Graphic Design - Logo

[oilydan]

My wife has incorporated her first business after coming up with a pretty good idea. I have come up with an awesome name for the product and we have test pieces/prototypes in-hand. We are ready to start spending on lift-off....

I have the domain and now need a logo put together so we can print on the prototypes, get some photos and make a website. We know exactly what we want it to look like so we just need someone to draw it for us.

I have a quote from a local web designer but it seems a bit rich for just drawing it for us. I think the website is a bit steep too but that's another story.

How much should we be looking at for a logo. It is a simple text (9 letters) logo with one of the letters having a little arty bit added.

Anyone here a designer that is up to the task?

[MrOrange]

Logo: between £5 and a lot (https://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-much-did-they-cost)
Website: between £500 and a lot (http://www.onlinedesignuk.co.uk/odblog/index.php/web-design/the-105m-website-the-most-expensive-website-ever)

I'd set a budget, then hunt for folks that will work to that budget.

[FrankAbagnale]

I have been in a similar situation recently.

For an online approach that is quick and seamless - https://99designs.co.uk/

Or, go on to behance.net which is a site where freelance designers flaunt their portfolios. Free to register and you can search through designers you like by skills and/or location - then contact them to see if they'd like some work.

[Foliage]

Draw the logo yourself see how it comes out.

[oilydan]

MrOrange said:

Logo: between £5 and a lot (https://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-much-did-they-cost)
Website: between £500 and a lot (http://www.onlinedesignuk.co.uk/odblog/index.php/web-design/the-105m-website-the-most-expensive-website-ever)

I'd set a budget, then hunt for folks that will work to that budget.

Logo should be somewhere between google and twitter. Almost literally, design-wise.

I think I'll learn the web thing and do the site myself.

The artistry of the logo however, cannot be learnt. It should come from raw talent

If any art students want to earn a 50 for an Xmas night out......

[Simpo Two]

oilydan said:

We know exactly what we want it to look like so we just need someone to draw it for us.

If you exactly what you want you don't need it designed, you need it originated. ie no creativity, basically just colouring in.

oilydan said:

The artistry of the logo however, cannot be learnt. It should come from raw talent

If any art students want to earn a 50 for an Xmas night out...

Sooo, do you want it designed, or do you want your design coloured in?

[oilydan]

Simpo Two said:

oilydan said:

We know exactly what we want it to look like so we just need someone to draw it for us.

If you exactly what you want you don't need it designed, you need it originated. ie no creativity, basically just colouring in.

oilydan said:

The artistry of the logo however, cannot be learnt. It should come from raw talent

If any art students want to earn a 50 for an Xmas night out...

Sooo, do you want it designed, or do you want your design coloured in?

See, I dont even know the terminology

I can describe the logo, I need it drawn.

9 letters in a particular font/style with one of the letters having a small Beatrix potter style illustration added to it. All black and white so no colouring pencils required

[Digitalize]

You want someone to design a logo based on a brief, whilst skirting around the issue of just copying existing reference logos, and licence you to use it commercially for £50?

You'd probably be paying them less than £2.50 an hour, after the inevitable alterations and consultations.

[Lexual]

MrOrange said:

Logo: between £5 and a lot (https://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-much-did-they-cost)
Website: between £500 and a lot (http://www.onlinedesignuk.co.uk/odblog/index.php/web-design/the-105m-website-the-most-expensive-website-ever).

Some insane figures in there!

Couple of donuts and a pint for mine..




OP, if you want to send me a sketch of what you're after I can have a crack at it... email me [e-mail]

[oilydan]

Digitalize said:

You want someone to design a logo based on a brief, whilst skirting around the issue of just copying existing reference logos, and licence you to use it commercially for £50?

You'd probably be paying them less than £2.50 an hour, after the inevitable alterations and consultations.

No, I want someone to draw a logo, based on a comprehensive description. I could draw it myself in 20 minutes. But I have the artistic talent of a 3 year old so it wouldn't look right. Oh, and I would not have a clue how to digitise it.

What is the issue with existing logos, that I seem to be skirting around? Mine is unique. I think.

I would hope that, if I paid someone to draw a logo for me, that it would be solely mine.

£2.50 an hour? Are you suggesting it would take 20 hours work to do? A full 2 and a half days of 9-5; Is that how long these things take? I'm not sure there would be any consultations or alterations if my instructions were to be followed.

