Well, ahem, this one. All kidding aside, which KIND of company is best for logo creation might be a better way to phrase it. So, what is out there? The types below all have their pros and cons. Some should be actual convicts—back to kidding. 1. Marketing Agencies (fka Ad Agencies) I (Lee Dean) have worked in agencies. Chances are you will get good work, as the positions are quite competitive, and always have been. That may be all you need to hear. But there is a lot of overhead, the billing is sometimes murky, and the upsell will be there whether subtle or not. Bottom line is it will tend to be the most expensive route, unless you have a lot of media to buy. 2. Design Studios These tend to be smaller than agencies and therefore have less overhead. The logo work might even be better, as they tend to concentrate on branding and the visual aspects of marketing. However, the larger ones are almost indistinguishable from agencies—in fact, that’s how some agencies start out. This will still cost you, but probably not as much as an agency. Again, great work comes out of design shops. 3. Online Freelancers This could be the sweet spot in the mix. Freelancers tend to be self-starters, talented, and well-rounded in graphic design. Most have experience in agencies or design studios. Here is where the cost tends to drop, so that individuals, startups, and small businesses can afford a great logo and personal service. Cons would be the veracity of the portfolio. Ask questions about specific pieces and the involvement of the freelancer. 4. Free Online Services Okay, we’ve said it before, you get what you pay for. You may find a great logo, only to find someone else has the same one. If you’ve already invested a lot of money on items with your new logo, you may have to invest more to start over. Or sue. Or be sued. There can be several unpleasant things consequently down the road. But hey, it was cheap, right? 5. Artificial Intelligence programs Maybe someday, but it’s not there yet. We see job boards full of customers that have an A.I. produced logo that now need it fixed. Lines that should be straight are curved. Odd artifacts, that is, funny little shapes that don’t belong are generated by the program, and so on. We’ve used A.I. as an adjunct for certain purposes, but it must be staged just right, and still manually adjusted. 6. Your nephew You think that’s a joke? We wish it was. Look, don’t cave in to family pressure on something this important to your business. A good logo and brand can put your business in a class far above what amateur work can. The analogy we often use is, you don’t send your salesperson out in a shabby suit. It reflects on them and on you. It might make for an uncomfortable holiday dinner, but the kid will get over it. Encourage them to go to school, put in their dues in internships and entry-level design/production positions. If they are serious about graphic design, they will do that and most likely succeed. Meanwhile, you will have a competitive edge over those who have fallen into the “wanna be” niece artist trap, by instead using a career designer. The same goes for office personnel who have no experience or credible work.
A logo designer should give you great ideas for one thing. Our minimum is three different concepts, with typically many iterations of those.
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