3 ways to get logos designed for ethical businesses
By Guy Anderson
In this post we explore 3 ways to get logos designed for your ethical business and, of course, the pros and cons of each approach.
Whether you’re a fresh new startup or an established business looking for a logo refresh, getting your logos designed right is important because it’s the symbol that represents both your business and brand.
The first step to getting logos designed
No matter which approach you choose, you should have a clear brand strategy for your business before getting your logos designed. A great logo needs to reflect your brand values and the needs and aspirations of your customers. Without a brand strategy it’s going to be impossible to create a good brief to work from. Let’s take a look at the 3 options for getting your logos designed.
No matter which option you go for, be sure you’ve included the 3 parts of a logo. Check out our popular post The 3 parts of a logo and why they matter.
Option 1: Do it yourself
Depending on your skillset and background, you may be able to design your own logo using software like Canva or Adobe Illustrator. This option is best if you have the skills and the time to design your own logo.
The pros
- You can save money. This option is probably the cheapest, although that does of course depend on how much time you spend designing your logo and how much you value your time!
- You’ll have total control over the design process.
- You can take as long as you like (although you may get frustrated with the amount of time it takes, especially if you’re a perfectionist).
The cons
- If you’re not a confident designer you could become paralysed by all the different paths you could take to design your logo.
- You may be too close to your business to be objective. This means you could easily miss design solutions that another designer might pick up on.
- If you have a tendency towards perfectionism you may struggle to create something that’s good enough.
Option 2: Hire a freelance logo designer
This could be a good option if you have a little more budget and know a good designer. Working with a skilled logo designer can really bring new energy to your logo project and reveal options you wouldn’t have considered on your own. But communication is really important.
The pros
- Creative collaboration with a professional designer.
- Saves you time.
- Affordable.
The cons
- You’ll need to create a solid design brief to get good results.
- You’ll need to give feedback to your designer during the process. This is surprisingly difficult if you have no experience of design or working with a designer.
- Finding and selecting the right designer can be challenging.
Option 3: Hire a design studio
This is the most expensive option, but you’ll get what you pay for. Hiring a logo design studio, like Wildheart Media, who specialises in both branding and logo design will get you the best results. An agency should have a tried and tested process they follow and should be able to express this clearly to you.
The pros
- A good logo design agency should be able to ask you the right questions to create the design brief for you.
- They should present 3 different logo concepts to choose from.
- They should be following a standard tried and tested process and guide you through this.
The cons
- This is the most expensive option.
- If they aren’t familiar with your niche then the design agency may struggle to deliver.
- Design professionals often use jargon which may be intimidating or hard to understand.
Here’s what one of our clients, Australia-based Danette Watson, said about working with Wildheart on designing her logo:
A beautiful creative collaboration...
“The Logo Package is a beautiful creative collaboration that helps you bring your ideas and your brand personality to life. The final product was so much more than I could have come up with on my own. It’s so good to have Guy and Hannah’s professional experience helping to keep things in perspective.” – Danette Watson
Conclusion
Designing logos is an art and also a very important asset for representing your business. You may go through several iterations to get to the logo you feel happy with. Remember that as your business grows and changes you’ll want to periodically review your logo and strapline. Here at Wildheart we’ve been through 4 iterations of our logo so far!
Collaborating with a freelance logo designer or a logo design studio like Wildheart is the best way to go, as it will save you time and get you the best results. But finding a designer that understands your brand and niche is also really important.
We work with people who help people. So, if you’re a spiritual entrepreneur or you run an ethical business in the yoga or wellbeing field, we could be a perfect match!
