Choosing a logo for your business

It’s not compulsory to have a business logo but there can be real benefits in having one. Here are just some advantages:

• Provides a sense of identity. A good logo you helps to build your brand. It conveys what your business is all about.
• Differentiates you from your competitors. In a competitive world, it’s good to have an image that sets you apart from other businesses in your field.
• Projects professionalism. Having a good logo demonstrates that you’re committed to your business and your customers.
• Makes you more memorable. Most people remember a business’s logo better than just its name.

You may be tempted to have a go at creating your business logo. That’s fine if you’re a graphic designer, but if this isn’t your area of expertise it’s best to use someone who does this professionally. Your main options are:

• Branding agencies: they may have several designers, and will select the person who is most appropriate for your needs

• Freelance designers: there are several of ways of finding them:
  • Recommendations
  • Web research to find a designer whose style you like
  • Crowdsourcing: there are websites where you supply a brief and commit to spending a certain amount of money; a number of designers then compete to create your logo and you select your favourite
• Pre-designed logos: e.g from a website or a DIY logo maker site. Be aware that many other businesses may be using the same logos already – if so, you’re not going to have a unique brand.

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Some websites claim to be able to produce an original logo for just a few pounds. Often this is too good to be true – beware of designers ‘recycling’ already existing logos.

Crowdsourcing sites will generally offer a range of packages to suit your budget, e.g from a couple of hundred pounds to a thousand pounds. At the lower end of the scale you may get about 20 designs to choose from that are produced by competent designers. At the higher end, you might get double that number, created by much more experienced designers. Here are a couple of examples: DesignCrowd and 99designs.

If you go direct to freelance designers, they may charge you £25 to £50 per hour depending on their experience and ability. Design agencies may charge more.

Depending on precisely what’s required (e.g using just typography or creating an image) you’ll probably need to pay between £500 and £2,000.

It’s not compulsory to register a company logo, but to protect it from being copied or used by others you can register it as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office. Before finalising your logo, check the trademarks database to make sure no one else has already registered a similar trademark.