[oilydan]

Lexual said:

MrOrange said:

Logo: between £5 and a lot (https://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-much-did-they-cost)
Website: between £500 and a lot (http://www.onlinedesignuk.co.uk/odblog/index.php/web-design/the-105m-website-the-most-expensive-website-ever).

Some insane figures in there!

Couple of donuts and a pint for mine..




OP, if you want to send me a sketch of what you're after I can have a crack at it... email me [e-mail]

Kind of you to offer, but I don't want to freeload. I will send you the brief if you want a look at it but would want to pay properly if you can do it properly! IYSWIM.

I like your logo; it's similar to another one I had done for my other company, it cost me a ride in my race car...



This new one is quite different though...

[Digitalize]

oilydan said:

No, I want someone to draw a logo, based on a comprehensive description. I could draw it myself in 20 minutes. But I have the artistic talent of a 3 year old so it wouldn't look right. Oh, and I would not have a clue how to digitise it.

What is the issue with existing logos, that I seem to be skirting around? Mine is unique. I think.

I would hope that, if I paid someone to draw a logo for me, that it would be solely mine.

£2.50 an hour? Are you suggesting it would take 20 hours work to do? A full 2 and a half days of 9-5; Is that how long these things take? I'm not sure there would be any consultations or alterations if my instructions were to be followed.

So you claim to have no artistic talent, but are giving the designer no artistic freedom to create something based upon your vision?

You mentioned in between Google and Twitter, I was assuming in style.

It will be yours to use, but you'll commonly licence it for a period of time, say 2-3 years, then you can either refresh the design or re-licence it for longer. Smaller freelance designers might not do this, especially if they haven't been through formal education, but none of the designers or illustrators I went to university alongside would produce commercial work without a contract of intent of usage etc.

Based on how strict your idea seems to be, I can pretty much guarantee unless the designer got very lucky that there would be alterations to be made. And you'll probably spend an hour or two talking over the idea, describing your design, maybe some rough sketches to help you get your raw idea on to paper. If you get close or bang on in that time then maybe 10 hours work total, as they'll be creating a font from scratch, and perfecting it, possibly offering variants for you to choose from etc.

If you're wanting to use an existing font, it will depend on the licence of that font as to whether it can be used freely for commercial use, I believe all standard fonts installed with an operating system can be, ones sourced from elsewhere often have a charge for commercial use.

A designer isn't a machine where you input some values and get the end result, they're a person, and a creative one at that. Work with them and understand their process and the end result will be vastly better than telling them exactly what you want, and not to deviate from that.

It really does depend on how complex your idea is at the end of the day, I was envisioning something a bit more complex than the examples posted admittedly.

Edited by Digitalize on Monday 28th November 17:29

[oilydan]

Digitalize said:

oilydan said:

No, I want someone to draw a logo, based on a comprehensive description. I could draw it myself in 20 minutes. But I have the artistic talent of a 3 year old so it wouldn't look right. Oh, and I would not have a clue how to digitise it.

What is the issue with existing logos, that I seem to be skirting around? Mine is unique. I think.

I would hope that, if I paid someone to draw a logo for me, that it would be solely mine.

£2.50 an hour? Are you suggesting it would take 20 hours work to do? A full 2 and a half days of 9-5; Is that how long these things take? I'm not sure there would be any consultations or alterations if my instructions were to be followed.

So you claim to have no artistic talent, but are giving the designer no artistic freedom to create something based upon your vision?

You mentioned in between Google and Twitter, I was assuming in style.

It will be yours to use, but you'll commonly licence it for a period of time, say 2-3 years, then you can either refresh the design or re-licence it for longer. Smaller freelance designers might not do this, especially if they haven't been through formal education, but none of the designers or illustrators I went to university alongside would produce commercial work without a contract of intent of usage etc.

Based on how strict your idea seems to be, I can pretty much guarantee unless the designer got very lucky that there would be alterations to be made. And you'll probably spend an hour or two talking over the idea, describing your design, maybe some rough sketches to help you get your raw idea on to paper. If you get close or bang on in that time then maybe 10 hours work total, as they'll be creating a font from scratch, and perfecting it, possibly offering variants for you to choose from etc.

If you're wanting to use an existing font, it will depend on the licence of that font as to whether it can be used freely for commercial use, I believe all standard fonts installed with an operating system can be, ones sourced from elsewhere often have a charge for commercial use.

