So you’ve just entered into the field of logo design and you’re trying to figure out…how much will I be earning? You’re wondering how much does an average graphic/logo designer earn in the US? Well, think no more! Recently, I came across this comprehensive and in depth survey conducted jointly by AIGA and Aquent. They have presented a detailed metropolis-wise average salary estimate of US graphic designers for 2010.

This extensive analysis will help designers of all spheres to evaluate their worth at their appropriate level and experience. You don’t really need to ascertain the cost of famous logos to calculate how much you can earn. Simply examine the salary trends that have taken place over the past 10 years and analyze your current market worth as a logo designer.

Salaries of US Designers at Various Stages:

Factors that determine a logo designer’s salary:

But before going to the survey part, let us first discuss the factors that are involved in estimating the real salary of a graphic/logo designer. Bear in mind that salary estimate requires an extensive research on the market and logo designers need to develop their pricing structure on the basis of various extraneous aspects as well.

• The level of experience of a graphic/logo designer.
• The type, scale and magnitude of the logo design project you are working on.
• The location (region) you are working in.
• The variable overhead expenditures incurred in the logo design project.
• Will you be charging a fixed fee or on an hourly basis?

US Graphic/Logo Designer Salary Survey:

Following is the extensive analysis performed by AIGA and presented by Aquent. The map below shows the average salaries earned by “Solo Designers” in each region of US.

Designer compensation trend (2000–2010):

The following graph shows the trend of compensation received by graphic designers of various levels over the past 10 years.

You can also view the rest of the survey results along with an interactive salary calculator tool at www.designsalaries.org.

Imagine just for a second that you weren’t a logo designer. No need to get scared folks…just visualize yourself for a minute as someone who knows nothing about the field of logo design. What would you have been then? I’m sure that many of you can’t even think of being anything other than a logo/graphics designer. This also applies to the people belonging to other professions.

Being completely honest, everyone would agree that professions are driven by the need to earn. But equally strong is the passion for the work. A person’s occupational destiny is motivated by either money or passion. Today I wish to list few absurd but probable suggestions that you could have ended up if you hadn’t been what you are right now.

1. Professional Footballer:
	Yes, this is one of the several vague possibilities that you could have become. Imagine yourself playing with the likes of Cristiana Ronaldo, Kaka and David Beckham. Instead of designing logos on the PC, you would be designing play moves and tactics on the field. You might even make it to the FIFA World Cup 2014. But the question is…would you really want that over being a logo designer?

2. Rocket Scientist:
Now this is one place a nerdy designer could have ended up easily. Picture yourself as a rocket scientist, instead of learning the history and future of logo design, you would be studying about aeronautical engineering and the laws of aerodynamics. Notwithstanding the fact that it is one of the coolest jobs to do, but you have to ask this from yourself…are you really built for it?

3. Actor / Model:

So…you dream of starring in a movie? Or maybe desire appearing in a popular brand commercial as a model. What would your world be like had you chosen to be an actor/model and not a logo designer? While I know that the logo design world might not have much of the glitz and glamour, but it’s not always the fame and money that drive a person’s ambitions. Would you have preferred being an actor or a model over being a graphic or logo designer?

4. Frustrated Dad/Husband:
This is one place nobody would want to wind up in. This is the worst case scenario that you can think of ending up in. This is the frustrated and unemployed person who is constantly struggling to make a living and at the same time face the taunts of his wife and kids. Wouldn’t want to end up there would you? This is where you must be glad that at least you’re a logo designer.

5. Psychic Doctor:
	This one tops the charts. Imagine you weren’t a logo designer and you also couldn’t find another profession to work in. You might probably end up becoming a psychic doctor. Now wouldn’t that be perfect? Far away from the logo designing mistakes, you are dealing with mental patients all day long. Talk about dealing with clients who don’t pay.

Enduring client trouble is every logo designer’s dilemma. While finding more clients is a nuisance itself but dealing with clients that won’t pay for your logo design is even more bothersome. It can be really frustrating for logo designers when they work their entire energy over a certain project and in the end don’t get compensated for their toils and troubles.

While issues over payments and remuneration are a persistent nuisance for logo designers nowadays, we can be sure of one thing…the history of logo design is filled with such cases where clients have made excessive delays in payment or simply didn’t pay the designers at all. Hence it is always better to be prepared for any wrongdoing beforehand.

5 Deadly Signs that tell your client won’t pay – Beware:

Although zodiac signs can help you predict your life’s future proceedings, it might not help in telling the signs that your client will not be paying you. Here are five sure shot signs that indicate your clients won’t pay you for your logo design.  

1. Not answering your calls:

Being busy to answer a call is acceptable but when your client does not respond to your calls over several days, you can be sure that you’ve been stood up. This the most dangerous sign that indicates you’re not going to get paid by your client for your logo design. You might presume, for a few days that the client is stuck in an emergency. But when you don’t get a call or email, it shows that the client does not want to get the job done and compensate you.

