Logo design FAQ

A: Before contracting a logo designer to create your new corporate image, you should have an idea of the image you want to portray. Funky. Cutting edge, Conservative. The ‘buzz’ words of business. You should think about whether you want an Illustrative logo (a logo that includes an illustrative representation of what your company does), an iconic logo (a logo that includes a graphic – or abstract – representation of what your company does), a text (font) based logo (a dynamic type treatment that is unique to your company), a graphic logo (an illustrative/iconic hybrid) or a combination of all three. You can view examples of all three logo types in our logo design portfolio.

You should also consider the future usage of your logo as this can determine the technical set up of your design and might pose some design limitations (your TLF designer can advise you of these limitations and possible workarounds). You should also be aware of some of the technical restrictions of certain types of logos. We can steer you around ALL the pitfalls and make sure you avoid some fairly common errors.

You should also consider color choices – whether you utilize a two spot color, or four color process design will greatly impact any reproduction rates in the future. While not critical in the initial design phases, your choice of corporate color will have a ripple effect throughout ALL your corporate ‘look-and-feel’ material and is a decision that should not be taken lightly in the final stages of the design process. Once again, our logo designers can advise you on the ways to maximize your reproduction possibilities while maintaining your logo dynamics. The Logo Factory designers share some logo design tips here.

A: That’s actually a very good question and one that’s not easy to answer. There are many factors that go into a successful logo design project, and these factors can vary from client to client. Our designers have pondered this question too, and have assembled a ‘what makes a great logo?’ feature that attempts to answer it.

A: There are many, but ‘problem’ projects (i.e. – logo design projects that drag on, without any clear resolution) all seem to have one, or more, of the following characteristics (see here for a full list of common logo design mistakes);

Not keeping your logo ‘metaphor’ light. While it’s nice for your logo to actually ‘mean’ something (i.e. – this colour represents growth, this dot represents our product) sometimes clients wish to write ‘War-and-Peace’ with their logo metaphors. The most memorable logos are also the most simple; the memorable complex logos are often highly rendered illustrations. Dozens of swooshes, dots and colors – all professing to ‘mean’ something will not mean anything to the first time viewer. Any logo has a nanosecond to grab someone’s attention. The simpler – the better.

Design by Committee. Perhaps the most difficult project for a designer. A large group of people are responsible for selecting, approving and modifying the logo design throughout the various design stages. Keep in mind that it usually the loudest (and dare we say – the committee staffer with the largest ego) who invariably makes their opinion heard – not the committee member who has a keen sense of design. Better to select a ‘voice’ for the committee who is keenly aware of your group’s goals.

Art directing the project. As designers, we are trained in many aspects of design, graphics and technology. By the time you view preliminary designs, we have attempted every variation of that particular design, having moved swooshes, right, left, up and down. Micro-tweaks will not improve the design if it is not to your liking. Best to tell your designer that you’re not happy with the design, and work from fresh proposals. It’s highly unlikely a design that does not have the ah-ha factor can be forced into a design that you love by moving its elements around.

Purse Shopping (a close relative of art-directing the job) – when you view your new logo and your reaction is instant. “There it is! It’s perfect! Just what I want”. At this point, the purse-shopping phenomenon can kick in – “Now, why don’t we try moving the text down, the globe to the right?” If you have developed a killer logo, your reaction will be similar to the people you’re trying to reach. Fumbling around for a ‘better’ version of a ‘perfect’ logo will only weaken its design, or worse, lose the original appeal completely. It would appear that most purse shopping is brought on by client’s desire to get their ‘money’s worth’, and exhausting what they perceive is the time paid for in the design charges. Remember, you’re not paying for someone to put X number of hours into your design. You’re looking for that designer to utilize their years of experience, skill, talents and knowledge of software into creating the icon that will represent your company for years. Milking a design for a few dollars can only hurt its integrity.

A: We have a number of logo design packages to match your time requirements and budget. Each logo design package features a different delivery time but ALL feature the same TLF design efforts and attention to your requirements. Depending on the package required, you can have your preliminary logo designs available for review within 3 business days or for a more economical service, 1 week packages (Entry Level service). Beyond the delivery of preliminary designs, the amount of time required to complete a typical logo design project depends on the client, in terms of design revisions, modification requested, complexity of logo requests, etc. Each logo design is different but typically a project of this nature takes anywhere from one to four weeks after preliminary designs are presented until sign-off and final download of files.

