Wednesday, May 07, 2008
your logo needs to cost more than your lunch.

I always say that half of our job is education. And I love sharing, teaching and exploring with clients. After all - they don't have time for things like Twitter, Second Life or the latest branding trends.

But there's one thing that always gets under my skin. People's perception of logo value. I've been in countless situations, where an otherwise reasonable business person expects that a logo can be developed for $175. (As recent as last week!)

It's not their fault. They don't understand the time (or the life experience) that's devoted to the process of creating a new brand identity. They get it when it comes to sales collateral. Campaigns. Websites. Videos. But logos seem so simple and small, how difficult could they be?

Of course, we know better. So nothing but big smiles when I discovered this excellent post on why your logo should cost more than your lunch...

Labels: branding, design, identity

posted by darryl ohrt @ 5:35 AM   5 comments

5 Comments:

At 8:52 AM,  Garret Ohm said...

That post is spot-on, Darryl. I'm going to repost that link on my blog, too. We too deal with this often--both clients thinking that we have a magic button on the Macs that creates solid designs, as well as those that judge a design based on its relative complexity or simplicity when deciding on its value. The bottom line is that it's a process that, when done right, is an in-depth one. And it can't be done well by just anyone!  

At 6:04 PM,  Alison said...

Another bottom line, as the above poster put it, is the bottom line. I work for a nonprofit, and it took a long time before we were able to put ANY money into designing a logo. Obviously having a great logo is important, but there are other priorities to consider. Can you imagine how hard it would be to raise money for a nonprofit to create their logo? Doonors do not want to pay for that. They want to pay for our programming, not so creative people can discuss different designs (and I am sure they would be horrified to find out how much creating a great logo costs). I know marketing is important, and for nonprofits it is unfortunately the last piece to fit in the puzzle. They say you have to spend money to make money, but unfortunately when its not your dough, you have to just scribble your logo on a napkin.  

At 8:43 PM,  darryl ohrt said...

Great point, Alison.

I know that I've talked plenty of clients OUT OF a logo/identity redesign - because they would have been putting too large a percentage of their marketing budget toward it.

For businesses that are forced to choose between a logo/identity redesign OR a marketing plan - of course they've got to go with the marketing plan.

You might also want to approach design firms in your area, or that you have a relationship with. Most do probono work for non-profits on a regular basis.

We'll donate several projects a year to non-profits that we've connected with emotionally, have relationships with, etc. And I know we're not alone.  

At 10:53 AM,  Tara said...

Hi Thanks for the mention, I'm glad you enjoyed my blog post  

At 10:53 AM,  Tara said...

Hi Thanks for the mention, I'm glad you enjoyed my blog post  

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