Recently, several hospitals in our area (Dallas, Texas!) have been renamed and rebranded. With skyrocketing costs of medical care, our honest response is weariness. Can you imagine the expense of changing logos on every piece of stationery, every form, every ambulance, every embroidered lab coat… not to mention the indoor and outdoor signage, each of which easily costs tens of thousands of dollars. Fortunately for most of our clients, logo design or logo redesign is not such an expensive undertaking. While it might have been a frivolous decision for the hospital in question (from our perspective), a well-designed logo is critical and worth careful consideration.
Low-Cost Logo Design
Have you ever seen Squarespace’s logo design tool? When it first came out a few years ago, many designers were indignant… but not us. It’s certainly possible to create a nice, minimalist logo using this tool, or similar ones. The problem is that when you go to export your logo, you generally get a file format like JPG or PNG. That may be fine for a website, but it’s not fine for letterhead, business cards, stickers, or signage.
There are also websites out there like fiverr.com, where you can pay $5 or $10 for a logo design. The freelancer might give it to you in the vector format you’ll need for printing collateral or making signage. But let’s think about this for a second. What would you do for $5? Our guess is: not much. As your mother warned you, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Alternatively, you get what you pay for.
The Difference Between a Logo and a Brand
Your logo is more than just a drawing, or your company name set in a specific font. It’s an opportunity. Your logo is generally your customer’s first experience with your company, and it should make a statement. A well-designed logo should
- Identify your industry and your company’s purpose.
- Point to your company’s values or position in the market.
- Evoke some kind of reaction or emotion in your potential customer.
Moreover, a logo and a brand are actually two different things that must work together cohesively. For example, your company could have a gorgeous logo, but a poorly executed brand. You might use your logo in your business cards, your website, and an email newsletter, but it doesn’t have much of a brand unless the typefaces, colors, design elements, and overall message are inconsistent. If you can cover up the logo and can’t tell that these pieces represent the same company, you don’t have good branding.
What to Look for in a Logo Designer
- Non-Negotiable #1: Will they do the industry research to ensure that your new logo design coordinates with your industry, but is not too similar to any of your competitors’ logos?
- Non-Negotiable #2: Will they create original illustration or artwork for your logo? Reusing illustrations or using purchased images from stock agencies is inadvisable, as most stock imagery agencies prohibit use of their images in logo designs.
- Non-Negotiable #3: Will they provide you with a vector file, as well as other file formats you might need?
- Good to Have #1: Will they give you as many revisions as it takes to get to the final result?
- Good to Have #2: Will they advise you how to use your logo in the context of a brand guide? In other words, will they give you a color palette, typographic suggestions, perhaps even stock photography suggestions?
I.T. Roadmap can confidently answer yes to all of these questions. Of course, we understand that not everyone has the budget for professional graphic design and branding experts. By seeking out a logo designer who has a portfolio you like and can accommodate the non-negotiables in the above list, you should be on the right track. Learn a little more about our approach to branding, or contact us if you are ready to get started!
