Cheap logo design.
Is it even worth the few bucks that you are paying?

The story starts out something like this; After days of Googling you found a discount priced designer on the Internet. Or maybe the service was advertised via a junk e-mail that others refer to as ‘SPAM’. Sure, there were some reputable studios that you bumped into - their work was top notch– but they wanted double (or more) than your cheapo design house. You were promised unlimited revisions. Money back guarantee. Maybe they’d even throw in a free coffee mug. Oh sure, there were a few wrinkles with your discount designer - you’re not sure were the company is (there’s no phone number listed and all communication was by form or e-mail) but does that really matter? After all, this is the Internet, and e-mail is the medium of choice. But despite a few communication hiccups – hey, they can happen to anybody – the project went pretty smoothly. The logos initially presented weren’t exactly what you had envisioned (or even asked for), but the designer had made some decent points about why the logo was perfect for you. And he had to be right, after all – he WAS a designer, no? At least, that’s what the web site said. And now, you have all the file formats they told you that you’d need. What could possibly go wrong? You’ve ended up with a great icon that is about to be embroidered onto staff shirts. Your letterhead, business card and envelopes are coming back from the printer. You’ve spent another few thousand on a web site – but that’s okay, the central visual is a 3D version of your logo, animated in Flash, complete with interactive buttons, music and a kick-ass navigation system. The flash logo movie was expensive, but well worth it – you’ve duplicated it as a standalone screensaver that can be shipped out to new and established clients alike. You’re ready to make your big company launch.

The worst case scenario - based on a (very) true story.
Then the postman arrives. Bearing a certified letter from some formal sounding company who’s cleanly laid out letterhead announces that they are a rather large legal firm. Slash M. and Trash M. They’ve enclosed some photocopies of something that looks vaguely like your new logo. In fact, it’s exactly like your new logo. The accompanying letter is frank and to the point. The logo that you’re about to launch on thousands of dollars worth of collateral material belongs to someone else. And the lawyer has sought, and has been successful, in getting a ‘cease and desist’ order against you. Quite frankly, you’re not allowed to use anything with your new logo on it. Nadda. No shirts, letterheads, nothing. You have 48 hours to take down your new web site. And anything that you’ve sold that features the logo, has to be accounted for. You see, the real owner of the mark gets all the profits. And when that’s all finished – the original owner is threatening to sue you for damages – apparently they feel that your business is not a good reflection of their company. They claim that you’ve damaged their good name, and want some serious money to make them go away. And the shop that sold you the purloined logo? Why, they're no longer returning your calls. Thankfully, this doesn't happen often, but it's just one of the risks of picking up a cheap logo from anonymous websites or vendors for pennies on the dollar.

It's starts with the business plan.
It seems pretty clear to me that if you’ve only budgeted $50 for your new company logo design, your business plan needs a little bit of a rework. After all, this is the mark that’s going to be among the first things any potential client sees. It has to sum up, in a nano-second, what your company is about and attempt to give a lasting (favorable) impression. Your logo is going to be the cornerstone of all your marketing efforts and will, hopefully, last the lifetime of your company. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that any ‘designer’ (and I use the term loosely) that, for $50, is willing to put in the R & D, concepts and back-and-forth that is generally required for any logo design project, probably isn’t the most experienced and/or skilled person for the job. And you can take this to the bank - any company (yes ANY company) that's offering you a logo for a couple of dollars is doing something to shave their expenses in developing your design. They're offering recycled designs (rejected designs from other projects), offering you clip art that they either designed beforehand (or pinched from other sites), or simply slapping together a few abstract shapes, swooshes and swirly things in hopes that you'll see the 'value' in paying so little, as opposed to obtaining a logo that's worthy of your company.

Other ways to save money on your logo.
Hiring some kid at the local high school for your logo is great (gives them some terrific experience) but even then, throw them a few more bucks. The first ‘professional’ logo gig I ever had was the development of my high school radio station logo (as part of a design contest) and even then (a few too many years ago for my liking) I received the princely sum of $100. My logo was selected because it was ‘neat’ (the name - Chinguacousy Radio - could be viewed regardless of whether the logo was right side up or not, as in a turntable - get it?). While this was arguably clever (especially for a 14 year old), because of the visual gymnastics I had to do to accomplish such a feat, the final image didn’t do much for the readability of the text. it never even occurred to me that I needed to factor in the aspects of a logo that I now know are important. I merely made a pretty cool picture that happened to feature the name of the radio station. It looked incredibly complex when reproduced small, gummed up when reproduced in black and white (though admittedly, it did look pretty killer eight-feet-tall on the school cafeteria wall). But none of this mattered - I was $100 richer and had the bragging rights.

Taking a budget logo job seriously?
While it's always nice to get something cheap, you certainly shouldn’t expect a professional to take a job bid like this seriously, and any bids that you do receive aren’t (and I’m going out on a limb here) from designers who understand the value, and importance, of an effective logo design either. If your budget for a logo is only $50 (or thereabouts) it’s pretty safe to say that your company is not ready to undertake serious branding seriously just yet. It's a pretty safe bet that you should view the value of your logo as being significantly higher than the average lunch at your local Brew & Burger. Better to develop the bare bones of your company and revisit the logo design part at a time when you can approach its development professionally - from both client and designer perspectives.

Realistic budgets, realistic expectations.
That’s not to say you have to spend thousands and thousands - you don’t - but $50 is pretty well an insult for the designer and should be considered an insult to the client. The client's logo is worth far more than $50 (or should be) and any designer with the necessary skills, training and experience should value their services as much higher. It should be obvious to anyone with business acumen that paying pittance for design services will receive a pittance in design effort. Like any service industry, where vendor effort is a pivotal component of the success, or lack thereof, the design of your new logo should not be decided by sticker price alone. I'm certainly not suggesting that by spending more, you're guaranteed a premier result, and pricing should certainly be a factor in your design decisions, but it should be obvious that better designers wouldn't think of hanging out a shingle offering $50 logo design packages. There are lots of reasonably priced logo design solutions (as much as we hate to admit it, The Logo Factory is but one). You might argue that I have an axe to grind (which obviously I do), but even pro-small-business stalwarts like Entrepreneur Magazine realize the importance of an effective logo and the value of same. In their How to Create a Logo feature (fairy decent for a general overview), they suggest that you shouldn’t nickle-and-dime on this vitally important aspect of your business. Quoting here:

As with anything, you’ll generally get what you pay for in the branding arena. Since the future of your company’s at stake, you can certainly consider it prudent to hire the best branding professional you can afford.

Amen.

Next Article: Unlmited revisions

Deciding if you need a logo
What makes a great logo
How do I design a logo
Do it yourself logo design
Clip art logos
Free logos
Logo Templates
Logo design contests
Online logo design
Selecting a designer
What's a logo worth?
Cheap logo design
Unlimited revisions
Working with our studio
How long does it take?
Getting started step-by-step
Logo design pointers
Logo design guidelines
Logo aspect ratios
Logo footprints
Common logo design mistakes
Logo design types
Illustration based logos
Text only logos
Icon driven logos
Cartoon logo design
Colors & your logo
RGB colors
Spot colors
CMYK colors
Pantone Matching System
Black & white logos
File formats
EPS file formats
JPG file formats
PNG file formats
GIF file formats
Your logo in a .PDF
Logo copyright
Poor man's copyright
Logo trademark
Stationery design basics
Business card design tips
Letterhead design tips
Envelope design tips
Design assets
Managing design assets
Having your logo printed
Print resolution
Gang run printing
Web friendly logos
Logo embroidery
Logos & signs
Uses for your new logo
Updating your logo
Logo repair or design