Now you’ve identified the benefits of small business outsourcing and enthusiastically downloaded your free logo design brief, we need to switch on our search lights and scout for a great logo designer. Time to do some easy research from the comfort of your chair. Grab a coffee.

How Not to Find a Logo Designer

First it’s worth covering how not to look for a small business logo designer. Pursuing these options will leave you staring at mediocre results.

Logo Design Contests Suck

As Jacob Cass wrote in why a professional logo design does not cost $5.00, canvassing your logo design through a logo design contest is counterproductive. As the logo designers who participate aren’t guaranteed funds, their efforts will only be minimal. Upon the close of the competition… voila, a set of substandard logos.

If you want your small business to be represented by a logo that took a few minutes to create without considered critique… head straight over to a logo design contest.

Giving Logo Design To a Relative

Being able to navigate Photoshop by beveling and merging layers does not make your relative a stellar logo designer. Just like cooking a mean roast with a secret gravy doesn’t earn me the title of master chef. Unless you have a relative who is a great logo designer with results, resist the urge to tap them on the shoulder. Also bear in mind it’s harder to give criticism to a relative that’s served you up a half cooked logo design.

Steps to Find a Great Logo Designer

I am a big fan of the outsourcing website Elance. You can post any graphic design project to the site and have thousands of providers compete against one another to offer you their services. And it’s totally anonymous on your part. What an idea! After a small $10 (100% refunded) verifying transaction, Elance is free to use.  Thumbs up!

Below is an overview of the process to post your logo design project to Elance:

Posting Your Logo Design Project to Elance

I’ve used Elance on over a dozen outsourcing jobs, including three logo design projects. The process is very simple, below is a short video which takes you through all the steps.

When initially posting your logo design project, keep in mind that your project will be publicly accessible, both at the time of posting and after your project is complete. For privacy, I would advise against publishing your name or identifying details of your small business. Just post a short simple project overview such as:

“Hi, I’m looking for a graphic designer to provide a logo design service for my new small business. My small business operates in the retail industry, focusing mainly on clothes. I require three concepts and a turnaround time of 1-2 weeks. I will supply a full brief upon acceptance.”

Tip: Keep your English simple to avoid confusion as there are some great outsourcers from around the World who use English as their second language.

Once your job is posted you’ll quickly receive interest from many providers from around the World. Some may send you a tailored response to your brief, others may send a standard response. All will indicate a price they are happy to charge to work on your logo design project.

Assessing The Best Logo Designer on Elance

Now it’s your move. You need to choose the best logo designer for your small business project. To do this you need to consider:

1. The responses each provider gives

2. The bid each provider pledges

3. The feedback given on each provider’s past work

4. Each provider’s portfolio

5. Each provider’s skills

I normally develop a shortlist of 2-3 providers after paying attention to their project bid, their response and their feedback rating. After assessing these three items I hone in on assessing their portfolio and skill sets. You should be in a position to make the final decision within 5-15 minutes of assessing the bids. If you’re still unsure, you can even email them to ask them further questions.

Awarding Your Elance Job

Once you award your logo design project, send a congratulatory note to your provider, letting them know you’re looking forward to working with them. It’s only polite, and it sets a good tone for the project. Then you’ll need to send them the final logo design brief along with the timeframes.

If all is well the provider will accept your terms and your logo design project will start. You will then work with the provider via email/MSN or Skype. Good luck for your project. Let me know how you go.

Check out Elance. It’s free to use and browse

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com