Trends and crowdsourcing are two most controversial areas of logo design business. A logo should have some contemporary elements, but that does not mean you can constantly follow trends in every logo design. Hundreds of designers follow the same trends frequently and the chances of accidental design similarity are very high.

Crowdsourcing has its negative aspects as well. In fact, crowdsourcing and logo designing contests are creating ethical controversy among logo designers.

What Is the Fuss About Logo Design Trends? - A good logo should be distinctive, meaningful and usable. If your logo has all these qualities, then don’t worry about trends. In fact, “trendy logo” is an oxymoron. Every designer says he wants to design a timeless logo, but trends are temporary. So, how can you design a timeless, yet trendy logo?

If you design a trendy logo, then after a few years it will go out of fashion and you have to redesign it. Trends are not bad, but you should study them for inspiration, not for replication.

When you design a logo, think about the client and try to fulfill his expectations. Generally, every client gives a design brief and you should follow his guidelines.

However, some clients may say you that he needs an “eco-friendly” logo for his business. In that case, you should take a look at the “eco-friendly” trend and sort out the elements that you can use in his business logo design.

Following a trend can be harmful for your client’s corporate identity as well. Trends are generally popularized by famous brands such as Nike (Swoosh), Audi (Olympic circles) etc. Therefore, when you use those elements in your client’s logo, viewers think that your client is following Nike or Audi. Those companies can also file a copyright infringement complaint against you.

Crowdsourcing, Contests and Marketplaces- Crowdsourcing may seem relevantly cheap, but in reality you get what you paid for. Still, crowdsoucing is a good option for those companies who have budget limitations.

Design contest is probably the worst option for a brand logo design. Normally, novice designers take part in logo design contest and they don’t maintain quality in their designs. Some designers submit the same design in multiple contests and therefore, the chances of plagiarism are extremely high.

Marketplace type sites are however not that bad. They offer all in one branding packages at an affordable rate. Small companies can buy those packages and establish their brand identity without burning a hole in their pocket.

A custom logo design can only be successful if the designer has an original idea and uses his skills to shape that idea into a recognizable graphical symbol. Trends may help you in the process of designing, but finally, you have to apply your own concept.

Most people associated with the creative industry will admit being torn between personal and client projects occasionally. While personal projects are essential for fulfilling one's creative urges and promoting oneself, taking up client projects is important for financial reasons. So, how can you maintain the perfect balance between the two? Here are few simple guidelines.

Invest One Day Every Week for Handling Personal Projects

Investing one day for completing personal brand logo design projects will allow you to concentrate and provide your mind with a break from commercial tasks. You would do what you love on this day and this will automatically relax your mind. We are confident that when you take up the corporate identity design project of the client on the next day, you will feel relaxed and positive.

Utilize the Benefits of Outsourcing

If you feel overwhelmed by the pressure of juggling client and personal projects, consider outsourcing some of the projects. Get in touch with any logo design company to hire a responsible designer who will complete assigned projects within the stated deadline.

Pay Attention to your Finances

Completing client projects is essential because unless you get money, you will not be able to pay your bills. Therefore, avoid getting involved with your personal projects to the extent that you start ignoring client projects. Consider the fact that such a strategy can have a negative impact on your financial career.

To stay on the safe side, calculate the number of client projects you need to take up everyday for fulfilling your financial goals. If you are planning to invest few solid days for personal projects, save beforehand. This way, you can fulfill your financial goals, even while handling personal projects.

Adding Some Variety in Your Personal Projects can Be a Great Idea

It is true that personal projects allow you to fulfill your creative urges. You can further explore your creative urges by incorporating variety in your personal projects. For example, you can invest few hours a day for blogging and spend the rest for developing freebies. If you want, you can also spend few hours for pursuing your hobbies or interests.

Many designers have the misconception that one should take up personal projects only during his free time. Following such a strategy, however, can burn you out and fail to take forward your creative career. For paying your bills and boosting your creative career, maintaining the delicate balance between client and paid projects is critical.

Are you a new logo designer who is planning to create a strong fan base by launching your own blog? If it is so, you must be wondering whether you possess the right skills to launch a successful blog. Most people think that only gifted writers can be successful bloggers. However, this is a wrong notion.

Blogging, of course, becomes easier if you possess good writing skills. However, apart from writing skills, you also need to possess other necessary skills for maintaining a successful logo design blog. We  help you to get rid of your confusion by highlighting the essential skills that will help you to fulfill your blogging goals.

