The price for logo development is all over the place. But one thing is for certain – done right, it endears you to your customers, and you love looking at it. At worst, it falls flat and doesn’t deliver the wow factor to your customers. Also, there’s something that bugs you, but you just can’t put your finger on it. More about logo design costs later. First, let’s discuss the worth and role of a logo.

A logo has to fulfill many functions which both overtly and subconsciously convey many different values and essentially what you stand for. It has to be recognizable at a glance and be memorable enough to be the cornerstone of your brand. – Lee Hallett, Senior Branding Designer

The development of your brand, which encompasses the look and feel, mission and vision, or ethos, begins with logo development. Colors, shapes, tone, saturation are a few of the elements that set the stage for customer perception. Fonts and brand colors are generally developed following your logo. Your brand assets are the foundation for every design, word and expression of communication. 

Many people think that a logo is merely a fanciful image you like. Why not create something cute, fun, adventurous, bold, subtle, or like an admired logo you enjoy such as Mercedes. However, your logo mark is the first and smallest visual element to represent your firm. Both big and small, it should speak volumes. But how?

Done right, through a extensive discovery process, a good developer/designer will tease the imperative information out of you about your business and your customers. But, it’s not from a personal perspective as one may suspect. It’s a representation of your mission, vision, and values, aligned with your customer’s interests and desires. That’s a lot to ask of a design that must pass the muster of fitting into a 1″ x 1″ size and still be legible. This is our standard, and anything less than that is a compromise. Amazon has done it, Nike has done it, and you must too, if you want to stand out head and shoulders above a sea of mediocracy.  Now that I have mentioned it, you’re probably going to look at logos like you never have before. Mostly likely, you’ll find a sea of mixed bags – a few logos that speak to you, good or bad, and many that have no impact at all. What is it that repels or attracts you, and why?

A logo is one of the hardest working pieces of design.

Executing on a world class logo mark and design element includes strategic planning, design and illustration artistry, understanding geometric designs, and knowing how to make and manipulate shapes for a unique design, executing the right colors for balance and impact, and understanding mathematical equations that render a clear message. Combined, when done well, it will be attractive and memorable to both you and your priority customers.

The example of Northwestern Contractor’s Logos in the featured image was intended to demonstrate both strength (font), flexibility (circle), precision (detail in work), industrial grade (green and gold) and a demonstration of the NW (pointing NW) to represent serving the Portland, Oregon and SW Washington Cities. This image looks great on a business card,  and will be easily identifiable on the side of a van.

Once you have your logo, fonts, colors and general style, you can begin to develop content and branding statements that represent priority content for your overall brand. Design will support the messaging and be contiguous with the logo, colors, fonts and general style. A good branding company will provide an in-depth analysis before they begin, and they will generally hit the mark with the first draft, if the client has communicated all of the imperatives. Then, it’s just a matter of finite adjustments. This is brand building. Great branding, content and design are best created and served up together – they will go down like a smooth cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows. It looks good, and it feels good all over. What’s that worth? On average, your brand development should represent either 10% of your anticipated annual revenue, if you are a new business, or 10 of existing, annual revenue + anticipated incremental revenue from brand lift.

If you want to learn more about logos, feel free to call us and schedule a free 15 minute consultation. We’re here to help. (360) 737-9888