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Launch Festival · Logo design

Logo design options?

Duygu Cibik Vice President of Product

May 22nd, 2013

Hi there,

As a first step to starting up my business, I am looking for a good logo designer. I don't have the name yet but I have some options and will check the tools that some of you had recommended in the earlier 'company naming' discussion.

Do you have any recommendations for me to find a good (both in terms of creative juice and design skills) logo designer?

Alex Gourley Founder at Active Theory Inc

May 22nd, 2013

I feel the need to stick up for designer as an art here - 99designs is a safe choice which will get you a safe logo. If you actually feel your brand needs a unique or different perspective you will need to engage a great designer directly. Great designers are not doing free work for 99designs hoping to win the contest. 

Joseph Galarneau Founder and CEO at Mezzobit, creating transparency and control for Internet data

May 22nd, 2013

I just did a contest on 99Designs that I was pretty happy with. One thing to note is that you can't trademark the resulting logo, which I didn't know going in (but you do have copyright, so that may be OK for most use cases). Also, I would have done it as a private contest, as many of the 100+ designs that I got (a lot of high quality stuff) started converging after a few rounds because people were seeing what I responded to. Would have rather wanted participants to push me a bit in terms of suggesting designs that were off-brief, but still interesting.

Andy Keil Building smart products at Waldo Photos

May 22nd, 2013

As a UX designer, it's incredibly disheartening to hear so many people opting for 99designs. I understand the affordability but it's completely bastardizing an industry. It's making it affordable for you the "clients" to poorly articulate what you're looking for (i.e. No name or ideas but still looking for a logo) and get handfuls of mediocre production designers to spit out a bunch of content for you to pick through.

I realize this is incredibly negative but if you take the time to find a quality designer that can translate your thoughts and ideas about the brand into an actual mark, you will find the process extremely rewarding as opposed to "affordable."

<end rant/>

I would recommend Ryan Weaver who is one of the only designers that has nailed my ideas/concepts on the first round without lengthy meetings or revision cycles. You'll be doing yourself a favor by working with him.

Bill Kelley

May 22nd, 2013

When Apple needed a logo designed, we handed the task to the agency's junior art director. But that's because Apple already had the funding (equivalent to several million dollars today) to undertake an ad campaign, brochure and graphics package.

Pre-funded entrepreneurial companies are usually ill equipped to research designers and commission designs -- both from the standpoint of management time and attention and cost. 

A crowdsourced logo -- as one would get via 99designs -- may be a 'placeholder' until the company has robust funding and even staff to manage it. 

Malcolm F. Current Obsessions: Ultralight travel & tackling the problem of ocean plastics

May 22nd, 2013

As a designer I also feel the need to defend our trade. With crowd sourced designs- like so many things in life- you get what you pay for. 

If budget only allows for a crowd sourced design it's better than not having a professional identity. To get a high quality identity that will last your company it takes time and special consideration about your brand, market and mission. If you're considering using your first identity as a placeholder be sure to consider the cost and hassle of changing the identity once you've created tons of material using it.

It also depends on your company and whether it's a consumer facing brand or not. If your company is brand centric and you're investing a lot into it I don't think there's any substitute for carefully choosing a designer that matches your aesthetic and working closely with them to create something great.

If you are into going the crowdsourced route you may also want to check out CrowdSpring as an alternative to 99designs.

A good place to find designers is on dribbble.com and searching by "branding" or "identity"



Stefan Negritoiu Cofounder at MileLogr.com & FreeBusy.io

May 25th, 2013

I recommend http://nadjadesign.com/ who has worked with quite a few startup on both branding and design. HTH, Stefan

Mike Winer

June 5th, 2013

The graphic designer who did my logo, business cards and even a T-shirt (that were admired at last night's Founders social event here in Portland) is outstanding in her ability to listen to what you're wanting to communicate, even if you're not clear yourself, and elicit possibilities from that. She's also very good at gently challenging your assumptions. She can be reached at:

LaelAlon.WordPress.Com

Alex Gourley Founder at Active Theory Inc

May 22nd, 2013

To throw a designer's name into the ring, consider Ryan Putnam at http://rypearts.com/ who is fantastic and affordable. 

Kelly Maguire

May 22nd, 2013

I would highly recommend checking out 99Designs.com. They have really good designers and you get a community of people that can give you ideas rather than hoping the single designer you choose gets it right the first time.

Wesley Lorenzini

May 22nd, 2013

I would recommend my two skilled friends 


and

Eddie Taylor

They both are out of Brooklyn, NY

If their work interests you, send me a message and I'll connect you. 

-Wes