Creativity

This is the most important factor that determines popularity of a blog. Incorporating creative brand logo design in your blogs would encourage people to visit it regularly. Apart from the logos, you can also provide your blog layout with a creative twist. This is effective for distinguishing your blog from millions of others.

Humility

Humility is important for maintaining a successful blog. No one likes to interact with a rude person. As a designer, you should learn to accept criticisms gracefully and possess an open mind, so that you can judge every suggestion from a neutral point of view. You should not lose this humble attitude, even after acquiring in-depth expertise about creating custom logo design.

Remember that humility is an important virtue that will help you in any situation of life.

A Friendly Nature

We felt that discussing this point is important, even if it is somewhat connected to the above-mentioned point. By friendly nature, we mean that as blog owner, you should interact with your readers, evaluate their comments, and reply to them. You should respect the visitors and stay in touch with them regularly.

According to our opinion, possessing a friendly nature will help you to connect with fellow bloggers. This in turn, can be a great way to promote your blog and establish strong relationships. Additionally, this will allow you to learn valuable lessons from them.

Usefulness

Your blog must be relevant to your target audience. Of course, it may be difficult for you initially to understand requirements of your audience. However, with time and experience, you would understand their preferences. Make sure that your blog posts cater requirements of your target audience.

According to our opinion, these skills are essential for maintaining a successful blog. As far as writing the blog posts are concerned, you can always opt for content writing services, if you do not feel confident about your writing skills. Overall, make sure that your blog is informative as well as entertaining.

Visual weight refers to the concept that every design element possesses a particular weight. This concept allows designers to develop symmetry, balance,and visual hierarchy in designs. When implemented intelligently, visual weight helps designers to guide visitors' eyes towards intended elements.

In this post, we will discuss the concept of visual weight and the factors that influence it.

What Does Visual Weight Refer To?

Visual weight emphasizes on the idea that particular elements in any logo or corporate identity design possess varying heaviness, as compared to other elements. In certain cases, visual weight is easy to understand. For example, large-scale items appear heavier than small-scale objects because they occupy greater space.

However, it is not always easy to identify which elements are heavier than others. Let us assume that few people are asked to compare blue with black, against a white background. While some people would find the black as visually heavier, others will consider blue as the heavier color.

Factors that Affect Visual Weight

Color

It is true that colors have respective visual weight. Certain colors appear heavier than others. Also, saturated and darker colors attract more attention than unsaturated and lighter colors. In general, it is believed that red is the heaviest color, with yellow being the lightest.

Recently, some psychologists have also pointed out hue as another factor affecting visual weight of a color. For example, if you compare red and blue (both of them possessing similar lightness and saturation), you would find red heavier than blue. This has encouraged some psychologists to declare that hue has a powerful impact on the visual weight of a color.

If you want to provide users with an aesthetically appealing experience, avoid using only heavier colors in your brand logo design. Rather, stick to a single heavier color and balance it by opting for a lighter color.

Contrast

Contrast can make a design appear heavier, as compared to others. This is because contrast highlights particular aspects of a design, thus assigning more weight to them.

If one of your designs appear heavier because of its high contrast against the background, achieve visual hierarchy by taking help of other factors, such as color and size.

Size

Size is another important factor that influences visual weight of a design. As compared to a smaller design, a bigger design would obviously appear heavier because it would take up greater space.

This means that if you are planning to incorporate a larger design in your website, balance out the weight by using a smaller design.

Achieving visual balance in designs may not be an exactly easy task because it highly depends on instinct of the designer. Still, you can consider these tips for acquiring a basic idea about visual weight. In case you require professional help, getting in touch with a logo design company would be the perfect idea.

In the initial stages of career, most designers possess a burning desire to learn new things. However, with time and experience, some people become arrogant. They fail to evaluate their business logo design from a neutral point of view because they think that they create best designs. Over time, they turn into demanding designers.

Unfortunately, such a strategy backfires in the long run. This is because no one wants to work with a designer who is arrogant and does not respect point of view of others. In this post, we will discuss respective traits of understanding and demanding designers. This will allow you to understand to which category you belong and modify your strategies, if required.

Characteristics of an Understanding Logo Designer

• Asks for Opinions from Clients

An understanding designer respects suggestions from clients. Even if he decides not to implement ideas of the client, he respects them and explains the logic behind the rejection.

