A graphic design professional willing to make captivating and innovative looking logos for his clients, needs to pick the best software for logo design.

There are a number of softwares that can be used for making logos, but professional designers often stick with Adobe Illustrator. Used in print industry by amateurs, as well as veterans, Illustrator comes with a number of advanced tools for designing creatively. Designers, who want to make stunning and professional logos quickly, should resort to this application for a number of reasons:

• Designers specializing in business logo design should use Illustrator as this is a vector graphics based tool. This makes it easier for designers to use lines and curves freely without running into display related issues. There is no chance of the logo looking pixilated or distorted at maximum magnification, which is often the case with applications based on raster graphics. Therefore, logo design professionals can freely design the logo and need not bother about the consequences of using complex designs where required.

• Illustrator files are not large in size in general, which means logo design artists can work on a project incorporating lots of elements without facing system slowdown.  It is also possible to import graphic elements into this app from other softwares without running into problems. Illustrator supports a plethora of file formats, and designers can save specific file versions meant for the web and print media directly within the interface of the software.

• In business logo design, precision and attention to details are the keys to success. Illustrator offers a number of ways to ensure the logo’s design remains proportionate and properly aligned. The smart guides are useful for this purpose. The software makes it easier for artists to make the logo stunning, without spending a lot of time. Illustrator comes with a number of effects and filters and using them, a designer can make logos eye catching. There are a number of plug-ins available for this app, which can be downloaded and used for getting the desired effect by the designers.

• The Illustrator interface can be customized as per the needs of designers. The panels needed most, can be on the forefront while those that are not used frequently, can be hidden at will. This helps designers to work with precision and speed. If designers making a logo want to share it with the web site development team, it is not an issue. Illustrator offers tight integration with Dreamweaver, a professional web site development tool. Files made in Illustrator can be sent to Dreamweaver easily.

• Designers using Illustrator can also benefit from its support for huge color palettes. They can pick the ones that fit their need the best.  Illustrator also supports graphics created in Photoshop, another popular design tool of Adobe. This makes it easy for artists to use backgrounds or image files in logo design.

A logo represents a brand, company and business entity to the mass and hence, it is extremely important to use the best resources to design a logo. Adobe Illustrator is a wise choice.

Giving an interview for a new job is a pressure situation for both freshers and experienced logo designers. Sometimes, the interviewer asks such tricky questions that you might feel that you don’t have an answer to give.

Your designing degree and previous experience in logo design is not enough to convince the employer, unless you impress him at the interview desk.  Before appearing for an interview, you should prepare yourself for the most regular yet challenging questions. Don’t get nervous when you face the interviewer.

Here’s a list of most frequently asked questions and suggestions on how you can handle them.

Tell us about yourself- This is the first question that any interviewer shoots at the applicant. Don’t get tensed, just remain calm and give a short bio to the employer. For example, “I am a logo designer with 2 years experience and like to work in a team.”

Why you left your previous job? - Most people answer that they were not satisfied with the work environment or with the boss’s arrogant behavior and left the logo design company. Never answer this question in a negative way. Your new employer might feel that you are not a team player and like to blame your boss for any problem you face.

The intelligent way to answer this question is, tell him your aspirations and the possibilities you see working with him. Tell him your career objectives and how you feel the company will help you reach there. If you are giving the interview for a higher logo design team position, simply express how you want to progress in your career.

Why should we hire you? - There are other aspirants waiting for their chance. Why should the employer hire you? Give him good enough reasons that will help him to understand why you are better than others. Explain your work ethics and how you can help the company to achieve a better position in the industry. However, don’t exaggerate about yourself.

What is favorite logo design? – You may admire several logo designs, but when asked about your favorite logo design, name the logo which you know the best. You must have enough knowledge about the history and creation process of that logo. Clients often check the applicant’s knowledge with this question.

Your strengths as a logo designer- The interviewer wants to check your self-confidence with this question. Highlight your designing skills, your ability to come up with innovative and unique idea, etc. If the interviewer is impressed with your positive answers, he will certainly hire you.

Where do you see yourself in next 5 years? - Tell your aspirations and career plans in detail to the employer. Explain how you are planning to shape up your career in that company. It will show that you are a stable and professional employee and want to create a long term relationship with the company. No company likes to hire a designer who will work for 6 months and leave the company once he gets a better job offer.

Expected salary? - Generally this is the last question of an interview. To answer the question correctly, do some research on the internet to know the standard salary for the position you are applying. The employer will be more eager to appoint you, if your expected salary matches theirs.

Conclusion- There is no lack of creative talent in logo design industry. You should be prepared to show your abilities to the employer and convince him that you are the best candidate for the job.

All the best!

Logo design is a dream job for anyone who loves to play with graphics and flaunt his creative ideas. The most difficult part however, is to determine the price for designing a logo.

Anyone who has ever quoted a price for services     offered has either felt he is asking too much and the  client won’t approve, or asking too less compared to the  amount of work required.

The problem is, you can’t find a rate chart for logo design, and you have to follow your own understanding of the industry standards to quote a price. To solve this problem, I would like to share with you some points that will help you to determine the proper value of your ingenuity and service.

Experience- The more experience you gather, the more you can charge for your logo design. When you have enough skill and a strong grasp on a particular art, you can charge as much as you wish for your creative services. If you check the price of famous logo designs, you will realize how important experience is in earning plenty of money. A novice logo designer will not be able to charge as high as a veteran.

Importance of the project- You can charge depending on the days required to spend on a design. If it’s a small company whose target audience is not big, you don’t need to brainstorm too much and the project can be completed in a few days. If, however, you are designing for a large corporate house that wants to target a global audience, you must pay more attention and devote more time to finishing the design.

