When Outsourcing Logo Design, How Do You Know What Makes a Good Logo?

Outsourcing logo design is a wonderful way to get an expert eye on your company branding. But how do you know when the outsourcer has delivered you a good logo? To make sure you get the best work out of your designer, it's best to learn yourself how to identify a good logo.

Identifying a good logo first requires a solid understanding of the purpose behind having a logo in the first place. A logo is one of any company's most integral branding elements, and as such should be fundamental in developing your brand identity. Your audience may or may not have any familiarity with the character, disposition, and core values of your company already. It is therefore the role of your logo to exude that information to anyone who sets eyes on it. Most of all, a good and effective logo should make a strong and lasting positive impression on your customers, existing and prospective.

Merely glancing at your logo should make a person think of your business. How to accomplish this feat? Whether you lean towards a font-based logo (100% text), an illustrative logo (clearly illustrating what work you do), or graphical (giving an abstract representation of your business), the same key design principles apply.

When outsourcing logo design, you should look for the following qualities in the finished product you're delivered. It should be:

- Attractive, catching the viewer's eye and appealing to their sensibilities, drawing them in and making them feel good. Colors should be pleasing, text should be legible, and images should be clear. Contrast is one design technique that helps make a logo attractive.

- Recognizable, identifying your company by standing out and distinguishing itself from the pack. Your logo should be unique, like your business.

- Memorable, sticking in the viewers' minds even when they're not looking right at it. Your logo should spring to mind whenever a member of your target market has a need your business can fulfill. Meaningful, conveying your business's unique message, and indicative of the distinguishing characteristics and manner and type of work your company does.

- Flexible, able to be used in a wide variety of ways - on dark backgrounds and light ones, on packaging, on signs, and on letterhead, in color and in black-and-white, over a website or a fax. Your logo should be versatile, able to be printed large and small, with and without color, and on all different sorts of mediums - all while still retaining its original integrity.

- Simple, with the number of fonts and colors kept to a bare minimum, and special effects avoided altogether.

- Unified, appearing as one singular unit, rather than a hodge-podge of several elements mashed together.

A great logo is the foundation of a strong corporate brand identity. Now that you understand the qualities that go into making a great logo, you can feel confident in outsourcing logo design to a professional, knowing that you have proper tools with which to evaluate their work.

Learn more about Outsourcing Logo Design at http://www.StartOutsourcingNow.com

Logo Design

A logo is a symbol that represents a particular company or a brand. Logos are a very important since they help in attracting customers. Remember that your logo is a business tool. The logo you have represents your very company. How it appears tells the potential customers what kind of business you have.

Your logo design should be unique, functional, and effective regardless of the size and attractive regardless of the color. It should also represent the brand/company image well. The ultimate purpose is for the people to recognize your logo and associate yourself with it. Make sure that your chosen logo stands out in the crowd.

A company’s logo should avoid complicated and intricate designs. Too complex a design hinders rapid visual identification and thereby defeats the purpose of the unique identification associated with the company’s logo. A busy, intricate logo may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink. Keep it simple and clean. Also, avoid using too many colors, highlights, special effects, etc. Most companies wish to use their logo for more than just a single application. Complex designs and color patterns tend to cost more to reproduce and often need to have an additional simplified version created. Another added expense.

A Text-based design is often text only with exclusive typographic behavior. You should prefer a Text-Based design when funds are tight; your company’s name is logically distinguishing but not a household word just yet. Good examples of this are: Yahoo and Wal-Mart.

A Letter-mark design is similar to text but is either an abbreviation or a company’s initials. Good examples of this are: IBM and BMW. Another type of design is Icon-based. This usually involves an abstract piece of art or picture. Good examples of this are the “swoosh” emblem for Nike or the apple logo for Apple computer.

Designers should be aware of copyrights and trademarks, and should be very careful not to copy any other logo. Using a person’s face, clip-art, third-party fonts, imagery or photographs, and culturally suggestive imagery should be avoided as much as possible. The use of too many effects like shadows, glares, embossing and photo imagery is also not recommended. The logo should also be flexible enough to retain its shape when printed on certain materials that tend to crease or fold.

