₦airaland Forum

Dolemite: I have no talent in graphic design

So why have you chosen to cause discord in a field you know close to nothing about?

I don't mind the personal attacks and accusations, but don't disturb the peace of the section for reasons you don't even understand.

Dolemite: It's very boring down here, this use to be my favorite joint to come see creativity, no cool works on here recently, why?

There's no crime in you opening such creative topics.

[img]http://www.itbuzzer.in/images/logo-design.gif[/img]

I’ve learned from quite a few mistakes during my time as a designer, and to save you from doing likewise, here are 10 logo tips I picked up.

https://www.mycorporatelogo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/early1900s.gif

1. A logo doesn’t need to say what a company does


Restaurant logos don’t need to show food, dentist logos don’t need to show teeth, furniture store logos don’t need to show furniture. Just because it’s relevant, doesn’t mean you can’t do better.

The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Virgin Atlantic logo isn’t an aeroplane. The Apple logo isn’t a computer. Etc. Etc.

2. Not every logo needs a symbol


Sometimes a client just needs a professional wordmark to identify their business. Don’t be afraid to ask what they think.

https://strengthenyourrelationship.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/understanding.jpg

3. Two-way process


Remember, things might not always pan out as you hope. Your client might request something you disagree with. If that happens, try giving them what they want, then show them what you believe is an improvement, and why. They’re less likely to be so resistant if they already see how their thoughts pan out.

https://www.1stwebdesigner.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/logo-design-tutorials/logo-design-process.jpg

4. Picasso started somewhere


You don’t need to be an artist to realise the benefits of logo sketching. Ideas can flow much faster between a pen and paper than they can a mouse and monitor.

https://blogs.democratandchronicle.com/rocnext/files/2014/06/under-promise-over-deliver.jpg

5. Under-promise, over-deliver


If you’re unsure how long a task will take to complete, estimate longer. Design projects are like construction work — you piece lots of little elements together to form a greater whole, and setbacks can crop up at any time.

https://justcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014-logo-design-trends.png

6. Leave trends to the fashion industry


Trends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key.



Don’t follow the pack.


Stand out.

https://www.webgurusdesignblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/logo_design_process.jpg

7. Work in black first
By leaving colour to the end of the process, you focus on the idea. No amount of gradient or colour will rescue a poorly designed mark.

https://www.halagandesign.com/wp-workzone/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/hdg-p-don-brown-law-logo1.gif

8. Keep it appropriate


Designing for a lawyer? Ditch the fun approach. Designing for a kid’s TV show? Nothing too serious. I could go on, but you get the picture.

https://static.free-logo-design.net/uploads/2013/01/Simple_Logo_Design.jpg

9. A simple logo aids recognition


Keeping the design simple allows for flexibility in size. Ideally, your design should work at a minimum of around one inch without loss of detail. Look at the logos of large corporations like Mitsubishi, Samsung, FedEx, BBC etc. Their logos look simple and are easier to recognise because of it.

https://hdwpapers.com/thumbs/nike_logo_wallpaper-t2.jpg

10. One thing to remember


That’s it. Leave your client with just one thing to remember about the design. All strong logos have one single feature to help them stand out.



Not two, three, or four.



One.


Source:http://www.logodesignlove.com/logo-design-tips

[size=14pt]Check the portfolio(s) of Nairaland logo designers here; https://www.nairaland.com/1823110/nairaland-portfolio-logo-designers[/size]

cretin: wht of biz cards design

You can send an e-mail to any designer of your choice so they'll link you up with their business card design samples.

https://id-cube.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/logo-design-fan-top-mistakes-24615.jpg

With a well-designed logo, potential clients can instantly discover how your business can serve them.

Your logo is a visual representation of everything your company stands for. Think of McDonald's golden arches or the Nike swoosh-these two impressive logos embody these companies well. But many companies still skimp on developing this key identity piece.

Ideally, your company logo enhances potential customers and partners' crucial first impression of your business. A good logo can build loyalty between your business and your customers, establish a brand identity, and provide the professional look of an established enterprise.

Consider Allstate's "good hands" logo. It immediately generates a warm feeling for the company, symbolizing care and trust. With a little thought and creativity, your logo can quickly and graphically express many positive attributes of your business, too.

https://www.ambilogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/logo_types.jpg

[size=14pt]Logo Types[/size]
There are basically three kinds of logos. Font-based logos consist primarily of a type treatment. The logos of IBM, Microsoft and Sony, for instance, use type treatments with a twist that makes them distinctive. Then there are logos that literally illustrate what a company does, such as when a house-painting company uses an illustration of a brush in its logo. And finally, there are abstract graphic symbols-such as Nike's swoosh-that become linked to a company's brand.

