Before I go on and explain my take on cheap logo design, I should first say that there’s no set value to any kind of logo design. The price varies greatly from client to client, designer to designer, and can usually be determined with these few points in mind:
- Designer experience.
- How much a client values their brand.
- The projected timeline and process to create the logo.
A great way to establish the cost of a logo design is to receive a custom quote from a designer whose style you feel can best achieve your goals. If it’s not me, I recommend other designers to potential clients, but I won’t send them to online crowd-sourcing companies or logo-to-go businesses—which are about as professional as they sound.
Cheap Logo Design vs. Professional Logo Design
So why shouldn’t a client go to Fiverr for their infamous $5 logos? Aside from the increasingly bad reviews they’re receiving, consider what you actually buy for $5.
Is your company’s brand only worth the price of a premium cup of coffee?
For some, maybe. That’s why determining how much a client values their brand is a key factor in establishing cost—ultimately an investment. Though, if a client is okay with whatever logo they can get for $5, then Fiverr or a similar business may be what they’re looking for. But what they may not realize is that it can really end up costing them a lot more than they paid to begin with. How about losing new business?
Is your logo costing you potential business?
Consider these factors that surround a possible customer’s perception of a business:
- How credible is the business?
- Are they established?
- Are they worth what they’re charging?
- Do they offer better products and services than their competitors?
These are just a few things customers consider before reaching a decision, but you get the idea. Your logo is what people think about you before they know you. In many ways, it’s your company’s first impression—which needs to be a good impression. The logo should at least form positive answers to those questions and a professional logo designer can help with that.
Look at these two examples of logos. Which one makes you feel more confident about doing business with them?
Creating the proper logo is very important for developing new business. If you can confidently answer yes to these questions, then you may already have an effective logo:
- Does my logo represent my company’s culture well?
- Is it professional, memorable, legible, and unique?
- Can the logo be reproduced in many different ways?
The process involved to create an appropriate and effective logo should not cost as much as your lunch. Though, in some cases, you may get lucky. Most professional logo designers go through the following steps for developing a logo:
- Design Brief: A detailed look into the client’s business and what the company’s brand should say to its target audience.
- Research & Discovery: Industry related research to establish a foundation for ideas.
- Inspiration: Review of current trends to avoid and successful design characteristics of others in the company’s industry.
- Conceptualize & Design: Sketch concepts and begin designing the logo.
- Pause & Reflect: Reflect on their concepts and revise to improve their designs.
- Presentation: Prepare visual mockups of the client’s logo options for their approval or to make revisions.
- Finalize: Once a logo is approved, prepare all the logo variations and files.
You can bet if you’re paying $5 for a logo, this process is not being done—at least not thoroughly.
What do you think?
How much have you paid for a logo before? Do you feel the cost was fair for the quality of work you received? Share your thoughts below!
If you’re not sure if your logo is effective enough or would like to receive a proposal for a new logo, please contact me. I’d be glad to help! Or you can review my portfolio for some examples of the work I do.
Although the “Tree Doctor” art breaks every possible rule of a logo, to be honest I would feel a lot more confident doing business with them, than with the “Mason landscape design”. The “Mason” looks like any other free clip art logo out there. It’s cold and it has no personality in it.
But from the “Tree Doctor” I can already feel their personal friendly approach. They probably created that logo themselves, and wanted to take extra care of it, just like they do in their business. Adding all those elements might look like a lot of bells and whistles, but from that small lotus flower I can already expect to hire a caring person with a feminine touch. She might not be a graphic designer, but I can bet she is very honest and determined in the job she does.
Good point, Alexandrova! There is much to be said about how a logo makes the viewer feel. Design principles aside, the emotions a logo evokes in the viewer is far more powerful than any visual trends.
Thanks for sharing!
— James