If you are interested in more information on this subject you can go to the internet and log onto: http://www.logotree.com

Finch is a graphic artist working in the field of logo design for 2 years.

Author hereby grants a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free perpetual and irrevocable right and license to copy, distribute, display, and perform this Work, in whole , and to incorporate the Work, in whole , into other works (the "Derivative Works") including publication of the subsequent work in both printed and electronic materials.

Nature Logos

Nature logos are best used by companies that offer services such as cleaning and environmental protection programs. They are also best for theme parks and resorts that are located away from the hustle and bustle of the city and aim to provide a relaxing and serene environment to people who want to unwind and rest.

As apparent by the name, they incorporate nature and natural aspects in their images and design that give a sense of being closer to nature and environment. They can also be called environmental logos as they both work for the same cause that is promoting the natural environment.

Nature or environment logos make use of images and symbols that include natural settings and give a sense of outdoor and freedom. The most frequently images used in this regard are leaves, trees, butterflies, mountains, oceans and wild animals that aptly represent the outdoor settings very beautifully. These logos are designed keeping in mind the role of outdoor environment in our lives and how nature can affect us.

Most of the nature or environment logos are used by companies and organizations that are fighting to preserve the nature and save it from destructive agents such as pollution, land mining, wars and other things can cause disrupt this harmonious balance. These logos aim to display the friendly nature and the alluring aspects of nature that beckon people to explore and discover it by coming to the companies that offer these opportunities. They also combine other land and natural issues such as landscaping, irrigation, agricultural business and farming. They can be for companies as well as individuals who work closely associated with natural environment.

When designing a nature logo, it is very important to keep the earthy tones in mind as nature and earth go together. In this regard, the choice of colors also becomes limited as not every color can be used for nature and earth. The most common and suitable colors are green, blue, brown, yellow and other pastels combinations that give a soft and gentle look to the logo keeping in mind the nurturing aspect of nature.

Nature logos look best in outdoor environments that show a natural side of things to give them a touch of reality. The theme of nature logos centers around nature, focusing on the line of business you are in. They focus on being more natural, inspiring as well as rouse feelings of trust and emotions that are very strongly associated with nature.

Combined with environment friendly theme and selection of light colors, nature logo designs can go a long way in motivating people to bring their business to you. In this regard, a large number of logo design companies provide pre-made as well as custom design logos. Apart from them, nature logo templates are also available that portray the fauna and fauna as well as the other natural aspects and can be used for designing your company logo.

These natural logos go a long way in promoting the resorts, theme parks and other organizations that provide services related to nature offering solitude and relaxation. A crafty and imaginative nature logo can help people relate to it and bring you more success in business.

For more on nature logos, please visit... http://www.logosnap.com

Logo Design Companies - What To Look For In A Logo Design Company

By: Hugh De Payen

Logo design companies are plentiful these days and those not familiar with the design process may not know what to look for. This article describes some of the things you ought to look for in a logo design company.

The Process

When you order a logo from a design company, they will get one or more designers to come up with one or more concepts based on what you have told them.

You will select the concept you like most and tell the logo design company of any alterations you require to the logo.

The logo design company will make alterations to the logo as per your request. This process of revisions will happen one or more times before a final logo is delivered to you.

The whole process can take anything from 24 hours to 5 days depending upon the particular logo design company in question and the amount of concepts and revisions that take place.

Do You Just Get A Logo?

On the low-end packages, yes.

On mid-range packages you can expect business cards too and on the higher-rated packages you'll also get a web site design thrown in. All this will be based off your logo design so that the same corporate identity theme runs throughout.

Prices

Before going any further it's probably worth commenting on prices. From a good logo design company, you can expect prices to range as follows:

• Low end, just a logo design: $200-$300
• Mid-range, logo design + business cards: $500-$600
• High-end, logo design + business cards + web site template: $900-$1500

Number Of Concepts

This is the first thing to look for. When you give the logo design company an idea of what you want, they will come up with a certain number of concepts to match that idea. Of course, the more concepts they come up with, the more choice you have.

