PRICING ESTIMATOR

My hourly RATE is $30/hour

THESE ARE ESTIMATEd times ONLY

STEP 1: RESEARCH (2-4 hours)

This is where I look into my client’s business and industry. I research their own company, how long they’ve been in business, what type of work they do and what sets them apart from their competitors. I also take a look into their desired audience — mostly what type of demographics they’re aiming towards.

Designing a logo takes a lot research! I spend some time looking up my client’s competitors and see what they’re doing in terms of visual identity. Most of the time their logos aren’t the best, which is good, because it means my job will be easier to blow them out of the water. But sometimes, my client’s competitors have very professional branding, logos, and marketing materials, which makes it a bit trickier to outdo them. Luckily, I love a challenge.

STEP 2: INSPIRATION (1-2 hours)

This is when I turn to professional design resources; I look through numerous logo design books and websites in order to put together a compilation of logo designs from similar industries. This helps me get an idea of the direction the client’s own logo should go in and gives me some inspiration on different ways of problem solving.

STEP 3: BRAINSTORMING (2-4 hours)

This is where the fun begins! Before I turn to the computer, I first spend time putting my pencil to paper. I write out word associations, draw some mind maps, and sketch a good number of logo concepts. Since this is brainstorming, I draw out everything — even the bad ideas — because I can edit and refine things later. At this point, I will normally send you a few of my sketches to see what you like best.

STEP 4: Computer Renditions (2-4 hours)

Once we select 2-3 of the strongest ideas that I’ve sketched, I finally turn on my computer. The program I prefer using is Adobe Illustrator, where I render in vector the logo concepts I have sketched out. These are normally in black and white and are usually pretty rough, but it’s important to see how they turn out when digitalized.

Sometimes the logo design is a simple wordmark, other times it is the traditional icon with the company name underneath or next to it. For the latter, choosing a suitable typeface is the next step. I still work in black and white when selecting the options, since we want to focus on one variable at a time. I usually present multiple options of the same logo icon with different fonts to pick from.

STEP 5: Refine (1-2 hours)

Of the rough logo concepts I’ve created, I select the strongest one or two to refine and ultimately present to the client. I tidy them up and pair logo icons with a suitable typeface for presentation. At this point, I send the designs to the client for proofing. I get to listen to feedback while providing my own.

STEP 6: Color scheme (1-2 hours)

I start choosing color schemes which may be requested by the client or I come up with my own if none are specified. I go through some of my favorite color books and look for appropriate color schemes for the client’s logo. This is where I take into heavy consideration the audience and industry we’re dealing with. Once again, I select several different color combos, apply them to the logo, and present them to the client. Together we select the best solution for their business.

STEP 7: Logo Edits (1-2 hours)

Now the client has selected a single concept direction to follow and we can focus on developing it further to completion. Sometimes a client will have an idea and I tweak it so that it works, other times I have my own possible solution that I haven’t tried before. The single concept direction has now turned into several possible designs with small variations. These are then sent to the client. Now we will select a final logo design and move forward with it.

STEP 8: File Creation (1 hour)

The logo is almost done! If the client is happy with everything, I hand over all the logo files in a logo package, which includes multiple files including PDF, SVG, PNG and anything else such as social media graphics the client might need or have requested. I accept final payment and send over the logo files and that concludes the end of the logo project.