So, you have a great idea and have setup your own business. You have a business plan and are ready to start marketing your services. The first thing you need is a logo. There are many design companies offering logo design services. Some produce fantastic results whilst others offer poor quality. Before approaching a logo design company you need to ask yourself some very important questions. Do you have an idea for a logo? Does your business name make the services you are offering clear, or do you use a slogan or tagline? Do you know your Demographics? If you do not know the answers to these questions then perhaps a logo design company is a step further away; think about approaching a marketing company who can give you the advice and guidance you need to succeed. If you have done the research and know the answers, a logo design company can help.
Your logo will be the base of all future offline and online marketing so it needs to be right. Do not rush and use a logo that looks amateurish as your potential clients will see your business that way. Spend time and think about it carefully. Just because you are a start-up business it does not mean you cannot come across professional and established.
To help you achieve the logo your business needs we have compiled our top ten questions that will help you spot a good and bad logo design company.
How much do you charge?
When searching around for a logo design company it can be confusing. Some companies charge as little as £25 whilst others charge £400+.
Common sense is needed. How much work can be done for £25? The answer is, of course, very little. There are a huge number of companies on the web promoting themselves as logo design companies. The truth is most probably they are a one man band sitting in a bedroom somewhere shipping orders out to far away Countries. Very few are actually based in the UK.
Make sure you are getting a custom logo design from a UK company, overseas designers often do not understand the society you live in and will not produce a suitable logo. Look at what is included within the price i.e. custom logo designs, number of concept logo designs, support and turnaround time.
British Design Experts is part of Snowflake Creative, a web design and graphic design company based in Basingstoke, Hampshire. We offer a custom logo design packages for start up businesses at an affordable and realistic price. We give unlimited email, telephone and online chat support and turnaround all designs by the next working day. The logo designs we produce are to UK standards, designed by our professional team.
How many logo designs and revisions are included within the price?
Getting a number of logo concepts is important in the first concept stage. If you only get one or two think about what will happen if you do not like them. Too much choice can be a bad thing but having a selection of designs in the first stage is a great way of sparking ideas and finding out what you like/dislike.
Do not to get caught out with additional charges. Be clear on the amount of revisions allowed and the amount of original concept designs you can take forward. Some logo design companies offer unlimited revisions but when you dig a little deeper, they only offer very basic revisions on one logo concept such as a colour change. Any more than this and you are asking for a new concept that is then charged for.
British Design Experts offer a number of creative initial designs depending on your package and unlimited logo revisions on the custom logo design package, and we mean it. You can ask for as many changes on as many of the logos you want to take forward. We do not force you to pick just one or two designs to progress unlike many other companies.
How many designers will be working on my logo?
This is a very important question. Having only one designer working on your logo limits the creativity on a project. You will only get ideas from one person and if you are not on the same wave length it can be extremely frustrating. Even if they provide a number of concept designs and offer revisions – if you do not click with the designer there is a problem.
If you have different designers dipping in and out of the project you may find similar issues. It is important to be familiar with a project and understand what the client likes and dislikes. If you have a designer seeing project for first time and working on a revision, you may end up with something that has already been dismissed.
British Design Experts always put a number of designers on one project. Our custom logo design package that gives 6 concepts has 3 different logo designers working on 2 concepts each. That way you will see different ideas from different designers. The same designer who created concept will continue on that design and keep going until you are happy.
How quickly can you turnaround my designs?
Working with a smaller company definitely has its upsides. You get a more personal approach and they always seem to go that extra mile. When work load is high however, your project may be affected and you are left waiting weeks to see a logo design.
It is unlikely that your point of contact will be a designer but a project manager. A large number of online logo designers do not even have that. They are faceless and have no point of contact leaving you with a very impersonal service.
British Design Experts gives every client a dedicated project manager who will stay with you throughout the project. They will be available to answer any questions and always be happy to help and offer advice. We have a large team of logo designers and turnaround designs by the end of the next working day.
What files will be given to me when I approve a logo?
This is another very important question. Through your online and offline marketing your logo will probably be on everything you do. Having the right, correct logo files are extremely important and necessary. Your logo design company should provide various file formats including vector files for use with professional print along with files for the web and software packages like Microsoft Office.
British Design Experts supply a number of files suitable for print and web use. Don’t worry if you cannot open certain files, you need specialised software to open some of the files we send that are meant for professionals.
Visit our ‘Logo File Types Explained’ page to see what files are produced and how you use them.
Will my logo be completely custom and will I have ownership rights?
Make sure you check your logo is actually custom and no clipart or reused imagery is going to be included. You should have complete ownership rights to your chosen logo and confirmation from your logo design company that no part of it will be used on other projects. Unless your logo is completely custom you will not be able to Trademark or Copyright it.
In the end it will come down to trust as there is no way of knowing whether your logo design company is giving truly custom design work.
British Design Experts always work from an empty canvas. We do not reuse any part of a logo we have previously designed and give full ownership rights to our clients.
Where are you based?
Many logo design companies are based overseas. This is how they get pricing so low. Although there is nothing wrong working with companies overseas in the design industry the vast majority produce very poor and rushed work.
It is important for your logo design company to understand your design brief and communicate their thinking and reasoning behind the designs produced. Make sure the logo company you choose can communicate with you, not only the sales person you are talking to but the company in general.
British Design Experts is based in Basingstoke, Hampshire. We have both in-house and external full time logo designers that are in constant communication with us and work to the standard we demand.
What support will I receive?
When looking around on logo design websites check for contact information. Are they based where they say they are etc. and is there a number to call? Sometimes an email just won’t cut it and you need to speak to a real human with design knowledge to get your thoughts across.
You can quickly find out when looking at logo designers websites if support is going to be to the standard you want. If you cannot see contact info then the chances are they are not going to offer decent support. If they have a phone number, give it a call. It doesn’t hurt to speak and question someone for 5 minutes about the services offered.
British Design Experts do not hide behind our website. We offer unlimited email and telephone support as well as an online chat facility. We understand that designing a logo is an extremely important thing for your business and we want to get it right for you.
What software do you use to create logos?
Check out the software being used. All logo design agencies should be using Adobe Illustrator. It’s the industry standard software and all professional UK web, graphic and print agencies will be familiar with it.
Avoid your logo being designed in Adobe Photoshop unless absolutely necessary; you might just get stuck one day when trying to print a large scale item. If you are forced to use Photoshop for a design for any reason make sure it is in high resolution and to a decent size. British Design Experts always design in Adobe Illustrator unless specifically asked otherwise. It’s the safest way to produce print friendly artwork and is universally recognised.
What experience do you have/how long have you been established?
Always look at logo designers portfolio and testimonial pages. If the logos all look the same then you know they are a small company with limited designers. If what you see does not suit your business stay clear. You may find that a logo design company focuses on one particular sector so again, if this is not the look you need, stay clear.
It is also a good idea to check that the company is registered at Companies House. It is a legal requirement to display your company registration number and registered address on your website, this information can be verified at www.companieshouse.gov.uk.
An established agency should have a wide variety of logo designs and a good number of testimonials. Take a good look around the website and question them about it if you have any doubts.
