It is vitally important to realize how valuable your company logo is. It establishes your company's professionalism (or not) and lets the world know who you are and what you do. If your logo doesn't look professional, the public at large won't believe your company is professional. Your logo is arguably your single most important piece of promotion—and therefore it should be designed with care and great attention to detail. Try to think of such companies as IBM, General Electric (GE), FedEx, Microsoft or Apple Computer without recalling their logos. These companies have created a "brand identity and awareness" with their logos and corporate image which creates a powerful impact on their sales. If your logo looks amateurish, so will be your reputation — and yes, it really is that important. Contact us today to discuss how we can create a logo, letterhead, business cards and envelopes that will give your company the image you need to help you get ahead and increase visability and sales.

What do I get when I order a logo from Design Strategies? We will supply you initially with sketches or semi-finished artwork to make sure we're on the right track. From there we will refine the logo until you are completely satisfied. Once approved, we'll email the logo to you in various file formats (.JPG, .GIF and .EPS are the most common) in both color and black and white. The B&W version will come in handy for placing in invoices, spreadsheets and Word documents. We will also design letterhead, business cards and standard #10 envelopes using the new logo and provide you with the files for printing—or we can have them printed and shipped to you for additional cost.

Why is a company logo design so important? We have seen time and again how a poor or inappropriate logo can work negatively on a company's Public Relations and sales. Your logo is on your building, business card, brochures, web site and often on your vehicles, hats, jackets and shirts. If your logo looks amateurish, your company looks the same—like you just don't have it together and it isn't quite as professional as it could be. Logos communicate. It's vital to make sure that yours is communicating the right things to establish consumer trust and confidence.

What makes a logo look professional? Many factors combine to create a professional look to a logo. The choice of colors, typefaces, spacing, drawing style, images and more must be balanced to produce a harmonious blend that 1) communicates professionalism and 2) your business and/or products. The main point to recognize is that if your logo looks amateurish, your company will be considered the same. In over 30 years of design work we have found that increasing the professionalism of our clients' logos (where necessary) was the first step in improving their marketability, sales leads and income.

How much does a logo cost? Logos vary in price range depending on a great many factors. Each company is different and requires individual research and development of samples—and may go through a lengthy testing and evaluation process, especially for larger companies with an intricate approval process to gain the agreement of many board members. When we discuss your project in person or over the phone we will estimate the amount of time and effort involved and provide a written quote with an exact price, along with full specifications of what we will be delivering. Most importantly, we try to make the design process fun as well as effective.

Should a logo be just text or text and some kind of image? It depends on the type of business you're in and what you want to communicate. McDonald's, Nikon, Intel, Canon and Epson use only text in their logos with recognizable and somewhat unique lettering. Other companies use images along with the text such as Shell Gasoline, Cingular, Apple Computer, Adobe Systems and millions more. The best way to tell what is going to work for your company is to use surveys to discover if your design truly communicates what you do and who you are.

What is a tag line and why is it important? You've often seen short descriptive phrases below a company's logo. These are called tag lines and are often vital in establishing the communication of what you do or in forwarding your company's marketing message. Avis Rent-a-Car used "We're Number 2. We Try Harder." as their tag line for years and it helped position them up with the most popular rental company at the time: Hertz. A tag line can be especially important if your company is named something like "Wooster & Company" (do they manufacture Woosters?). However, if the name were followed by "High-performance sparkplugs and radiators" you'd have a complete communication of what they do.

For a limited time we are offering a FREE, no-obligation logo evaluation. Simply email your logo (in JPG, GIF or PDF format) for a free evaluation to: info@designstrategies.com with the subject "LOGO EVALUATION". All logo submissions will be treated confidentially and used for no other purpose than evaluation. We will email back an honest critique of your logo at absolutely no cost to you. We'll tell you if it's good, needs to be improved or taken out and shot. Please be sure to explain what your company does, where you are located, and your main products or services are so we can determine the suitability of your logo for your business.