Tag Archives: logo design

Logo Specifications: Don’t Pay Up Until You Read This

Congratulations. You’ve assessed the work of your logo designer and have settled on a great logo for your small business. But before you sign the cheque, you need to secure your logo design specifications. Taking the time to ensure you have documented all your fonts, colours and files will save you a big headache in the future, should you need to tweak anything in your logo.

Make Sure You Get Your Fonts, Colours and Logo Files

Ensure You Know the Fonts in Your Logo

Your logo may feature one or more fonts. It is essential that your graphic designer documents which fonts they have used and where. Knowing the names of your fonts will make any future changes easier, PLUS you may be able to use the fonts throughout the rest of your small business to aid branding consistency.

Note: Font sets are intellectual property. If you wish to own a copy of a font set you will need to purchase a licence. It is illegal for your logo designer to send you font sets that you have not paid for. It’s simple to purchase fonts through various online font sites.

Ensure You Know the Colours in Your Logo

A paint store classifies their paint colours with enticing names such as ‘pink innocence’ and ‘baby pink”. To create each of these colours, other colours need to be mixed together in just the right combination. Going to the paint shop and stating that you want to paint a pink wall just won’t cut it. You need to know the exact shade of pink.

Knowing and enforcing your exact logo colours is fundamental to your small business brand. Ask your designer to document all the colours they have used in your logo and where these colours were used. Your designer will need to record each of your logo colours across four colour classifications. These combination include:

CMYK: A four number classification used in paper based printing applications
RGB: A three number classification used in online applications
Hexadecimal (HEX): A further online standard, useful for website coding
PMS: A worldwide standard classification used (mostly) in non-paper based printing applications

Keep these colour specifications documented in a safe place. A signwriter or web designer may call for them in the future. For example, this patch of pink below is classified with the following specifications:

Example Colour Specifications
CMYK: 6,69,0,0
RGB: 234,59,174
HEX: #E272AC
PMS: 232C

Ensure Your Logos are in Versatile File Formats

When you first engage a graphic designer, ensure you request that your final logo files are supplied in three formats. This includes:

For Your Website: A web ready JPG file (@72dpi). A web ready jpg is a low resolution picture file capable of showing many millions of colours. Since it’s low resolution, the file size of your logo is kept low. This keeps your website loading as fast as possible. Aim to keep the file size of your website logo under 50kb. The lower the better. If you manage to keep it under 12kb I’ll give you a gold star.

For Your Print Materials: A high resolution JPG file (@ 300dpi). A high resolution jpg shows your logo in all its wonder and clarity. Requesting a high resolution file (@300dpi) also makes your logo compatible with printer specifications – making it a sinch to include on stationery, brochures and product packaging. Aim to request your logo at a decent size (approx 10-15cm in diameter).

For Everything In Between: A vector file (EPS file). An EPS logo file is traditionally used in print based applications. It’s completely scalable to any size you can imagine. Do you want your logo to appear on a 20 metre sign? Or do you have visions of it being flown across the sky on the back of an aeroplane? Your high resolution JPG won’t be up to the task as it’s only 10-15cm in diameter. But your EPS logo will be able to lend a hand with no trouble at all.

Note: EPS files can only be viewed through graphic design applications. But there is a little trick you can use to preview EPS files through Microsoft Word (this was a lifesaver when I stumbled on it). Check out my tip to preview EPS files:

Artwork Files – It is a good idea to request your graphic designer’s artwork files. Sure, you probably don’t have the design software to use the files, but keeping them allows you to pass them onto another graphic designer in the future. As some designers can be hesitant about handing these files over, make sure you make request this known from the beginning.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com

Logo Design: Assess the Work of Your Designer

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There’s been many words dedicated to finding a great logo designer and downloading a free logo design brief. However there is not much direction given to how to assess the work of your logo designer.

Sure, logo design is best left to the experts. However you still need to establish a framework to encourage production of a great logo. This ensures that your logo will work across your entire small business, rather than just by itself on a screen. Follow these six steps and ensure you’re in the driving seat.

Save Time: Establish a Process to Review Your Logo Design

Only Ask for Three Logo Concepts at a Time

A great logo designer will produce dozens of logo concepts as they sketch away. However in coming back to you, your logo designer only needs to showcase their top three. You don’t need dozens of concepts top distract you. You just need to focus on a select few to be able to gauge what is working and what isn’t. Sure, if none of the presented concepts work, you can ask for more, but take a moment to really breathe the initial concepts. Does anything stand out to you as a rough diamond that could be polished into something great?

When you think your logo designer’s stumbled upon something great, it’s tinker time

Always Work With A Black Logo Design First

During the initial logo development stages, it’s important to remain focused on the structure of your logo. Ask your designer to provide design proofs in one colour only (preferably black). This will ensure that you do not become distracted by colour, but instead stay focused on the design. Colour is only added once the underlying foundation of your logo is strong.

If your small business logo does not work in one colour, it is not a good logo design.

Avoid Intricate Logo Designs

Do not choose a logo design that is too intricate. Your logo needs to be legible, recognisable and scalable across small and large mediums. You are not entering a fancy cake competition.

Be aware that you are critiquing your logo by looking at it again and again for long durations. Your customers do not offer you this luxury. They are either skimming your logo while talking on the phone, trying to find a parking spot or shielding their kids from the nearby road. Your logo needs to have impact and be simple.

Your logo MUST be legible. Do not use a flowing cursive font at the expense of legibility. If your logo cannot be read, it is next to useless.

Setting Your Logo Dimensions

Pay attention to the dimensions of your logo. Do you want a predominantly portrait (tall) logo, a landscape (wide) logo or a square dimensioned logo? Be mindful wider or squarer logos are usually a lot easier to apply to websites, business cards, products and brochures. The taller or wider a logo is, the more difficult it will be to work with.

Alternatively you can produce two logo versions – a portrait version and a landscape version. Just ensure you have clear guidelines around when one should be used over the other. Consistency is the key.

Assess Whether Your Logo ‘Works’

You’ve been unnaturally staring at your logo for days now. As you try to fend off tunnel vision, it’s time to see if your logo still cuts the mustard. It’s time to test your logo on a variety of your applications. This includes websites, brochures, business cards and any other pieces that spring to mind. To test, either physically cut and paste your new logo onto existing materials or ‘print screen’ your new logo onto your website.

Does it sit well? Does it complement and emphasise your other branding?

If you are unsure, it may be a good idea to forward examples of your applications to your designer so they can work within your required application scope.

What is the Best Colour For Your Logo?

Hurray, now it’s time to move to technicolour. Your logo designer should recommend at least two or three colour schemes. When assessing these schemes, be mindful of:

The personality of your small business
What each colour represents in your industry
The colours that your competitors use. Don’t copy
What each colour represents emotionally

For an overview of how colour influences emotion, check out the site Color Wheel Pro

Bear in mind that you can vary the intensity and shade of your colours to either soften impact or increase dramatic effect. Once colours are agreed, ask your designer to document the CMYK, RGB, HECS and PMS colour breakdowns of every colour in your logo. These are the unique codes that represent your colours across various print and online applications. Don’t worry if you don’t know what these acronyms mean, just keep the codes in a safe place for now, as you will need to reference these colours when you’re producing materials for your small business.

Did you come unstuck on any of these areas when you designed your logo?

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com

Elance: Where to Find a Great Logo Designer

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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.

Finding a Great Logo Designer is Easy if You Know How

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:

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

Free Logo Design Brief: Download Yours Now

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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.