How To Choose a Logo Designer

Thanks to the gig economy, you can now hire logo designers from around the world. However, this also means that now you have to be more careful than ever while hiring professional services. In today’s blog post, I will offer some helpful tips on choosing a good logo designer that suits your business needs and budget.

Note that you can also use these tips to hire other professionals as well (graphic designer, web designer etc.). And if you are an aspiring logo designer yourself, these tips will help you discover what qualities and traits clients and employers are looking for. Thus, you can promote your services likewise.

So without further ado, here’s how to choose a logo designer in 2020:

Experience and Skill Level

To start off, you should first look for a logo designer with significant experience in the field, particularly in the niche that you operate in. This is not to suggest that new or relatively inexperienced designers cannot do a good job (see next point). What I mean is that industry experience makes it easier to work with a logo designer as s/he will be well versed in the design trends and will have an idea on what works in a particular niche and what doesn’t.

In case you’re wondering, we at FullStop™ have almost a decade of experience designing logos for all kinds of businesses in industries as diverse as real estate and cosmetics and consulting companies to sports.

Strong Portfolio

This follows from the previous point. You cannot judge the creative and technical abilities of a logo designer without checking out his previous work. Some logo designers, especially new ones have a portfolio that mostly or exclusively comprises logos published on their blog or Instagram pages rather than designed for real brands. And while this is also a good way of judging ability, it gives you no clue about the professionalism of the logo designer (see next point).

So you should also ask for testimonials from past clients or colleagues. Of course, it all too easy to generate fake testimonials. Which means you also need to check the validity of the testimonials by looking up the web address or emailing the person who wrote the testimonial. This is also a good way to find out whether the client even exists!

In addition, you can also check for published works, i.e. whether the logo designer’s work has been published in books or magazines. Awards and competition wins are also good indicators of how recognized a logo designer really is. 

I, of course, have a diverse portfolio that includes thousands of SMEs as well as major corporations who have also given favorable reviews.

Professionalism

Moving on, professionalism and strong communication skills are almost as important as skill and creativity when choosing a logo designer. Business professionalism everything from clear communication, adhering to deadlines (and timely communication of delays), time management and attention to detail. So when prospecting a logo designer, see how well he communicates with you and how prompt he is in addressing queries and follow-ups.

Does he even make an effort to present himself as a professional logo designer?

Customer service also ties in with professionalism. Does he respond within 24 hours to your emails and messages? The top logo designers are those that lavish their clients with generous amounts of service. Of course, they also charge likewise!

The Right Questions

One of the defining features of experienced and competent logo designers is that they ask you the right questions. The questions are necessary for them to determine your business goals and your specific logo design needs. Not to mention, the best logo designers are those who learn to read between the lines and try to determine the exact logo requirements you have in your mind.

The right questions are those that revolve:

• Your company’s history
• The industry or niche your company operates in
• Your target market
• Competitors
• Company goals, mission, vision and values

Each logo designer worth this salt will have a questionnaire in place that clients have to answer before the design process can even begin.

Cost

You may wonder why I haven’t listed cost as the number one factor when choosing a logo designer. Well, that is because it isn’t. Yes, you get what you pay for, but this isn’t the only indicator when it comes to logo design services.

Even then, the cost is usually the most important factor for most clients. What you need to understand that each logo design is priced differently. Your answer to the questions listed in the previous section are also indicators of how your project will be priced.

You can check out my in-depth blog on the cost of logo design in 2020 (or shoot me a message for a custom quote for your project).

Network and Affiliations

Another way of assessing the worth of a logo designer is to see how recommended he is in your network. Also, is he affiliated with any design association or publication? Although affiliation isn’t necessary for logo designers, it does show dedication to their work.

The Process

Last but not least, good logo designers are those that have a process in place. They are many ‘logo designers’ out there who are operating mills, churning out one logo after another at dirt cheap rates. In fact, low prices and the fast turnover, rather than the quality of the work, are their USPs.

So avoid logo designers that offer 48-hour or 24-hour delivery promises. Likewise, if you are a logo designer, you should avoid clients who ask for quick deliveries. It works both ways.

Think about the best brands out there. They have logos that have stood the test of time. Ask yourself, how long do you think your logo will be in use? Ask me, and I will say I want my logo to last at least a decade, and my brand to last a lifetime. That is why I will not my logo to be designed in a couple of days.

On average, it takes around 48 hours to share initial design concepts and almost one week to finalize the logo, but it can even take longer. Like cost, time shouldn’t be a factor to consider when choosing a logo designer.

So that’s about it! These are some helpful tips you can use to find logo designers. If you have already worked with logo designers before, let me know in the comments how your experience went. Also, feel free to add to this list.