Your logo is the first thing people see when they come into contact with your brand. An amazing looking, professional logo has the ability to leave a lasting impression with potential customers, generate new leads, and ultimately add value to your business.
But think about the reverse…
If your logo doesn’t look great it could lead to people thinking that your products or services may not be all that great either. And that’s definitely not what you want!
So you’re probably wondering, that’s all great and all, but what options do I have to get a professional looking logo for my brand?
If this is you, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this article I’ll walk you through all the options for getting a logo from the good, the bad, the cheap, the expensive, and more! Soon you’ll be well informed about all the options out there and can make the best decision possible for how to get the logo of your dreams.
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1. Design Your Own Logo
Pros: Inexpensive, creatively stimulating
Cons: Challenging for untrained designers, time consuming
Designing your own logo may come as a very attractive option if you’re running on a limited budget…
I mean let’s be real,
One of the biggest advantages of designing your own logo is that you don’t have to pay anyone else to create it for you. With this in mind, there’s no doubt that this is the most cost effective option on the list.
If you’re tight on funds, I know the feeling.
As someone who has started multiple businesses with little to no money, I’ll admit I’ve relied on this option multiple times. (More out of necessity than anything else)
In addition, it can be fun creating your own logo! This do it yourself approach can seem appealing to many entrepreneurs who embody the ‘go getter’ attitude and love to take matters into their own hands.
But here’s the downside:
Unless you are a professional designer, it may be challenging to create the logo you’d like. It can also take time to learn how to use design programs and ultimately it could be more efficient to go through a professional if a polished logo is what you’re after.
Thinking back to my own logos that I designed, I remember being very proud of them at the time. However, now that I have worked with professional designers and have a more trained eye I realize that it’s very tough to match the quality from a trained professional.
Either way, if you’d like to try your hand at creating your own logo you can check out the free online program that I used called Canva. Although it’s not the most professional design tool out there, it’s free and relatively easy to get the hang of to create visuals that look good. If you want to try out more professional design software, many designers use the Adobe suite which includes Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
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2. Online Logo Maker
Pros: Relatively low cost, fast
Cons: Need an eye for design, services can be limiting
The next option on our list is comprised of online logo making services.
To be fair, not all online logo makers are created equal. In terms of quality, logos produced from these platforms can vary from looking like clip art to appearing genuinely well crafted.
Above you can see a logo making service which includes elements that you can make your own logo from. This means it can still be tough to craft a nice logo without a professional design eye. In addition many of the symbols and images lack a professional feel.
Other online logo makers will allow you to input your name and preferences and generate logos for you based on these preferences. The photos below show two examples of logos created for a theoretical company ‘Tiger Fitness Gear’.
In general, human designed logos will usually look more professional than those generated from an online logo maker and can be tailored more specifically to your brand. On the positive side, this option can be relatively affordable and time efficient compared to working with a real designer.
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3. Logo Templates
Pros: Relatively low cost, professionally designed elements
Cons: Not necessarily unique, need to use design software
Logo templates are a very cost effective option as you can purchase packages for as little as $50. The quality can also be relatively high because you’ll have purchased assets from real human designers.
A huge down side of logo templates is that other people may have purchased the same package to design their logo which means your finished product may not be as unique as those created through other methods. In addition, it can be time consuming to find the right logo template to use.
Another thing to keep in mind if you go this route is that you may need access to professional design software in order to use your purchased assets and create a logo. For example, to use the emblems above you’ll need access to Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
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4. Logo Contests
Pros: Provides lots of options, can give feedback to tweak
Cons: Can be expensive, time consuming
By working with a community of designers through a logo contest there’s a strong possibility that you’ll be able to find a professional logo that you like. With this in mind, the process can take a lot of time as each designer will likely make several logos and then have to go back and make tweaks based on your input. Pricing can vary wildly depending on the quality and number of designers you’re working with.
Most logo contests will allow you to upload your preferences beforehand to give potential designers direction and inspiration.
After receiving logo submissions from a contest you typically pick your favorites and can ask designers to make adjustments until you have a polished finished product that you’re happy with. This is a great option to make a logo, however, it’s no wonder this process can take a lot of time!
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5. Freelance Logo Designer
Pros: Working with a professional, high quality, fully original
Cons: Long process, expensive
Hiring a professional designer is one of the best ways to ensure that you get a professional logo that you like. With this method you can work closely with the designer so that your logo is unique, special, and tailored just for you.
With that in mind, every designer is different. You may want to do some research to find a designer that is well versed in the style and aesthetic you’re looking to achieve. Also when working with freelancers in any industry, quality can vary depending on who you’re working with.
Make no mistake about it, hiring a professional is usually a great choice if quality is important to you – but you should always do your due diligence.
Like everything else, you get what you pay for. Working one on one with a high quality designer can be more expensive and time consuming than most other options on this list.
In terms of payment this can vary from designer to designer. Some designers can work for a flat fee while others prefer to work on an hourly basis. Whatever arrangement you come up with, make sure it is agreed upon before hand. From there the designer will likely want to set up a meeting to hear your input, create several iterations, and then make tweaks accordingly until you have a product you are happy with.
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6. Logo Design Agency
Pros: Working with a team of professionals, high quality, fully original
Cons: Long process, very expensive
If money is no object, you may want to consider going through a logo design agency. This is likely to be the most expensive option on this list, however, you’ll probably get an amazing result. By choosing this option you’ll not only have great designers creating a logo for you, but you’ll have the added benefit of consultation from people who know what they are doing.
In addition to designing your logo, many design agencies can provide insights to help you develop a cohesive branding strategy. From naming, to web design, to marketing, many agencies can help your business in a variety of ways.
When it comes to your logo alone, the process of working with an agency will be similar to working with a freelance designer. Agencies will typically provide several options and make suggestions which can add some time to the process. Once you find something you like they can make adjustments until it looks just the way you want it.
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7. NewGlue
Pros: Designs are professional and original, fast, high quality
Cons: Limited number of logos in the library
The final option on this list provides a path to obtain a high quality, professionally designed logo at a fraction of the price of working with a freelance designer or agency directly.
How’s that?
New Glue collaborates with professional designers who upload their designs to the site. With thousands of high quality logos to choose from, you begin by entering your business name, colors, and styles that you like. Then our algorithm suggests logos that are the best fit for you based on your individual preferences.
Full disclosure, it’s more expensive than most machine generated logos. However, having a human designed logo provides a level of quality that is difficult to match.
With our search it’s easy to find something that fits your brand and style without the hassle of going back and forth or paying an exorbitant amount of money. You can also contact us to make changes to colors, fonts, and make adjustments so that you end up with a logo that suits you.
One of the limiting factors of this service is that the logos have already been created so you’re limited to the logos on the site. However, with thousands of logos to choose from and room for customization, it can be a great way to get the best of both worlds.
This process is also much quicker and easier than most of the other options on this list. In just a few minutes you can obtain a professional visual identity!
In this example with our theoretical company ‘Tiger Fitness Gear’ we were able to obtain a very professional looking logo in under 5 minutes for $150. When purchasing a logo you gain exclusive rights so you can be sure that the logo is uniquely your own.
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Our Recommendation
If you’re not sure which path to take to obtaining your logo, it’s at least worth giving our service a try to see if we have any logos that you like.
If there’s nothing in our catalog that suits you and quality is important, we recommend researching freelance designers or even a design agency! However at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you find a logo you’re happy with, regardless of how you get it.
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