LogoHell

August 16, 2006 8:28 AM

Logo Search: I've got a company, but I ain't got no logo!

I'm trying to find a logo design company to create my logo, but there are SO MANY online companies that I can't figure out who to go with.

I've researched LogoBee, LogoWorks, LogoDesignCreation, Yoggin, and some miscellaneous others. I've read reviews (a mix of good and bad) on all of them, and I've searched MeFi for comments/threads.

Can anyone provide some feedback on their familiarity or experience with any of these companies, or suggest something that has worked for you personally??

I'm all for getting a logo via the internet, but I wish I could find a company with designers that I could actually TALK to vice filling out online forms...

posted by matty to media & arts (24 comments total)

Consider sumbitting it to Worth1000.com where users will compete to make the best one. I've seen some outright amazing stuff from there.
posted by vanoakenfold at 8:40 AM on August 16, 2006

You know, the best way to get a logo would be to just hire a local designer. Why can't you do that? Do the independent small studios in your area not need the work?
posted by luriete at 9:11 AM on August 16, 2006

look for designers and/or put up a request on your local craigslist. You'll find plenty of graphic artists you can actually talk with.
posted by mikepop at 9:12 AM on August 16, 2006

Luriete - that is certainly an option.
posted by matty at 9:12 AM on August 16, 2006

I'm sure they need the work. He just want's something for almost free. Seems to be the way things are heading in the general freelance world.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:13 AM on August 16, 2006

Actually - I don't want something for free. I'm willing to pay for quality work, I just don't really know where to go.
posted by matty at 9:17 AM on August 16, 2006

Don't go for a generic logo-generating company. Find a real-life design outfit that can spend some time with you figuring out what your company does, and then develop a corporate identity based on real dialogue.

Anyway, the best way to find that "real-life design outfit" is by word of mouth, so I'll plug my brother's design studio, Elbowroom Design. Here's their main page, here's their portfolio, and here are the rates.
posted by Milkman Dan at 9:18 AM on August 16, 2006

Thanks Milkman - that's the kind of response I was hoping for... someone who can personally recommend something that I may not have known about otherwise!!
posted by matty at 9:22 AM on August 16, 2006

Another vote for going local.

I think that to get a logo that represents you properly, the designer needs to meet you and know about who you are and the way you do business.

If you just want someone to put your name in a cool font, then get the online service. If you want something that's really "you," that's not something that can happen (other than by chance) with those services, and I'm guessing that sensing this is what's frustrating you.
posted by winston at 9:25 AM on August 16, 2006

When you interview potential designers, make sure they are versed in logo design for print, web, and whatever other application you may want. This is part of what you're paying for.

I do freelance logo design and most of my clients have come from either online logo-shops or well-meaning, but untrained graphic art students who produced designs that were technically unfeasible or otherwise inappropriate in our final medium.

Find someone who specifically does this sort of work. Ask specifically to see portfolio material that includes letterhead, business cards, web logo, etc.
posted by Sangre Azul at 9:31 AM on August 16, 2006

Where are you located? I can probably recommend a good designer with an emphasis on typography / identity in your area, if you're near any large American or Canadian city.
posted by luriete at 9:34 AM on August 16, 2006

I'm located in Washington DC... my email is in my profile if anyone has any other suggestions!

Also - Thank you!!
posted by matty at 9:39 AM on August 16, 2006

Matty - no problem. Am asking my contacts now and should have something for you later today.
posted by luriete at 9:43 AM on August 16, 2006

You might also want to consider Gotlogos.com. They were featured on Cool Tools. They design you a logo for a one-time fee of $25. Revisions are $10.
posted by bove at 9:56 AM on August 16, 2006

I also agree with going local. Also check out the AIGA directory. If you can afford it, you might also want to look at small studios too.

You don't want to go with a generic logo chop shop. You won't get originality. You'll only get a customized version of something off the shelf. There's no way someone can spend 1-2 hours on a logo for you, charge you $99, and have it be good.