"Such a symbol is meaningless until your company can communicate to consumers what its underlying associations are," says Americus Reed II, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, who's conducted research on the triggers that lead consumers to identify with and become loyal to a brand. But building that mental bridge takes time and money. The Nike swoosh has no inherent meaning outside of what's been created over the years through savvy marketing efforts that have transformed the logo into an "identity cue" for an athletic lifestyle.

Growing businesses can rarely afford the millions of dollars and years of effort required to create these associations, so a logo that clearly illustrates what your company stands for or does may be a better choice. Even a type treatment of your company's name may be too generic, says Placitas, New Mexico, logo designer Gary Priester, principal of gwpriester.com, the Web arm of design firm The Black Point Group. Priester believes customers should be able to tell what you do just by looking at your logo.

Getting Started
Before you begin sketching, first articulate the message you want your logo to convey. Try writing a one-sentence image and mission statement to help focus your efforts. Stay true to this statement while creating your logo.

But that may not be enough to get you started. Here are some additional tactics and considerations that will help you create an appropriate company logo:

Look at the logos of other businesses in your industry. Do your competitors use solid, conservative images, or flashy graphics and type? Think about how you want to differentiate your logo from those of your competition.

Focus on your message. Decide what you want to communicate about your company. Does it have a distinct personality-serious or lighthearted? What makes it unique in relation to your competition? What's the nature of your current target audience? These elements should play an important role in the overall design or redesign.

Make it clean and functional. Your logo should work as well on a business card as on the side of a truck. A good logo should be scalable, easy to reproduce, memorable and distinctive. Icons are better than photographs, which may be indecipherable if enlarged or reduced significantly. And be sure to create a logo that can be reproduced in black and white so that it can be faxed, photocopied or used in a black-and-white ad as effectively as in color.

Your business name will affect your logo design. If your business name is ".C. Jewelers," you may wish to use a classy, serif font to accent the letters (especially if your name features initials). For a company called "Lightning Bolt Printing," the logo might feature some creative implementation of-you guessed it-a lightning bolt.

Use your logo to illustrate your business's key benefit. The best logos make an immediate statement with a picture or illustration, not words. The "Lightning Bolt Printing" logo, for example, may need to convey the business benefit of "ultra-fast, guaranteed printing services." The lightning bolt image could be manipulated to suggest speed and assurance.

Don't use clip art. However tempting it may be, clip art can be copied too easily. Not only will original art make a more impressive statement about your company, but it'll set your business apart from others.

Avoid trendy looks. If you're redesigning your old logo, you run the risk of confusing customers-or worse, alienating them. One option is to make gradual logo changes. According to Priester, Quaker Oats modified the Quaker man on its package over a 10-year period to avoid undermining customer confidence. But don't plan to make multiple logo changes. Instead, choose a logo that will stay current for 10 to 20 years, perhaps longer. That's the mark of a good design. In fact, when Priester designs a logo, he expects never to see that client again.

https://devmag.org.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/heu.png

[size=14pt]Watch Your Colors[/size]
One thing you need to be careful of as you explore color options is cost. Your five-color logo may be gorgeous, but once it comes time to produce it on stationery, the price won't be so attractive. Nor will it work in mediums that only allow one or two colors. Try not to exceed three colors unless you decide it's absolutely necessary.

Your logo can appear on a variety of media: signage, advertising, stationery, delivery vehicles and packaging, to name just a few. Remember that some of those applications have production limitations. Make sure you do a color study. Look at your logo in one-, two- and three-color versions.

https://aseemarts.com/php/images/stories/hire%20a%20designer.jpg

[size=14pt]Hire a Designer[/size]
While brainstorming logo ideas by yourself is a crucial step in creating your business image, trying to create a logo completely on your own is a mistake. It may seem like the best way to avoid the high costs of going to a professional design firm, which will charge anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000 for a logo design. Be aware, however, that there are thousands of independent designers around who charge much less. According to Stan Evenson, founder of Evenson Design Group, entrepreneurs on a tight budget should shop around for a designer. "There are a lot of [freelance] designers who charge rates ranging from $15 to $150 per hour, based on their experience," he says.

But don't hire someone just because of their bargain price. Find a designer who's familiar with your field . . . and with your competition. If the cost still seems exorbitant, Evenson says, "remember that a good logo should last at least 10 years. If you look at the amortization of that cost over a 10-year period, it doesn't seem so bad."

