Yes, you can
get a logo designed for just $5. And it even makes sense to spend this money to get a better understanding of what it's usually like. But not to use it for your business.
Because of how easy it is to get a cheap logo, custom logo design became very underrated. The situation is similar to other products too. It's so easy to get a cheap Chinese product, that people stopped appreciating quality and almost everyone has tried a cheap Chinese substitute at least once in their lives. Just to learn that it means they need to live with a bad product or throw it away and buy a proper, non-cheap one anyway. At least this time with a peace of mind that they are not overpaying...
Most people, particularly those just starting their business venture, don't really understand how important a proper logo is. Understandingly they want to limit their expenses until their business becomes profitable. Getting a fancy laptop and cell phone seems right because these are physical, tangible things. While a logo is not tangible, so they choose a cheap one. People who create businesses that survive more than a year think the opposite.
The business role of a great logo design
Logo is not just some image that one must have because there is this empty space on their website that must be filled. Or because Facebook, Twitter and Instagram want you to upload something when you create your accounts.
A real logo serves a business purpose. A good logo is the most unique and recognizable element of every successful company’s overall brand image. The colors, shapes and lettering of a well designed logo are different from others in a given market. And such logo:
- Is the very first impression people get of your company.
- Is the starting point of your whole corporate image. It has a great influence on all other branding and marketing materials that follow. Helps keep marketing consistent. And a consistent brand is memorable and more effective.
- Provides immediate recognition. Makes a brand stand out from its competitors. For that it must be original, which means it cannot be similar to the logos of the competition or be based on generic clichés.
- Conveys the company’s personality, character or attitude.
- Conveys credibility and inspires trust.
- Inspires admiration and loyalty. Keep customers coming back for more. They don't have to know about every new product - it's enough they recognize the logo on it to automatically get interested in learning more about it.
- Implies professionalism and superiority.
Such logo design is not only a product of graphic designer's talent. It's a result of research for which the cheap logo designer simply does not have time. Cheap logo designer must design as many logos as possible in the shortest amount of time. Do you believe anyone would spend even a couple hours doing just research if all they get at the end is a few dollars?
Without a research the cheap logo designer stands practically no chance to deliver the most important thing: distinctiveness. That is the single, most crucial trait of any professional logo. The logo can be memorable only when it stands out from the rest.
A valuable research takes time. Its first phase is focused on the industry, its history, and existing competition. Its second phase is focused on logo designs that have been successful, current trends and styles that are related to the particular business and logo design requirements.
A custom logo is not created with a few clicks of a mouse
Cheap logo designers use ready-made elements, clipart and images found on the Internet, usually without license. Even if you like the final result you will never be able to trademark it, and you may run into legal issues. Such process is quick and a computer mouse is the right tool for it. And the problem of distinctiveness comes out again here. A logo design cannot be distinctive if it consists of elements available for use to anyone.
Professional logo designers use development process which is not only more time consuming but requires additional expenses and equipment. For instance, just in the sketching phase the logo prototype can be scanned and printed over and over again to introduce step-by-step improvements. The printed image is inspected upside-down and in mirror reflections until it's perfect from every angle. Only then has it a chance to be easily recognizable and memorable.
So again, the higher fee you pay is not for the talent, but for a difficult, systematic and time-consuming
logo design process.
Your next step?
If you think what we wrote sounds reasonable you can contact us to
get a free quote for a professional logo design by clicking here or you may have a look at our
logo design portfolio first.
If not, you may find useful links to cheap alternatives in this article:
How to get the cheapest logo.
