It’s like paying $5 for a side of sliced tomato with your brekkie (outrageous, I know). But if you think about it, you’re not just paying for tomato on a plate; you’re paying for the farmer to grow the tomato, the work experience guy to cut the tomato, the chef to place it on the plate with garnish and the waiter to serve it to you.
Throughout life, we pay others for the gaps in our abilities (or hectic schedules) that they’re filling with their hard-earned skills. So, what makes design any different?
As business owners, you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to getting a logo designed. You could of course go online, type your business name in and ta-da! out pops hundreds of logo options to choose from. Or you could engage a professional designer/agency where you will get the VIP treatment in comparison.
When it comes to logo design, at a basic level you simply get what you pay for, and for some that’s perfectly fine. If you run a lash businesses from your lounge room, for example, or a mowing service for your small country town and you quite honestly just need something with your name in it to put beside your phone number so people can call you, then by all means, an online generator will suffice (don’t get me wrong though – you could still benefit from a pro!).
Cheap logos are cheap because they are made on mass, and the only thing that changes is the business name and maybe the colours used. It’s not unique to you, which is THE WHOLE POINT of a logo.
As with anything, there are always exceptions to the rule – Twitter for example paid iStock $15 for their logo and Nike paid a graphic design student $35 for their infamous logo all those years ago. BP however paid $211,000,000 to a design agency for their brand*, so go figure!?
We recently had a client bring us their bought-it-online logo, which they wanted to modify because it just wasn’t quite right. We had a meeting to discuss what was possible with the bought concept, and got to know them and their business.
Being good designers, we modified their concept.
We then provided a completely new idea that we thought would suit them better. Guess which one they chose? The totally unique, custom one we create just for them – proof’s in the pudding right?
Design, along with art and music, is a subjective profession. Creatives and non-creatives both have imaginations which are all unique. What I (a designer) might picture as a flower is going to be very different to what Luke, to my right (also a designer), or you imagine when you think about a flower.
By choosing to engage a design agency, you’re not just getting a $5 sliced tomato, you’re getting an organic, expertly carved, artwork of a tomato. You’re paying for the experience of the designer, everything they have learned through their qualifications and (in our case a collective 30+ years of) industry experience the design software they’re using, the notebook they sketch in and ultimately the creative imagination of the designer or design team. You’re paying us for the gap in your abilities, whether that be creativity or software skills, which we provide.
Unlike online generators, the design process when you come to a professional or an agency is much more in depth and specific to you. We are trained on what works and what doesn’t for your industry – what colours to avoid, what fonts are out of date and overused, how to make things legible at small sizes and most importantly – not to copy or replicate another’s work.
Here’s what you should get when you pay a professional designer:
Step 1: Research
We look at who your target audience is and what they like. As qualified marketers too, the designers at Evolution have the skills to ensure your logo conveys the right message on a deeper psychological level to appeal and attract to the right audience for your brand.
We also research your competitors, and our designers discuss and plan the creation process on styles for your brand that might stand out and make more of an impact than others in your industry, if that’s your desire.
Step 2: Concepts
We explore several some unique ideas, at which time you might provide some inspiration for those as well. We will combine them with our own creative ideas. It’s important it’s understood while existing designs can inspire our designs, we will never copy or replicate another’s work. This is a fundamental rule that all designers (should) adhere to. Be cautious of those who don’t follow this rule as it could potentially cost you thousands if you choose a dodgy designer who designs by copying from an existing brand, unbeknown to you. In the end that existing brand may sue you for breach of copyright.
Step 3: Design revisions
You pick your favourites and we work with you to develop those designs further, refining them to become the perfect logo for your company.
Step 4: Final files
We export the logo in any file type and size you’ll ever need including files that are infinitely scalable! So you’ll have all you need from a tiny email footer to a massive billboard size on hand (serving you for the future). Plus we also give you a mini style guide outlining colours and fonts so you can continue your brand experience elsewhere such as embroidery companies, publications, anywhere you may advertise or feature your brand in the future.
The most important thing to remember is that, apart from our creativity, our job is to give you value for the money you’re investing in your brand. You’re paying for our creativity, our time and our special skills.
Creativity is our service to you.
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*source: https://learn.g2.com/logo-design-cost
