Often times clients come to us and inquire about logo design.  More often that not, they fall into 2 categories:

• Those who are looking to pay very little for a custom logo
• Those who have already paid very little for a logo design and are looking to “do it right” this time

If you’ve shopped for custom logos, you’ve noticed that the pricing can vary widely, from $5 to $50,000.  Many would argue, why would I pay more for the same service?  But actually—you’re not.   As the saying goes “you get what you pay for.”

Before we go into the pricing differences for logo design it’s important to clearly explain what a logo is.  In order to be considered a logo, it must check all these boxes:

• Suitable for use in all media (print, digital, engraving, etc.)
• A vector graphic that does not lose quality when enlarged
• Logo should be provided in color, black and white and reverse type
• Be legible even when scaled down to the size of a coin or app icon
• One of a kind. No other business has the same graphic.

If a graphic fails any one of the above, it cannot be considered a professional logo.

People outside of the marketing and graphic design industry will never understand the work that goes into an original logo creation.  In fact, many think it’s not very difficult at all.  After all, some people are willing to create a logo for $5…how hard can it be, right?  Well, think of the challenges a designer faces when asked to create a custom logo.  They need to choose from an infiniteselection of color combinations, fonts, graphics and layouts.   Block letters or cursive font?  Image or graphic element?  One color or two?  In the end, the designer must find the perfect combination and balance of all the elements.  That takes a lot of time and talent—both of which are very valuable.  Creating a custom logo can take anywhere between 20-60 hours of work.

Logos under $100

The good news is…there are plenty of websites and freelance designers who will create a logo for you for very little.  The bad news is…you get what you pay for.  So how do they do it?  Well, in our experience, many of them have the following in common:

• They’re not professional and/or full-time designers
• They create anywhere between 10-50 logos per month
• They cut corners and use stock graphics (i.e., you’ll see a variation of your “custom logo” somewhere else)

To the untrained eye you may think you received a high-resolution logo until it’s too late.  Once you give it to your printer or web designer, they’ll quickly point out that it’s not a high-resolution file and you’re back to square one.  In fact, inexperienced designers often provide you a graphic on a white background, which makes it virtually useless in digital or print.

What to expect with a professional designer or agency

When a business comes to Towers Marketing Group, the first thing we do is an in-depth exploration session to learn about the business, audience, competitors and more. We also gather design direction from the client in order to create initial concepts for their review.  From there, we refine the design until the client is happy.  When working with a professional agency or designer, the process usually goes like this:

• Exploration meeting with client
• Industry and competitive research conducted
• Initial design concepts presented
• Concepts are narrowed down to those with the most potential
• Logo revisions performed based on feedback and presented with examples of everyday use
• Fine tuning until client is happy with outcome
• Final design is delivered in a variety of formats (vector, GIF, JPG, etc.) with usage examples and guidelines

Depending on your budget, a professional agency will offer additional resources like branding guidelines, logo variations with icons, social media headers, color family combinations and more.  In short, a lot more goes in to a professional design and you’ll come out with a lot more than just a logo.

Lastly, if you think a professional, custom logo design is expensive, just think of what you’ll spend once you realize your logo isn’t as great as you thought it was. You’ll need to re-brand which means reproduction of flyers, company signage, website, company apparel, brochures, business cards, etc.  The cost of rebranding can be in the tens of thousands.  Trust me, it’s not worth it.

A logo is the first impression a prospect sees when they’re introduced to your company—and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.   Hopefully this article has helped to clarify the difference between a bargain logo and a well-thought-out company brand.  It’s tricky out there but we’re here to help!

Contact Towers Marketing Group if you’re looking for a unique company brand or logo.