Logo design -- cost and other questions

[Andrew Morris]

I'm working on finishing my first game, Group Therapy. While still a month or so from being ready for playtesting, I'm trying to get all the logistical details taken care of early on. I've got a handle on DBA, domain names, etc.

This leave me with logo design. I know exactly what I want my logo to look like, but I don't have the skill to create it on my own.

So, my question to the Forge readership is: How much should I expect to pay for a logo design, when I know exactly what I want? I'm assuming it would be less than what a logo would cost if I were expecting a few creative concepts or a lot of input from the designer, but I have no idea what that would cost either. I searched for old threads on this topic, but couldn't find anything.

Any help would be appreciated, including links to threads I might have missed and cost estimates from folks who would do (or have done) logo design for other indie game companies.

[Michael S. Miller]

Hi, Andrew.

Group therapy, huh? Sounds very cool.

I am not a logo designer (i.e., I'm not a logo "idea guy") and won't have time to work on this until July. However, I am proficient in a number of graphics arts programs and may be able to render what you want in a printer-usable format. Since you know exactly what you want, my not being an idea guy shouldn't be a drawback.

Anyway, after all those caveats, here's the good part: I'd do it for credit on the copyright page, and either a comp copy or an ad for With Great Power... in the back of the book.

If you want to explore other options, that's great, too. Like I said, I have to get WGP done before I can do this, so it wouldn't be until July. We could talk @ DexCon, if you like.

{edit: this was supposed to be a PM, but I hit the wrong button. Ah well.}

[Ron Edwards]

Hiya,

I have a suggestion.

Post a Connections thread which simply asks for logo help, and you will get all kinds of responses - probably direct offers, like Michael's, or references to people who've done this sort of work.

After all, it doesn't really matter what any of us thinks getting a logo will cost, does it? What matters is how much the folks who can do a logo for you will ask for.

So head straight to the task at hand, is my suggestion, rather than hover in "woulds/ifs" land.

Best,
Ron

[Andy Kitkowski]

In the meantime:

My wife charges about $75-150 for "friends" (or low key projects, projects that are gateway projects, etc). She charges $50-200 for Nonprofits.  Small businesses and up range from about $200+ (most expensive one was about $400).  

This is for high quality works, the kind that "real ad agencies" charge $2000+ for.

So, probably around $75-200 if you find someone around here or RPGNet who will do it for you. Hope that gives you an idea of a range to look for. Now, finding a quality designer that works this cheap is hard, but if you look at their profile, you can get an idea of what other groups they've worked for, what kinds of works they've produced.

-Andy

[Andrew Morris]

Good advice, Ron, I'll do that.

Andy, thanks for the ballpark. I needed to know if my wallet could handle it.

[LloydBrown]

So, my question to the Forge readership is: How much should I expect to pay for a logo design, when I know exactly what I want? I'm assuming it would be less than what a logo would cost if I were expecting a few creative concepts or a lot of input from the designer, but I have no idea what that would cost either. I searched for old threads on this topic, but couldn't find anything

The owner I bought my game store from paid an employee in product.  He gave her a $7 D&D module for a logo still in use.  

Paying a professional corporate rates would probably run you a couple of hundred dollars.  For a low-budget alternative, I'd offer a contest or just put out an open call for $25 if it was up to me.  From what I've seen, open calls on RPGNet and ENworld can generate 100 responses pretty easily.

[tj333]

The idea of running a contest for a logo design seems like a good one to me. Pass it around some game shops with $25 and copy of the book as the prize and I think you will get some entries.

Here is still using the logo I put into their design contest. edit: My logo is in the top left.

In my high school they had the final year design class do websites, logos, and simular for people in the $50-100 range.

[Resonantg]

Sorry for coming in so late to this but maybe I can offer some advice that would be helpful. :c)

As a graphic artist I have seen the fruition of the "you get what you pay for" addage in logos.  Unfortunately, rarely will you get much, if anything of professional quality for free.  No offense is intended to anyone, it's just what I've seen in the past and a few jobs that I've had to go in and fix after bad branding has occurred.

I would be wary of any design you get from a contest, unless you're very specific on the standards you need.  Often I have seen very nice designs that don't reduce well, are at web resolution, too small, too big, bad colors when used in multiple medias.  All these things can seriously hurt your brand.

Remember, a logo is the mark that people are going to associate with your product, so if you have a crappy logo, your product will be judged on the surface as crappy and can, more likely will, reduce it's sales potential and that all important first purchase.

As an independant contracting graphic artist, I'm fairly inexpensive.  I only charge $35 an hour (there's a local glut of graphic artists out there right now).  But I also like to look into really understanding what the client wants, so there is a few hours of theorizing that goes into it.  It all depends on how elaborate one wants to go, and how many modifications have to be done. ;c)

Ultimately, I'd recommend finding a professional graphic artist either online who is going to do a quote and contract with you.  Knows how to make a logo that reduces well, and look of quality at multiple sizes and mediums.  And knows color theory.  The same way you'd want to use an architect to make your dream house come true, you should consider a graphic artist in the same philosophy.

Remember, you only get one chance to make a good impression, and many good products are destroyed by bad design.  I've fired clients that refused to have taste or care for their image.  Why should I bother producing bad work that reflects on me, when I can spend that time looking for a client that actually does care and wants something of quality.  They can use clip art and a word processor if they don't really care how their product/service looks.  

An addage I was given a while back by a comic book editor was this:

"Artwork gets you the first buy, story keeps em coming back."  Which means if the artwork is crap, you won't get that first buy, but if the content is crap, you won't get the second.

Anyway, I digress and rant a touch. ;c)  Hope this advice is helpful to some of the other good stuff on this thread already.

[Trish2]

If you have a rough sketch that you can scan, I can probably do it for you and make it a vectored graphic in photoshop. I've done a lot of quality work for www.acalltoduty.com. I'm in the process of setting up my portfolio, so right now I am looking to add quality work to it.

Right now I wouldn't ask anything for it as I don't have a clue as to what you want or how complicated it is. I can design stuff based off of what you tell me as well. I can also come up with ideas if you don't have any.

For some samples of my web work check out:

http://inthetimeofheroes.acalltoduty.com/
http://7thchevron.acalltoduty.com/
http://startrek.acalltoduty.com/links/index.html

On the links page I did the following logos:
USS Scorpius
USS Delphyne
USS Nighthawk
USS Tal-War
Arcadia Station
USS Huron
USS Andromeda
USS Broadsword
8th Fleet
USS Karelian
USS Themisto
10th Fleet
USS Pavonis
USS Columbia
USS Serpens

Email me through the BBS.