ShopForDesigns – Logo design marketplace, website design, corporate identity design, banner design, crowdsourcing.

I am generally on the internet for about 14 to 16 hours a day. Various logos have been my area of interest since the last 10 years or so. I do not know if I can call myself a logo expert but people won’t object if I say that I have fair exposure in logo design.

During my quest for best logo designs, I have come across some great logos and some awefully ill designed logos that break all barriers and norms of logo design dont’s.

So in a nutshell I would like to advice you to steer clear from naive designers who claim to make great logos for peanuts for your brand. Remember my friend there is nothing called a “Free Lunch” in this world. Good things always come for a price.

While getting a logo designed for your brand you shall always have to keep in mind that a logo is the face of your brand and it should lure your customers to your company rather than driving them off.

So here I come out with a list of 6 mistakes that most businesses do while getting their logo designed. I will also outline ways to avoid making those fatal mistakes.

1. Getting your cousin design your LOGO.

Say you are starting your own business and your second cousin is just out of graphic design school. You have low budget for your logo. What would be better than getting your cousin design the logo for your new startup!

I am sure a brand new logo designer will not have the exposure to create a great logo design. He or she will tend to use drop shadow, bevel, emboss effects to make the logo look great to him without understand the facts that such things will not reflect well in print or fax.

So, I would urge you to go for professional help to get your professional brand identity. A few dollars will not hurt your pocket but will give you enough leverage in winning the credibility of your clients.

2. Keep your logo design simple and clutter free.

Drop shadow, bevel, emboss, fancy cursive fonts, colour effects! All these sound very tempting to let go BUT just think who has the time to figure out your brand name from all these eye dazzling design effects?

Well if lot of frill is what you got in your logo design then my friend I would strongly suggest you rethink.

Logo design should be bold, clutter free and simple. If you follow these three golden rules then rest assured that your logo will definitely make a lasting impression in the minds of your customers and they will tend to remember it.

3. Always get your logo designed with vector graphics.

Remember to always get your logo designed with vector graphics or using vector graphics. Avoid bitmaps at all costs. If you do not know what vector graphics is then let me tell you that that in layman’s terms vector graphics is such a format which can be blown up in size or reduced without compromising its quality.

Always remember that you might need to print your logo in a variety of materials like promotional t-shirt, a coffee mug that you might gift your employees as Christmas gift or a fax that you might be sending out to a client. A logo might even be needed to be blow up into a huge hoarding that will adorn the freeway. Requirements could be myriad. So avoid bitmaps which will surely become hazy and grainy when blown up to a huge size. So vector graphics is the way to go for your logo design.

4. Choosing your logo designer

When you have to choose a logo designer, remember to choose a person with credentials. In this way you can safeguard yourself of a professional logo. Any seasoned logo designer will keep the nature of your business in mind and follow the conventions of designing a logo. He will also come up with a theme colour scheme for your logo or brand keeping in mind your customers or target audience. Also try to choose a logo designer who has previously worked for businesses close to the nature of your business. Considering the nature of your business is very important while designing a logo!

5. Logo design with clipart of stock photo

If your logo designer is using clipart or any kind of third party stock photo or vector image then be very sure that he has the licence of using that image or graphic. It is very important that you do not violate copyright laws. Intellectual property rights are now taken very seriously by the law. You might go undetected in the beginning but if at any point of time you are caught then it could really be a very expensive proposition for you and your company. So it’s better have all licences for the materials that you might be using.

6. Non conventional logo design!

If you think you will make your logo stand apart then let me tell you that logo design is not the proper domain to show creativity. It’s better to stick to conventions in logo design. Nobody has got time to stare and think what your logo means. They will just move on. So in your best interest it will be advisable not to challenge the intellect of your customer or visitor and its best to make an impression at the first possible opportunity.

So to summarise, I would like to say that the more new your business is you need to make your logo look so credible so that you can stand out amongst your competitors and prove the worth of your business. Happy logo hunt!