A good company will give you 3-5 concepts on lower-priced packages and 6-10 concepts on higher-priced packages.

Number Of Designers

When they give you your initial concepts, it is often useful if they have been designed by more than one designer as this will generally add variety to the concepts you get.

The best companies will use at least 2 designers on low-priced packages and 5 or more on high-priced packages.

Number Of Revisions

The number of revisions you get refers to how many times you can throw the logo back at the company and ask them to rework it as per your specifications. Generally the lower-priced packages will allow 2-4 revisions and you usually get unlimited revisions on the higher-priced packages.

Turnaround Time

I wouldn't personally rate a logo design company on their turnaround time, providing it isn't ridiculous. I'd prefer them to take a little longer to get it exactly as I want it. However, most logo design companies will take 2-5 days depending on the package you ordered and the number of revisions you put it through.

Extras

You can expect to receive the completed logo in multiple formats to be used just about anyway you could imagine. You could also expect the better companies to give you gray-scale copies of the logos to be used for faxes and such.

With the mid-range and high-end packages, you can expect additional material from most companies. This usually includes things like business cards and stationary templates and - on the best packages - a set of web site templates too.

Many companies also give you some free business cards too. It's nice to get these but remember that getting the correct logo is the priority here.

Conclusion

What was once a very specialized job costing many thousands of dollars is now within reach of all small businesses for just a few hundred dollars. A logo is the starting point for defining your whole corporate identity and a good logo design company can help you achieve that.

About the Author:

I've had 3 online companies since 2002, so I have some experience in the area of corporate branding and getting a logo designed.

If you'd like more information about how to get a good logo, please visit my site about the best logo design companies at http://designedlogo.com.

Logo Design Companies - What To Look For In A Logo Design Company

By: Hugh De Payen

Logo design companies are plentiful these days and those not familiar with the design process may not know what to look for. This article describes some of the things you ought to look for in a logo design company.

The Process

When you order a logo from a design company, they will get one or more designers to come up with one or more concepts based on what you have told them.

You will select the concept you like most and tell the logo design company of any alterations you require to the logo.

The logo design company will make alterations to the logo as per your request. This process of revisions will happen one or more times before a final logo is delivered to you.

The whole process can take anything from 24 hours to 5 days depending upon the particular logo design company in question and the amount of concepts and revisions that take place.

Do You Just Get A Logo?

On the low-end packages, yes.

On mid-range packages you can expect business cards too and on the higher-rated packages you'll also get a web site design thrown in. All this will be based off your logo design so that the same corporate identity theme runs throughout.

Prices

Before going any further it's probably worth commenting on prices. From a good logo design company, you can expect prices to range as follows:

• Low end, just a logo design: $200-$300
• Mid-range, logo design + business cards: $500-$600
• High-end, logo design + business cards + web site template: $900-$1500

Number Of Concepts

This is the first thing to look for. When you give the logo design company an idea of what you want, they will come up with a certain number of concepts to match that idea. Of course, the more concepts they come up with, the more choice you have.

A good company will give you 3-5 concepts on lower-priced packages and 6-10 concepts on higher-priced packages.

Number Of Designers

When they give you your initial concepts, it is often useful if they have been designed by more than one designer as this will generally add variety to the concepts you get.

The best companies will use at least 2 designers on low-priced packages and 5 or more on high-priced packages.

Number Of Revisions

The number of revisions you get refers to how many times you can throw the logo back at the company and ask them to rework it as per your specifications. Generally the lower-priced packages will allow 2-4 revisions and you usually get unlimited revisions on the higher-priced packages.

Turnaround Time

I wouldn't personally rate a logo design company on their turnaround time, providing it isn't ridiculous. I'd prefer them to take a little longer to get it exactly as I want it. However, most logo design companies will take 2-5 days depending on the package you ordered and the number of revisions you put it through.

Extras

You can expect to receive the completed logo in multiple formats to be used just about anyway you could imagine. You could also expect the better companies to give you gray-scale copies of the logos to be used for faxes and such.

