New Business Owners Tips

Most likey if you are purchasing a logo design, you are in the process of setting up a new business. Coming to our service is a step in the right direction for getting a professional logo design for your new business. As a new business owner, you are always looking out for the most affordable and effective way to get your business started.

There are many things to think about. You will need to get legal documents created to manage your business. You will need to set up communications, printing services, telephone services, merchant’s accounts and more. We have a few services that we have used in the past and we would like to share them with you.

Merchant’s Accounts

Times have changed from when you needed to have a full blown merchant’s account to receive credit card payments. You can now receive credit cards online easily with many new services. We have used paypal for over 4 years, and have been completely satisfied with the quality of service that we have received. With paypal we did not have any large up front costs to setting up our account. Their rates are comparable to other services. We have had a good track record with their customer service. They don’t have many of the other strict requirements that many merchant account companies have. You can start your paypal account the same day you start your business!

If you are interested in using other services for credit card payment, there is also Google Checkout. Although Google Checkout is much newer than Paypal it is also widely considered a good choice. Receiving money online is very easy. Do not let other services trap you into huge contracts for providing a merchants account.

Printing Services

Anyone who has owned a company knows that printing costs can be a pain. Printing materials in house only saves you money if you are printing low quantities and don’t need high quality. There are services that now allow you to do your printing online. We use a company called VistaPrint for a lot of our printing. They quite possibly have the best prices for printing services on the internet.

From time to time we will add links to services that we consider essential to new business development.

The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Buying a Logo Online

What’s in a logo price ?

So what’s the deal with all these cheap logos. Everywhere you look on the net, you will see logos that vary in all sorts of price ranges. There are pre-designed logos that go for as cheap as $9.00 . Wondering why some are $500.00 and some are under $10.00 ? This article aims to help you understand the different types of logos out there and some of the pitfalls that may befall small business owners.

Most of us have the attitude that you get what you pay for. Unfortunately in the hairy world of logo development this is not true. Professional logo designers price their designs based on a combination of their own estimate of their self worth and going market rates. It’s up to you to decide how much you will actually pay for your logo design.

Our advice is to start with a price range that you are willing to pay. Once you have an ideal price range for company, then you can begin to look for logos and companies that fit into your budget. The following chart is a guide you may want to use in judging how much you should pay for a logo design.

$5 - $10 – This should cover template, and clip art web logos. You will be hard pressed to find a professional designer who will make a custom logo for you at this price.

$20 - $50 – Some discount logo places will design a custom logo for this price. However you are not likely to find a company who will make a 100 % unique design for this price. The colors, text, and shape combinations will be unique. Don’t worry about clip art being used as long as you can change any color of any element of the design. Beware of designers who can’t change color schemes of a logo – that’s a sure-fire sign of a template being used. Also, for this price you deserve a logo that has not been resold.

$75 - $100 – This is the average price of a unique custom logo. For this price you still probably won’t get a hand drawn logo, but you will definitely be getting something on a higher level. You should expect multiple revisions and a customer satisfaction guarantee of some sort.

$200 - $500 – Now this is the high end of logo design. For this price your graphic designer should cater to your every logo need. Expect to get exactly what you ask for. You should be able to get custom artwork drawn for this price. Your logo should have every aspect of it be unique. At this price range you may even request to have custom fonts developed for your company.

What about a Web Logo ?
A web logo is a logo design developed specifically for web use. This means that it will probably be very colorful, only come in regular image formats such as jpeg, gif, png etc. These logos are not suitable for printing purposes. They are perfect fr use if you just have a web based project that requires a logo design. Don’t get a web logo if you are looking for a logo to use for your company outside of web –based mediums.

Pre-designed Logo
This logo type is also called pre-made, or predesigned and occasionally template – although it does not mean template logo. These are designs that have been created already. You will see what the logo looks like already and all that’s left to do is insert your company name and / or slogan into the design. This is the most convenient option for small business owners. Pre-designed logos offer you the most ease when searching for a design. This way you find one you like and already know what the end product should look like.