• Creates Designs that Convey the Intended Message

An understanding designer realizes the fact that a logo design needs to be both stylish and practical for attracting attention of the target audience. This means that he does not design logos, for satisfying his creative urges. Rather, he considers client requirements and audience preferences, before coming up with a brand logo design.

• Exhibits a Polite Attitude

This is another crucial feature of an understanding designer. He is polite and treats clients and fellow designers with respect. He also possesses a professional attitude and delivers project within the deadline, without affecting quality of the designs.

Characteristics of a Demanding Logo Designer

• Desperate to Win Awards

A demanding designer takes up a project, with the sole intention of winning awards. He does not pay attention to client instructions and rejects his ideas, without evaluating them.

• Thinks that He has Learned Every Trick

As a designer, you may have across people who think that they know everything. It is true that flaunting a confident attitude is important. However, believing that one knows everything can be dangerous. It prevents the designer from learning new things, thus affecting his growth.

• Possesses a Rude Attitude

Since a demanding designer believes that he knows everything, he behaves rudely. He treats everyone as inferior to him, thus hurting self-respect of others.

• Brags about Past Creations

A demanding designer is obsessed with his past designs and brags about them constantly. He may even attempt to modify the past designs for new projects. Such an attitude highlights the fact that he does not  pay importance to client specifications, for creating designs.

We hope that the above discussion helped you to understand whether you are an understanding or demanding designer. Ideally, we should be understanding designers, but sometimes, we may  act  as demanding designers unconsciously. If you think that you have become or on the path of becoming a demanding designer, study traits of understanding designers to modify your attitude.

Business logo design is not just an art but also science because it needs creativity along with strategic aligning of your design with your clients' goal. In this post, i will discuss the various phases of an entire logo design process for a business. As a designer, going through these phases carefully will help you.

Step 1: Briefing: When clients contact logo designers for a project, they brief them about their company, their brand and their objectives. This is the safest time to clarify your doubts about the design. Ask your clients anything you want to know, or offer any advice in this phase. Remember, your client can tell you all that you need to know, so do not hesitate to ask.

Step 2: Research: After you have been briefed, start your research. Find out as much as you can about your client's business, industry, stature, competition and marketing. This way, you will be able to identify what risks are associated with the brand logo design project that you have been assigned. You can also learn the challenges involved with this job. This is the phase that cements the path for the project's progress.

Step 3: Reference Collecting: In this phase, designers see and study different company logos in the same niche which they are going to design for. They observe the intricacies of these designs and use the findings for their logo design. You have to do the same and also keep track of the latest happenings in the world of logo designing. Take inspiration from these latest happenings and be confident about your project.

Step 4: Conceptualizing the Logo: Build a concept around your brief, study and findings. This is the phase when you have to brainstorm ideas and chalk out the entire brand logo design in detail. This phase calls for your absolute dedication.

Step 5: An Interval: This is the phase where you need to take some time off from the work and get some rest. Arrange a meeting with your client and tell them about the progress of your work. If any revision is requested by the client, do it accordingly. Also, listen to your client's advice and ideas. Then refresh yourself for some time and then get back to work.

This interval will let you analyze your work's progress, strategies, commitment and your client satisfaction. When you get to work again, you will be able to start with a fresh mind and the result of the analysis will reflect on your work.

Step 6: Revision: Needless to say, your logo design will not come out flawless the first time. It would go through a number of alterations, changes and modifications. After completion, it's time to revise what you have designed. Since your client cannot afford to keep changing their business logo, you have to present a few variations of the same logo before your client so that they can choose what they like.

Step 7: Delivery: The final phase. You can present your logo as a standalone one or as a part of the context (situation or environment) in which it will be used. Pay attention to your client's feedback.

Lastly, do not compromise on any phase of your business logo design. Remember, every phase is equally important.

Do share your opinions and experience!

Most people will agree with the fact that the focal point of any logo design firm is 'the client' As a logo designer, client is the main source of your income and plays a critical role in the growth and survival of your business.

Unfortunately, working with some clients may turn out to be a traumatic experience. While few clients try to dominate the designer, others do not stay in touch regularly. This delays the project, with the client refusing to take responsibility for the delay later.

If you want to enjoy a stress-free working experience, avoiding such wrong clients can be a great idea. To simplify things, we discuss few types of clients that a designer should avoid. Of course, it may not be always possible to understand personality of the client beforehand. Still, in certain situations, you can consider these points to avoid a potentially drastic situation.