Even if you have a good eye for color and a sense of what you want your logo to look like, you should still consult a professional designer. Why? They know whether or not a logo design will transfer easily into print or onto a sign, while you might come up with a beautiful design that can't be transferred or would cost too much money to be printed. Your logo is the foundation of all your promotional materials, so this is one area where spending a little more now can really pay off later.

https://www.seriousmlmtraining.com/mlm-blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mlm-protection.jpg

[size=14pt]Using and Protecting Your Logo[/size]
Once you've produced a logo that embodies your company's mission at a glance, make sure you trademark it to protect it from use by other companies. You can apply for a trademark at your country's Patent and Trademark Office.

Then, once it's protected, use it everywhere you can-on business cards, stationery, letterhead, brochures, ads, your Web site and any other place where you mention your company name. This will help build your image, raise your company's visibility and, ideally, lead to more business.

Creating a logo sounds easy, doesn't it? It can be. Just remember to keep your customers and the nature of your business in mind when you put it all together. In time, you'll have succeeded in building equity in your trademark, and it will become a positive and recognizable symbol of your product or service.


Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/71902


[size=14pt]Check the portfolio(s) of Nairaland logo designers here; https://www.nairaland.com/1823110/nairaland-portfolio-logo-designers[/size]

https://businessonline360.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/entrepreneur.jpg
People these days are gradually buying into the idea of being an entrepreneur, they believe they have something(s) to offer and can market these things to earn money. Many entrepreneurs have also discovered the great avenues provided by the presence of the internet, they now see the possibilities of seeking clients on-line and conducting transactions on-line. But some entrepreneurs are yet to figure out how to go about and those who know how to go about are not getting the required results. Maybe they are not going about it the right way.

The following tips are meant to assist on-line entrepreneurs to re-access their strategies and adjust where they might be lacking. It might not be complete but you can do well to add yours.

https://www.anywheresolutionsgroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Internet-connection.png
1. Have a strong on-line presence: The question here is "how do you transact business on-line when you are hardly ever on-line"? An entrepreneur with a desire to woo clients over the internet should be ready to devote a significant number of hours daily to stay on-line. You don't want a case where a potential client will change his/her mind or look for another option due to your delay in responding to them.

https://cuinsight.cuinsight.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/_post_image/35053-97cba602.jpg
2. Communicate with clarity: Dealing with people on-line can be very tricky especially when it comes to understanding each other. Its not like talking to someone physically where you can easily use body language and other physical aids to pass your message across. Anyone hoping to have a sweet experience on-line must work on their communication skills. Make sure when you mean "2", you state it clearly as "2" and not "1+1". The most insignificant distortion in your message might make the intended client read a whole new and different meaning to it. Trying to correct it later might leave a sour taste in everybody's mouth.

https://www.land8.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/wordle-545x330.jpg
3. Have an impressive on-line portfolio: Or any portfolio for a start and you can always develop it over time, something to show your previous works and what you are capable of. Don't get it mistaken, not just graphic designers, web designers, illustrators and other computer based occupations can have an on-line portfolio. Anyone can. Its as easy as opening a free blog with any of the blog site providers like blogger, wordpress, webs and a host of others like them. Upload images of your works in a section named portfolio and eureka! You are good to go. Simply add the link to your portfolio when mailing your potential clients and they can easily go there to see what you have to offer them.

https://www.3.s.steamfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/social-networks-right.jpg
4. Have an on-line history: Something on-line clients won't tell you is that they all play detective when it comes to on-line transactions. They sure do want to know who exactly they are dealing with so its very possible that after the first contact they have with you on-line, they are off to Google to dig out whatever is there to know about you. The world of today needs everyone to be security conscious and not end up regretting what they could have prevented. What you need to do is make sure that they have something to dig up, preferably something neutral or positive. Have at least a Facebook account where they can verify that you are not a ghost. They can see your family and friends and know that you also have a name to protect.

https://www.youtubecms.com/uploads/2/4/4/6/24461600/_8157413.png
5. Prompt response to clients and potential clients: This has been mentioned in the first tip. Gone are the days of visiting a cyber-cafe every week just to reply outstanding mails. This age of smart phones have made on-line communication easier and more convenient. Now I can integrate my yahoo mail account on my blackberry device and send/receive mails on the go. When you promise all time access to yourself by your clients, you must be ready to live up to that promise.

https://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a07/3r/4c/fedex-package-held-pickup-800x800.jpg
6. Efficient and quality service delivery: This is the most important part. After all the negotiations and chats and mails and calls and text messages, the end of it is you delivering your goods and providing services to the clients. You really don't to live below a clients expectations, especially a client that is very good at exaggerating things. Whatever quality of goods you deliver or services you provide will either be your step forward or backward in your business career. That's why the first aim of every entrepreneur shouldn't be to make money, it should be about satisfying the needs of his/her clients. Nothing works better than the recommendation of a satisfied client.

