Thoughts on Logo Design Perception & Value

I have been thinking a lot recently about the whole logo design and pricing dilemma. After reviewing a number of comments on some previous posts, I started replying. Soon I realsied that one reply was becoming more of a post. So rather than submit it as a comment, thought it would be better served as just a quick post.

It refers specifically to two previous posts: ‘I Need a Logo Designed for Free Please, thanks Buddy.‘ & Want a cheap logo? Go and get some clip art then.”

As a sidenote, I’ll come out and also say right here that I am aware I am not the best at replying to comments left on my blog. It’s something I am aware of and promise to make more of an effort to reply to those comments. So apologies to all who have left comments previously, and been a bit bummed out that I have not replied. I am also making the comment section ‘threaded’ so this will help keep the comments and replies in a readable order.

Thoughts based on that post and comments left.

The general problem here is that logo design specifically is, and continues to be seen as a quick and cheap skill. With so many people having access to the most basic of applications, anyone can supposedly create a ‘logo’. What defines a logo and/or brand identity is for another post. But loosely I am talking about the one off logos that people require to get their new business of the ground. Not a full blown identity package.

What we have here is the ‘catch 22′. Logo design is so bloody popular. It’s becoming too popular.

So many blogs and posts writting about it, you can’t escape logo design. On one hand this is great as it is so popular, we have to feed the addiction. The flip side is that this has the adverse affect of actually cheapening the perception, mostly by ‘the lay person’. With the number of logo ‘inspiration’ galleries on the rise, most of which with no real filter biased towards ‘the higher quality logo’ we are force fed a quality reality which is at best, warped.

There aren’t enough safeguards to filter the ‘clip art logo’ in many of these inspiration galleries.

The upshot of this is that many logo designs that get ‘featured’ are often conceptual. Which in turn gives a false sense of logo design quality as a whole. More importantly, a false reading of logo trends.

This is an act that sets a trend and trends are taken up pretty darn quick. It’s not bad, but it’s neither a realistic view of logos that the actual client may need and want in the commercial and practical real life environment. This then gives those seeking inspiration that slightly biased view of logo design and trends. It’s a another ‘catch 22′.

Logo design overload

With the condensing of logo design information overload, it’s hard to not imagine that it’s a skill that anyone can do. The more you see it, the more in your face it is, the more people who feel they can design a logo.

The reality is that logo design has become too commercialized and it is tainting the whole concept of quality brand and identity design as a whole. I personally don’t see it getting better, I think it will just continue to plummet in terms of the laymens perceptions of logo design.

Logo design has become the new DTP. It is falling victim to over and miss use.

Logo design is way cool

Logo design has a ‘coolness’ factor that everyone want’s to get on board with. That’s the issue right there. But the very cool nature of it is cheapening it as everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.

If anyone can do it, the price must be cheap. Supply and demand. That old chestnut.

And thus we end up with the whole ‘I need a logo designed for free please’ or ‘I’ll do it myself with some new clip-art.’

The best we can do as designers is to keep a firm hand on how we relate to potential and new clients, the ‘very real’ value of experience when talking about logo and brand identity.