A: You can download your logo (once finished) directly from your private Factory Floor page. We then send different logo design file formats and applications to you by e-mail. CD versions can be sent to you by Federal Express (if applicable – International clients may require an additional S/H fee). ALL files are delivered in cross-platform disks for complete compatibility for third party service providers (i.e.: film/art service bureaus and/or printers). Files can also be e-mailed to you (for larger files TLF may use Stuffit or .ZIP compression), and your files can be downloaded at your leisure from your client page.

A: This can vary depending on usage and the design package you have selected, but an Entry Level logo design package generally consists of the following (for more information on file formats, please visit our design help center for a variety of technical articles:

(your job).EPS – Your logo as an Encapsulated Postscript file. This vector based format is readable by both PC and Macintosh (Apple) desktop and publishing software. This is the file you would require for traditional reproduction (printing). It is both scalable (can be re-sized without any degradation in quality) and editable. It can be utilized by most commercial printers and software packages. This file contains all your new logo fonts, colors (Pantone Matching System) that will assure uniform color accuracy in all future uses.

(your job).GIF – Your artwork as it appeared on your client page. (72 dpi 216 index colour). This pixel based logo is suitable for web or other low-resolution reproduction. Non-platform. This file will be optimized in web-safe colors for rapid download on the web, as well as true color accuracy on all platforms and browsers. As this file is non-scalable (cannot be re-sized without image degradation) we supply several pixel width sizes which can all be imported into web pages ‘size-is’ for maximum image quality, resolution and color accuracy.

(your job).JPG – A hi-resolution .JPG version of your logo artwork. This high-resolution file (300 dpi – dots per inch) can be converted and imported into most desktop publishing and word processing software that supports the .PNG, .TIF and/or .JPG format. This file can be re-sized (down) and be used as monitor friendly (RGB) or print friendly (CMYK). This pixel-based image can also be imported in popular image-manipulation programs like Adobe Photoshop for special effects.

Other formats available and included in premium and professional packages:

(your job).linear.EPS – A one tone (black) version of your new logo for use on faxes, invoices and other low-reproduction quality media. This logo is redrawn with this use in mind rather than simply converted in to a greyscale from the original source files. This enables the most-effective representation of your logo in a low-resolution, black and white use. This is also a vector based logo with all the advantages that entails.

(your job).greyscale.EPS – A half-tone (black) version of your new logo. This logo is recreated with tonal differences in mind. Sometimes, colors that contrast vividly with their neighbors, blend together when simply converted to black and white. Only through careful conversion can the original color integrity of your logo be maintained in halftone.

Other Formats available at no additional charge: (your job).BMP, (your job).TIF, (your job).PICT, (your job).PNG. Please advise your TLF designer of format requirements at completion of your logo and we would be happy to supply these in addition to the formats listed above

Other Formats available at minimal charge: (some are included in premium packages): The Logo Factory can also supply .SWF files (flat color-matched Adobe Flash format for rapid import into Flash logo animations), fully layered .FLA. files (layered, separated and labeled color-matched Flash source files that can be quickly animated using Adobe Flash software – All Flash formats are vector based and scalable for sizing on the web. The Logo Factory can also create Flash intro animations that can be used on web sites and as screen savers.), animated .GIF files for non plug-in animation of the web. Charges for these formats depend on the complexity of your logo (contact our customer service department upon completion of your work for a detailed quote).

A: You will receive various formats that are ready to plug in to various applications, as well as deliver to service bureaus and/or printers for digital output and/or printing. Our designers and client support personnel are file-format experts, so any compatibility issues can be dealt with right away. (Certain file format creation may require additional production charges – please check with your designer).

A: Yes. IF you have the correct software. All our logo artwork is created in Adobe Illustrator so if you have access to this software, you can, in theory, edit your own files once you’ve received them. Other vector based drawing software like Corel Draw will also perform adequately. Professional design software is expensive however, and there may be some technical issues that you may not be aware of. If you wish to edit your own files, we suggest that you consult with your designer or work with someone experienced using the required applications.

