Free Logos?
We’ve all seen unscrupulous designers reselling the same logo, but free logos that anyone can download?! Is it just me? I don’t see the point in having the same logo as every other low-budget, mickey mouse operator. Apart from the trademark issues, it’s a sure way to scare off customers.
Cartoon Logo Examples
Examples of cartoon logos from the CartoonBall.com portfolio.
Something to note with CartoonBall is that the exclusive ownership and copyright is transferred to the client upon completion of the cartoon.
10 Don’ts of Hiring a Logo Designer Online
- Don’t assume that price indicates quality. On the Net anyone can grab a share of the market, including a guy in
- Don’t settle on the first logo designer you find. There are many, many logo designers on the Net. Compare. It will save you money now and headaches later.
- Don’t assume that so-called “shelf logos” or “pre-designed logos” are sold only once. Some design firms resell logos as templates – and they don’t always call them “template logos”. If the site does not explicitly state that their logos are unique, then assume that they are not.
- Don’t assume that you will receive the final logo in al the correct formats. Less experienced designers sometimes work in PhotoShop, in bitmap format. That’s a problem. You want someone who works in Illustrator or in Corel, in vector format. Vector format is required for most printing applications.
- Don’t order without viewing their examples/portfolio.
- Don’t believe everything you see in their examples/portfolio. Less experienced logo designers sometimes publish concept designs to create the impression that they have worked with many clients. It’s hard to tell them apart. You could try looking for examples of logos that include a URL, then type that URL into your browser to see if the site actually displays the logo. That’s not definitive though because the company might have closed down or changed its name since the logo was designed.
- Don’t be fooled by the i-got-more-designers-than-the-next-guy syndrome. Having multiple designers working on your logo sounds good, but it rarely is. On the contrary, it often creates problems. Most companies who make impressive statements about the number of designers working on your logo hire freelance designers whom they have little control over.
- Don’t order without contacting them. It allows you to test your chosen logo designer’s response times and their ability to communicate in English. Ask them something and see how they do. That guy in
- Don’t be too prescriptive in your design instructions. Give specific instructions, but leave enough room for the designer to surprise you.
- Don’t go in there with an “I’ll know it when I see it” attitude. Find examples of logos that you like and spend some time thinking about the look you’re after. Do this before you place the order and you are guaranteed a smooth ride to the perfect logo.
10 Don’ts Of Logo Design
- Don’t use bright yellows unless you are sure that the logo will never be shown on a white background.
- Don’t clutter. Simple is good.
- Don’t try to illustrate the company or its products. Logos are identifiers, not illustrations. Think of it as the company signature.
- Don’t accept default k e r n i n g. Customize the spaces between letters.
- Don’t settle for a regular font. Take the time and spend the money if necessary and find a font that’s perfect for the logo.
- Don’t make two logos in one. It never works. There must be one focal point.
- Don’t use gimmicks unless they serve a purpose. Gimmicks include gradients, shadows, outlines and any plug-in effect.
- Don’t design logos in raster (bitmap) format. It must be in vector format.
- Don’t ever use clip art.
- Don’t ever use dingbats.
A “Logo Design Guide”
Pretty cool. I’m sure it’s useful. I doubt that anyone has the time to ever go through this list, but it’s handy as a reference. Can you imagine how long it took to compile!
http://www.elogodesign.com/logo-design-guide/
Triangle Logos - Trademark Dispute
Auckland City Council has the folks at Triangle Television seeing red with their new logo. Triangle’s lawyer, trademark expert John Hackett, said the broadcaster would be opposing the registration of the council logo with the Intellectual Property Office.
So I ask myself, if Triangle Television has a 3D, blue triangle, does that mean that 3D, blue triangles are now off-limits to anyone who reaches the same target audience? This is not 1920. There are millions of small businesses out there. The odds of two triangle logos popping up in the same neighborhood are pretty good. A rip-off is still a rip-off, but it is time to revise our idea of “similarity” in logo design - either that or we have to find new ways of thinking about logos.
Pre-Designed Logos - Design Process
Pre-designed logos are great. Sometimes. The important thing is that you should know what you’re getting for your money. Is it just a template logo that will be resold a gazillion times? That’s no good. Your logo is your brand. It makes no sense to share a logo with someone else. You should also know how many alteration you get. Will the design firm just slap your name on it or will they show you how it looks first? Will they make changes to it and work with you until it’s perfect? RealEstateLogoDesign.com sells pre-designed logos - and sells them only once. Here’s a look at their design process.
Boneheads?
Weird company name, great logo.
Here’s a bigger version:
http://www.biz-logo.com/examples/039a.shtml
Heads Up: New Mercedes Logo
It’s been 16 years since the last update above. The new logo will retain the star in the circle, but gone will be the 3D look. Mercedes is going with a flat, one-color design on all their marketing materials. They will also separate the star from the company name to correspond to the company slogan “the star always shines from above”. A little tacky of you ask me.
Then again, it fits the romantic history of the logo. Before making it big, old man Daimler put a star on a postcard and stuck it over his house, telling his wife that the star, symbolizing prosperity, would one day also be the symbol above his factory.
London Olympics 2012. WTF?!
Who broke the logo for the 2012 Olympics?
Seriously, Wolff Olins was paid £400,000 to regurgitate this one. It took them a year.
They say it’s aimed at the “Internet generation”. That’s like an IT technician saying it’s a “Windows problem”. It’s what you say when you don’t know the answer.
Initially the logo drew much criticism. There was even a poll where people voted fanatically to get the logo replaced, but the Olympic committee folks insist that it is a good design. I guess when you are in it up to your neck (or in it up to £400,000) then you can no longer admit defeat.
At least Tony Blair likes it, saying he hopes that the symbol would leave people “inspired to make a positive change in their life”. Go Tony!
