NCEP: I need a logo. Thoughts?

[MrsAxilla]

Have any of you ever had a logo designed? There are lots of online services offering multiple designers, revisions, and ownership rights, but how to choose? Or should I find a local design firm? How do I find one? Is around $200 about right?

Basically, I'm paralyzed with indecision and I need a little direction.

[runforrest]

I have no knowledge of reasonable costs, but I would just be certain that no matter who you decide to use, you have 100% ownership rights and such if you decide to register the logo as a trademark.

[ttt]

bhnumbers is a graphic designer - maybe you should ask her

[pixy0stix]

I'd find someone local. The online places are more likely to take a piece of clipart, slap your business name on it, and call it done.

[JLN]

I searched online for local graphic artists and found about $100 to be the price. I ended up having a friend of mine that does graphic art as a hobby design mine.

[MrsAxilla]

Aug 13, 2012 22:11:31 GMT -5 ttt said:

bhnumbers is a graphic designer - maybe you should ask her

I don't remember her numbers, but I love that she renamed herself bhnumbers.

[MrsAxilla]

Is this process more like a lawyer or more like a stylist? When I was looking for a lawyer, I interviewed several for free and picked the one I liked. When I picked a stylist, I looked at reviews and put my trust in her and paid her regardless.

[ttt]

Aug 13, 2012 23:13:58 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Is this process more like a lawyer or more like a stylist? When I was looking for a lawyer, I interviewed several for free and picked the one I liked. When I picked a stylist, I looked at reviews and put my trust in her and paid her regardless.

It's kind of in between - reputable designers will have a portfolio of work that you can look at and decide if you like their style before you even contact them let alone hire them. If you find someone you like, you can interview them, ask for references if you'd like, and usually they'll spend a little time going over what it is that you want and need before you officially hire them.

[JLN]

When I was looking I would look at their portfolios. You'll get a good idea if their "style" will fit your needs. I owned an online pet supply store, so I needed something "cutesy".

What kind of business do you own?

[MrsAxilla]

Aug 13, 2012 23:18:28 GMT -5 JLN said:

What kind of business do you own?

Designer handbag resale. so classy enough that the 1% will sell to me, but not so fancy that middle class gals are intimidated.

[Deleted]

Either the wife or I could do it for you, if you like?

[secretlyevil]

I would go with a local freelance graphic artist. I'm not so sure I would trust an online service with something as personal and as important as a logo.

[secretlyevil]

That's a very good point, you're in a worldwide community right here with a whole network of opportunities...

[ringstrue]

Most places will charge like $100-$150 for a basic logo with only text and then $300 or higher for an image to go with. Don't pay more than $500, ever.

Ditto pixy but look into what they are actually giving you in the end. They should be giving you a few different sizes, formats and colors of your logo for different purposes. So off the top of my head:

- a web-sized logo for your website (one in white and one in black or your company color - both should have transparent backgrounds) in .png format.

-a water mark version of your logo - one for web and one for print.

- a print version of your logo for letterhead and bussiness cards in gif or jpg or tiff format. (same colors with transparencies)

- a larger print version for bigger print projects. I usually thought 8" x 10" was fine but maybe someone else can say?

- an .eps or .ia version of your logo. This is a vector graphic that can be resized to pretty much any size in the future.

[ringstrue]

Also a good logo should really only be 2 colors max, excluding white and black. There are a lot of "designers" out there now who have never cracked open a design book or been to a class. You could wind up with something that looks great but doesn't translate well into all those different situations I described above. So think of the one or MAYBE 2 colors you'd like to use for your logo so that issue is nipped in the bud.

[NitaX]

Aug 13, 2012 23:53:23 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Aug 13, 2012 23:18:28 GMT -5 JLN said:

What kind of business do you own?

Designer handbag resale. so classy enough that the 1% will sell to me, but not so fancy that middle class gals are intimidated.

You don't happen to have a website do you? I have a friend who buys designer bags and would certainly be interested in selling them to a buyer. Typically, she cleans out her closet and gives me the ones she doesn't want.

[ringstrue]

Aug 14, 2012 11:46:20 GMT -5 mr+ms said:

Aug 14, 2012 10:46:41 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

Don't pay more than $500, ever.

I was thinking $500 as a base price

Though I'm in nyc so I guess everything costs more here. I could only go below that for an hourly rate for a supposedly "easy" logo project - that would be something for web only, type-based.

If you're going to be dealing with upscale clients then I'd say it's worth it to deal with another human in your vicinity. Do you know any other local business owners whose logos/identity you like? See who they worked with. Write up a brief RFP and see what comes back if you have time. You could judge the quality of the responses, work samples and compare costs that way.

Yes, definitely get a scalable vector file like AI or EPS.

Not saying it's impossible to get something good enough for a couple hundred bucks, but it may be more of a crapshoot. Kind of like Ikea furniture.

I'd steer clear of the online crowd-sourced scene and super cheap stuff. it could go like this:
www.160over90.com/blog/2009/02/17/the-50-dollar-logo-experiment/

Yeah I would guess NYC prices but also - I have a thing against design firms, especially if you are talking about a small business or LLC using one. There are tons of great free-lancing artists who do great work. If you deal directly with them you remove the markup.

[MrsAxilla]

Aug 14, 2012 11:53:53 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Aug 13, 2012 23:53:23 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Designer handbag resale. so classy enough that the 1% will sell to me, but not so fancy that middle class gals are intimidated.

You don't happen to have a website do you? I have a friend who buys designer bags and would certainly be interested in selling them to a buyer. Typically, she cleans out her closet and gives me the ones she doesn't want.

That's what I need the logo for! I'm going to put up a website as soon as I get a logo. I'm hoping to go live before the end of the month. I already have some great inventory...

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Reeve - thanks for the offer! I may take you up on that, and then I can say my logo was designed by a famous musician!

[NitaX]

MrsA - let me know when it's up and running!

[caden]

Ditto ringstrue, esp about asking what files you would get. Personally I only like to use vector-based images for logos, but if the file is big enough I guess it's not necessary. I would look up local designers and pick one based on their portfolio. Then check references to make sure they aren't a complete flake at completing things on time/accurately.

[laladypoet]

with the colors, can you specify to the designer which pantone colors you'd like? would that ensure the colors are uniform in all the formats ringstrue mentioned?

[Deleted]

Aug 14, 2012 13:49:22 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Aug 14, 2012 11:53:53 GMT -5 NitaX said:

You don't happen to have a website do you? I have a friend who buys designer bags and would certainly be interested in selling them to a buyer. Typically, she cleans out her closet and gives me the ones she doesn't want.

That's what I need the logo for! I'm going to put up a website as soon as I get a logo. I'm hoping to go live before the end of the month. I already have some great inventory...

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Reeve - thanks for the offer! I may take you up on that, and then I can say my logo was designed by a famous musician!

Well, it would be my wife that did it probably, she is better at it than I am. I sort of volunteered her services without asking, but I am sure she would be okay with it. She is a web designer, and also runs an etsy store doing wedding invitations, and she has designed a lot of artwork for both my record label and her own, as well as all the stuff on her site etc etc. She knows her shit, is what I am saying lol. I will ask her tonight, and if she can do it (she has a lot going on right now) and if you want her to, just let me know and I will pm you her email address so you can deal directly!