A: Once your logo design project is completed – you do. The Logo Factory sends signed copyright transfer documents with your final files. Copyright protection is automatic in any design creation. We can also assist you in trademarking your logo should you decide to go this more formal (and expensive) route. Should any ownership disputes arise, The Logo Factory will work with our clients to establish their proprietary rights. We constantly monitor other design sites (who routinely use our client’s property without authorization, in their portfolios) logo design contest sites (where our work if often entered as submissions) to ensure that our client’s rights are not infringed upon. We take our client’s copyright and trademark protection seriously – it is, after all, our business.

A: We archive ALL our design work, so we can always retrieve your designs should you lose your material. We have archived material that spans over a decade, so if you ever lose your logo files, simply contact us and we’ll retrieve them for you. There is a $75 un-archiving fee for this service, so we highly recommend TLF clients purchase back-up CDs. For an initial modest investment, you can be assured of instant access to ALL your file formats at any time, even if you’ve lost the originals.

A: You’ll find that firms that advertise multiple (one site even boasts 200+) designers like this are simply farming out your logo project to a so-called crowdsourcing “community” of remote freelance designers – students, hobbyists and the like who get paid as little as $25.00 to work on your logo, if they get paid at all. Often, they will use ‘backend’ web sites to open your project (complete with your project details) as a glorified logo contest to their “community”. This is how they can claim multiple designers (they also refer to this as the “shotgun approach” – a whole bunch of designers opposed to TLF‘s time-tested design strategy, a “targeted solution unique to your particular requirements”). You’ll also find that you cannot communicate directly with your designer(s), but rather with a so-called “project manager” who passes on your messages to whatever freelancers happen to be working on your project. At The Logo Factory you work directly with your project’s lead designer who is available by phone, chat and e-mail. The Logo Factory is a studio environment, so *every* logo design project is the result of a collaborative effort by a number of on-staff seasoned professional designers, not some sales gimmick to wring a few more dollars from unwary clients (see why we’re different). At our studo, you’re always working with a design team of on-staff accredited professionals, not a group of unrelated freelance designers who may, or may not, be on your design page and with whom you cannot communicate. For more on our design staff take a studio tour. Click here To see what others say about us (including our competition).

A: In the unlikely event that the designer assigned to your project cannot deliver designs that you feel are appropriate we simply assign another of our designers. While each of our on-staff designers is fully experienced in logo design of ALL types, they also have very unique personal styles and vision. Because of the diversity of our designer’s styles, we can usually form an effective ‘match’. Our client support personnel are also available to assist any clients with matters due to billing, scheduling and delivery of your final material. TLF Creative Director Steve Douglas, is available to consult with any clients at any phase of the project. OUr designers have also put together a series of project tips to assist you in working with us (or any designer for that matter). Of course, during the initial phase of the design process, you can rely on our Service Guarantee.

A: Not sure why spending less time on your project is used as a sales pitch. Doesn’t matter how super-duper anyone claims their designers are. Design still takes time. We offer faster turnaround on our premium packages (Professional, Professional Plus, Gold and Platinum), as these packages permit us to add more staff and studio resources to a project in order to get it completed in a quicker time frame. With our less expensive packages (Entry, Entry Plus), we still spend the same amount of overall time, but the project is scheduled into the normal ebb and flow of our studio. Is faster design better? Probably not…If we wanted to tackle your logo design as a ‘competitive sport’ we could speed it up. We could accomplish this by spending less concept and design time on your project. Or, we could farm out your project to a design contest site. It’s just that with all aspects of design – faster is not necessarily better (in fact, it usually isn’t). Our premium packages do feature faster turnaround times, but in order to spend the adequate amount of concept and design time, we have to juggle schedules and allocate studio time right away. On our Entry Level packages, we still spend appropriate concept and design time on your project – it’s just spread out over a longer overall calendar period, and scheduled into the normal ebb and flow of our studio and designer schedules.

If we were to try and shorten our delivery time, like our competitors, we’d be trying to rush the creative process (a bad idea) or, recycling previously rejected designs created for previous clients (much worse idea), or utilizing a network of freelancers who’ll ‘compete’ for your project. When a company you utilize uses anonymous freelancers, you are NOT assured of even the most basic copyright protection (if the service you’re using and the designer have a falling out, your logos and any design work may become the collateral damage of their squabble). During an internet tussle a few years ago, it was revealed that one of the largest logo design companies has passed off other people’s logos (including the Xerox ‘X’ trademark) as their own. Their reason? Because they are ‘so big’ and move through client’s projects ‘so fast’. They claimed that they “didn’t know” they were selling other people’s material.

