Why you should only work with designers who deliver logo systems
Our logo package starts at $1200. WHOA!? Hold the phone. You charge WHAT??
1200 big ones...starting. “Why would anyone pay that much for a silly little symbol?”
We agree, why would you pay that much if all you were getting was a silly little symbol?
With us you’re not just getting a logo, you’re getting a logo system. We’ll get to exactly what a logo system is in a minute.
First, we’d like to debunk the myth that a logo is just a simple little graphic that anyone can make and it really shouldn’t cost more than the $50 people charge on sites like Upwork.
What are the basic nuts and bolts of a logo?
Brand colors
Typography (hello font pairings)
Illustrations
Ok seems simple enough (although simple doesn’t always mean easy), but have you actually sat down and tried to pick brand colors or sort through the thousands of available fonts?
Not to mention trying to figure out the correct combination of these elements that will tell the story you want to communicate to your customers. This is the underlying purpose of a logo, to tell your brand story, communicating with your ideal clients exactly what you do and why you do it.
And to tell a powerful visual story you have to look at symbolism, customer psychology, color theory, brand strategy and accessibility. These are all the intangible elements of logo design. Now you might know a lot about a few of those things but as a logo designer it’s my job to be an expert in ALL of them.
Now let’s look at where your logo is used…
Website
Social media (and how many social media channels are there??)
Printed collateral (things like brochures, flyers, letterhead etc.)
Signage
Business cards
Packaging
Emails
Merchandise
A full car wrap, you know those crazy trucks you see driving down the highway that say “HIRE LARRY FOR YOUR PLUMBING NEEDS” with flames coming out the top of the letters?
Still think one logo mark that cost $50 is going to cut it? We didn’t think so.
Enter the logo system, dun dun duuuunnnnnn.
A logo system is a comprehensive set of brand marks that includes different layouts, color options and submarks in addition to your primary logo. With multiple options you can apply your visual brand identity appropriately to all of the places I mentioned above. Your logo and visual branding will be consistent and recognizable, building trust in your ideal customers, conveying the quality of your products and/or services and will make you stand out from the competition.
Even after all of that people still sometimes think, “I can do that!”. Sometimes I listen to Adele on the radio and I’m belting along with her thinking I sound pretty good and the thought pops into my head, “hey, maybe if I took some lessons and applied myself I could sing like Adele”. Nice try Alexandra.
The professionals make it look easy, that’s their job. What we don’t see is all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes into creating a masterpiece like an Adele concert or a stand out, impactful logo system.
So let’s pull the curtain back and take a behind the scenes look at our logo design process.
Step #1 - Research + Strategy
We ALWAYS start with strategy.
If you hire a designer that tells you they made a choice just because it looks good...run for the hills.
Don’t get me wrong, branding has got to look good but that is the tip of the iceberg. It’s what’s underneath the surface that makes the difference.
And this is the step that builds what’s under the surface. We take a comprehensive look at your ideal customer avatar, your competitors, opportunities in the market and your vision and deliver an extensive research document that becomes our north star for the project. Every decision we make refers back to the strategy we’ve researched.
Step # 2 - Ideation
We take everything we learn from the research, combine it with your vision and get to work coming up with as many ideas as possible.
This step is my personal favorite and clients don’t actually get to see most of it. If it’s nice outside I usually head to the park, jam to some tunes and let my brain go crazy with sketch after sketch until I’ve exhausted all ideas. Then me and my team take the 3 best ideas and refine a bit more before we present them to the client.
Step #3 - Revision
Details matter and this is the step where we get to refine the details. We take the best of the 3 sketch ideas, digitize it then add color, finesse the illustration and play with layout options until we get it jussssssst right.
Step #4 - Final Files
This is when we get to do our happy dance! We make sure you have every file type for every mark in your logo system you could ever need or want AND bonus we’re organization nerds so we put everything together for you into folders that are easy to navigate so you can find what you’re looking for in a snap.
Is this more than you ever thought you would know about logos? Knowledge is power and now you’re armed with it so if you’re looking for someone to design your brand identity and you want to start with a logo you’ll know to look for a designer that offers logo systems not just one mark (ahem that’s us).