Online logo design has become a main stream business now. Like any other business you find the honest and the not-so-honest participants in the online logo design industry. With so many suppliers out there, it becomes difficult for customers to understand the nature of this service works and what is real and what is not.

I have therefore decided to list a few of the myths related to this industry and then give my opinion on the pros and cons of each of them in series of posts. So here goes.

Myth #1: Logos can be created in a matter of hours.

This is a very common issue that you see on a lot of the online logo design companies who offer to design logos in hours and some even under and hour. Now if you think about it, a logo design is essentially a company’s face to the world. It tries to form an impression on the target audience. It also tries to explain what the company is about. To be able to this effectively a logo design has to communicate very clear and distinct messages about the company. Of course the company should have a clear message to communicate to start with.

Communicating a clear message about a company can be the most difficult thing to do. In fact it is even more so if your are trying to do that with a simple graphic. Because every market is so saturated with brands, it is essential that the message is communicated effectively, clearly and with impact.

So how can a designer create concepts that do this job effectively in a few hours? How about under an hour? Yes, granted that there might be geniuses out there that get creative ideas spontaneously and with in seconds. But how can they offer their service for so low rates?

Myth #2: Logos are about great graphics.

Most customers and lot of designers believe that logo design is just about great looking graphics. I must disagree with that opinion and so would those who understand how branding works.

How about research? How about understanding the clients target market? How about talking to the client? If a designer does not understand what the target market is and what kind of message the company is trying to communicate then the resulting logo design will be ineffective. When customers or prospective clients see the company’s logo, they are not motivated to do business with them.

It is not simply about creating great graphics. It is not about using clipart for logos. It is about using graphics to tell the company’s story. Some times we see multinational corporations using very simple logos. They have the money and the resources to come up with mind blowing graphics but they don’t. Why? Because they are more interested in connecting with their target audience than having dazzling graphics.

Myth #3: The more illustrative a logo, the better.

Since we are in the market of small to medium sized businesses wanting logo designs, I can safely say that most of the customers feel the more illustrative a logo, the better it is. Granted, some markets require really illustrative logos and some times the customer is right about this direction. However the decision to use or not use illustration in a logo should be based on thorough market research and not simply assumptions by the client or the designer.

The other day I was talking to a client who wanted fantastic graphics, brilliant colors and other effects such as 3D, shadows etc. The theme the client was that of a Texas country side. He was suggesting some thing like a fence, a gate with the company’s name on it, a couple of trees in the background, a cow boy hat some where etc.  The company sells medical uniforms specially targeted at the female staff in large hospitals. I may be wrong but I believe the target market (females in the 20-40 age group) working in large hospitals might not be comfortable with a brash and loud image.

We researched this a little bit and came up with a very simple and elegant iconic treatment.

On another occassion we actually recommended a highly illustrative treatment for a highlands real estate logo design.

I will listing more myths in future posts in this series. Stay tuned. Read one of our previous posts for an example of a real life case study of a logo design.

The RV lifestyle has a great appeal to many people. They would love to travel the country at their own pace and take in all the sights that they have always dreamed of seeing. As an RV finance business, that is what you provide to those individuals who want to purchase and RV. You are providing them with the tools to make their dreams come true.

As and RV finance business, you will want to be sure that you consider your target audience when designing your RV finance logo design. You will want to insure that the design is catchy yet simple. Many of your clients will be senior citizens who have decided to sell the house and pack the RV. They will need a design that easily identifies the company they are looking for. In this case, they are looking for an RV finance logo design that looks very professional and appeals to their eye. The appeal is very important, as these clients are likely to find another service if they feel your design is too unprofessional.

Your RV finance logo design should incorporate an RV of some kind in the design. This will insure that your target market finds the logo design and recognizes that it has something to do with RVs. As they study your advertisements or phone book listings, they will then recognize that you are an RV financer and that was just what they were looking for!

A simple and straightforward RV finance logo design will last you the entire life of your business. The design will become easily recognizable and will always attract your audience. You may also want to incorporate a simple color scheme in the RV finance logo design, just to give it some life and character. You will also want a black and white version that can easily be used in magazines and phone books.

Many RVers pick up magazines on the lifestyle and advertising in these will do your business a lot of good. You also will not want to overlook the options that you have for advertising on the Internet. There are many full-time RVers that work from “home” in their RVs and maintain active communication over the Internet.

Email campaigns and newsletters are great ways of spreading your RV finance logo as well as keeping your clients up to date. You will not regret advertising in these locations, as you will find them very useful sources of business. Eventually your existing clients may also be ready to upgrade their RV and will be looking to refinance or finance a new RV. You will want to make sure they remember the RV finance business that they originally worked with.

The world of the Internet and e-commerce is quickly taking off. There are not very many people who do not have their own website, blog or MySpace page. Everybody these days has some form of website. This increase interest in the web is making the world of website design logos boom.

Websites are just like any other business. You may not necessarily be selling anything but providing some sort of information to the world. In either circumstance, it is necessary for a respectable website to have a name and website logo design. Website logo designs allow you to be a little more creative. The universe is the limit in the realm of website or graphic design logo.

