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Introduction
As most good entrepreneurs know, starting a company can be
a daunting task. I specialise in Logo design (DTP). And offer
a selection of high quality logos for the client to choose
from at reasonable price. While there are many small details
that go into starting up a company, let's discuss one important
detail: logo design, based on some of the experiences I have
had.
"You
are the professionals; I don't want to box you in," many
of my clients have said, or they will say: "you are the
expert come up with our logo." The reality is that too
much freedom can hinder the artistic process. Even the best
graphic designer needs some direction. A logo should reflect
an organisation's values, beliefs, personality, and essence.
Although the logo designer is a creative person, they still
need you to think about the values of your organisation. After
all, it will be you running the show. The more active you
are in your project, the better the finished product will
be, and more often then not, the faster the logo design will
be completed.
Getting
Started
A lot of people may be very excited about their project, but
do not have the slightest clue as to how they want the logo
to look, or even how to begin.
The
best place to start is to take note of all the logos you like,
and try to think about why you like them. Look at logos of
your competitors, and assess how it portrays their values.
Think about what attracts you to them and what elements you
would like to see integrated into your project.
Now,
it is important to note that if a sports logo is recommended
to you and you are a funeral home director looking for something
more conservative, then it should be clear to you that the
values represented by the logo are not a good fit. Some concepts
you may wish to explore include: abstraction, identifiable
images, brush stroke, or even font based logos with an integrated
image.
How
you can help me
Before I start I need you to fill out my Client Questionnaire,
often I will hit a roadblock when the exact vision of you
the client hasn’t been met. Rather than expecting the
perfect logo on the first, second or even third time, look
for elements in each of the samples that you like. Such elements
can be fonts, color schemes, layouts, graphic elements. From
there, you can make a note of the items you like from each.
The beauty of graphic design is that we can mix, match and
change these things quickly. Patience is a virtue.
When working on your project, it is important to consider
that your logo design will, more often then not, take time.
Logo design is a creative process, and it is important to
remember that. Personally, I have dealt with patient clients
and impatient clients, and I have found that trying to rush
the process often results in the client not getting exactly
what they asked for.
Registering your Trademark
So you now have your Logo design completed and are ready to
trademark it. For many small business owners, registering
a trademark does not seem like a pressing matter - when faced
with other important issues such as finding a locale, hiring
employees, creating/modifying the business plan, and searching
for funding, logo design often gets placed on the bottom of
the "to-do" list. What isn't taken into account
is the time factor. Registering your Trademark is a very time
sensitive task and the filing date assigned to your trademarks
registration application can potentially determine:
1. Whether you have the legal right to stop anyone else from
infringing upon your trademark
2. Whether a third party has the power to literally force
you to "close up shop" by judicially restraining
you from using a trademark that you had previously believed
was legally yours!
In a word: get on it!
It is important not to get too overwhelmed by all of this
and to stay positive. Stay focused, organised, and attentive
to the details. Most importantly, have fun!
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