2. Starts showing lack of interest in the project:

All of a sudden, you start noticing that your client isn’t keen in listening to your suggestions and has stopped taking interest in your logo design process. Voila! That’s a clear cut sign that he has lost interest in getting the logo designed and wants to just run away without paying you a penny. You can try testing your client’s enthusiasm over a few days and if it continues, then you can be sure to say good bye to your remuneration.

3. Makes delay in payments:

When you’re dealing with clients who pay in installments, you can observe some critical signals of not getting the full reimbursement. When your payments are arriving extremely late, you can be sure that your client isn’t willing to pay you the whole fee. Moreover, delay in payments when your client’s check bounces is another dangerous sign that you will not be getting compensated for your labors.

4. Continuously mocks your designs:

Client criticism is a normal thing for logo designers to bear. But when your client constantly mocks your work saying foolish things like “My 5-year-old daughter can make a better logo design than you”, you can be certain that he is seriously going to ask his daughter. Clients can come up with lame reasons of getting a logo designed even by their neighbor. Hence, the next time you hear you client coming up with silly notions, be prepared to get dumped.

5. Asks you to postpone the project for a while:

“Hey, could you just hold the logo design for a few days? Rain check! ” When you hear these words from a client, you can be most certain that he’s running away. It’s not the project that’s being held up, it’s you who is being stood up in the middle of your efforts. What happens here is that some clients spend quality time with designers and in the middle of the project, ditch them while robbing them of their remuneration and logo design ideas.  

Practical ways to handle such situations:

Let me clarify that my post is not to create negative opinions against clients. In my next post I will suggest you some practical ways on how to handle such situations where your client won’t pay you.  

Have you ever faced any of the above signs from your clients? Do you have another sign that can indicate your client won’t pay?

  ]]> http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/dangerous-signs-clients-not-pay/feed/ 11 http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/latest-logo-design/ http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/latest-logo-design/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:29:06 +0000 Nora Reed http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/?p=4623

With the passage of time, the logo design industry has evolved into a highly developed and organized field. Although brand identities were created way before the technological age, the new technology age tools and expertise have made designing logos extremely easier and better in quality. Although it is not easy to discover the origins and history of logo design, we can still analyze its future trends and prospects.

We have witnessed many famous logo designers in the past who have stamped their name in the logo design field. But let us focus on contemporary logo designers for a change. The modern-day logo design world is blessed with countless designers who possess immense creative talent and flair. Today’s post features 20 of the most outstanding logos created by the designers of the contemporary logo design world. Have a look at these commendable works.

Bop Entertainment

Camora

Colossal

Creative Library

Dai Sushi

Enable Holding

Face to Face

Inquiring

Loin Bird

Live at the Moment

Mark Edmunds Associates

Mini Museum Mürren

Namyslow Airport

New Wave

One1

Perfect Crowd

Push the Bottle

ThinkTank

Vivid Vogue

WYY Water

A warm welcome to all my devoted readers…today I come with good news for all graphic and logo designers. It gives me great pleasure to announce the launch of Logo Blog’s very own “Logo Design Gallery”. The sole aim of this effort is provide aspiring graphic designers the perfect platform to thrive upon and showcase their creative flair to the logo design world.

The idea of creating a Logo Design Gallery came as a solution for those aspiring and less privileged graphic and logo designers who cannot make the limelight because of insufficient exposure in the market. This gallery is another step forward from Logoblog.org in contributing towards the betterment of the logo design industry.

Without any hassle, you can submit your logos for display and get ratings on them from other designers. You can build your complete portfolio by adding more logos anytime you want. Moreover, the gallery showcases the “logos of the week” by displaying the best logos under the spotlight.

I hope the Logo Design Gallery will prove to be useful in providing logo designers the opportunities they deserve. Please don’t forget to share your views and comments regarding the Logo Design Gallery experience with us.

The all-famous Apple logo design is in no need for introductions and praises. Designed by Rob Janoff, the Apple logo design has witnessed a series of alterations. A few days back, site carrying unreal news related to Apple, published a joke piece about apple redesigning its logo. The irony is that this news is being spread on renowned blogs as well, creating heaps of confusion among the masses.

How this sardonic tale started:

The apple logo folly is another addition to the logo design controversies hitting the blogosphere. The drama started when Scoopertino.com, a site posting fake news related to Apple Inc, floated a wild story involving its logo redesign. The satirical website alleged that Jonathan Ive, Industrial Designer at Apple, decided to remove the Apple from the apple logo, leaving only a leaf in the logo design. Scoopertino goes on further satirically adding a picturing showing an unreal brand campaign with the leaf logo and a fake apple iMac carrying the spoof leaf logo.    

