You’ve just made the decision to design your small business logo through a graphic design agency and now you’re faced with having to explain what you want it to look like to strangers: How in the world do you go about figuring it out? If you don’t have a clue, how do you honestly expect an agency to know how to show off your business offerings visually to its best advantage?In order to help you to look like you know what you’re doing, and receive the best possible outcome from that crucial logo design meeting, here are a few questions to ask yourself beforehand:
- What is the main service/product I offer my customers/clients?
- Who am I and what do I want to project to the market?
- What is unique about my business?
- If I were to represent myself/my business as an object or animal, what would I be?
- What colours best represent who I am/what my business does?
- Do I like abstract or realistic images more?
- Does my business name have a story behind it? If so, how would I represent that visually?
- Do I have a tagline? (If not, it’s highly recommended that you come up with one.)
- What am I passionate about in business?
- Do I prefer serif fonts (where the letters have slight projections), non-serif fonts (think Helvetica) or ‘scripty’ fonts (cursive)?
- Do I love patterns/texture in artwork or do I enjoy minimalistic, clean lines?
- Besides stationery, where is the logo going to be used?
- Do I want the name integrated with the image/design or must it be separate?
Once you have all the answers to these questions, bear in mind that you need to give the graphic designer some room to creatively interpret your directives. This is why it is imperative that you choose the right graphic design agency (see our article
Why do I need a graphic design agency anyway?). It’s advisable to send an email after the meeting with all the pointers discussed to avoid misunderstandings and to have a record of what was said.
Depending on the quote you accept, the agency should design three options based on this meeting and allow you three reverts (where you can change certain elements of their designs to your liking). You cannot, at this stage, ask them to come up with a whole new design based on a new idea you’ve had as this will incur further costs. It will also frustrate the designer and potentially sour the relationship.
Provided your graphic design agency is a good fit for you and is worth their salt, having a clear idea in your head of what you want before your logo design is commissioned should ensure a smoother road, preventing a costly and time-consuming redesign process. The end result? A logo that embodies the very essence of who you are and what your business does best in one glance.
If you would like to schedule a meeting to discuss your small business logo or if you wish for us to quote you,
send us a mail.
By Gaylene Jablonkay, Managing Editor
DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that information provided in this blog post is just a recommendation and is subject to change. We advise you to
contact us for professional assistance and advice rather than relying on the content supplied by the author(s) of this blog.