Like the iconic bitten-in apple on our iPhones and Macs, a logo can tell tales of inspiration, drive and passion, and a talented logo designer can weave in these hues into a powerful symbol that speaks for itself.
Ironically, there is no dearth of talent, designs and designers in the era that we live in now. And all it takes is a few strokes on your keyboard before you have a zillion logo designers listed up on your screen, with promises of the most lucrative offers and showcasing the best imaginable portfolios and credentials.
But, choosing a logo designer is no trivial task because this is a person you are investing in to sculpt a powerful identity for your business, transforming your business to your ‘brand’. The real task lies in sifting through the huge array of choices, and finding the one right designer or design firm who can bring you results.
We all know the story of the simple ‘swoosh ‘that transformed an upstart shoe company to the global brand that revolutionized the industry. Just as the ubiquitous ‘Nike’ logo testifies, a brilliant logo isn’t about complicated designs or a wild play of colours or graphics.
Simple, meaningful, unique and powerful – the perfect logo should be one that is capable of etching a place for itself in people’s memory. Considering that novelty lies in the thought process, it takes a talented logo designer to produce a striking logo that stands apart from the sea of run-of-the mill designs, shapes and shake a bake logos.
This logo of the interlocking ‘F’s that Trevor Baker designed for our client ‘FlexiDry’, is one such demonstration of an original, simple and powerful logo that subtly describes the product. FlexiDry is a fast drying floor screed, and changes from a dark grey colour to a lighter grey as the screeded surface dries. The interlocking ‘F’s subtly represent ‘FlexiDry’ while showing the transition of colours over two sections of a drying screed- all the while keeping the logo simple, unique and meaningful.
Now, here are some of the few important things to look for while choosing a logo designer.
The thought process matters: While getting a logo designed, you are literally making a huge payment for a simple line, curve or geometrical design that obviously should have a story to tell. And to make sure you are not swindled into accepting some uninspired rip offs, it is worthwhile to look for logo designers who give portfolios of their work, explaining the thought process behind the logos they have designed in the past. This is important because the line of thought behind a design is clearly indicative of the designer’s capability to come up with a meaningful and relevant logo design. You do not want some obscure logo designer to sell you a dot and a line as a highly abstract piece of art, which has hardly anything to do with what your business stands for.
‘Quicker’ isn’t always ‘the better’: As simple as the Nike ‘Swoosh’ might seem, logo designer Carolyn Davidson did not come up with the ‘simple, fluid and fast’ swoosh logo in an hour. It took days of conceptualization, research and drawing, before the logo designer could come up with the ubiquitous ‘tick mark’ representative of the wing of the statue of Nike-the Greek Goddess of Victory.
A good designer requires more time for conceptualization and research than for execution, and it might be days before the designer can come up with a distinctive logo, customized entirely for your brand. Do not fall for the ‘quick turnaround offers’, as you might end up with some sub-standard cookie-cutter designs that might bear more than a passing resemblance to standard clip art logos.
Do not fall for the low-price snare: Quality does come with a price. And if it doesn’t, it is hard to spot from the crowd. You can get a logo designed for a few pounds to a few thousand pounds. From amateur and off shore logo designers who offer logos at unbelievably discounted rates to professional design firms who charge thousand s of pounds an hour, you can choose from a wide array of designers depending on the budget you are willing to set apart for your logo. However, it is important to remember that, as always, you only get what you pay for!
Experience: As far as experience is concerned, talent can sometimes outweigh experience in the creative industry. It is likely that a newcomer can sometimes come up with fresher and novel ideas than experienced designers who have been exposed to too many design influences. Nonetheless, experience does always bring with it better skills and reliability, and it is always reassuring when you know the designer you have chosen has an impressive portfolio to vouch for his skills.