I Can't Believe How Tough It Is to Hire a Logo Designer!

Have you tried any of the dozens of freelance sites like Fiverr?

You can find a company a way cheaper than that easily , but still so expensive.

Mate just go to netmencorp. You dont have to hire anyone, they are a legit company, so you just pay them and they do the job. Easy.

Hey Bob, good on you for sharing that resource mate.

You might want to remove Gary's email address though, otherwise he'll get hammered with spam.

I'll design your logo.

http://www.warriorforum.com/warriors...ml#post4542022

You have PM.

Daniel

I absolutely agree with this. Check out his portfolio on his WSO. Really great guy!

Here's a somewhat different approach that might work for you.

I wanted a cartoon "logo" to use for some projects I have in the works. I went out and looked at the webtoonists whose work I really liked, and picked the one whose style I thought would fit what I wanted.

Emailed him and asked if he did that kind of thing and, if so, how much he'd want. He said yes, asked for more details, and gave me a price based on my specs. I sent him money and got exactly what I wanted. He got some cash and a happy customer with a big mouth.

The whole "supporting an independent storyteller" thing was a nice bonus.

You can do the same with pretty much anything. Find someone whose work you know is good, and pay them what it's worth. The key to this approach is being patient, precise, and pleasant. Treat people right and pay them well, and you'll be amazed at what they'll turn out for you.


Paul

Like Strasburgo, I used 99Designs.com and LOVED them. I ended up with a logo I absolutely LOVE!

Design and designers have been the bane of my business existence. I've HORRIBLE experiences with designers overall. Either they weren't professional or their skills just weren't up to par -- mostly both. What I hated most was that I was always out the money, whether I liked the work or not. Typically, I've worked on a 50% down, 50%-upon-completion arrangement. This seems to be fairest arrangement to both the designer and me.

However, I'm out the 50%, even if I don't like what I get. Plus, the re-do's are very limited. Now, I'm not a PITA client. (I was a freelancer myself for a long time, so I "get it.") But if the mockup/first/second draft were not at all what I wanted, I don't think I should have to pay anything. Instead, I was out the money AND stuck starting over!

I've been burned too many times.

And I mostly flat out refused to use Warriors for design. My experience has been that their skills and professionalism just aren't up to par. I'm building a serious business. I WON'T be held hostage again.

So I went with 99 Designs because 1) I could get my money back and 2) I could choose from "unlimited" designs and designers. Plus, since they wanted to win the project, they were very responsive to my requests for changes. No more designers who ignored me altogether! Yay!

(I had a web designer (NOT a Warrior) who, toward the end of the project, flat out ignored me and didn't finish the website. Since the site was the last thing I needed done, my business was literally held hostage by a designer! NEVER AGAIN! )

I later had my website re-done completely, but not through 99 Designs. I used a designer recommended by a colleague and paid $2500 for it. The design is GORGEOUS and the designer very professional. I was nervous given the amount I was paying and my previous experiences. But she was very professional and did what she said she was going to do WHEN she said she was going to do it.

And her and her team's skills were up to par. I'm THRILLED with my new website design!

Michelle

I must have been deluded to assume we had a community here..... [/naive]

"I scratch your back, you scratch theirs".

Fellow Warrior Cindy Ramsay does most of my graphics stuff, including minisites, headers, and ebook covers, and she can do logos too. She's very reasonably priced, and I highly recommend her.

The biggest issue with logo design....communication. Far to easy to blame the designer. Oh, and I absolutely love the idea that "if they were a professional, they would KNOW what I want" That one makes me laugh every time.

Most of the time, if you're working with a designer who has impressed you with their portfolio and does quality work, the problem is probably one of two things:

1- You don't really know what you want

2- Your ideas are ugly and you need advice

All the entitlement in the world isn't going to produce you a great logo. Logos are hard because a logo is so important to a business. Keep that in mind and be patient and helpful.

Find a price point and a portfolio you're satisfied with and then do your own research FIRST! Seek out some comparable logos or artwork/graphics you at least sort of like and do your best to put into words exactly what you want it to be. Show up with a plan.

Just like with anything else, you get what you pay for. Be mindful of the price you are willing to pay because believe me, it directly effects a designer's ambition to please you. A good designer should always give you a rough draft and a vote of confidence before the work gets done. If not, request that and remember the meaning of "rough draft" before you freak out if it looks rough at this stage. Think of it this way, ever see an animator draw? They start with a rough shape and continuously refine it until they get what is in their head onto the paper. No different in any aspect of design. It takes refinement and time.

If you can truly tell yourself that you did all you could to get your vision across to the designer you choose, only then can you lay all the blame on them. Anyone who decides to just do it themselves is probably plastering a crappy logo at the forefront of their business image. Many fail to realize how forgiving they are of their own lack of design skills and how overly critical they are of a genuine effort on their behalf from someone who actually does possess the required skills.

/rant



This one goes out to all designers out there who know how frustrating it is to work with someone who wants something but doesn't know what it is.

After years of working on tons of different graphic related projects, I simply tell it how it is and give you a friendly smile as you're closing your wallet and hating my guts for not kissing your butt. Thankfully, I have that luxury nowadays. BUT, please people, be cordial and compassionate towards the designers of the world. They are typically stressed, underpaid, overworked and already extremely critical of themselves before you ever showed up.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are definitely plenty of lazy artsy fartsy posers out there trying to drift into some money. That is the nature of the beast that is this business though. Blessed is he or she that finds a good designer who is small enough to care and good enough to make it happen. Get them on your Christmas list and treat them well because online, image is everything.

Would it be fair to assume, you've actually already hired logo designers to work in advance of possible payment on some sort of trial run and you haven't got the results you desired?

I would have thought it was the exact opposite! I've always found it pretty easy to find logo designers here on WF. I had a nice one done by Logo Nerds a while back for just $27.

I priced logos with a few offline graphic designers (locally) and the average price was about £300 - I wouldn't mind paying the price if the quality was good, but I'd seen better quality work from Fiverr providers.

If there's a university near by with any sort of art program you could see if you can hire a student. The quality might be hit and miss but there's a good chance you could get it at a reasonable price if you allow them to include the logo into their portfolio.

No surprise.

Googles logo is ghastly.