It's long been held that trust goes a long way in building strong long term design relationships. Building all your hopes and dreams with one designer could leave you high and dry when they up their rates after you've committed to a job. So how do you go about finding a trustworthy graphic design company?
Word on the street
Some of the hippest young gunslingers are to be found hanging out in the gin palaces and opium dens of the ghetto. To the uninitiated this might seem like a frightening place to look for someone trustworthy to carry out your design brief but perservere and you may get to hear about some secret design meeting going down in the backroom of some crack festooned fleapit. Welcome to the shadowy world of the design behemoths.
Playing the field
With so many unscrupulous designers hawking their shoddy services, it pays the prudent design buyer to play off these scampa among each other. For instance one designer may be offering free lollipops with every logo design. Armed with this information, approach another design agency and see what kind of sweets you might be able to get from them in order for you to place an order. Who knows by this method of going back and forth you may be able to aquire a whole sackfull of candy at no extra cost. Sweeeeet!
Get to know your designer intimately
Mixing business with pleasure can be a dangerous pastime but when you are looking to build a long term design relationship, sometimes being bedfellows makes common sense. In much the same way as you would be unlikely to stab your husband or wife in the back (unless of course you wanted to murder your spouse in which case this makes perfect sense) it stands to reason that a designer you are regularly giving one to is probably going to be more receptive to your picky demands.
Money - the route of all evil?
So far we've discussed the psychological neccessity of maintaining a trusting relationship between designer and client. The other, sometimes neglected aspect is a sound business trust between the two parties. Ask yourself this question: is that shifty looking graphic designer going to be dipping into your wallet as soon as you're out of the room? If the answer is a probable yes then kick the devil into touch.
Listen to your heart
At the end of the day building up a trustful design relationship has to emerge from both parties. It's all very well you doubting the designers sincerity and to be fair who hasn't thought at one stage or another that a designer is ripping you off? But it's also important to trust your gut feeling about a person. There are a couple more points that you should always be aware of. Ginger haired people although renowned for their hostile nature are 99% of the time fairly honest. Blonds will steal your last penny and leave you with some hideous design work.
By: Horatio Farquaar / www.articlesphere.com
Friday, January 26, 2007
winning logo lesign - how to earn big money from your logo designs
Making a living out of selling Logo Designs can be fraught with danger. Cuthroats willing to slash your throat on street corners, drug crazed thugs and conniving conmen are just some of the things to avoid. Its a jungle out there so make sure your logo design is bulletproof.
Buy Low - Sell high
In terms of outlay the resources you'll need to produce your logo designs are pretty minimal and the returns can be huge. What you'll need is either a pen and paper or in todays modern fangled world a mouse and computer to produce your designs. Pop along to your local electrical retailer and see what offers they've got on for computers. Alternatively make one yourself out of an old radio and a broken down TV. Hey presto a fully functioning desktop publishing empire for the price of a cup of tea.
Look close to home for design inspiration
Now that you're fully set up to produce quality logo designs, you've actually got to come up with some rather fancy ideas. A good place to go for inspiration is the front living room where you'll be amazed to find lots of branded products just waiting to be copied and served up as your own logo design ideas. Another place you might want to look at is your own kitchen. Go on, take a look in your fridge - it's brimming with things like cream cheese, beefburgers and probably some skanky vegetables. If that doesn't inspire you to create, I don't know what will
Hands up who wants a logo?
Your hardest task in making your logos pay for your living is going to be finding anyone vaguely interested in what you have to offer. Once you've asked your small circle of friends and family for the umpteenth time whether they want to pay you to produce a logo for them, its time to look at advertising your services to a wider audience. Try producing a TV commercial using a movie camera and the help of a local TV production crew. Once your ad is shown on primetime TV those orders will start to rollin...
...or they would have done, but for one fact on this journey of self discovery we forgot to build ourselves a website or leave a contact number for people to call. In hindsight remember to have a website designer build you a logo design website before you spend thousands on producing your tv ad. OK, for arguments sake lets say we had a website ready beforehand and now we've got something like 200 logos to produce, how are we going to cope? Outsource, my friend and soon like this article recommends - you'll be earning BIG BIG money baby. Damned right.
By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesphere.com
Buy Low - Sell high
In terms of outlay the resources you'll need to produce your logo designs are pretty minimal and the returns can be huge. What you'll need is either a pen and paper or in todays modern fangled world a mouse and computer to produce your designs. Pop along to your local electrical retailer and see what offers they've got on for computers. Alternatively make one yourself out of an old radio and a broken down TV. Hey presto a fully functioning desktop publishing empire for the price of a cup of tea.
Look close to home for design inspiration
Now that you're fully set up to produce quality logo designs, you've actually got to come up with some rather fancy ideas. A good place to go for inspiration is the front living room where you'll be amazed to find lots of branded products just waiting to be copied and served up as your own logo design ideas. Another place you might want to look at is your own kitchen. Go on, take a look in your fridge - it's brimming with things like cream cheese, beefburgers and probably some skanky vegetables. If that doesn't inspire you to create, I don't know what will
Hands up who wants a logo?
