Logo is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of any company. Logo is the brand image that you don’t want to mess up. I personally don’t use internet explorer because I don’t like the logo. Even though it’s a personal choice, you might be missing on out many potential customers because of a bad logo.
Hiring Designers vs making your own logo
I have tried both and I should admit both are equally tedious. But the main difference comes due to the experience and creativity that a logo designer has. Even if you are able to master a drawing software the quality of logo is limited by your creativity. Let’s Look at some key differences between making your own logo and hiring a logo designer.
| Hiring logo Designer | Making your own logo |
|---|---|
| Costly | Can be done for free |
| Time saving | Time consuming |
| Better quality | Low quality |
| Good creative logo assured | Depends on your creativity |
| You need not learn any software | You need to master a drawing software |
If you want to try out your hand on logo designing. you can check out our post on top free gaming logo maker to use.
Logo designer Hiring process
You should always have a hiring process in mind. Many people overlook this and end up hiring the wrong designer. You should be very clear on what you want before proceeding with the hiring process.
Write down your requirement
No matter how good the logo is, if it does not meet your or your target audience taste then it’s of no use. So be clear on what you want. Here are few things that you should list down
- What should be the Art style of your logo?
- Do you require any specific symbols or names on your logo?
- Where your logo will be used?
- Should the background be transparent or solid color?
- What File format you want your final delivery to be.
List down the available options
One thing about hiring is, there are infinite number of options. You can go with freelancers or hire an agency. If you are working on a limited budget then it’s better to go with freelance logo designers. Here are some freelance logo design websites you can use.
- Fiverr
- Freelancer.com
- Upwork
Get some Logo design portfolios
Portfolios tell you what a designer is capable of. A good designer will share if portfolio in some form or other. Remember you should never hire a designer without a portfolio. Look for the following things in a portfolio
- Are the logo designs creative or just a copy of templates available on free logo design websites?
- Does the art style match your requirement?
- Are there any client testimonials?
Final hiring step- the price
Once you have shortlisted the designers you think can make your logo, the next step is to know the price. A good professional logo designer will never charge less than $50 unless he is just getting started. New logo designers often reduce their price to get more clients but there is always a risk of getting a low-quality work. If you are ready to risk it for the price then you can try and hire a budding logo designer.
| Platform | Approx Cost |
|---|---|
| Fiverr | $50-$200 |
| Freelancer | $100-$500 |
| Upwork | $100-$300 |
Hiring an Agency vs Hiring a Designer for logo design
Agencies and freelancers do work in a totally different way. Agencies generally have more than one person assigned to your job. So, the cost will be proportionately higher. Whereas, a freelancer only accounts for himself thereby providing his service at a cheaper rate than an agency. You should not avoid an agency only considering the cost. In some scenarios, hiring an agency seem to be the better option.
When you should hire an Agency
In case of logo design, agencies offer something called as brand design. It’s not just a simple logo depicting your brand but a full set of design ranging from letter heads to email formats. Their aim is to make your brand stand out not just a logo.
This sounds very promising but it also comes with a cost. Brand designing package will cost you somewhere between $500-$5000.
Not everyone needs brand designing. For example, if you are making a logo for your game then there is no point in getting a brand design package. But if you are planning to start a game development company then brand designing will definitely help you market your products.
You are the best judge of whether you need an agency or a freelancer. List down your requirements and proceed accordingly.
other things to consider while hiring logo designers
Do they offer conceptual design?
Any design requires a concept. You need to approve the concept for the designer to go ahead and make the final copy. This reduces rework and you get to know what to expect.
Generally, a good logo designer will send you a few concept designs based on your requirements. You can select one for him/her to proceed with. If the designer is not offering conceptual design, then say No and move on to the next designer.
How many revisions do they offer?
I have got more than 10 logos made from different freelancers and never have been satisfied without revision. It is highly unlikely that the design the logo designer offers for the first time will exactly match your taste. There will be changes here and there before you finalize the design.
There are some designers out there how don’t agree for correction or demand more money for changes. It’s better to check it out before placing an order.
Do you get the source drawing with delivery?
Mostly a logo will be a high-resolution PNG or JPG file that you can resize and use as per your requirement. But what if you need slight alteration to your logo in the future. You will have to hire a logo designer to redesign the logo from scratch. This can be avoided if you have the source drawing with you.
A source drawing is the actual file in which the logo was made. If the logo is made in Photoshop, then the file will be with a PSD extension. Mostly designers give you this file for an additional cost.
Where to Hire freelance Logo designers?
Three major options to hire freelancers are Fiverr, Freelancer and Upwork. I personally feel Fiverr is the better option as it allows you to browse through freelancer, know the rates and chat with them. Many people complain Fiverr gigs are bad mainly because they don’t put in the time to filter out the right designer.
If you can spend some time and understand what the designer is offering then you might get a gem at 10% of the cost compared to other freelance websites.
How to hire better on Fiverr
- Read the bad reviews, they are mostly the honest ones.
- Don’t go with the low cost offers. If something is too good to be true then it’s definitely not what you want.
- Chat with the designer and see if he/she communicated well.
- Ask for a custom offer with your requirements.