[img]http://3.bp..com/-kWwa_IpCRs8/UnQK7yjkcLI/AAAAAAAAAOY/KVndtWdiwKo/s1600/networks+logos.png[/img]
7. Have a reliable service provider: In Nigeria today with the kind of service providers and data plans available, one should really put his/her source of on-line access into consideration. For someone working towards establishing a strong on-line presence, quality of internet service should override the price. Not that entrepreneurs should not seek cheap data plans but not at the expense of its quality. You don't want to be in a situation where you can't access your mail or communicate with your clients because your network is down. Find out the best service provider in your location and work with it (Though Nigerian networks are bound to mess up once in a while but you can try to limit the occurrence).

NOTE: This is my first write-up, I'll appreciate every form of encouragement and constructive criticism. Thank you.

Some really dumb and sentimental comments here so far.

What exactly is the news being reported?
What if what was being reported had nothing to do with Obanikoro?

The OP will do a lot of good by also putting up the content of the report where that cropped picture appeared, then we will see if cropping it is justified or not.

softsparkyy: I hv been thinking too much. So much afraid of failure.

Your real fear shouldn't be of failure, it should be of never trying in the first place.

Lessons from failing is the perfect ingredient for success.

PoshGuy: @op Please stop oversimplifying the matter. When you fail to really think about what you want to invest your time in, you would have graver challenges that would discourage you faster and that is a major reason most nigerian businesses face and collapse under within few months/years.

To be a successful entrepreneur who believes in his/her cause, you must do your home work properly and that requires time, planning and real mental work... That is hard work but it can be fun if you are passionate about your idea.

Do your proper research, SWOT analysis and have realistic projections... We need real business springing up not ill conceived ideas that start up with some razmataz and dissappears in a short while.

Did you read the article at all? No one is asking you not to think about ways to improve your business, just waste that thinking time on relevant aspects of the business.

Opiosko: Oga are u a learner? Send d op a pm for more info nd get d price of d ebook.

I'm the OP and I can't see anywhere I've asked for what you are saying.

The source of the article is there. Kindly stop with the bogus claims.

Some of us just want to share what we read with others instead of benefiting alone.

Opiosko: Thread to rip off newbies nd cronic procastinators. Op gudluck with ya........ Exist thread!

I'm trying to see where your accusations apply in the whole article and I can't find any.

Maybe I missed it, kindly point it out.

jahbiz: Op, hope you have paid for this advert of yours?

Where's the advert?

https://cdn29.elitedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/stop-elite-daily1.jpg

Have you ever considered the fact that you might be thinking TOO much when it comes to building your business?

You spend weeks and months (maybe even years) trying to figure out which email software to use, which color to make your call-to-action button, or whether to build your portfolio on WordPress or Squarespace.

You fret over details like how much you should charge your first client, what your site’s color scheme should be, and what time of year you should “launch” your next offer or product.

Should you charge by the hour or by the project? Should you require a down payment?

Should you use Creative Market? Or Envato? Or just do your own thing with Paypal? or is it Selz? or Gumroad?

[size=14pt]The decisions are endless.[/size]

And if you waste all of your time “thinking” about the little details that make up a business, you may miss the bigger picture.

At the end of the day, every moment you spend tweaking font-size on your site is a moment you’re not doing the REAL WORK that it takes to run a business. (Unless you’re in the business of tweaking font-size on your own site.)

Every minute you spend listening to a podcast, reading a blog post, or watching a video that may help you grow your business is time taken away from ACTUALLY growing your business.

[size=14pt]I fell for this myself recently[/size]

I’ve been working a lot on a huge rebrand of GraphicDesignBlender.com. Not only am I redesigning the web site (details to come soon), but I’m rethinking the entire business model, upping our content focus, and even highly considering a name change for the site and brand.

And GraphicDesignBlender.com has recently suffered because of it.

Traffic is down. Revenue is down. But most disturbingly, I’ve been less active with GDB readers on social media and been less responsive to email than I would like to be.

It’s not the end of the world, but it reminded me of the best blogging advice I ever received.