Your hardest task in making your logos pay for your living is going to be finding anyone vaguely interested in what you have to offer. Once you've asked your small circle of friends and family for the umpteenth time whether they want to pay you to produce a logo for them, its time to look at advertising your services to a wider audience. Try producing a TV commercial using a movie camera and the help of a local TV production crew. Once your ad is shown on primetime TV those orders will start to rollin...
...or they would have done, but for one fact on this journey of self discovery we forgot to build ourselves a website or leave a contact number for people to call. In hindsight remember to have a website designer build you a logo design website before you spend thousands on producing your tv ad. OK, for arguments sake lets say we had a website ready beforehand and now we've got something like 200 logos to produce, how are we going to cope? Outsource, my friend and soon like this article recommends - you'll be earning BIG BIG money baby. Damned right.
By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesphere.com
how to find Free Business Logo Design
Free business logo design can be found in a variety of areas. There are many logo design companies that will design your free business logo design if you purchase other products from them. Some logo design businesses will provide the free logo design with website design, stationary design and web hosting. For example, you purchase your website design and hosting through them and they will design a free business logo design for you. The price you pay for the website design and hosting depends on your needs in those areas but you are able to lump your free business logo design in the package as well for no additional cost.
Many logo design businesses will also provide you with discounts on products if you purchase your stationary and envelope design through them. You may not receive a free logo design but you will be able to save a little money on other business necessities. You may also find packages that offer other free services if you purchase your logo design from them. For example, some graphic design businesses will provide you with stationary and envelope design, a black and white logo design and your logo design in a variety of useful file formats. You may not be receiving a free business logo design but the other services are free or included in the price of the business logo design.
There are many options available to businesses that will help relieve the stress on the budget. Combining packages of products that you will need for your business will help you save both time and money. You will be able to find various graphic design packages that include free business logo design with the purchase of other services. Remember that you get what you pay for in the graphic design industry. Before you commit to any package in particular you should research the portfolio and pricing of the graphic designer. Designers must also be able to show you a logo design portfolio with several different types of work. You want to be sure that the designer you choose will be able to develop a logo in your industry. Many logo designers will have their logo design portfolios divided up by type or industry. Find your industry and compare those logo design portfolios between each other until you are sure you have found the designer and logo design portfolio that you like. You should feel satisfied with the logo design portfolio that you choose. If you feel like you need to keep looking do so until you find the logo design portfolio that you are looking for.
Whether you have any artistic abilities at all, graphic designers are able to use your ideas and recreate the image in your mind. If you have some artistic abilities, you can provide the graphic designer with a rough sketch of what you envision. You may also provide them with samples that you like and would like a variation of. The graphic designer will gather as much information as they can from you for your graphic design logo. They will need to know what your ideas are and what you are looking for in a graphic design logo. They will also need to know what your business name is, the area your business is involved in and if you have any key phrases or terms that you would like incorporated. You want to design your own logo so that it is unique but you also want a logo that you can be happy with.
By: Jeff Marsh / http://www.articlesphere.com
Many logo design businesses will also provide you with discounts on products if you purchase your stationary and envelope design through them. You may not receive a free logo design but you will be able to save a little money on other business necessities. You may also find packages that offer other free services if you purchase your logo design from them. For example, some graphic design businesses will provide you with stationary and envelope design, a black and white logo design and your logo design in a variety of useful file formats. You may not be receiving a free business logo design but the other services are free or included in the price of the business logo design.
There are many options available to businesses that will help relieve the stress on the budget. Combining packages of products that you will need for your business will help you save both time and money. You will be able to find various graphic design packages that include free business logo design with the purchase of other services. Remember that you get what you pay for in the graphic design industry. Before you commit to any package in particular you should research the portfolio and pricing of the graphic designer. Designers must also be able to show you a logo design portfolio with several different types of work. You want to be sure that the designer you choose will be able to develop a logo in your industry. Many logo designers will have their logo design portfolios divided up by type or industry. Find your industry and compare those logo design portfolios between each other until you are sure you have found the designer and logo design portfolio that you like. You should feel satisfied with the logo design portfolio that you choose. If you feel like you need to keep looking do so until you find the logo design portfolio that you are looking for.
Whether you have any artistic abilities at all, graphic designers are able to use your ideas and recreate the image in your mind. If you have some artistic abilities, you can provide the graphic designer with a rough sketch of what you envision. You may also provide them with samples that you like and would like a variation of. The graphic designer will gather as much information as they can from you for your graphic design logo. They will need to know what your ideas are and what you are looking for in a graphic design logo. They will also need to know what your business name is, the area your business is involved in and if you have any key phrases or terms that you would like incorporated. You want to design your own logo so that it is unique but you also want a logo that you can be happy with.
