What is similar between BP Global, Symantec, Accenture and Posten Norge? These companies are situated in different countries, have different income rates and different level of brand awareness worldwide. However, there is one thing they have in common: their logos.
Despite the fact that these companies have chosen different colors, fonts and shapes for their logos, they are still similar in terms of their price range. These companies were charged for their new logos from US $55 000 000 to US $211 000 000. Do these logos look any better than the first logos of Google, Nike, Twitter or Coca Cola?
In spite of using different symbols and fonts, the shades of the logos are quite similar. Though, they vary considerably when it comes to a price: believe it or not, the first logos of these companies cost next to nothing. Certainly, the companies paid for their logos’ upgrading afterwards but they still got the initial idea and the whole logo concept absolutely for free (or paid US $35 in case of Nike).
Therefore, here comes a pertinent question on how to design a logo that will be worth millions.
What for?
Firstly, let’s take a look at what you mostly charge people for when it comes to a logo design. The price range isn’t limited. However, mostly it doesn’t cost less than US $275, and here’s why: you charge for a package which includes consideration of typography, brand strategy, picking right colors and supporting elements like illustrations, icons, patterns etc. – anything that can support a brand. These things need to be considered carefully and thoroughly, as well as they set up the basis for a future brand awareness, which is why the price is so high. Some clients think the less time you spend on designing a logo for them, the less you should charge for it. In this case, the attitude of Paula Scher, a prominent graphic designer from USA, seems to be the wisest one.
Paula Scher’s self-portrait
Everybody knows the story when Paula came to a meeting with her clients, devoted to redesigning a Citibank’s logo, and with a flash of inspiration sketched a creative logo on a napkin in a few seconds. She wanted US $1 500 000 for her efforts and was told that she spent not so much time on creating the logo, that’s why it wasn’t worth that sum of money. However, the reply Paula came up with was brilliant and may refer not only to a logo design but to each and every aspect of our lives:
“It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds.â€
She didn’t charge Citi for the time she spent on thinking of the logo and creating it. She wanted to get money for her idea’s concept and, what’s more important, for the value that logo contained in it.
A million dollar worth logo means…
Value. It’s the most significant part a creative logo contains. If you succeed in breathing this value into your logo, it will be worth millions and the price will be definitely justified. It sidelines even such important components of logo design as its font and style. Don’t forget that choosing a logo is a risky business for your clients. They don’t pick the best option they have; they pick the least risky one. Reduce the risk your clients take and they will be ready to pay as much as you want. Keep in mind that every company is like a person: it has a unique personality, an exclusive corporate culture, an individual attitude and a personal approach to its clients. That’s why don’t design a logo aimed at pleasing a large corporation. Create it for people, taking into account their world’s perception and their desires. All companies work in completely different ways, which should be paid attention to as well.
Also, if you manage to create a logo in less time than you were supposed to, it doesn’t mean you didn’t put enough efforts in it. Remember that time is the most important thing every person has. Even if you manage to design a logo in 5 minutes, it will only mean that you’ve succeeded in saving your clients their precious time, so that they could be entirely concentrated on their business. Nevertheless, don’t be in a hurry if you want your logo to be valuable. You should be completely sure that the logo you’re presenting is gorgeous and enables your clients to keep it unchanged for years.
Visualization
There’s no universal way on how a logo worth millions should look like. Still, there are some obvious patterns all the expensive logos follow. They include a careful consideration of typography and style. Firstly, don’t make your logo’s font look too expensive, as far as expensive mostly means kitsch. Make your font look the way it appeals to the target audience the brand is aimed at. It needs to supplement and complement the brand’s concept, not to accent that the brand is rich and therefore has no taste. Brand’s value and its clients’ perception are much more important. Another crucial thing in a logo visualisation is the emphasis made on color or a color combination. A logo worth a million dollars should be created the way that even the most picky clients will get sincerely attached to.
Bottom Line
If you want your logo to work, you need:
- be extremely careful
- check everything you do.
