Logo Design, Elliott Design

Our answer to the above heading is YES, because a good logo design doesn't cost, it pays. Clients usually want to know up-front what it costs to develop a logo and sometimes this is a very difficult answer to provide, because it depends a lot on the amount of time involved in the creation and in the production. The more detail and visual elements a logo has the more it usually costs and the more research that has to be done also increases the cost. There is more to a logo than just the time involved in creating it on paper, there is an intrinsic value that cannot be put in dollar values. Take a logo like Coca-Cola, it started with a sign-painter's layout and developed over the years into an image worth millions! ATT spent nearly a million dollars to develop the 'glowing globe' icon. We all know most small businesses cannot afford the Wall Street ad agencies that charge the big bucks for their services so I've worked up a price range that my clients can afford. We also offer Logo Packages, these are different than just the base logo, a logo package is custom tailored for each clients needs and may contain ad slicks, layouts for stationery, signage, marketing materials and digital files on CD, etc. Our prices are based well below the national average due to our rural economy.
Most people doing desktop publishing only use canned clipart to create logos, we use original art created with years of experience in design to assure that your logo is one-of-a-kind and not a knock-off copy.

Below is a price range based on the average cost for three different types of logos.

Simple Icon: $250 - $350 • Medium Detail: $450 - $550 • High Detail: $600 - $750

Artwork and logo design is becoming a large part of the services we provide our clients on a regular basis due to the fact that today's business person knows they need to 'look' professional in the marketing of their products and services. Our charges for these creative services are such a small part of the total marketing campaign that most clients see the value of having a professional business image as a 'must do' part of business. We have created logos for large and small businesses and most of these companies are still in operation, business owners that see the need for a professional business image are the ones that achieve business success. Here's a small list of logos we have recently created. Don't be fooled by 'canned' artwork, someone with a computer and a CD full of clipart is not a graphic artist, it takes years of training and experience to understand what each individual business needs to make them stand out from their competition and still keep their business image related to the type of business they are in. When necessary we will use clipart images to achieve the client's wishes to stay on budget or for special reasons, but even then our designs are edited into an original creation so the logo will still be a 'one-of-a-kind' original. Your 'image' needs to relate a subliminal message to the viewer that makes a statement of strength, security, trustworthiness, etc. and should be in an appropriate style for your business category. Not only does the appropriate style help sell your products but color plays a major role in marketing, you don't put dainty pink letters on a plumbers truck no more than you would use bold block letters on a boutique, every business type has an expected 'look' but the creative designer knows how to make the business stand out amongst the rest and still maintain style.

Sign design and layout is a little different than logo design, our company policy is that the layout or design we create for your sign is for a one-time use only, and is created solely for the use on the sign we produced and cannot be reproduced in any other form unless payment is made to us for the use of this copyrighted artwork. Logos on the other hand are sold as a stand-alone service and once you purchase the logo you are given a copyright transfer where you are then entitled to use it in any way you want as many times as you want. Every sign we create is a custom piece of advertisement and is designed to personalize the business that it is made for. The manufacturing time spent on your sign project is charged for in the initial cost of the sign, but the real value is in the creativity of the design and this creativity is only on loan to you for the life of that particular sign, the purchase of the sign does not entitle you to own the layout, no more than purchasing an automobile would entitle you to own the design of it, the artwork used on your sign is and remains the intellectual copyrighted property of the designer until written transfer to you. I urge you to read about those legalities in these articles on Copyright Laws in the United States for more information before you use our sign layouts as your 'logo' or try to have someone reproduce our copyrighted artwork on any other project for your business, you could end up owing a tremendous amount in legal fees for unauthorized use of copyrighted artwork. We're easy, just pay a small fee for the artwork and then it's yours, forever.

Also, we have written an article on 'The Differences In Signs' to see how layout reflects the value of signage.
Some clients like their sign layouts so well that they have us turn it into a logo, we like to work with clients like this and offer a discounted cost on the logo when developed as part of their signage project. See "How To Purchase A Sign" Also we have a great chart on the cost of signage over the life expectancy of the materials.

Charges for sign design/layouts are listed below and are average for general signage.

Simple Layouts = $25 - $35 • Median Detail = $40 - $55
Custom Detail = $60 - $85 • Highly Detailed = $100 - & Up

Site surveys and design consultation services are available and are based on an hourly rate, estimates are FREE, sketches are NOT. As a professional designer I do not provide free sketches, layouts or artwork for speculative work, our portfolio and reputation speaks for itself. We also have a service-trip charge to cover travel time when it is necessary for us to drive to your location for surveying, measuring or meetings to discuss your project. Your initial meeting at our studio location is free and covers discussing your project to see what we can do to service your needs, and to give an estimate on the cost of the project.

If you need assistance with your sign or logo project, please contact us and we'll start your business off on the right track with our creative talents.

Thanks,,,,
Larry Elliott

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