You can always have your logo's different variations for different purposes but you must be able to fax a coversheet with your logo on it.