I’ve covered the fundamentals of a good logo, now it’s time to get involved in the process of creating a great small business logo. Chances are you are not a logo designer. I’m not either. So your best bet is to complete a logo design brief and outsource your logo design to an expert. I use Elance. This gives me control over the results and the budget.
Your role in the logo design process is to steer your logo designer in the right direction. Your role is NOT to micro manage and become the creative director. The designer is the one with the skills and the experience, you are not.
A Poor Logo Design Brief Will Drive Any Graphic Designer Nuts
For the best results, you need to start with a strong foundation. You need a cracking logo design brief.
Download Your Logo Design Brief
After selecting a great logo designer, completing your logo design brief is the most important step in the process. The more detail and background you provide to your logo designer, the better your small business logo will be.
To make it easier, I have created two logo design briefs. One for a new logo and another for a logo refresh. Download these below:
Free Logo Design Brief: For Your New Logo (39kb pdf)
Free Logo Design Brief: For a Refreshed Logo (41KB pdf)
Understanding Your Logo Design Brief
Below is an overview of the information contained in the logo design briefs:
General Information About Your Logo
This is a general information section used largely for administration purposes. It includes your contact details.
Your Small Business Overview
As the name suggests, this section provides your logo designer with the necessary background on your small business. This includes its name, industry, target customer base and point of difference. The information you provide in this section gives your logo designer the rational facts about your small business.
Your Small Business Brand Attributes
This section covers your small business positioning. Unfamiliar with what your small business positioning is? Take a moment to read finding your small business positioning. Once you’ve got it nailed, complete the table, marking your current brand aspirations against your positioning ideals. If you’re starting your small business from scratch, simply record your ideals.
The information you provide in this section gives your logo designer the emotional insights into how your small business operates.
Take your logo brief seriously. Be comprehensive. Be honest.
Assessing Your Competitive Landscape
No business operates in a bubble. Your logo designer must be acutely aware of your small business competitor landscape. Name your competitors, list their websites and state how their operations impact on your small business. This information will help your designer assess whether the designs they propose are realistically reflective of your position in the market. There’s no use commissioning a logo designer to create a logo that screams ‘FAST’, if every competitor enjoys a speed advantage over your small business.
Your Small Business Logo Needs
Phew! OK, now you’ve done your home work and ticked all the boxes it’s time to get your hands dirty with the nuts and bolts of the logo design brief. This section documents the physical requirements of your logo. This includes the actual text you want to appear in your logo, whether you want a tagline or other symbols, your likes, dislikes and whether you have any colour preferences.
Note the Project details
Here’s where you indicate your budget, your timeframes and the deliverables. To make it easier for you I have listed a number of common deliverables. I have also included an ownership statement which transfers the full and ongoing rights of the designed artwork to you.
I hope you find my logo design brief beneficial. Let me know if you have any feedback.
Hi, I'm David Moloney, the writer at Small Business Planned. I want you to get the best out of your small business. To make your friends, relatives and accountant look at your business with envy 
Great idea David.
I am in the process of getting a logo done for my business so this has come exactly at the right time.
Thanks mate.
.-= Gee ´s last blog ..Jessica Watson – Truly An Inspiration =-.
Hi David,
A very useful post and logo design brief you have put together. I can see your checklist as being really helpful for anyone looking to get a logo designed. I also like the way your site content is building piece by piece to form part of a cohesive package.
I’d be interested to know what sort of cost a ‘standard’ blog logo (eg a blog header and fav-icon combo) is likely to go for on elance. No doubt this really depends on the size of the job, but a range could be useful.
Thanks to your prompting, I got around to sprucing up my 404 page. Perhaps it is time I get around to my logo now.
Cheers,
Tom
.-= Tom McEwin´s last blog ..Year of the Affiliate Review =-.
Glad you found the info at the right time Gee.
@ Tom: The cost of a logo will vary greatly depending on what your needs are. If you have a fairly good idea of what you’re after, you could probably get a logo designed for about $US80-200. If I were you I would add your favicon and banner requirement into the logo brief as well, as it wouldn’t influence the price too much… if at all.
In general, the less you pay for a designer the more likely you are to get generic results and the more you will need to direct the designer in the right direction. I’ll be going through how to pick a good designer in my next article.
Twitter: CadeArnel
says:
Hi David,
Up until now, I have created most of my own logo’s & banners for my business, and as you have highlight, it probably a task best outsourced to a professional. As it will be how your business is recognized, help capture the attention of your customers, and separate you from your competitors.
Thanks for the free logo design brief, for someone you has never outsource this type of work, it will definitely come in handy.
.-= Cade´s last blog ..Technical Analysis of Stock Trends #2 – Chart Overlays =-.
David, great post, lots of facts, and thanks for the hint about using elance.
.-= Wal Heinrich´s last blog ..By: Wal =-.