How much the client can spend- Before charging a price for logo design, you should know your client and his business condition. If you are working for a small company, you can’t ask a high price. They won’t be able to hire you if your charge is too high. But if you are designing a logo for a famous brand, then you can actually charge whatever price you want. These MNCs believe it’s an ego boosting thing to pay a hefty price for the logo, which carries their brand name all over the world. For example, British Petroleum uses a stylized sunflower logo for which they spent $4.6 million.

Competitive pricing- Logo designing is a fiercely competitive field and your price must be reasonable to get more clients. You must not lower your price too much, or the client will feel your work quality is cheap. Especially in third world countries, competitive pricing helps you to survive.

Serve the community- Charity is low cost publicity. It may sound rude, but most people associate with charitable organizations for this reason. As a designer, you can also do the same. If you come across a client who wants to design a logo for a charitable organization or hospital, quote him a very low price. You can even give him 50% discount.

These are only a few tips that can help you to quote a price for your logo design. The funny thing is, logo designers are always paid before the clients realize whether the design will bring success or not. An ironic example is 2012 London Olympics logo. The logo design was hated by everyone, but the logo design agency got $400,000 despite its utter failure.

The purpose of hidden logo design is to send a powerful message to the target audience. However, the trick lies in making the message subtle and yet distinctive.

Let us consider the example of FedEx logo. It has a simple design and many people fail to notice that a hidden arrow exists between the alphabets ‘E’ and ‘X’. The arrow represents the organization’s progress over the years. This example highlights the main aim of hidden logos – to conceal a brilliant concept within a simple design.

Creating hidden logo is a difficult process and requires creativity, a sharp eye, and the ability to deliver messages in a clever way. We provide few tips that will help you to come up with hidden and yet interesting logos.

Pay Attention to Negative Space

One of the most crucial aspects of hidden logo is the negative or white space. Negative space is the one that exists between various elements of the website and plays a crucial role in defining the contents of a positive space.

Intelligent use of negative space can allow you to hide three or more objects within a single subject. The logo design of ‘Hope for African Children Initiative’, for example, utilizes this technique effectively. While Africa represents the subject in this hidden logo, a child’s face and an elderly figure are placed subtly on each side.

Mend and Bend Numbers

If your client’s company name includes any digit or number, you can opt for this technique. Play with numbers in interesting ways so that they ultimately acquire the shape of hidden numerical logos. ‘Five-Ten’ logo, for example, is created for an enterprise that specializes in outdoor sports footwear.

The designers played with the numbers 5 and 10 in innovative ways and combined them to form a single symbol.

Typography is Crucial

You can create hidden logos by twisting alphabets and typography. Continue experimenting, until you manage to place a clever message within the design. The logo design of ‘My Fonts’, for example, is stylish and yet manages to touch hearts. If you look closely at the design, you can observe that the letters ‘My’ represents a human hand.

Use Symbols Intelligently

Using symbols is another way you come up with engaging hidden logo designs. While experimenting with symbols may initially appear simple, the reality is different. The symbol must be relevant to the image of the company and the message it wants to deliver.

The logo of ‘Yoga Australia’, for example, highlights the image of a woman practicing yoga. However, sharp observation will help you to identify the fact that the symbol has been twisted in a way so that it assumes shape of the Australian map.

Creating logos that are boring and uninteresting is not exactly a difficult job. The trick lies in coming up with simple logos, which contain hidden messages. Opt for brainstorming sessions and study hidden logos of famous brands. And yes, a quirky attitude and an intense desire to experiment will always help you to create fascinating designs.

Logo design is no child’s play. An original and meaningful logo can help establish a brand immensely, but at the same time, a poor logo design can destroy a well established business’ reputation. If any business owner thinks that a logo is nothing important and anyone can create it, then he is making a huge mistake. Logo design must be handled carefully and done by professional logo designers only.

When a company owner plans to design a logo for his company, he must realize that it’s not just a signboard outside a store, it will be the emblem of trust and goodwill that his clients will relate to and recognize even in the distant parts of the world.

A business sells products due to the brand reputation its logo creates. People don’t understand the specifics of a high-end product. What they rely on is the brand, and logo is the flag of the brand. Do you really understand what “retina scan display” is or what “iOS4” really does? You don’t! Still you buy iPhone 4 because Apple developed it.

To create and retain the brand value of a company, logo designers must be very careful while designing a logo. Here is a list of the things that blunder logo design:

1. Controversial Design- Being famous for all the good reasons can help your business grow. “Any publicity is good publicity”, but do you want to be remembered for the wrong reasons?

You don’t want to be remembered as a company whom people gossip about. Avoid controversial designs that hurt people’s tastes, religious beliefs or nationality, are racist or sexist, and plain offensive.

2.    False Advertisement- If you want to create a positive image for your company, your logo’s design should reflect it. Imagine a customer’s reaction when he uses your company’s product that promises to be 100% natural and is not!

Don’t come up with motifs like plants, trees, etc to advertise eco-friendly products if you are really just selling synthetic stuff.

3.    Juvenile Design- A logo’s design must be done by an experienced and professional logo designer. If you want to save money and hire an amateur logo designer, the final product is bound to be poor.

4.    Copying A Famous Logo- If your logo looks too similar to a famous logo, people will mock you. Originality will be highly appreciated

Some designers may copy designs and pass it off as inspiration. However, if people recognize the resemblance between two logos, they will either take your company as being fake or a subsidiary of the established brand they know.

5.    Meaningless Designs- Your logo must tell your customer what you do and what your future mission is. If the public can’t understand what your business does, they won’t be interested in you. Of course, the Apple logo hardly tells people what the company does, but is still extremely successful because of the uniqueness of design.

If you are a new company and just starting out, avoid drastic experiments like Apple. Establish your brand and then go for a change if you must.