A designer isn't a machine where you input some values and get the end result, they're a person, and a creative one at that. Work with them and understand their process and the end result will be vastly better than telling them exactly what you want, and not to deviate from that.

It really does depend on how complex your idea is at the end of the day, I was envisioning something a bit more complex than the examples posted admittedly.

Edited by Digitalize on Monday 28th November 17:29

Thanks for the insight.

I only make comparison with Google/Twitter as they were in the link posted and cost $0 and $15 respectively!! Mine is similar in that it has only lettering and an animal!

It probably would be wrong of me to assume that my design is as good as it gets for my logo and to put the designer on a leash. I guess that would be an ever-present menace for a designer; clients that know best!

Seems strange paying for a logo but having to pay to use it every few years. The quote I initially had transfered all rights upon payment. If I bought a painting I wouldnt expect to have to pay the artist every few years to keep it hung in my gallery?

Anyway, sending the brief to Lexual for some feedback...

[MrOrange]

Just a quick note on logos that might help when you brief it

• You'll need different aspect ratio versions (square, tall, wide) if you plan to repurpose it for different uses
• Request a monotone version and one that works on a reversed background, too
• You need full IP ownership, too, for use anywhere in perpetuity
• Make sure the license for the font is included, or specify an open-source or Creative Commons license
• Get original indesign/illustrator/photoshop layers files so your next designer can modify it without mullering it
• Get an accompanying style/usage guide to include Pantone, RGB, font weights etc
• Pay for it. Properly.

If you pay £50, how many hours are you expecting the designer to work? 5 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes?

Oh, and only do "I think I'll learn the web thing and do the site myself" if you're not serious about using digital channels and it's just a brochure/signboard holding space (in which case Wix is your friend)

Edited by MrOrange on Monday 28th November 18:15

[tpalmer]

Digitalize said:

It will be yours to use, but you'll commonly licence it for a period of time, say 2-3 years, then you can either refresh the design or re-licence it for longer. Smaller freelance designers might not do this, especially if they haven't been through formal education, but none of the designers or illustrators I went to university alongside would produce commercial work without a contract of intent of usage etc.

Licensing a logo is an utterly ridiculous concept (Especially for an SME) and most definitely not the industry standard for your reference OP.

[HoHoHo]

Why do I chuckle every time I read a thread like this

A logo is so important, so go to a designer and pay the right money and get it right.

Any monkey can design a logo for a fiver or a pint but it will look like a fivers worth of work!

[akirk]

MrOrange said:

Just a quick note on logos that might help when you brief it

• You'll need different aspect ratio versions (square, tall, wide) if you plan to repurpose it for different uses
• Request a monotone version and one that works on a reversed background, too
• You need full IP ownership, too, for use anywhere in perpetuity
• Make sure the license for the font is included, or specify an open-source or Creative Commons license
• Get original indesign/illustrator/photoshop layers files so your next designer can modify it without mullering it
• Get an accompanying style/usage guide to include Pantone, RGB, font weights etc
• Pay for it. Properly.

If you pay £50, how many hours are you expecting the designer to work? 5 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes?

Oh, and only do "I think I'll learn the web thing and do the site myself" if you're not serious about using digital channels and it's just a brochure/signboard holding space (in which case Wix is your friend)

Edited by MrOrange on Monday 28th November 18:15

This...

Lots of folks out there will do a logo for £50, but expect anyone serious or competent to charge more...
I am always amazed by people who start businesses and won't invest in them... if you are starting on a shoe-string and it is more important for example to invest in the product, then go for a basic logo you can create... if though you are trying to build a professional company with a consistent brand, do it properly.

[Evolved]

Why do people put such little value in their branding and over all company appearance? I'd suggest spending the money and getting it right the first time around.

Without any disrespect to the logos shown, they all look like they were done for free! A little bit of clip art with a font and away you go.

Op you say you think the prices are steep, if he's planning on doing a proper job then it's going to cost.

[HoHoHo]

akirk said:

This...

Lots of folks out there will do a logo for £50, but expect anyone serious or competent to charge more...
I am always amazed by people who start businesses and won't invest in them... if you are starting on a shoe-string and it is more important for example to invest in the product, then go for a basic logo you can create... if though you are trying to build a professional company with a consistent brand, do it properly.

Totally agree

[Speedhunter]

I'd try upwork.com or peopleperhour.com