Too, because you really don’t know WHO you are working with, anonymity means that your designer cannot be tracked down, should design or (shudder) trademark problems arise in the future You may even realize the designer has sold your nifty new logo to someone else, or horror of horrors, sold you a logo that belongs to another company. Lawyers love that stuff. All designers at The Logo Factory are contract, in-house staff, so TLF can, and does, transfer ALL ownership rights to you once the project is finished (for more on online logo design shenanigans, see our McLogo Effect article).

A: Anyone who advertises ‘unlimited revisions’ is is being a little disingenuous, promising you the moon, to get you to sign on the dotted line. What does unlimited revisions mean – 100 revisions? (no, more) 1000 revisions? (no, more) – it means just that – unlimited. They promise that you can change this logo from now till doomsday. Your grand kids can be altering this logo concept – trying to get it right. Sounds kind of goofy, doesn’t it? (not to mention, a promise that’s impossible to keep). With our Gold and Platinum packages we simply tell clients that we’ll revise any logo project ‘within reason’. This concept has served is well since 1996, and everybody tends to know what ‘within reason’ means. Besides, if a logo isn’t working after a tweak here and there, it’s never going to be forced into a form that you like. Regardless of how many revisions. Better to start again, with a true professional. And obtain a logo that can be altered into a acceptable form in two, or three revisions. Besides, it turns out that unlimited logo revisions are a myth.

A: Absolutely not! The use of clip art logos is forbidden in The Logo Factory studios with ANY design project – in fact we have a strict Clip Art Free Zone policy. We also do not use so-called what are often referred to as ‘PreMade’ logos, Recycled logos (rejects from previous design projects) or DIY logo design generator software. All our logo designs are built, by hand, from the ground up. Other companies that you may find on the internet may not be so original.

A: No. Logo templates are an exceptionally bad idea (read how we ended up purchasing a logo that we designed from an online logo template site). The idea of using the same logo that other companies are also using runs contrary to the very idea of an effective logo design and identity. This also applies to any so-called logo generator web sites who will actually claim that their libraries aren’t clip art (while that’s EXACTLY what they are), ‘Over 5,000 unique logos’ (it’s a library of second rate logo rejects and there is NOTHING unique about any of them. In fact, they can and/or have been downloaded for multiple companies). The simple truth is that these ‘solutions’ are woefully inadequate for any type of professional presence.

A: The Logo Factory is committed to providing the best possible logo design, as well as design experience to our clients. In order to make the design process as stress-free as possible, there is no fixed amount to the amount of design revisions and edits we, and our logo designers, will commit to in our Gold and Platinum level packages. We simply tell clients that we will continue to edit and revise ‘within reason’ until we create the logo desired. On certain projects we can create the ‘perfect’ logo in the first round, while others will take longer. This allows us to spend more time on the more difficult projects. With our extensive experience in logo design, our team can generally guide clients through the design process without this ever becoming an issue. Due to the Entry level economic pricing there are design caps and certain design restrictions, while our Professional packages are a little more open-ended. See our logo design pricing for details on the various options and packages available.

A: Yes. Many of our clients often purchase one (or more) of the preliminary designs originally proposed. The purchase price of one of these other designs is $150.00 and includes file format setups and ownership transfer.

A: Yes. Many of our logo design projects are undertaken for large corporations who plan product and company launches months in advance. In order to work on their logo design projects, The Logo Factory sometimes needs access to proprietary information which our clients wish to keep as trade secrets. Accordingly, when we’re asked, we’re more than happy to sign client-supplied non-disclosure agreements or similar contracts. You should also keep in mind that unlike other online design companies who charge you a large premium to host private projects ALL logo design projects at our studio are completely private until you’re ready to release your new corporate identity to the world.

A: Sorry, but no. All of the logos featured in our logo design portfolio are examples of real projects and are the property of someone else (used by permission). We do, from time to time, release stock logos that are the result of projects and you’re welcome to purchase the EXCLUSIVE rights to any of these ‘inventory’ works.

Related

• Our logo design process
• What you get
• Logo design FAQ
• Design case study
• Designing logos