1) Clients who Believe They Know Everything

Some clients think that they possess in-depth knowledge about designs and force designers to implement their ideas. They are usually egoistic and think that they possess the best knowledge. Even if the designer tries to convince them that a particular idea may not earn appreciation, they will stick to their opinion.

Working with clients usually results in wastage of time and energy.

2) Clients who Do Not Bother about Anything

These clients are diametrically opposite to the above-mentioned client type. They remain detached from the project and do not care about activities of the designer. They possess a vague idea about the project and feel confused, when asked for suggestions.

Also, they do not stay in regular touch with the designer. This may lead to confusion and delays. Therefore, avoiding such clients can be a great idea.

3) Clients who Force Designers to Rush Through a Project

Sometimes, you may come across clients who expect you to complete a project within an impossible deadline. They consider designers as pizza delivery persons who should come up with designs within few minutes.

Such clients usually do not expect quality work and underestimate amount of time required to complete a design project. Avoid collaborating with such clients because they can tarnish your reputation.

4) Clients who are Obsessed with Bargains and Discounts

Some clients ask for discounts and bargains, irrespective of the situation, terms and conditions. Even if you quote a fixed price, they would still try to negotiate. They fail to understand the fact that designing a logo is hard work and also undermine value of a creative design. Working with these clients is definitely not worth it!

5) Clients who Want 'Perfect' Designs

Sometimes, you may come across clients who are looking for perfect designs. If you work for them, chances are high that you would face difficulty in fulfilling their requirements because no specific definition of a 'perfect' design exists. Therefore, rejecting projects of such clients can be a great idea.

We discussed few client types that may prevent you from enjoying the experience of creating innovative brand logo design or corporate identity design. For best results, stick to clients who appreciate your efforts and trust your instincts.

If you are associated with the logo design industry, chances are high that you have your own blog. You may want to reach out to a wider audience via blogging and highlight your logo designing skills. However, are you sure that your blog will not disappear soon?

We are saying this because every day, thousands of blogs are created in the Internet. Shockingly, 90% of them disappear within few months. If you do want your brand logo design blog to die, avoid committing following mistakes.

Posting Once in Two Months

Irregular posting is the most common reason behind death of blogs. If you publish posts once in two months, it will disappoint your readers because they will not find anything new. Furthermore, this will convince them that you are no longer interested in your blog. Therefore, it is obvious that they would stop visiting your site after a while.

Publishing Boring Posts

People visit blogs because they want to acquire new information. Therefore, if you publish boring posts, it will not create a positive impression on the visitors. In case you fail to find any new information, you can discuss the issue from a fresh point of view. You can also add elements of humor and suspense to spice up your posts.

Opting For Excessively Long Posts

Bloggers do not have many hours to read your posts. Therefore, keep your posts short and simple. In case you want to publish a long post, ensure that it contains valuable information. Do not write long posts, just for the sake of it.

Using Misleading Titles

Using misleading titles can disappoint your readers. They will start reading the posts, expecting discussion on a particular issue. If the post fails to fulfill their expectation, chances are high that they will feel cheated and will not visit your blog again.

To avoid such a situation, choose titles that offer a glimpse of the topics that you are about to discuss.

Posting Repeated Topics

Publishing posts on same topics repeatedly can make readers lose interest in your blog. Since they will not find any new information, they will not feel interested in visiting your blog again. For this reason, avoid publishing posts on same topics repeatedly.

Avoiding Interaction with Readers

If your blog lacks a comment section, your readers will feel disappointed. This is because most people visit blogs to avail new information and express their opinions. If you do not allow them to express their viewpoints, they will feel disappointed.

To retain interest of readers, allow them to interact with you and other bloggers.

Using a Complicated Navigation System

A blog that incorporates a complex navigation system will not be able to retain interest of readers for a long time. If you have opted for a complicated navigation system in your blog, try to simplify it. Arrange the articles in various sections, so that it is easier for visitors to pick out a topic that interests them.

Consider these tips to retain interest of visitors in your custom logo design blog.

Many logo designers choose freelancing because of the advantages it offers. It offers good pay, flexibility, and the freedom to choose projects. However, working as a freelancer logo designer can also be quite challenging. You may not find enough time for your loved ones or fail to stick to deadlines (because the boss is not there to motivate you).

We discuss few challenges that a freelancer may face. Additionally, we offer few tips that would help you to meet these challenges successfully.