If you have a simple and fun website, then you are able to have an unconventional and not necessarily professional website logo design. If you have an informational website, you may want the website logo design to be a little more formal and professional. If you are a business, then you should require that your website logo design match the professionalism of your current logo design. Website logo design also allows for a little more creativity for businesses as the current logo design can be adapted into a flash website logo design that is a little more appealing to consumers.

The world of websites and interactive media is growing everyday. The top five websites that receive unique visitors on a daily basis includes Yahoo!, Microsoft Corp., Time Warner, Google and eBay. These websites all have one thing in common for certain and that is creative and unique website logo design. Google is known for creating and changing their stylistic website logo based on seasons, holidays and international events.

For Christmas the Google website logo design featured Christmas lights and gifts. For the Olympics, the website logo design featured the “Os” linked together like the Olympic logo. These websites will continue to modify their unique website logo designs for years to come and they will remain at the top of the list for most popular websites.

Online display advertising has become an $8.32 million industry according to Advertising Age. The use of online advertisements continues to grow and will continue to grow as more people are able to get connected to the Internet. These online advertisements continually consist of professional and unique website logo design.

Often many online advertisements are creative displays of website logo design and flash animation. These website logo designs and animation continue to entice consumers and in turn increases the online display advertising industry.

Financial logos designs have become an imperative tool in today’s competitive financial market. The global surge of financial companies has commenced an era of competition unlike any seen in recent history. Financial logo designs are an effective way to differentiate from the various financial companies. The unique finance logo designs have the slogans and emblems required to develop a successful business. Each logo design will distinguish the company.

Financial logo designs must show the honesty and integrity of the company as well as the willingness to work hard. The financial logo design must be able to identify the company instantly.

Affluent companies with deep pockets were the ones associated with financial and mortgage logo designs in the past. Today, even smaller financial companies see the reason behind getting a financial logo design. Often times the financial logo design is the key to keeping the company identity out in front of the clients and the world via the internet connectedness.

Many young investors do not have any idea what the word financial means. People in the demographic group of below 25 think that financial means “where the money is going to come from for the week-end party”. However, this same demographic group is the group that is most like to bring home a large expendable income that should be saved and invested. A business must have a financial logo design out there in the business world that is clear, concise and makes a bold statement about your company.

This ‘generation next’ that is just coming into their earning power needs guidance. Unfortunately they do not look to their parents for that direction. Most of that group is going to look at the internet for the necessary information. Will your financial logo design be highly visible online?

What should the financial logo design look like? Most important of all, the logo design should be eye catching with a clear image of the company. No one knows your company like you do. That is what we are trying to change. Everyone needs to know about your company via this financial logo design.

Obviously you cannot list each and every financial service that you provide, that is what all those paper brochures are printed for. The financial logo design should be something that is precise so that it can be remembered easily. In fact, in most cases, the logo design will be remembered more often than the name will. That is okay, if your financial logo design gets referred, so does your name. Getting the name and logo design of your financial institute out to the public and the internet is the number priority.

Checkout some samples of finance, mortgage and insurance logo designs that we created.

We see often that a very easy route for most small businesses in terms of their corporate identity is a clip art based logo design that is either designed by themselves or by a freelance friend. It is cheaper, fast and some times really impressive in the beginning.

But small businesses never stop to consider the cost of using a clip art based logo design for their company. A free or cheap clip art based logo design can hurt your company. “Oh sure. You simply want to get our business”, you say. That is true. But the important thing here is that we are talking about your business and your identity.

When meeting clients do you dress up in your pyjamas or your swimming trunks? (unless you are in the pyjama business or a beach ware shop on a beach). No. You would not. Would you talk to your clients with your mouth full of food and ketchup sauce on your shirt? No. You would not.

Then how can you show your prospective client a clip art based logo that looks cheap and unprofessional? The first thing a customer notices would be your logo, be it on the shop front, your business card or your website. When checking out competition, customers are more likely to be influenced to buy from your competitors if they have a better identity.

Imagine this. You are out in Rome and are looking for a local guide. There are two men standing in your hotel lobby waiting for customers. Your front desk operator tells you they are tour guides. The first one is of a medium build with shabby clothes, a worn out hat and even more worn out shoes. It is obvious the guy hasn’t shaved in days. The second one looks neatly groomed, is wearing a clean well pressed, has shiny shoes and is clean shaven. Now who would you chose to be your guide for the day. Most people would chose the second one. Even if he is more expensive than the first. This is applicable to all industry logos including vacation rental company logos.

The same is the case with your company logo design. If your friend, girlfriend, uncle, brother or the local butcher offers to design your logo for free or near free, it is wise to pass up that offer. Would they be in a position to understand the requirements of a professional logo design? Would they think of copyright issues? Would they think of the message the logo is broadcasting? Would they give you vector files developed with PANTONE colors that will be useful for all your printing needs? 9 times out of 10, probably not.

Most professional logo designers think of all these things and with their experience in creating corporate identities you can be assured of getting a logo that will increase the value of your company rather than diminish it.

For cost of a decent pair of shoes or a decent meal with your friends you can get a professionally designed company logo. The same rule applies to your corporate stationery, business cards, website and anything else associated with your business. Your investment in hiring a professional corporate identity designer will benefit your company many fold.