With the mid-range and high-end packages, you can expect additional material from most companies. This usually includes things like business cards and stationary templates and - on the best packages - a set of web site templates too.

Many companies also give you some free business cards too. It's nice to get these but remember that getting the correct logo is the priority here.

Conclusion

What was once a very specialized job costing many thousands of dollars is now within reach of all small businesses for just a few hundred dollars. A logo is the starting point for defining your whole corporate identity and a good logo design company can help you achieve that.

About the Author:

Hugh De Payen have had 3 online companies since 2002, so I have some experience in the area of corporate branding and getting a logo designed.

If you'd like more information about how to get a good logo, please visit my site about the best logo design companies at http://designedlogo.com.

Logo is a Visual Brand Identity of a Company

By: Elizabeth Morgan

A logo is essentially a visual brand identity of a company. The origins of logos can be traced to the 19th century, when industries added a symbol to represent their companies and to help customers easily identify their products. The trend caught on, and today corporations, services, products, agencies, universities, and colleges all have a specially designed identifying emblem or logo.

The idea probably stemmed from royal courts and the nobility, who for centuries had specific coats of arms emblazoned across everything they owned, from saddles to stables, to farms, castles, manors, furniture, jewelry, and dinnerware.

Since the logo represents a distinct identity, it must have the essential elements of: simplicity, proportionality, flexible color palette, easily legible fonts, and uniqueness. A logo must be designed so that it not just represents the company, but sets it apart. Originality and distinctiveness are the keys to a successful logo. The design elements such as font and color should lend themselves to redesigning as well as to representation in single or multiple colors.

Even before selecting a designer for the logo you need to clarify certain basic thoughts. What should the logo convey? What is the basic identity of my company today and what are the expansion plans? What are my objectives and strategy? Study your product and its customers, brainstorm with those who are committed to the success of your company, and never forget the competitors.

Remember, the logo is essentially a business tool so it must reflect professionalism, competency, and commitment. The logo must survive time and be valid even centuries later.

In logo design, it would be prudent to use vector graphics, as they allow resizing and retain design integrity. Keep away from complicated and intricate logo designs. Limit colors to two or three, this is not just economical but practical. Also chose colors that are in keeping with your industry. Choose a font that is universal and uncluttered.

Here are some common associations: blue represents trust, loyalty, and power; yellow energy, joy, and hope; while green represents growth, sustenance, and regeneration. Among shapes, a circle is associated with connection, community, trust, and safety; a rectangle represents strength; and a triangle power and aggression. Keep such aspects in mind while discussing possible design elements.

An effective logo will make your branding or corporate identity strong. It will strengthen your customer base, enhance the visibility of your corporation, and stand you in good stead on home ground and abroad. An example of a logo design that represents all of this is the Nike “swoosh.” World over, any product with a “swoosh” is identified with Nike.

Design provides detailed information on Design, Logo Design, Web Site Design, Interior Design and more. Design is affiliated with Bedroom Decorating.

Versions Of Your Logo That You Should Own

By: Erin Ferree

Your logo is the most important graphic element in which you will invest for your business. You should own the logo in many file formats. Having a library of logo files will enable you to send vendors the types of files they need (for example, other designers, printers, or other service providers).

There are two major categories that I will cover in this article — color variations and file-type variations.

Color Variations

You should receive your logo graphic from your designer in all of the file types listed below in the "File Formats" section (unless otherwise noted) in the following color variations:

Pantone color or CMYK color
Pantone color (if applicable) — If you intend to have your business cards or other materials printed professionally, choosing Pantone colors makes the process less expensive than printing in full four- (or CMYK-) color, unless you choose to use the new printers available today. See my article on inexpensive printing options, coming soon!. Full CMYK color — This is for four-color printing, full color ads, and for use on any materials that you intend to print from your own desktop color printer, i.e, invoices, statements, receipts, letters, etc.

RGB color
RGB color — For use on your website or in your email. You should get JPEG and GIF formats in this color scheme.

Grayscale and/or black and white versions
Grayscale — If your logo contains more than one color, or if it has tones or shades of one color, you should receive a grayscale version. You would use this when your logo is included in the newspaper or in the Yellow Pages, or on any black and white laser-printed materials you may create.

