Online Logo Design

For decades, finding the right logo for a business was a relatively difficult process: Find a reputable design firm, check out their previous work, decide how you want your own logo to look, scrape together enough money to foot the (hefty) bill. And while it may have been a pain, most companies went through the motions, understanding the difference that a good logo can make. A logo conveys your business’ vision in a way that is attractive and easily recognizable, allowing you to increase your visibility, generate a little bit of brand recognition, and ultimately build up customer loyalty. Fortunately, while the road to these benefits was once long and bumpy, the Internet has helped make it considerably smoother and quite a bit shorter.

 

Today, designers have taken their talent online, many choosing to work as freelancers instead of joining design firms. So how do you find one? With the advent of crowdsourcing, it’s never been easier. Several websites host what are known as “design contests,” which empower you to find the best logo design for your business all with the click of a button. Here’s how they work. You put up the prize money (anywhere from $200 to $500+), provide a brief description of what you’re looking for – your business’ name, product, target audience, etc. – and give potential designers a few instructions on the style of your ideal logo. Designers will then submit their personal logo designs for your business, using your guidelines as the foundation.

 

What happens next is the best part. When the contest duration expires, you select which logo design you like most and only pay for that one. The prize money goes entirely to the designer who created it, and you keep the logo. Generally, you’ll be able to download the image in a vector format (allowing it to be easily scaled for future use), and you’ll have the sole right to use the image for commercial purposes. What’s more, the top designers (depending on how much prize money you put up) will often submit multiple variations of a single logo (different colors, font styles, borders, etc.) and allow you to keep all of them if you select their design as the winner.

 

If you’re not yet hooked on online logo design, hold your first contest and you probably will be. While online logo design is widely used by e-commerce sites, blogs, and other web-based enterprises, they’ve become exceedingly popular with all types of businesses, both small and large. And why not? The talent is there, and the price is unbeatable. Whether you’re looking for a stylish wordmark, a simple emblem, or some Web 2.0 charm, online logo design could be the answer. Next time your company needs a new logo, you might want to think twice about hiring a design firm; on the Internet, you’ll get to pick from hundreds of designs for the price of one. After holding your first logo contest, you’ll quickly find out what the hype’s all about – and you won’t be disappointed.