Want a Cheap Logo?

Sites like PixelLogo and LogoYes offer incredibly cheap logos, starting as low as $39 — which can seem like a real steal if you look at the fact that my logo packages start around $150. But the actual value of such a deal isn’t quite what a you might hope for.

A logo, like other elements of a your brand (yes that is what you’re creating), is meant to set you out from the crowd. The idea is to make your company more recognizable to prospective customers — to create a unique identifier. But when you purchase a logo through a service that just lets you browse through a collection of pre-designed logos, you won’t be getting a unique identifier. It’s still relatively rare to run into someone who has bought the same logo as you have — but it happens. And as more businesses purchase logos from these sites, the likelihood of encountering someone in your city using the same logo is going up.

The moment your logo is no longer unique, its value drops to nothing. Even if it isn’t being used by a direct competitor, having the same, or even similar logo as another business in your area can actually harm your business. It creates some confusion on just what your business does, assuming that customers don’t just assume that you copied their logo. Neither option is good for growing your business

The moment your logo is no longer unique, its value drops to nothing.

A logo can be a very valuable addition to your business: the right logo can be a key part of your marketing strategy. The right designer (hi) can create a logo that catches eyes in your target demographic, that reflects the product or service you offer and that identifies you in a crowded industry. But a generic logo, with your business name added in, can’t do any of those things. Consider a logo in terms of an investment: if it can help you land multiple sales, you can get a definite return on that investment.

When considering your logo design options, taking a look at what freelance graphic designers, like myself can offer you is a good starting point. There’s no cost for browsing through designers’ portfolios and seeing what they’ve been able to do for other clients. You’ll notice some key differences if you compare a freelancer’s portfolio to the offerings of a logo service. One crucial difference is that many freelancers incorporate the name of the business that they’re developing a logo for, as opposed to logo services, which tend to simply print the name below the logo — after all, if the name is closely tied into the logo as a whole, it’s harder to swap in a different business name when it comes time to resell a logo.

You can purchase a logo and put it on a business card or a website, but you’ll likely find that they don’t quite seem to go together.

You may also see that good designers will offer a step beyond designing just a logo for your business. You can get a complete identity for your business — a logo that matches your website, which in turn matches your business card. While you can purchase a logo and put it on a business card or a website, you’ll likely find that they don’t quite seem to go together. Even little things, like not having access to the font that was used in your logo, can make it difficult to present your business with a cohesive image.

In the end, the upfront cost of working with a me is going to be more than purchasing a logo from an online service. But a unique logo is more valuable in the long run: as your customers associate that logo with your business, and your business alone, you’ll see both increased interest and increased loyalty. You’ll get a return on the investment you made in your company’s brand. Content inspired by Thursday Bram.