Promoters of the misinterpretation:

The ironic part of this whole incident was that two of the most recognized logo design blogs endorsed the Apple logo redesign joke. Logolounge.com and imjustcreative.com have seemingly promoted this unreal news without prior verification. Although, Apple Inc is a very attractive subject to write about, but spreading unrealistic stories about famous brands can be misleading for the readers.  

Unreal news trend – right or wrong?

Even though the site spreading unreal news claims to be a parody site, spreading news like these on the blogosphere can be misleading for the common people. Don’t you think that publishing fake news with such brazenness is somewhat out of the humor limits? Also, is promoting this fake news from unreliable sources without proper verification correct? You be the judge!!!   ]]> http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/apple-logo-design-folly/feed/ 7 http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/spoiled-logo-design-mistakes/ http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/spoiled-logo-design-mistakes/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:04:28 +0000 Nora Reed http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/?p=4512

We’ve heard of the old proverb “Too many cooks spoil the broth”, but there is a new maxim that logo designers must ponder … “Too many elements spoil the logo”. Sometimes, it is difficult to realize as to what makes a memorable logo? There is no arguing the fact that simplicity and minimalism is the key to perfection. As the great Leonardo da Vinci himself puts it…Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

We have witnessed many logo designs fail, even though they were created by maestros. Using the design elements in disarray is the biggest reason for the downfall of many logos. Although embellished and decorated logos may look good in the mock-up version, but it doesn’t appear the same in the implemented form.

Absurd Symbols and Shapes:

Adding too many symbols and icons that have no pertinence to the logo always proves to be catastrophic. Recall the infamous London 2012 logo. Inspite of the fact that it was designed by the famous logo designer Wolff Olins, it proved to be a disaster. The biggest criticism it faced was its vague shapes used to denote 2012. The logo altogether became a clutter.

Busy and Cluttered look:  

Loading a logo with too many design elements hides its main message. A case in point is the Burnley logo design which looks nothing more than a clutter of rubber bands of various colors intermingled into a complex knot. Neither does the logo in any way signify the city, nor is it fitting for an official logo.

Using scribbled fonts:

Font is a critical aspect of t a logo design. Using appropriate font type is crucial in designing brand identities. Fonts in logo design signify the degree of gravity and professionalism of an entity. You might remember the France tourism logo redesign last year. Its typeface was highly censured for its informal and childish look.

Too vivid can be too vague:

Although it is true that colors add life to a logo design, but too vivid can become too vague. The use of color is closely associated with human psychology. That is why use of colors must be appropriate and pertinent to the brand identity. A big logo design disaster was Kraft’s new logo which contains a burst of colors at the end of a red ‘smile’. This was obviously not a suitable for a large corporation like Kraft’s and did not complement their nature of business.

Stick to the essentials:  

In conclusion, logo designers must never overlook the essentials of a logo design…It should be simple, recognizable, comprehendible and meaningful. The design elements should be used in balance so as to create a memorable, distinct, appealing and momentous logo.   ]]> http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/spoiled-logo-design-mistakes/feed/ 17 http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/cost-of-famous-logos/ http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/cost-of-famous-logos/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 11:38:57 +0000 Nora Reed http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/?p=4121 There is a vast distinction between the price and the value of a logo design. Some corporate logos are designed at exorbitant prices but their value is not parallel to the amount paid. While, several logo designs are made at a miserly price and still turn out to be extremely valued brands.

I have been asked many a times by some of my readers as to why the prices of notable logos are seldom told? This simple yet intricate query compelled me to probe the matter. After an extensive research and hours of painstaking Google search, I managed to round up the prices of 9 famous logos along with their respective designers.

Following is a table featuring 10 prominent logo designs with their price and other statistics.

Any of you happen to come across lengthy posts by some self-proclaimed masters of design industry? It seems like few “companies” and “freelancers” have an intense opposition against Google and its search mechanism. Nowadays, some absurd cases are seen active in the logo design industry, creating bizarre hypes about Google.

Google search brazenly challenged:

Undoubtedly, whole world massively depends on Google and its search assistance but no one has been able to explain how Google mechanism actually works. Taking this advantage, a handful of companies and freelancers seem to be propagating “their” philosophy of Google mechanism. They have gone as far as challenging the authenticity of Google by ridiculing its search results and surprisingly only for the term “logo design”.   Logobird.com has brazenly challenged the authenticity of Google search capabilities saying,

“The Google algorithm doesn’t understand professional logo design.

  Yesterday, Steve Douglas from thelogofactory.com further gave his words of favor, saying

“Seems a lot of designers are starting to notice that all is not right in search engine land. And they’re right. It isn’t.”

  Why do I get the feeling these people are close relatives of Google?  