By: Jeff Marsh / http://www.articlesphere.com
Thursday, January 25, 2007
logo designers - the 5 Point Plan to Designing a Stunning Logo
If we had a dollar every time somebody gave us their opinions on what makes a great logo we'd be able to at least buy a round or two round The Porter during happy hour (providing they'd allow payment in dollars). So, are there any big secrets to putting together a recognisable brand? Indeed there are my friends, read on if you dare...
Sign of the times
Back in the seventies it was reasonable enough for logo designers to simply choose a fat bottomed psychadelic font, add a bit of glitter, stick on a few stars and hey presto you've got yourself a logo. These days clients are a little more discerning and demand you at least use felt tip pens or magic markers to colour in the fiddly bits. So how are things likely to look in ten years time? The canny logo designer always looks backwards as well as forwards and we wouldn't be surprised to see some of those retro fuzzy felt style logos making a reappearance come the year 2020.
A call to action
When you see some of the most striking logos in the street what do they shout out to you? 'Buy Me!', 'I'm Lovely - Eat me!' or 'I am a serious looking company and far too important for the likes of you?' You see, every logo says something about us and how we go about our business. If you are really serious about getting your message accross then hit people with a big dumb no-brainer of a logo and you'll not go too far wrong.
Know your market - intimately
Market research is the be all and end all of whether your logo design is going to have an effect or not. To really know your market you've got to get inside the mind of the person you are looking to attract with your design. If you're designing a logo for a perfume manufacturer, try walking around a department store and allow yourself to be sprayed by the orange faced women on the cosmetics counter to truely get an inkling of their way of life. If you're designing a confectionary logo, act like a proper fatty and slob out on the settee stuffing your face with chocolate bars while watching the telly. Knowing your clientelle will pay dividends in the long run.
Search and you will find
Where to get inspiration from? Well it can come from many unusual places. If you've run the creative juices dry wracking your brains trying to think of a novel design for yet another dreary company logo, go and have a creative dump. The khazi may not be the first choice for the aspirational graphic designer but you'd be surprised at how many eureka moments have occurred while sat upon the porcelain straining the onions.
Create a superior broad-based secure protocol
What? I hear you ask. Well the 5th - some would say scraping the barrel - point to our logo design masterclass, is talking up your logo design using some interminable marketing speak garaunteed to fill airtime if not exactly making any sense. It's quite acceptable to offer a client a simple helvetica based typed logo design just as long as you can express to them the need for minimal juxtaposition among the ever increasing commercial based prioptic competition they are up against, while keeping a straight face. so there you have it. I think that's cleared things up. if there's any questions be sure to read the next exciting installment...
By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesbase.com
Sign of the times
Back in the seventies it was reasonable enough for logo designers to simply choose a fat bottomed psychadelic font, add a bit of glitter, stick on a few stars and hey presto you've got yourself a logo. These days clients are a little more discerning and demand you at least use felt tip pens or magic markers to colour in the fiddly bits. So how are things likely to look in ten years time? The canny logo designer always looks backwards as well as forwards and we wouldn't be surprised to see some of those retro fuzzy felt style logos making a reappearance come the year 2020.
A call to action
When you see some of the most striking logos in the street what do they shout out to you? 'Buy Me!', 'I'm Lovely - Eat me!' or 'I am a serious looking company and far too important for the likes of you?' You see, every logo says something about us and how we go about our business. If you are really serious about getting your message accross then hit people with a big dumb no-brainer of a logo and you'll not go too far wrong.
Know your market - intimately
Market research is the be all and end all of whether your logo design is going to have an effect or not. To really know your market you've got to get inside the mind of the person you are looking to attract with your design. If you're designing a logo for a perfume manufacturer, try walking around a department store and allow yourself to be sprayed by the orange faced women on the cosmetics counter to truely get an inkling of their way of life. If you're designing a confectionary logo, act like a proper fatty and slob out on the settee stuffing your face with chocolate bars while watching the telly. Knowing your clientelle will pay dividends in the long run.
Search and you will find
Where to get inspiration from? Well it can come from many unusual places. If you've run the creative juices dry wracking your brains trying to think of a novel design for yet another dreary company logo, go and have a creative dump. The khazi may not be the first choice for the aspirational graphic designer but you'd be surprised at how many eureka moments have occurred while sat upon the porcelain straining the onions.
Create a superior broad-based secure protocol
What? I hear you ask. Well the 5th - some would say scraping the barrel - point to our logo design masterclass, is talking up your logo design using some interminable marketing speak garaunteed to fill airtime if not exactly making any sense. It's quite acceptable to offer a client a simple helvetica based typed logo design just as long as you can express to them the need for minimal juxtaposition among the ever increasing commercial based prioptic competition they are up against, while keeping a straight face. so there you have it. I think that's cleared things up. if there's any questions be sure to read the next exciting installment...
By: Horatio Farquaar / http://www.articlesbase.com
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