In the logo design industry, relationship with the client forms the crux of the job. No matter how perfect your design is, at some point you may have to deal with clients who dislike your creations. You may also come across clients who assume that designing a logo is probably the easiest work on earth.

As logo designers, we all are familiar with the reality. We also expect the client to empathize with us. However, consider the fact that unless you explain the reality to clients, they would not understand it. Furthermore, this will help you to improve your working relationship with the client. Here are few things you can explain to the client. 

Designing a Logo is a Creative Process

As mentioned earlier, some clients think that developing a logo does not require much effort. They believe that designers need to refer to few famous designs, which will allow them to come up with original creations. However, this is hardly the reality.

To simplify things, explain to the client the processes involved in creating a custom logo design. Describe the features of a high quality logo, so that it is easier for the client to understand the effort involved in creating a good brand logo.

Forcing the Designer Will Not Solve Problems

Many clients think that they possess in-depth expertise in logo and web design, when the reality is that they are unaware of even the basic aspects of designing. In most cases, such clients force designers to follow their ideas.

As a result, quality of the design is compromised. This in turn, harms reputation of both the designer and the client. However, if you want to improve the situation, inform your client about the repercussions of forcing a designer. Explain the different ways it can negatively impact his project.

Staying in Touch is Important

Some clients simply do not understand the importance of staying in touch. After assigning a project, they will vanish, causing various problems. To stay on the safe side, before accepting a project, inform the client about the importance of staying in touch.

Explain the problems that may arise, if the client does not stay in touch. This will help him to understand the reality.

“One Small Change” would Require Extra Payment

Some clients ask for “one small change” one day before the deadline and expect the designer to do it for free. They argue that this minor alteration would not require great effort and therefore, the designer should do, without charging extra.

If you want to explain the reality to the client, start by discussing the steps involved in implementing this minor modification. Let us assume that the client wants you to change color of the logo. State that for performing this step, you will have to re-export the necessary files and modify the stylesheet. Additionally, you may have to ensure that alterations of color does not affect other aspects of the logo.

Explaining the whole process will help the client to gauge the reality. Clarify that you would expect extra payment for making even “one small change”.

As a designer, it is easy to blame the client. However, you need to accept the fact that every client may not understand the reality. Opting for a pro-active approach can be the best way to improve the situation. Implement these strategies and encourage the client to judge a situation from point of view of the designer.

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.

Most business owners are aware of the importance of a brand logo design. However, only few people are aware of the fact that owning a logo in various file and color formats is critical.

Possessing an extensive library of logo files will allow you to send clients any type of file they require. It will also allow you to deal with vendors and printing experts more effectively. In this article, we will target two main issues-file-type and color variations.

Color Variations :

Pantone Color- If you are planning to print your business cards or other documents on a press, opt for Pantone Color. As compared to CMYK color, printing materials by using this color is cheaper.

Full CMYK color- Opt for this color to print full colored advertisements. You can also opt for full CMYK color for printing materials by using your desktop printer.

Grayscale- If you have used two or more colors in your custom brand logo design, acquire a grayscale version. This will help you, while placing the logo in Yellow Pages or newspapers.

RGB Color- This is ideal for using in your email or on your site.

Black and White- This will allow clients to observe the most basic structure of your logo.

File Formats :

Original Graphic- This file format simplifies the process of making minor modifications to the designs. It is also helpful, in case you decide to alter color scheme of the logo.

PDF Format- For best results, prepare PDF files for every color version of the brand logo. For viewing PDF files, you need to download it. It is available at the Adobe website and is free.

GIF and JPEG Format- This is ideal for email or web usage. Create the GIF format by using a transparent background.

EPS Format- Preparing your logo in EPS 10 format can be a great idea. Various programs can open and process EPS. Also, in most cases, printers ask for this particular file format.

Outlined Original Format- In the outlined original format, fonts are outlined. This means that letters are changed into shapes. In Photoshop, on the other hand, layers are flattened and types are rasterized. Prepare this outlined file in the formats mentioned above.

The importance of outlined original format lies in the fact that it retains appearance of the logo design elements during printing. More specifically, this means that your logo would possess the preferred font, even if the printer did not opt for the right font.

TIF Format at 300 DPI- Many ad vendors and printers may request for this file format to develop extra designed materials.

Preparing the logo in all these formats will reduce the need to recreate or redraw the logo for future projects. This will save your time and allow you to concentrate in important tasks.

 Growth is a critical issue for any business. Unfortunately, many of us neglect the issue of promoting our logo design business. Reasons can include lack of time and  motivation. Since you do not receive any payment for promoting your business, you start neglecting it. 

Today, in this article, we will provide you with few tips that will help you to promote your brand logo, and consequently, your company. The best part is that implementing these tips will not require much time. Therefore, you can maintain your daily schedule and yet implement these tips.
Offer a Free Presentation

Creating an informative presentation can be a good way of promoting your company brand logo. Explain the purposes of your company, include your few projects, and finally, incorporate a strong call-to-action statement. Participate in any local event and market your company with the help of this presentation. Alternatively, you can include this presentation in your website.

Highlight your Specialty

Highlighting your strengths can be the best way to grow in an industry. May be your forte lies in creating unique website designs. Alternatively, you may possess expertise in using content management systems. Whatever your strength is, marketing it aggressively is important.

Pen down your Thoughts

Sharing your knowledge and experience about the website design industry can be a good way to promote your company. For greater impact, include the necessary information in a book. Of course, writing a book is a time-consuming affair.

In such a situation, you can write a small book (1500-2000 words). To attract attention of people, choose an interesting topic (such as ‘Website Design Mistakes that you are Unaware of’). Distribute the book amongst the local companies. After reading the book, they will realize the mistakes. Chances are high that they will contact you for fixing these mistakes.

Get in Touch with Past Clients

Staying in touch with past clients is a good way to market your company. If they require any logo or web designs, you will be the first person to get a call.

Update your Profile Regularly

These days, clients prefer to check online profile of a company, before contacting it. For this reason, updating your profile regularly is critical. It creates a good impression and convinces the clients that you are serious about promoting your company.

Updating print profile of your company regularly may not be possible. However, you can always update the online profile regularly.

Connect via the Social Networking Sites

In recent times, connecting with people via social networking sites is critical. If you do not have an account in any of these sites, create it. It will take 5-10 minutes.

Organize a Seminar

Another interesting way to promote your company is by organizing a seminar. Invite eminent personalities and discuss about relevant issues. Of course, organizing a seminar does not guarantee immediate offers.

Still, with the help of this strategy, you can create a positive image of your company amongst the audience.

Learn a New Skill

With competition becoming tougher, you need to offer services that others do not provide yet. Learning latest techniques will allow you to deliver unique services and boost image of your company. Carefully choose a skill that will help you to distinguish your company, amongst millions of others.


Participate in Conversations

In the Internet, you can come across various sites where people ask questions, hoping to find someone who can help them. Participating in these conversations can help you to acquire clients. Of course, this is a long-term strategy. Still, if you can implement it smartly, you can build up a good online reputation over time.

Pay Attention to your Sales Pitch

For enhancing image of your company, paying attention to the sales pitch is critical. It will help you to offer a brief introduction about your company in any situation. For best results, practice the sales pitch regularly.

Set Aside Few Minutes

Finally, set aside few minutes every day for coming up with interesting ideas that will contribute in the growth of your company. Note down everything that comes into your mind. Chalk out goals and promise yourself to fulfill them.