Working Alone

This is the biggest challenge a freelancer can face. Experienced designers will agree with the fact that occasionally, creating logo design as a freelancer can be a boring job. The reason is that you work alone. Therefore, chances are high that you may feel bored.

The best way to deal with this situation is to take breaks regularly. To avoid monotony, opt for refreshing activities regularly.

For example, after you finish a custom logo design project, you can meet a friend for lunch. You can also visit a coffee shop and converse with new people. Visit workshops and seminars regularly to update your knowledge. Talk with fellow freelancers and exchange ideas and useful information.

Laziness

While working at an office, the boss motivates us to stick to the deadline. However, when you are working alone, you do not owe an explanation to anyone. This can demotivate you and prevent you from completing the pending brand logo design project.

To avoid feeling demotivated, create a weekly or daily schedule. Stick to it (except in emergency cases). If necessary, download project management software programs available on the Internet. Most of these programs are free and offer customization options. Therefore, you can easily create a routine and avoid laziness.

Shyness

Some freelance designers feel shy to approach clients and negotiate about the price. Unfortunately, for a freelancer, shyness can result in loss of projects.

To get rid of shyness, understand the fact that growth of your freelancing career greatly depends on the relationship you share with your clients. Therefore, do not feel shy to convey your ideas.

Additionally, remember the fact that you are the designer. Therefore, you have the right to quote a price that justifies your effort and time.

An Unorganized WorkPlace

A messed-up workplace can frustrate you. It can even interfere with your work.

Start by cleaning the place. Arrange necessary things neatly so that you do not have to search for them, while working on a project. Place only work-related items in the area. This will allow you to stay motivated.

A Soft Approach

Experienced freelancers will agree with the fact that some clients take advantage of soft-hearted designers. To discourage the client from taking you for granted, prepare a contract that includes necessary terms and conditions.

If the clients wants any extra work from you, inform him that you will charge extra. In any situation, do not let the client to take advantage of your kindness.

Excessive Workload

As a freelancer, you need to pay attention to various aspects. These can include bidding, communicating with the client, creating a contract, and working. As a result, you may find it difficult to spend time with your friends and family.

However, if you do not spend enough time with your loved ones, it can have a negative impact on your overall well-being. To maintain a healthy work-life balance, do not take up excessive workload. Accept projects that will allow you to spend time with your family and friends.

Any business, if it wants to succeed, has to create its brand identity because this is what businesses depend the most on. The core of a business's brand identity is the logo. Company brand logo should be designed in such a way that it conveys both the company's image and message. To create a company's brand identity, a beautiful blend of colors, layouts, fonts, taglines and backgrounds is needed. And this blend is needed in all the marketing materials and stationery set.

Now, let's take a look at what benefits these elements can offer to your business -
 

• Elements such as color, font, layout etc. combine and tap into your audience's psyche – These materials tickle the interest of your audience and make them open their eyes to what you have to show.
   
• Corporate logo design is a better way to communicate than traditional text - Needless to say, viewers can relate better with colors, images, shapes and graphics than just plain text. So, when you are in a time crunch, it's advisable to create motion graphics as that attract eyes faster than static fonts or design.
   
• Don't forget that not every marketing material of yours will be liked by everyone – Let's face it. Not all your logo designs will appeal to everyone. Some people will connect with the design of a particular type of your marketing material such as brochure while others would be enamored by the use of graphics in your billboards. Your aim should be to cater to all these people with eye-catching design.
   
• Having a uniform design throughout all your marketing materials helps – While different materials may appeal to different people, a uniform approach (such as the same color, graphics etc.) throughout all your marketing materials will make make your brand logo appear more professional.
   
• Visual elements are more memorable, therefore more powerful – Most people recognize and better remember company brand logos that are more visually appealing. A very common way to create a logo with memorable visual elements is to create a watermark that will be used on your letterhead, business cards and website. This helps existing as well as new customers recognize your brand faster and better.
   
• If you can create the right combination, it makes your marketing materials more appealing – Don't forget that you are always in competition. There are other players in the market who are targeting the same niche as yours so you have to do something that strikes a chord. Your brochures and business cards may lie in a pile of papers. How do you ensure it's noticed? By creating the right combination of color, font size and use of graphics as well as white space.
   
• Your existing brand logo design can help create new marketing materials – If you are running out of time and have to create new marketing materials, you can take help from your existing brand logo.
   

Your company brand logo becomes more interesting, memorable and emotionally charged with the effective use of attractive logo design. And from time to time, you can modify the logo to increase its effectiveness.