A good logo establishes your brand and tells your potential customers what kind of company you are. Be prepared to pay for that. Here's a good article about what makes a good logo.
posted by lunarboy at 10:02 AM on August 16, 2006

For what it's worth...I'm a designer myself, but if a small business or startup client comes to me looking for a logo, I almost always send them to logoyes.com.

What is your budget like? The problem with going with a local designer, or design firm, is that they will spend a lot of time coming up with something, and maybe give you 2-3 options. You are paying for their expertise and talent, as well as the time they spend with you. Maybe 10-30 hours. This is valuable work, for sure, but often overkill for small business needs.

Do you have a clear picture of what you want? If not, it is going to take even more of the designer's time (and your money.)

Everyone I have sent to logoyes has been very happy--they get to browse thousands of images, and see the logo before they buy it. Then, they usually come back to me for tweaks to the logo, to make it truly professional-looking and unique, or to design other collateral pieces.

Good luck to you! :)
posted by eileen at 10:27 AM on August 16, 2006

You can see the logo I got from GotLogos in the site at my profile link, which I am fairly happy with. Part of that is the cost, however, and the fact that I didn't have any strong opinions about what I wanted in a logo beyond it marginally reflecting the product we're selling.

I've been through the logo process a few times with other ventures and I'd say that the best things you can do is have some idea of both your budget and how long you want to spend on the process. If you're at all particular I think it's of paramount importance you get a recommendation from someone who you think is similarly persnickety and has a similar outlook to yourself.

The designers I know have a real love-hate relationship with doing logos and the stories they tell about their worst experiences are all with logo design. I'd suggest you talk to a few people and find ones who will spend a little time with you free/cheap in the beginning and make sure you're on a similar wavelength. If you can't get on the same page with a basic concept fairly quickly it bodes ill for your ability to eventually get a result you like.
posted by phearlez at 10:52 AM on August 16, 2006

I'm a graphic designers and art director. I've worked for large design firms and I've designed logos and identities for several large corporations, and for the past several years I've been doing freelance graphic design for people who, like yourself, need logo and/or identity systems.

Online logo houses like LogoBee and LogoWorks are--well, you'll get what you pay for. Their logos all have a generic, cheap look and feel, and they look like the sort of logo you get from an online logo house. I've worked with companies who have purchased their identities from online chop-shops and they're almost always difficult to use well, they make the company look amatuerish and cheap, and the logos lack the sort of foresight for usage and expandability an experienced designer builds into the design of a good logo.

I'd strongly recommend against using those online houses, but if you do, be sure to ask them if they provide an Adobe Illustrator vector version of the logo when they give you the final design and artwork. You'll also want to make sure you will be buying all the rights to the logo.

I'm happy to help you design your logo, or I can refer you to another designer. My email is in my profile--matt at fandango dot net.
posted by fandango_matt at 12:12 PM on August 16, 2006

I can vouch for this guy. He's in DC, does great work, and is an all around cool person.
posted by spilon at 1:38 PM on August 16, 2006

Check out the process Ian Landsman used when his logo was designed. The series of posts (3 I think) gives you an idea of what the process might be like. Ian also links to the designer's side of the story, about the process he uses when designing a logo.
posted by cCranium at 2:56 PM on August 16, 2006

Design Outpost has an interesting bidding-like approach.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 3:00 PM on August 16, 2006

Can heartily recommend Design Outpost -- put up your money ($125 minimum for a logo) through Paypal, give as much or as little guidance as you see fit, name an end date then watch those entries roll in.
posted by freston at 3:11 PM on August 16, 2006

Have a look at Sitepoint - a guy I know posted on the forums there with a rough idea of a logo he wanted done, then did three rounds of feedback with the various responders, before finally paypalling $150 to the winners and $25 to the two runners up. Cheap as chips, real-time, and he got a great logo out of it.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about
posted by Happy Dave at 2:35 AM on August 17, 2006

This, this, and this are what's known as "spec work." Please don't do it.
posted by fandango_matt at 11:33 AM on August 17, 2006