I have a few questions about logos....

[Concept]

Hello,

I am a self-taught graphic designer and mainly do banners (like in my siggy) but recently wanted to start doing logos. I have Photoshop elements and have never made a logo... so any suggestions?

Suggestions such as.....

-Techniques

-What images do you guys use/ how do you make them?

-Pricing/how much is a good price to charge?

-Tips

[Tommy Huynh]

Check out this awesome article
www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/pro-guide-logo-design-21221

[Concept]

Thank you so much

[Kami]

re: pricing

this is covered in the link that tommy provided but i just want to stress it bc i see a lot of fledgling artists (graphic designers, illustrators, etc) charge such low prices and undervalue their work.

at the very least you should be charging minimum wage per hour (whether you apply a flat rate or a case-by-case pricing). work is work, even if it's creative. i encourage you, as you get more experience and skill, to raise your prices accordingly. i would also encourage you to find out what freelance designers in your area charge hourly on average, and adjust your prices based on your experience. eg: the average rate for freelancers in my area is ~$87 usd/hr; i charge ~$50 usd/hr due to my lack of schooling/degree BUT taking into account ~9 years of experience.

oh, and the more the project costs, the more i encourage you to make your client sign a letter of agreement or contract, use invoices to have a paper trail of you collecting payment, and to have a % of the total estimate up front (so if you get stiffed for the project, at least it's not a total loss / if you stiff the client, at least they didn't pay the whole thing).

[Concept]

Thank you. Yes I am having a little issue deciding on pricing and figuring out some stuff to do with it. I do not have a bank account nor a paypal so I haven't really set anything up for charging and have been hesitant to accept graphic (mainly logo) requests because of this. So I was thinking just starting out with like $15 an hour. I have about 2 years of experience and can use multiple programs and software but haven't done that many logos (an example of a logo I've done is the Simple Designs one in my siggy).

I have recently acquired a vector design software, and was wondering if vector goes for more then raster or not? Also for doing most logos do you have to draw/create any/all the shapes and images included unless a person has full copyright over some images and supply's them?

[Kami]

Concept, I think you first order of business would be to set up a paypal, which I'm nearly certain requires a valid bank account. I'm not sure what your age is and whether or not you can do this, but trying to conduct business of this type without some form of banking / payment acceptance is going to be difficult. A majority of your clients to begin with will want to pay with paypal, and those who don't have a paypal can still receive an invoice that allows them to pay you through paypal via credit or debit card. There are not many people who are willing to pay for services by sending cash, and I wouldn't advise doing that either if you're attempting a business venture.

If you can't get paypal or anything, the only other thing I can think of is to accept payment over at deviantArt via dApoints or something, but those are only applicable on deviantArt.

I don't know if vector 'goes for more' as it were, if you charge hourly. I can say tho that vector art > raster art when it comes to logo designs, as it's more versatile in sizing.

As far as copyright goes, unless the client asks you for a specific pre-made image (in which case, check to see if there are any licenses on the image, and make sure that you let the client know it's their responsibility to pay for the usage rights, not yours) then you should make them by hand. If they provide you with images, then take it on good faith (and I'd include that in the contract, that you are taking the images to be used in good faith that they're not copyrighted by an outside party / your client has full usage rights) and use them as your client requests.

[Concept]

Thank you for the detailed reply.

[Kami]

You're welcome! I hope that I haven't discouraged you from doing this! I definitely think you should pursue it if you enjoy it, I just encourage you to be prepared for what going into business for yourself, even casually, will entail. (:

[Concept]

You have been very helpful and haven't discouraged me at all. I am now going to try and set up paypal within the week or so.

[Kami]

Jan 25, 2016 17:18:03 GMT -8 Concept said:

You have been very helpful and haven't discouraged me at all. I am now going to try and set up paypal within the week or so.

Good to hear! Best of luck (: