Everyone says “print is dead”, but that isn’t entirely true, and they’ve been saying it for so long and yet…it is still not dead. Enter The Guardian, the British publication that in recent years has become known for their longform journalism. They’ve launched a new periodical solely devoted to the longread article, aptly named The Guardian Long Read (the fish and chip shop story is far more engaging than it has any right to be). This magazine takes the block of words we normally try so hard to avoid as designers and creates beautiful, full-spread pages that are engaging to flip through and enjoy reading, with each story bearing its own design style. It’s definitely a refreshing take on an old medium.

You need a new logo for your business, right? Or maybe it’s time to redesign your entire brand identity. And if you’ve landed here, we’ve probably made your shortlist. (Thanks!)

Now, you might have a few questions for us as a branding and logo design agency before reaching out directly.

We want to answer them. Here are some of the questions posed to our team the most and might be on your mind.

1. Can you provide examples of logos you’ve designed for similar businesses?

Sure! Whether you’re selling directly to consumers, other businesses, or building a personal brand as a solopreneur, we’ve designed custom logos for companies wanting to differentiate themselves and get the attention they deserve.

You can check out some of our previous logo designs here.

2. What’s your logo design service from concept to delivery?

We provide you with a process based on transparency. We want to know about your business, what it stands for, and how it should be represented to the world.

Here’s how our custom logo design service works in five steps.

Discovery
Before designing anything, we have to understand your business. During the discovery process, we’ll ask you questions about what you do, your competitors, and what you like or dislike about their brand—as well as yours. From there, we’ll do more in-depth research into each of these points to create a brief for your reference and for our team to work from.

Design & Refine
After going through discovery, it’s time to design. Our team of designers will begin to create custom logo designs for you to review. As they work, they’ll share them internally with the team for feedback and continue refining them until the logos are ready for presentation.

We provide between three to nine brand mood boards for the first review round.

Presentation
When submitting the logos to you, we’ll reiterate the project’s purpose to set the tone for the presentation. We often use asynchronous tools at KEYLAY, like Loom, to present logo designs.

Using these tools streamlines communication between you and us by:

a) reducing the back and forth that comes from sending documents via email and;

b) making it easier for you to review the presentation at your convenience, saving time you would typically spend sitting in a long meeting or finding a time to have one.

Plus, you can speed up a video versus a live person. Once you view the recording, you can respond with your feedback and tell us what is or isn’t working for you.

Revisions & Review
Once we get your feedback, our designers will incorporate your input into the logo design revisions. We’ll check them internally again before submitting them to you for any additional edits. It’s usually around here where you’ll narrow down the logos to one or two of your favorites.

Final Revisions & File Submission
At this stage, there are usually only minor tweaks that our designers will make as they get closer to the final logo design. Once you select the logo, we’ll prepare it for you to use for print and digital and provide you with multiple formats to use so they look good wherever they appear.

3. Can you explain how the logo design will reflect our brand’s values and identity?

Your logo is usually one of the first representatives people see from your business. It’s probably one of the most essential pieces of your brand identity for this very reason.

As a logo design agency, we go through the process of understanding what your business represents to itself, in the industry, and to the world. We approach every design to get to the heart of what your business symbolizes. Its mission. Its values.

With this, you’ll be able to give the people you want to attract something that immediately enables them to associate the logo with your business.

4. How do you ensure my logo is unique and not based on templates or clip art?

To put it simply, clip art can’t embody your brand. And that’s what you have—a brand. We don’t use clip art or templates because we’re professional logo designers, which means we create things from the ground up and with a purpose.

Every logo design project is an exercise in flexing our creative muscles to express what makes your business exceptional. What you get as a final product is as unique and distinctive as you are.

5. Can you design a logo that works well across various platforms and sizes, from business cards to billboards?

Yes, we sure can! We make sure that any logo we deliver to you can ultimately be seen as small as 1 inch on a business card or as large as a blimp while still looking crisp and clean.

As mentioned before, when we give you the final custom logo design, it’s in a few different file formats. We do this so you can use them in your business or pass them off to a printer or any other outside vendor who needs your logo.

6. Do you have experience in creating a custom icon design or illustration for logos?

We do. We’ve designed custom icons to promote specific products and sub-brands within a business.

KEYLAY has an extended network of creative talent that we draw upon when needed. From illustrators to font designers, these people are more than part of the team. They’re an extension of our creativity, and help make it possible to design logos and icons with their own one-of-a-kind fingerprint.

7. Who owns the rights to the final logo design, and what are the usage restrictions?

After you give us final approval on the logo design and take care of any outstanding payments, it’s yours to use freely. There won’t be any restrictions on its usage because you own it outright.

If you have questions about trademarks, here are a few tips to help protect your mark.

As a note, KEYLAY is a graphic and logo design company, not a legal office. You would need to hire an attorney specializing in trademarks to talk about your options.

8. What’s your typical timeline for completing a logo design project?

Business logo design projects usually take between 4 to 6 weeks. However, the more people involved in the decision-making process can add time to this timeframe.

9. What’s your payment structure (e.g., upfront deposit, milestones, final payment)?

We work on a 50/50 plan on all projects. A 50% deposit is required to start the logo design. Then, we invoice the final amount at the project’s completion.

10. Can you provide references from past clients, or do you have client testimonials we can review?

Sure! You can read what some of our previous clients say about working with us right here.

Answering the important questions

We hope the questions and answers above give you a few things to consider before designing a new logo. It’s a lot to think about, and it’s just as crucial to have as much information as possible to make an informed decision to work with a logo design agency.

But if you’re ready to reach out, click the “Email Us Now” tab on the right-hand side of this page to get started on your next logo creation.

Your logo is a powerful part of your brand identity. Studies have shown that brands with expressive, unique logos have a more positive impact on potential customers, increasing the odds of them buying.

Whether you’re starting a business or have had one for years, logo designs often get pushed back in the list of priorities. But the time you save by focusing on something other than designing a brand logo means missing out on increasing brand affinity and potential sales.

The Power of a Distinctive Logo

What makes a logo especially special? Its ability to convey complex ideas into one unique mark. When someone sees a logo, it can influence how they think about it. Researchers found that when a logo is illustrative and descriptive, it makes a pretty strong impression on the person seeing it and even impacts how credible they find the brand’s claims.

Visuals make a stronger impression

The first encounter prospective customers have with your brand is especially powerful. Since over half of brand impressions are visual, your logo and brand identity do a lot of heavy lifting. In studies comparing the recognition of brand names and logos, the “picture superiority effect” takes hold when people try to remember specifics about what they saw.

This effect is an occurrence where images are likelier to be remembered than words. When people see a logo, they can recall it more quickly than the business name itself.

For businesses and personal brands, it makes sense to design a logo that combines distinctive graphics that are simple enough for people to identify yet fairly complex to draw their attention.

Symmetrical vs. Asymmetrical logos

People come to different conclusions about a brand’s personality based on its logo design. In a series of studies analyzing the link between logo design and brand perception, researchers wanted to know how its symmetry, or lack of it, affected how people regarded the company itself.

They compared a set of symmetrical and asymmetrical logos, putting them in front of potential consumers. Researchers came across an interesting discovery.

Participants thought the asymmetrical logo designs were more exciting and dynamic.

And this sentiment extended to how they judged the character of the brand. Study respondents regarded these types of logos more positively than symmetrical designs.

So what does this mean for you?

People pay more attention to a logo’s design than you might think. In a survey of US adults, over a third of respondents said they bought a product because it had an interesting logo.

Asymmetry can contribute to building this interest because it stimulates the eye and inspires curiosity. Using this treatment in your logo design will help people see your brand as captivating and worthy of attention.

Symbolism tells your story

Your logo helps tell the story of your brand. Incorporating symbolism into your design can show your origin story, who you serve, and even the benefits you provide as a business, including your unique selling proposition.

Symbolism provides depth to your logo and gives a deeper meaning to its design.

And it deserves to be protected. Using one-of-a-kind design elements with your unique logo can help you shield the brand legally and in the market.

Uncovering strengths and weaknesses

By now, we’ve given you a few reasons why your logo does so much for your business and why having a well-designed one is so important. Conducting a brand audit can help you determine how people perceive your logo and its impact on them.

Working with professional logo designers to perform the audit or design your logo outright can breathe new life into your business. When it’s time to update your logo, the change is manageable, productive, and still reflects the essence of your business.

Why?

Logo designers understand how to tie your business and its brand to the message you want to send. They know how to redesign elements of your brand while preserving precisely what makes it unique.

Create a business logo design that grows with you

A well-designed logo pulls a ton of weight for a business’s brand. It connects people with your products and services, makes it easier to pick your company out of a lineup of competitors, and helps protect the brand from copycats.

Even though there’s some debate about how often a company should update its logo, the test of how well one works is how it evolves with the brand as the organization grows and changes over time.

As you design your next logo, consider how it should grow with your business and its brand.