Logo-Designer.me

A logo could be designed in as little time as 1 hour but this is usually quite unlikely as it usually takes a considerable amount of time to develop a logo from an initial idea through to the final artwork.

I believe that the most important stage of a Logos development is the time spent developing ideas on a sketch pad. It is very tempting to rush to the computer as soon as you have something scribbled out that works but if you try and develop six to eight good ideas on paper first this will make a huge difference to the level of creativity within your designs.

So How Long Does It Take To Design A Logo?

There is no precise answer to this question other than it will take a s long as it takes but this is not always possible for designers that have to meet tight deadlines. If you have to complete work within a restricted time I would advise a minimum of 2 hours for idea generation. This time is essential and will make a big difference to the end result and could even save you time if you can impress a client with a good concept from the very start. A further 2 hours should be allowed for generating the initial computer visuals and another hour to refine the details. If you are creating a number of concepts so as to give your client a choice then these times will be considerably longer. This probably sounds like you might be able to complete a logo for a client within 5 hours but this is usually not the case as there is often research to be done before the idea generation stage and there is also the many revisions to produce that a client is likely to request not to mention the time spent communicating with a client either by telephone, e-mail or in person.

Logo Designers often do not get the credit they deserve for the designs they create as people often see logos as simple graphics and they do not see the huge amount of time and effort that preceded a logo’s creation.

So How Long Does It Takes To Design A Logo? Usually Longer than anybody will give you credit for!

A large part of what makes a Logo Designer good at what they do in the eyes of others could be described as being more about the personal taste of an individual and the way they perceive the logos created by a designer rather than by any other measurable factor. Having said this there certainly is a common practice and approach to logo design by designers that are considered to be good at what they do in the eyes of others.

I have done my best to list these common practices below to clarify the things that are considered to make a logo designer good at what they do.

1. Being equipped with a knowledge of logo design

A logo designer must have some knowledge about logos if they are to be considered to be good at what they do. This knowledge I believe should consist of an understanding of how a logo is usually used and what makes an effective logo that would fulfill the requirements of an individual or company’s needs.

An understanding of how to communicate through a visual language is very important and this is why many designers have had some sort of training or education within the area of graphic design to develop this ability to communicate though what is visually perceived by others in the form of graphics.

2. Experience

A logo designer needs to have experience with designing Logos. Experience comes with time and so for designers that have just started out on their logo design career this experience will not be with them but over time this experience will grow and with this experience a designer will also develop a confidence in their work which will also communicate to others that they are good at what they do as having confidence in your own work will inspire confidence in others that you know what you are doing when it comes to logos.

3. A love for logos

In my opinion this has got to be the most important factor. A logo designer must genuinely love designing logos if they are to be any good at it as enthusiasm will show in a designers work from the generation of ideas to creating the final artwork. There will need to be an attention to detail and this attention usually only comes from a love towards what it is you do. You will spend a lot of your time designing logos as a logo designer so you will also need to have a love for logo design to keep up the enthusiasm from project to project.

4. A knowledge of file formats and the use of design software

It is expected that a logo designer cannot only create the final artwork for a logo but can also supply the artwork in the necessary file formats. A good knowledge of a professional vector based design program like Adobe Illustrator is necessary for creating the final artwork and supplying clients with a vector based version of the logo is also usually essential so that they can then give this file to sign makers, vehicle graphic applicators, uniform printers, etc.

5. An understanding of print

If a logo designer has a reasonable knowledge of the printing industry then they should be able to design artwork that reproduces well in a printed format. Considerations such as colours, text size, line weight, transparencies, etc all need to be taken into account when creating the final logo artwork to ensure a professional reproduction at the printing stage.

6. The ability to take criticism

As a logo designer you will probably receive criticism of your work on a daily basis. At first this can be a little difficult to get used to but it is important to not take this criticism personally. Every body has a different point of view and what one person loves another hates. The important thing is to find a solution that a client is happy with and not to be too attached to the work you create. This does not mean that you do not care about your work it just means that you do not need to defend your work fiercely when a client does not feel totally happy with what has been presented.

7. To know that there is always more to learn

There is no limit to design and there is no limit to what you can learn about it. As design changes with the times so to does a designer have to change. If you just create the same things over and over again it gets boring for you and for others. It is exciting to develop your style further and experiment with different design possibilities and styles. This helps to keep a designers creativity alive and to continue the love for design.

I hope the above has been of help or interest to somebody and please feel free to leave a comment if there is anything else you would like to add. Thank you for reading.

One of the hardest things about being a Logo Designer is finding work on a regular basis. General graphic designers are open to more projects than a designer who has chosen to specialise in Logos. This is because clients expect a graphic designer to be able to provide a wide range of solutions for design for print based projects but if a graphic designer promotes themselves as a logo designer then clients can interpret this as a limit to the design services offered.

Another factor that makes finding regular work as a logo designer more difficult is the growing competition. There are now many large corporate organisations that have taken an interest in the area of logo design offering cheap design packages which makes finding work as a logo designer that little bit more difficult plus there is the more recent development of online logo design template websites and logo template software packages.

With all the above now said this article has been titled “How to find work as a logo designer”, so I will now offer a few suggestions as to how a designer might go about finding work as a logo designer.

The Freelance Designer

If a designer wishes to find work as a freelance designer then one of the most reliable sources for finding regular work might be for the designer to approach graphic design agencies and offer their services to them. design agencies will usually not pay huge amounts for projects but they can be a solution for finding work on a regular basis. Finding work can be difficult for a designer especially if they have recently started out on their freelance career as it takes time to build a good reputation.

Employment

It is possible to find employment as a logo designer. These jobs are not so common as the placements that are available to the general graphic designer but they can be found. If a designer wished to become a logo designer through employment then it would be advised to not wait for a placement to be advertised but to contact design studios that are likely to have the facilities to be able to offer such a specialised placement. A designer should also have an impressive portfolio ready that is filled with logos they have designed. These logos do not necessarily have to be created for real projects but they should show the best of a designers ability for creating logos from concepts to final artwork.

Start your own business

It would be advised to start out as a freelance designer first before making such a leap especially if you do not intend to complete any work through other design agencies. The biggest hurdle for a designer wishing to start their own business is finding enough work to make the business worthwhile and profitable. Advertising is a common source for businesses that find new projects to work on but effective advertising is usually quite expensive and so this expense can have a big impact on the profit that is left at the end of a project. Having said this if a designer feels confident about starting their own business and believes that they can acquire enough regular work by profitable means then starting a business may be the best solution for them.

The above is only my thoughts on how a logo designer might go about finding work but I would be interested to hear from other logo designers about the advice they might offer other designer to enable them to find work. Thank you for reading.