How Easy Or Difficult Was It For You To Get A Logo?

Melissa

We've given it a few tries with different people and each one pretty much sucks. It's frustrating.

So how was it for you? Did it take a few tries? How much did it cost? Is it true that you get what you pay for when it comes to logos?

RobertCDF

I know mine is not the greatest in the world... But it only cost a few hours of work on photoshop. I kind of wish I was more creative it would look better if I was.

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Robert Shaw
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DecksEtc

A friend (Graphic Designer) of my girlfriend designed mine. Cost me a case of beer and a round of golf.

I'm sure that doesn't help you though.

Tscarborough

I have done some, but what is hard is for the company to actually decide what they want. It is not enough for you to say, "make me a logo", you have to be much more specific. Imagine it as a project you yourself would bid on. Would you like the specification to be detailed or so general that it is impossible to bid it, much less satisfy the customer?


Just like in construction, poor specifications lead to poor results.

Some areas you need to address:

Colors. You need to specify both hexadecimal (web) and Pantone colors, so that your web and printing needs are addressed.

Sizes required: Truck signs, billboards, business cards, letterheads, websites. What exactly do you require?

Existing logos: If you have history, it needs to be addressed in a new logo.

Personal preferences: You should always provide examples of other company's logos that you find attractive or effective.

Good luck, since a proper logo is very important to branding yourself.

Mike Finley

BAH! HAH HAH!

Funny you should ask! Just got the final art files emailed to me tonight.

If I told you all the details you would either slap me or tell me I'm a liar.

3 designers... 8 months.... and $2400 later...

Bone Saw

although i'd have to say you're insane, that looks good, and will look pretty f'n sharp on the side of a green, burgundy or white van

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Spectatorz

This is Very Good ADVICE !!!
Make a list of your answers to these issues and it will most surely help to define what you are trying to get from a Designer.

I suggest you might try the services at : www.elance.com

Good Luck

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i_plant_art

i have used www.mychickenart.com for all of my logo and advertising work. the girl there (maria) does a wonderful job. she is also vcery reasonable on pricing as well. check out our web site listed in the signature and u will see my logo there.

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"Anyone doing it cheaper AND being insured is running a CHARITY"

jproffer

Made it myself on Excel and MGI PhotoSuite so it's no pro job...but then again it didn't cost $2400 eh Mike? ...just kiddin' bro, yours looks sharp as he||


EDIT: WOW that looks bad with all the extra on the right side, but it's not there when used.

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Jim P.

reveivl

Nice stuff, Mike, I'm sure it's worth every penny.


I've been to the rocky mountain bathroom.

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realpurty2

After several unsuccessful attempts on Elance and GetAfreelancer.com, we finally settled for the logo we have now. If it wasn't already branded everywhere, associated with us all over the region and plastered on every single thing that is company related, I'd scrap it and start over. It seemed logical at the time in hopes of representing both the construction division and the residential division, but on hindsight, I consider it cartoonish in nature and the fine details are hard to replicate on different forms of media. For example, the cone on the web version is orange and black since the background is usually white or transparent. On the embroidered demin workshirts, it's just black stripes up the cone and the orange isn't much different than the red in the name. On the maroon work truck's magnetic signs, the orange looks brown, and you can't tell it's an electrical cord around the hard hat. In vinyl lettering on the van, it looks great...everywhere else sucks.

My long winded way of saying... really think out your decision and don't buy one until your 100% sure it will look good on any color, at any size, and be something you can stand to look at for years to come.

Mike, yours looks great, but atleast I can hate mine for the $50 it cost to get made. I'd have passed out to have spent that much on one and then have the change of heart like we did with this one.

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reveivl

Speakin' of logos I guess I should put mine on here. Rich.

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From where does knowledge come? If you need to know what is in a box, you could ask someone (not reliable), you could pray, (not useful), you can consult with the scripture (not helpful) or you could open the box (science)

Mike Finley

Crazy isn't it! But it became one of those money pits like people who start renovating a house... once I got in deeper and deeper I had too much time and money invested and had to keep throwing money at it to get er done!

But in the long run I'd pay 3 times as much if I had to. And when you consider over the next 20 years we will probably spend well over a million dollars in advertising costs to get it in front of the public $2400 is really nothing.

Besides, it should look pretty kick ass on a fleet of trucks.

A few things I tried to keep in mind during this design process was we all preach about how we want to work for the best customers, do the highest quality work we can do, we think customers are cheap skates if they don't want to spend the money on what it takes to get it done right, yet we think nothing of spending $600 on a tool that will at best last 5 years, then when it comes to something that every customer for the next 20 years will identify my company with, for some reason we have a tendency to short change ourselves by trying to do it on the cheap. My personal goal was to not go down that road. I also kept in mind the alternative would be much worse, which would be doing it on the cheap and spending countless thousands and thousands of dollars branding a logo I would one day change because I was really never happy with it from the get go.

Hey the good news is now that it's done I can finally get some new business cards!!!

Melissa

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is picky and indecisive. I wish I knew the programs and could do it myself! I was hoping my brother in law could help me out- he's a graphic artist and is always looking for side work, but he flaked out on me a year ago after only 2 tries and I even bought a logo book for $40 bucks and noted all the styles I liked. He kept the book.

Mouldings&More

Cost me $1200.00 here.

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Cole

Mouldings, I am sorry but the font is horrible.

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hatchet

Cost me $150 on sitepoint.com including business card layout.

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Rich
WIT Construction Co.
Superior MT Contractor

Mouldings&More

That wasn't the final. I have upper case B now. I do allot of work in the artist communities and I get allot of compliments from it. What don't you like about the font? I have a pic on the truck but it is to big to post and I am not very good with this computer stuff.

Bone Saw

free about 1 hour on autocad and paint

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Sider' Brian

Here's mine it just seemed to fit with us.

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