Your small business does not need a logo. And that’s a strange thing to say coming from a branding guy – yeah me, a graphic designer that’s designed a crap-ton of logos in my lifetime. But lemme say it again…

Your small business does not need a logo!

Honestly, unless you’re well-funded by an angel investor – and last time I checked, most start-ups are not – then you’re better off investing your time and cashola on getting a decent website up and launching on social. Once you’re established and raking in the dough, that’ll be the time to level-up.

Come back to us then for a full brand development. And bring donuts this time, sheesh.

Ok, but lemme clarify what I mean by a “logo.”

Full Graphic Logo

Designing a well-researched and well-crafted logo can run into the thousands. It takes designers time and energy to develop words and symbols into something meaningful and memorable. We don’t just draw purty logos. And it almost always includes a custom illustrated image or graphic icon that represents the business is some way. This aint no clip-art logo.

A full logo often includes the entire brand too. Considerations for typography, colours, imagery, voice and the kitchen sink. The brand’s personality is developed and presented as a nice neat package.

So, yeah, it’s more than just a logo. A logo you just don’t need. Yet.

Wordmark

Instead, we often suggest that small business focus on getting a simple wordmark logo designed – at a fraction of the cost. Apparently, I like talking myself out of a bigger sale.

Wordmarks are a unique text-only typographic treatment of your company name. A focus-on-fonts as we like to say. And are done lightning fast to keep the costs low. We then package your wordmark with a great colour palette and a few great images to create what we call, a “mini-brand.” This is all you need to launch your business when it comes to web and social. A mini-brand for a mini-budget.

Oh, and those $5 logos…

Yep, you can buy a logo for five bucks. In some cases it works out alright, but invariably those who choose this route come back to us later, realizing it aint working. But that also has something to do with those who buy a $5 logo probably don’t invest in a decent site or a web-dev company to build a professional site. But that’s a whole other discussion.

But really, what’s so bad about a $5 logo?

Well, buying a low-cost, low-quality logo can hurt your brand. Your potential clients can easily spot amateur design and will judge your business as less-than-professional. Ouch. Take a look at Jason Li’s article, he nails it…
“If your logo looks amateurish, so does your business.”

So, if you’re about to launch a small business, connect with us and let’s chat about what you need. And what you don’t. We’d be happy to walk you thru it. If you’re an enterprise-level biz, then we be havin’ a different conversation.

Has your designer truly disappeared, or have they dropped you like third period French?

We wanted to know what’s happening when a freelancer fades the client, so we asked some marketers we know.

In two cases, the designer got a full time job and left them in a lurch. The third one took on more work than she could handle and just wasn’t responding. Frus-tra-ting.

We also heard about designers that went back to school, ones that could only talk after 5pm, and one that would only talk by email. No phone calls please! And the most curious one? Designers that seem to just fall off the face of the earth. Ghosted!

Now don’t get me wrong, my creative agency loves freelance designers and we have a healthy respect for them – but just as there are great designers out there, this post is about making sure you hire the right one at the onset.

So, if you’re about to hire a designer, we suggest vetting them as if they were applying for a job in your business…

1. Have they been freelancing long? Check their work history. Did they bounce from job to job? That may be a sign of instability or boredom. Look for one that has dug in.
2. Have they just been laid off or packaged out? Will they commit for the long term or is this a temporary fix until they land a new job?
3. Check their website and look for clients that match your business size. Are you too big for them?
4. Call those clients and ask them about their experience. Most will tell you they love their designer, but some will be candid and tell you the truth.
5. And finally, have a look at their social media channels. Are you dealing with a professional, or someone that does “design” as a side hustle?

There are many awesome graphic designers out there – finding and keeping a good one is the goal. But if you have enough work to rely on someone every week, then consider hiring a design company or a creative agency. Having access to several designers, each with different talent can work to your advantage. Like this client of ours…

“Greg, one of the things I love about your in-house designers, is that I never have to worry about getting our marketing material done on time.”

Ok, I have to go. A new client is asking us to take over from where her freelancer left off. No one can find her working files, so we’ll have to rebuild everything. But that’s ok, we’ve got this.

Ever have a project come back from your graphic designer and find it’s no where near what you had in mind? I’m guessing the answer is a resounding yes!

Well, you’re not alone and we’ve heard all about this from many new clients over the years. The number one issue these marketers tell us – in working with their previous designer or agency – is a lack of listening skills. And when pressed about what they did to fix the issue, the answers and excuses they heard varied.

Designers are very opinionated and are quick to defend themselves …

• “I thought this would be better and way cool”
• “We didn’t have enough time”
• “There was no direction”
• “You didn’t supply a creative brief”
• “The creative brief was confusing”
• “I can’t read your mind”
• “But we’re the experts”

As a marketer, those probably sound familiar, and I’m betting it’s caused you plenty of distress waiting for a redesign. So, do you simply replace your designer? Well, not yet as I’m sure they usually do a decent job, but here are some things your designer should be asking you. At the onset …

• Are they asking the purpose of the project?
• Do they ask for a sample of a previous piece?
• Are deadlines or expectations addressed?
• Have they asked for a creative brief?
• Do they ask for all the assets up front, requesting logos, photos, branding guidelines?
• Are they asking questions to gain understanding?
• Do they paraphrase what you just told them?

A good designer or design agency should be listening, and should deliver what you’ve asked for. An even better creative partner should be providing you options, perhaps one layout matching your brief, and another that they’d like you to consider.

However, let’s be reasonable. A designer will occasionally miss the mark, but if they want to grow the relationship, they should be listening more.

As for me, I’ve been practicing ‘active listening’ with my wife for some time now, and she says I’m a much better husband for it. Now if only I’d put my clothes in the damn hamper already!

My wife and I have been married for a long time and frequently, I get that exasperated look from her. When I politely ask what’s wrong, she rolls her eyes and tells me that I didn’t take out the garbage (or something like that). Apparently, I should have read her mind. And now I duck for cover.

Being a mind reader.

So what does my marital discord have to do with a creative agency? Well, both require clear communication – and one of the biggest complaints we hear from new clients, about their former graphic designer, is that they often missed their changes or didn’t change the layout exactly as requested. But as we know, marketers and designers cannot read each other’s minds. Although over time, a great designer seems able to.

You make the call.

As with anything a little complex, talking about it on the phone is the best way to get your point across. Sure it takes time, but at the end of the conversation, both people are on the same page. The good ol’ fashioned phone is still the best way to communicate with a designer, but if he or she is difficult to reach, then try other ways to communicate what you want done. Like you, good designers can busy too, so keep trying.

A+ for penmanship.

If you’re writing out your changes, remember there’s a reason our teachers taught us to write neatly. Some designers are great at deciphering chicken scratch, but many fail miserably. A good design agency will ask for typed out changes, but a great one will ask you to use the easy-to-use ‘sticky note’ tool right in the PDF itself.

All at once.

And all those changes are best supplied all at once, in a single email, to your designer. It can help eliminate the excuse that they lost your emails in some kind of inbox abyss.

Be patient.

Your designer wants to see your project done right. Sharing and collaborating with you along the way is the best way to achieve it. And while some designers put a limit on the number of changes, at our creative agency, we believe it takes what it takes, and handcuffing you to a pre-set amount of changes is counter-productive. The entire process, like a good marriage, requires patience and good communication.

Now, excuse me. Apparently I need to take out the garbage. Again.