Template Logo
Beware the template logo! They are logos designed off of pre-designed templates. Unless a design company explicitly states otherwise, assume that these are resold to multiple customers. This means that someone out there might have your logo as well. If you are not too worried or are not considering trade marking your design, you can consider this format. Template logos can look just as good as other formats, but make sure you understand what you are purchasing.

Custom Logo
This type of logo is the unique design. It might include a designer hand drawing something for you. Or it might include just whatever concept you have for your logo design. These are the most expensive of all formats, but if you want to use your logo for life, for trade marking, printing, etc then you will want to go this route.

File Formats
Have you been feeling overwhelmed by all the file formats available for logos. Want to know what’s the format that you need? Curious about what formats your web developer will need? Before we list the formats – let’s explain the difference between vector and non-vector formats. Vector images are 100 % scalable. Images look ok when scaled downwards but scaling upwards to make them bigger is another story! If you are getting a logo design – always go for the option that includes a vector-based file format. There’s no use to a logo that’s so small you can’t print it on your stationary or put it on a sign. Non vector-based formats cannot be scaled upwards. This means that the size you get is the best it gets!

Not sure what formats your professional printers will request ? Here’s a rundown of the most common file formats and their uses.

•  *.JPEG – This is a non-vector based format used for web use and occasionally printing

•  *.PNG - This is a non-vector based format used for web use and occasionally printing

•  *.GIF - This is a non-vector based format used for web use and occasionally printing

•  *.WMF – Windows Meta File This is a vector-based format

•  *.PSD – Photoshop Document – This is a layered file format that may or may not be vector-based. You will have to ask your developer if the PSD file is vector . Printers often request this file format.

•  *. AI – Adobe Illustrator – This is a vector based format . Printers often request this file format.

•  *.EPS – Encapsulated Post Script – This is a vector based format . Printers often request this file format.

•  *.BMP – Bitmap - This is a non-vector based format

•  *.PDF – Adobe Acrobat Format – This can be vector based or not. Printers sometimes request this file format.

•  *. TIFF – This is a non vector-based format. Printers sometimes request this file format.

Resolution
What is resolution? Resolution is important! If you only need your logo for the web, you can accept a logo at a resolution of 72 dpi (dots per inch). Should you need a logo for professional use do not accept anything at a resolution lower than 300 dpi. The higher the resolution the better your design will look. Always clarify this with the developer.

Resizing
Just remember that vector based images can be resized. Unless you have graphic design software of your own, never resize a non-vector-based format upwards on your own. Your design will appear pixilated. Just remember this basic rule – smaller always looks good, bigger gets blurry!

We understand that there’s a lot of information in this – but hopefully you will be better armed to start the search for a logo for your small business.

Once you have a logo design you will probably be looking for a printing company. Unfortunately there are as many printing companies as there are logo companies. You will want to take some time to do some research about any printing company that you go with. The pointers listed in this article will help you hone in on some critical points when selecting a printing company. Here are some things you will want to look out for when choosing a printing company to go with:

Quantity
How many prints will you need? There’s a difference between needing 100 copies of something and 100 000 copies of something. Make sure that the printer you go with is prepared to handle your order in a timely fashion. Find out if your printing will be done in-house or outsourced. This might affect your costs.

Color complications
Do you know if your printer can print every color you need? Are they limited to RGB, CMYK, Pantone or another color system? Will the colors you give them appear exactly as you want them to? Make sure that they are knowledgeable about all of the color formats. Make sure that the company is comfortable accepting any color formats that you send to them.

Software options
Since you have your logo design already – you should know what format you have your files in. Any reputable graphic designer will give you the original artwork (normally a vector-based format like Adobe Illustrator ) , an EPS file ( which most printers will accept ) , and some raster images as well ( jpeg , png, gif, tiff, etc ). No matter what format you have – the printer should be able to open your original artwork. If they can’t open your files – they can’t make any modifications that might be needed to make sure your design comes out looking perfect.

Variety
How much variety of services do they offer? Can they cater to your needs? Are you constrained by poor selection? Can they print stationary on different papers? Are you limited to the same size of paper for everything? Can you get cards or uniquely shaped items? You will have to determine your own needs as far as what you want to print onto. Make sure the printer you are dealing with has dealt with orders as unique as yours before. Don’t let yourself be the guinea pig of a company trying something new.

Online or Not ?
This is entirely up to you. Online printing can be convenient because you simply go online, place your order and receive your printed materials. Make sure your online company is reputable. Make sure they have been in business for a long time. Make sure that they have an organized order tracking system. You should be able to purchase initial samples before confirming your final order. One major advantage of going online is that you can afford to shop around for the best deal.

Cost
As always – never run for the absolute cheapest price. In life you get what you pay for. This doesn’t mean that going for the most expensive option is the best option either. Make sure that if you are paying more – there is a justification for it. Paper quality, print quality, customer service, speed of delivery, level of advanced technology used and service features should be the justifying factor for the cost of your printing.

Often when we start a business we don’t consider the complete scope of the business. Some businesses will always be a small business. Some businesses are designed to grow into full corporations. You will also have to consider how you want to brand your company.

A company with a very small scope may not need to worry about branding. If you are not going to franchise your business and intend to just be a lone entity, you may not be as interested in your logo, trade marking, effects of colors, and branding. However, if you are starting a company that you want to expand significantly, these things are serious considerations. First you will want to consider how unique your company is.

The corporate logo is unique from other logos because you have to consider more than just whether it looks nice. The corporate logo will be reproduced across multiple mediums. If nothing else, there is a cost analysis associated with choosing a corporate logo. For example, it is cheap to print a logo in black and white. It is also cheap to print a logo with 1 – 3 colors. Once you move beyond 1 – 3 colors there are significant price increases. Also, how well will your logo work on different backgrounds? The more colorful a logo gets, the harder it may be to make it stand out against other colors. This leads us on to another question: will you want to have different versions of your logo for different backgrounds? How will this affect your branding? Will you want people to recognize the shape or the color of your logo? Will you want people to recognize both together as your logo?

Just as you choose a company mission statement, your logo should have a mission statement of sorts. It should indicate what you intend your logo to convey. You will want to think about what people should associate your logo with. Some logos associate a company with their product. Some logos associate a company with their ideology. You may want to consider if you will be changing the focus of your company in the future. Furthermore, if you are considering changing the focus of your company, then perhaps associating a logo with a product will make your logo obsolete in the future.

It is important to pick colors that reflect what you want them to. It is important to remember that while certain colors have certain meanings where you are concerned, the associations people make with color are highly affected by culture. For example, using red, blue and white in the USA makes people think of American Patriotism. In other countries they do not feel the same association. Red can mean danger, life, blood, or even love!

Finally you will want to go with a unique logo design. You should never use a template logo for a corporate logo design! You can use a company that provides pre-designed unique logos. Make sure that you ask your designer if the design is unique. The last thing you would want to see is another company with your logo design! Branding is a very important part of a corporation and you wouldn’t want to lose that just to save a few bucks.

Don’t let yourself be driven by price. Going for an expensive designer vs. a cheaper one doesn’t guarantee better quality. The prices that graphic designers charge vary wildly. Some companies have heavy overhead costs with keeping designers in-house. As a result the extensive overhead costs are passed onto you. Some companies keep designers on a contractual basis, these are much cheaper. Many online graphic designers are cheaper because they have removed their overhead by operating online. Any good designer will allow you to see samples before taking your money. Also, a good logo design company will have a large portfolio. You should feel comfortable asking the companies for references. A good logo design company should be able to provide you with no less than 20 happy customers who have purchased logos from them. Word of mouth is the life-blood of any business, especially a logo design one! Make sure that you are getting exactly what you want. Don’t go with a cheap designer just because their price is better. As long as you are getting the quality of work that you want, you should be happy with your designs.

It is important that you take all of these things into consideration when making a corporate logo. A corporate logo should be able to last the life of the corporation. Try to leave your personal preferences out of the decision process. Keep an open mind and think forward as you make your decision. Doing this will ensure that you design a logo that is geared towards the future.