It is sometimes tough to bring the concept of logo designing in the minds of clients. Many had trouble understanding the concept of a "logo". Some people could at least understand the concept of a design or sketch fee, but did not comprehend the concept of separate logo fee.
Over time, I have gathered some information, which are useful in helping the logo designers get paid for the time necessary to create a logo.
Give Clients some Tangible
You may have a tough time explaining image and identity to your client, but tell your clients that you will be providing them with a camera ready art and a floppy disk with their logo. All of a sudden they can see the light.
Give them many Examples
Give them a list of other business logos along with theirs. When they see other companies that they know, it makes it much clearer in their minds what a logo really is.
Don't give ideas away
Avoid clients like "Can you show me what it looks like" unless they are willing to give you a deposit. Try to explain your clients that you have some level of education as a designer and that your education wasn't cheaper. You need to be compensated for your experience and education unless otherwise you are selling yourself short.
Time Factor
Designing is such a profession can be a hit or miss when it comes to how long it takes to be comfortable with a design. Sometimes you can visualize before you start designing, then you can bang it out in half an hour. Others you may struggle for hours before you are happy with it. Add to that the time it takes to meet and show sketches, and you have got a lot of hours invested.
Make your clients realize what goes into a design and the obvious reasons for being compensated for it. Getting their business done isn't a reason to design for free.
Explain the "recreating an existing logo" fee.
It’s a little easier to sell a logo when you explain that if they want you to use their existing design exactly as is, you’ll have to charge them to scan it in and make it “plotter ready”. In some instances, it can take just as long to do this as it does to create a new logo.
Try to stress the sheer marketing value of a good logo design from a consumer standpoint; your clients can see the benefits more clearly. As soon as you advise them of a marketing strategy, you are not just giving them advice; you are actually providing them information on how their business can grow.
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Spoofed? Get a Unique Logo!
By: Alfred Anderson | 21/11/2006 | Marketing
The corporate identity of an organization is represented by its logo. A well-designed logo enhances the visibility of the company, which in turn generates better business returns. An effective logo design can even give the competitors a run for their money and thus in order to make their presence felt in a highly competitive market, some competitors are often tempted to adopt strategies like logo subvertising that may degrade the brand image of their competitors.
The primary objective of logo subvertising is to make a spoof or a parody of the original logo design. A typical logo spoof retains most of the distinguishing properties of the original logo with an added twist in the design that tampers the original message and presents it in a way that often ridicules the brand image of the original company. The logo of a company conveys the business message in a precise and a direct way to its target audience and any distortion in its design can pose a serious threat to the company's brand image.
The truth is that negative marketing strategies like logo subvertising cannot be avoided. In the past reputed brands have resorted to these means to dilute the brand image of their competitors. Well-established logos that add to the brand value of a business are always the favorite target for competitors to spoof on and it is almost impossible to protect your logo from such malicious attacks.
A company can never have a logo that cannot be subvertised but if they are able to establish their logo as an integral part of their brand identity, a spoofing effort can even generate more publicity and popularize the logo all the more. For this the most important factor is that the logo design needs to be unique and should be capable of creating a deep positive impact among its target audience.
A professionally designed logo not only attracts a greater mind share of the target audience but also contributes to consistent growth of the company's goodwill. Reputed logos, when subvertised, are easily identified, gives an extra boost to the original brand and at times does generate a negative impression about the competitive firm that spoofs the logo. Subvertisings often have funny messages, which spreads pretty fast among the mass. This often leads to extra publicity in favor of the company whose logo has been spoofed on.
It has been observed that new brands are more susceptible to such subvertising attacks. Old and established logos that have already established a brand image are not the common targets for spoofing attacks. New brands take time to build on their goodwill and thus negative marketing campaigns like logo subvertising can dilute their brand identity. However, if you have a got a unique logo that impress your audience on the first sight you have probably taken the best protection against such spoofing attacks.
A business logo design is an integral part of a company's brand building process that should be taken care of by professionals. Seeking expert consultation in a logo design process will not only enhance the over all impact of the logo but also will provide a certain amount of uniqueness that will leave an everlasting impression among its target audience. A unique logo design that creates a deep impact on the first chance is your best possible protection against such spoofing attack.
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