Black and white
This version would be used to produce the best-quality logo on faxes or any materials you reproduce using a copier.

Depending on the design of the logo, sometimes only either a black and white or grayscale version of the logo will be applicable. For example, for a logo with just one color in it, only a black and white version would apply. And, if elements of different colors overlap, a grayscale version will ensure that the different graphic elements do not bleed together, as they would if they were all converted to black. So you may not receive both grayscale and black and white versions, but having one or the other should suffice. File Formats:

Original graphic
The original Illustrator, Photoshop, or other program-native document. This comes in handy if you make a minor change to your company (i.e., if you add LLC or Inc.), or if you decide to change your color scheme.

To make these types of changes easiest, you need a file of the logo in the original program in which it was created. If the logo was created in Illustrator (which is preferable, because creating vector graphics in Illustrator will allow your logo to be scaled up and down as needed), the type should not be outlined, unless your designer has done so in order to modify the typeface.

If the logo was created in Photoshop, the layers of the document should not be flattened, and the type should not be rasterized (converted from editable type into pixels) — this will ensure that it will still be editable.

Ask your designer which fonts have been used in the logo, so you could purchase it for use in other materials. This will avoid the lengthy and time-consuming process of font matching, should you work with other designers.

You should receive several different versions of the software's native file formats from the designer, in case a future designer or printer ever uses an older version of the software. For example, I provide Illustrator files in Illustrator CS along with Illustrator 9.

EPS format
I recommend that your logo be in EPS 9 format. EPS can be opened and processed by many different programs. This is also the file format most commonly accepted/requested by printers.

PDF format
You will not be able to view many of the file formats of your design that you receive unless you have graphics software applications. I suggest that you receive the PDF files of each Color Version of your logo. You will be able to view the PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for free on Adobe's web site at www.adobe.com.

"Outlined" original format
The difference between this graphic and the original would be found in the Illustrator files. The fonts in the outlined original format would be outlined, which means that the letters are converted into shapes. In Photoshop, the type should be rasterized and the layers should be flattened. This outlined file should be provided in all of the formats listed above — original program format, EPS, and PDF.

These outlined file versions should be provided to any printers or service bureaus to lessen the chance that the elements in your logo could inadvertently be shifted around. This will make sure that your logo will print with the right font should the printer not have the font used in your logo.

JPEG and GIF formats
For web or email use. The GIF graphic should be created with a transparent background.

TIF format at 300 dots per inch (DPI) resolution, in RGB color format — For use in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files.

TIF format at 300 DPI
Some printers, ad vendors (i.e., the Yellow Pages), or other designers may require this file format in order to create additional designed materials.

Having your logo in these formats will ensure that you won't ever need to have your logo redrawn or re-created for use in future projects. After all, you own your logo — shouldn't you be able to use it as well?

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable – and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Corporate Company Logo Design

By: Jahanzeb Hasan

A Corporate logo design is a name, illustration or trademark which gives a company its unique visual identity.

Corporate Logo Design - Aims and Objectives:

A corporate logo design is the corporate identity of a business. It makes a company’s presence visual. The visual aspects will come in focus only when the corporate identity has integrated in itself the brand identity of the company.

Color, design and typography all play important roles in making a good corporate logo design. A corporate logo design should stand out and communicate the aims and objectives of a business.

If your logo design is a unique image which is bright and catchy, you are on the right track otherwise we strongly recommend a change. You can choose from the following types of corporate logo designs:

Types of Corporate Logo Design:

Primarily there are three types of corporate logo design, which are:

• Descriptive Corporate Logo Designs
  
• Abstract Corporate Logo Designs or Symbolic Corporate Logo Designs
  
• Typographic Corporate Logo Designs
  

Descriptive Corporate Logo Design:

A descriptive corporate logo design is composed of an illustration or an image suggesting the name or nature of the business. These are ideally suitable for a single product line or an organization. Large organizations with a variety of services and products should not go for descriptive corporate logo designs.