It came from designer extraordinaire David Airey (who we interviewed at Stoked, by the way) and went something like this (totally paraphrasing here):

Stop worrying so much about how perfect your blog design is and start providing quality content to your readers.

See, the real work of blogging isn’t about line-height, padding, or margins. And the real work of your business isn’t about wordpress vs. squarespace or anything like that.

[size=14pt]So what is the “real work”?[/size]

So what’s this “real work” I keep referring to?

It’s got two parts:

1. It’s what your customers/clients expect from you.
2. It’s what brings in the money.
Like these:

The real work of running a blog? (1)Writing blog posts and (2)monetizing with ads or products.
The real work of freelancing? (1)Designing something amazing and (2)charging your client for it.
Take a minute and think through your business. Are you (1)creating something that people are expecting from you and then (2)turning that creation into money for your business?

If you’re spending more time redesigning, tweaking your business plan, or adjusting your facebook marketing, you’re not doing the “real work.”

[size=14pt]It probably feels like real work. But it’s not.[/size]

It’s keeping you from doing the work that will really help you propel your business forward. And it’s time to put that all aside and dig in for a little while. See what it’s like to design thirty web sites, create 100 logos, write 50 blog posts, or craft a dozen taglines.

In that moment (and in that moment only) do you realize what it means to do the work that fuels your business. And once you’ve gone through the effort to actually do the work your business requires, you’ll find that the rest of it all comes much more easily.

Think about it. … or, you know, don’t.



Source:http://www.graphicdesignblender.com/hey-entrepreneurs-youre-thinking-too-much

emmydeep: Elrufai, you see why i told u to stop persecuting the children of God.
The wicked will never go unpunished.

Elrufai, remember what happend to pharoah and his men.

The plaque of the Egyptians is gradually falling on the Northern Elites sponsoring the killing of Christians.

Like seriously? I think you need urgent psychiatric evaluation.

Konnektions146: this topic is a good one.
I think i have learnt much more from TheWisest than i thought when opening this thread.
I like constructive criticism, at least no individual would claim to know it all.
@op,
You need to be passionate about your job than the finances,as we all know, An enterpreneur need to make his business stabilize, gain ground and customer confidence, package his goods and services nicely and in turn the reward(money) would roll in (Money is good but making money your base is doom)

I totally agree with you. Its the more reason people who have a passion for something get to succeed more at it than those who are into it for the money because they get to satisfy their curiosity and understand the whole processes if the job better.

I always say it: If you are into entrepreneurship because of hunger, you'll be largely wasting your time because you will lack the drive, insight and vision for that business. You'll basically be concerned about the present alone with no vision of the future.

TheWisest: Not all brother! Brand Consultants and Designers ALWAYS work together. We need you guys to visualize what the client's business is about. You sound like an expert in your field - I respect that

Thanks. Guess I might be consulting you from time to time also. Hopefully, we'll start attracting interest of well paying clients soon.

Switpal: SME that has limited capital & can't afford to pay a good designer.... Wht advise can u give?

I really don't know how to reply this. But it best to lay more emphasis on other components of your business like efficient service delivery, good customer service, prompt response, etc. You can then consult a designer when the business is stable enough.

Send me a mail.

TheWisest: Lol! Are you kidding me?! Ok, first of, I'm not a designer. And I'll never be. I'm a Brand Consultant, I have a degree in that discipline and I love my work! Branding is about creating something you can't see but you can feel. It's a WIDE field that even corporate giants have the positions of Brand Managers. So friend, a designer cannot be a Brand Consultant. Stick with one

Noted! I never meant to undermine your field and I never knew it was so wide. My apologies

TheWisest: People, people, people! Not all businesses need a logo. Defining the brand of your business to your "target" audience should be the highest priority. Many people make the mistake of just giving the job straight into the hands of a logo or graphic designer and leaving them with the task of defining your business for you. Will you be able to trust another parent to determine the needs of your own child and meet them adequately? Will another parent ever know your child the way you know them? NO! Why entrust your "business baby" to an outsider for definition?

What's the correction? Look for a brand consultant and hire them. They know how to ask the right questions to unravel the real meat of your business. So, after that, then you can invite the logo/graphic designer. SIMPLE

I guess you've being mixing with the wrong set of mediocre designers. A real designer does more of researching than designing when it comes to a logo and creating marketing materials. But most people want designers that will charge you cheap prices, how do you expect to get the best?

Creating a logo is 90% research and 10% design. Your designer should serve as your consultant and the both of you should have extensive chats on what you want for your business, what he can offer and the possibilities.