If you can’t beat them, defame them:

Logo designing is a growing industry and being a part of it is a battle of nerves. Those who cannot stand the test of times either lose the race or lose their nerves…what say? Steve Douglas from thelogofactory.com loves to spend more time spying on other blogs than on his own. Although Steve has a chronic habit of spying on other blogs and making up distorting articles (a dishonorable technique of generating traffic),  I would advise if you spend more time on SEO, you won’t be conjuring flaws in Google. But I understand, how can one be left with much time after all this post raiding and spy reports? By the way, it was really brave of you to finally admit that “We’re all in this together”. I Agree!  

"I never lie because I don’t fear anyone"

Let us now come on the subject of SEO and its latest color hats. In one of David’s recent post, when one of the readers asked about his link building techniques, this is what he replies     I’m sure that poor reader would want to see these directory submissions. By the way, isn’t this called SEO as well?    

What color hat SEO is this?   Undoubtedly, excessive Grey Hat turns into “Black Hat”. And Steve Douglas has left no stone unturned in doing exactly so.  Here are excerpts from his post   Someone recently asked me this “why do you link to your competition on your blog?” And it’s true, I’ve never been shy about linking to any site using (in most circumstances) ‘do follow’ links.   Well Steve, the bare truth is that it’s not the competition you are linking; it’s merely the “intimate ones” you interlink and support. Even a newbie can figure out that the only interlinking you do is limited to “the chosen ones”. Now what color hat SEO would this come under? Here are the blogrolls of this friend circle (logobird, thelogofactory, imjustcreative, logodesignlove) continually interlinking each other’s blogs…”only”. Great work, team!

       

Contradicting Statements:

The babbling does not end here. Steve further contradicts himself with another “enlightening” verity about SEO:  

“For each of these sites, there’s a set of support splogs and websites, often hosted on sites likeWordPressorBlogger. Those sites toss inbound links at both the secondary level of the network as well as the target site. For what it’s worth, and other than content scraping and logo raiding for content, we’re still probably in Grey Hat territory.”

  For those who do not know, Graham Smith so-called freelance designer at imjustcreative.com is busy creating multiple blogs to support his “friends” by doing some SEO work for them. After all, what are friends for? As David titled one of his recent post …“Birds of a feather, flock together”….so true!        

It’s either my way or the highway:

Then there is Graham Smith, (a “ very good friend” of David) who blatantly declares “Avoid Sub £100 logo designs”.What a tactful way of saying “It’s either my way or the highway”. What about those who cannot afford a logo design over £100 (from big designers), don’t they have a right to own a logo design? What a diplomatic way of diverting people towards oneself by labeling companies who offer low cost, economical logo design solutions as “criminals” (as quoted by Graham Smith) and portraying oneself as a “savior”.  

Who is the ring leader?

After reading the ludicrous stories put together by this “friend circle”, I learnt that connecting blogs and making relations isn’t so hard after all.
Even more startling fact is that their comments section is full of statements from “only” within their group. Have a look at the comment section at thelogofactory.com minutes after the post went live.

Update:

I would like to clarify this post a bit, and update things for the record.  I do not wish to imply David Airey is lying or a liar in anyway.  After reading David’s comment below, and thinking more about it I see now what he is saying. He makes a good point. I’m a big fan of both David’s design, and his blog and wish him all the best and hope he continues to contribute to our discussions here.   ]]> http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/changing-logo-design-seo/feed/ 23 http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/reasons-getting-logo-designed-by-neighbor/ http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/reasons-getting-logo-designed-by-neighbor/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:32:25 +0000 Nora Reed http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/?p=3917

It’s not new for logo designers to hear this excuse from their clients, “I’ll have my neighbor design my logo”. But they never tell you why. Most of you might not know what the reason behind this statement is. In fact there may be many reasons for clients to have their logo designed by their neighbor.

Today, I reveal the lame reasons as to why clients prefer their neighbor over professional logo design companies. Check out the top 10 amusing reasons why clients have their neighbor design a logo:

1. “He lives close to me – just next door”

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

2. “How about a beer in exchange for a logo design?”

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

3. “Peep from the window to get an update on the logo”

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

4. Let’s discuss revisions over dinner, shall we?

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

5. He’s a nice chap – duh!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

6. “He went to a design school…so what he was kicked out!!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

7. He has designer friends” – Impressive!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

8. “Just installed the latest version of Photoshop” – Coool!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

9. “He likes what I like” – My car!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com

10. “He’s so creative; painted his garage himself” – Amazing!

  Image source : Gettyimages.com  

Have you ever gone to your neighbor to get a logo design for any of these lame reasons or you have a better reason However, jokes a part, don’t you think it’s better going to professional logo design companies where you pay a little more but it’s worth…what say?

  ]]> http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/reasons-getting-logo-designed-by-neighbor/feed/ 21