Abstract Corporate Logo Designs or Symbolic Corporate Logo Designs:

A nonfigurative corporate logo design without any clear cut association is an abstract or symbolic corporate logo design. Abstract or symbolic corporate logo designs are suitable for conglomerate corporations.

Typographic Corporate Logo Designs:

Graphical representation of a company’s name or initials is a typographical corporate logo design. Typographical corporate logo designs are popularly known as logotypes. Since these logos are based on the name of the company, companies with long standing names go for typographical corporate logo designs.

Copyright - Corporate Logo Design

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jahanzaib_Hassan

Choosing A Logo Design Company

If you are looking for a logo design company that can create a really good logo for your company or product, then you know that you ca not choose one randomly, it must give you exactly what you have in mind. So, here you will find some tips that you must keep in mind

First, you have to know that there are several kinds of design companies which offer their own particular services and each of them has its own logo design guidelines and logo design concepts. So, if your business is just starting or you have a small website, it would not be wise to pay a lot of money to get your logo from a large company, instead of that you can search a smaller logo design company which won't charge you that much money and you can use what's left of your money in a marketing campaign.

Keep in mind that any company you choose may not adapt automatically to your requirements just because you have already payed them. Any question you may have about the company you want to design your logo should be done before requesting your logo. It could be of some help to ask about their logo design process. This way you can be sure they have understood what you really want and that's what you will finally get.

Try not to select the top design businesses. They may give you the best service but they are also the most expensive ones, not just because they give a good service but just because they can afford it. Check online and you will find artist and design companies which are just as good as these top design companies, they will surely be able to create your logo for a much accessible price.

Finally, you must be sure about what you want. If you have some ideas for your logo try to describe them to the designer until he understands you. Also you can show them samples of logo design art that you like, it can be of great help to design a great logo for you.

Welcome to our site completely dedicated to corporate logo design at: http://www.designlogocorporate.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_Modotti

Logo Design: Things To Remember

By Alfred Anderson

A powerful logo goes a long way in enhancing the visibility of a company. A logo can be termed as an iconic representation of a brand, designed in a way that creates an immediate recognition. A good logo design not only enhances the visibility of the company but also, by virtue of its unique design, gradually becomes a brand identifier. Logos essentially form an integral part of a company’s branding process and thus it should be designed in a way that would contribute to the company’s brand establishment procedure both in short term and long-term business perspective. Logo designing is a complex process and thus, a company should ideally have their logo designed by a firm that has considerable amount of experience in this domain. Inappropriate logo designs can create misleading impression about the company that can eventually harm an organization, so it is always advisable to seek logo design services from a professional firm.

Designing a good logo demands exceptional designing skills and exhaustive research work. A mix of these two along with other factors leads to the development of an effective logo design. Here are some basic guidelines that will enable a company to judge the true potential of their logo.

A logo should ideally be unique and easily identifiable. A quick glance at a logo should communicate the message to the viewers. However uniqueness in the context of a logo design does not mean an over the top complex design. Complex logo designs are difficult to apprehend and thus can be rendered ineffective.

A company logo has an extensive usage. Starting from the letterheads to large-scale banner advertisements, a logo finds a place in everything that belongs to the company. A good logo design should be flexible enough to maintain its integrity regardless of its reproduction in various sizes. A logo should be designed using vector graphics so that it can be resized for various purposes without compromising on the quality and clarity of the logo design.

An organization should be careful about trademark infringements. A distinct feature of a logo may overlap with a different logo representing a different brand name. Continuing with such a logo not only leads to unwanted legal tussles but also harms the reputation of the company. Professional logo design firms usually take care about such complexities and generally succeed in coming up with a distinct logo design.

These are some of the various factors that contribute into the making of an effective company logo design. Compliance with these factors will certainly help a company to come up with a logo that is unique and flexible. However a lot depends on the kind of logo designing firm selected to provide such services. Good logo design firms may charge a few extra bucks but such an investment will definitely yield rich dividends in the years to come.

Alfred Anderson has rich experience in the field of online brand marketing. His interests includes Internet marketing and research on emerging online business trends. Custom Logo Design

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alfred_Anderson