How to Earn on Logo Design

The goal of any brand is to increase the demand for its products and goods in the market. In this regard, a memorable logo is one of the best and must-have tools to boost the awareness of the company. The logo allows you to visualize the name of the company, its products/services, nature, and mission. Such information makes the company unique and gives customers opportunity to identify it among competitors.

Of course, you have to try your best to create a true masterpiece and avoid fails like these. Having worked at DesignContest for a long time, I’ve frequently been asked whether it’s possible for an individual logo designer to turn his hobby into the profession and the main source of income. Finally, I’m going to share my thoughts on this matter.

Logo Design as a Business

A company with large-scale plans aimed at achieving success, prosperity, and fame, must take care of the logo since it will be associated with the brand and the trademark. The development of company logos for various organizations is an excellent platform for business implementation.

Logo design is a creative process that has a number of nuances and requires a lot of time. The expected result is a logo that evokes positive emotions of the target audience and creates a good impression of the promoted product or service. Thus, if you’re a creative person with certain artistic taste and ability to work in special programs for design, then this business is just for you.

On average, a single design process takes from one to four weeks. As for the earnings, they vary from a few tens of dollars to several tens of thousands of dollars – all depends on the seriousness of the company for which you are designing a logo or corporate identity. The production costs are minimal: all you need is a piece of paper and a
place for holding the presentation of sketches.

Well, as I said, you have to be creative and think outside the box. But even these qualities are not enough if you’re not familiar with some specific design software like Photoshop and Corel Draw.
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Search for Clients

Search for clients is the most important task of any business. At first, you need to accumulate some experience, and then you can start a self-promotion campaign:

  • The first thing you have to do is to create a portfolio. Fill it with your previous best project or, at least, with something of a medium+ quality that was done by you. Do not put other people designs in the portfolio: the reputation of a dishonest designer won’t let you get any serious order. Complete the portfolio with works done in different styles to show your versatility as a professional.
  • Participate in various competitions of logo design. The competitions contribute to the development of your skills and increase the popularity among both designers and customers.
  • Visit the websites of professional designers, study their works, leave comments, and share your personal experience with other visitors. This will help you to find new contacts.
  • Create a website related to your business. Put there your portfolio, information about yourself, working conditions, rates, and contact information.

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Cooperation with Customers

It is important to build an honest and trusting relationship with each customer, learn their preferences, and receive as much information as possible about the outcome they want to get. Ask the client the following questions:

  • What types of logos are common for the niche?
  • What are the strongest competitors’ logos? Is there anything that customer likes/dislikes in these logos?
  • What are the logos the client prefers and why?
  • What does the client think about the image of your company?
  • How does he want his company to be perceived?

By fairly answering these questions, the customer will provide you with a lot of essential information you can rely on when developing a design for a logo.

As for the design process, it typically consists of three stages:

  1. Preliminary works. The more data you get at this stage, the more likely you’ll design a relevant logo that will be approved by the client.
  2. As for me, the best way is to show the customer a few concepts of a future logo and let him choose the best one.
  3. Finalization and acceptance of the design.

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Possible Difficulties

In the end, everything is determined by the client, that is, whether he accepts or not what you’ve done. And there are no clear and unequivocal arguments in favor of this or that decision. As a rule, the client does not understand such design nuances as style, harmony, proportionality, subordination, etc. Therefore, one of your prior tasks is to explain all the essential moments through understandable arguments and reasons and in plain language.

If you do not believe in honesty of the customer, then better ask for an advance of 25–50% of the total order. Also, you can determine the maximum number of redesigns to exclude the situation when the client is not satisfied with any of the options provided and demands improvements again and again.

As experience shows, finding the right audience takes a lot of time. But it’s worth it.

About the author:

Brian Jens is a designer/researcher from DesignContest. Brian loves blogging and constantly conducts in-depth studies on the most challenging and controversial design themes. Freely ask him to carry out research if you have any valuable idea.

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