Get Out There: My business logo, part 2

After giving it some thought, I've decided to hire a trusted colleague and amazing Photoshop guru to design my business logo -- Armando Martinez! I've blogged often about Martinez since I took two of his photoshop classes hosted through Illuminate Workshops and was convinced that I love the detail-oriented editing and processing of my photos nearly as much as I love taking them. Mando-matic, Martinez's creative photo retouching business just blows my mind every time I check out new before and after images on his site because looking at his work lets me know I've only barely scratched the surface with Photoshop, not to mention what I have yet to learn about Lightroom.

Last month, I talked about possibly having an online company such as logomojo create my logo. Then it hit me: why not work with someone I know who is infinitely talented and accessible right here in Denver?! I agreed with his assessment that while the projects on logomojo were indeed flashy, several of them seemed disconnected from the business. Here are sample's of Martinez's previous logos. Not only has Martinez been my instructor, but I've also photographed cityscapes with him before during an Illuminate Workshop monthly night shoot. I think he already has a good idea of who I am, and his willingness to find out more for the benefit of my business is great. And it's an investment that is long overdue.

Here's some examples of effective company logos:


Business logos can be:

Your business name and initials designed through a text font
An illustrative logo that is representative of your business
An abstract logo that will create a brand for your company

There are pros and cons to each. A hard to read font can render a business name with initials useless, while an abstract logo too far out in left field might just confuse potential clients. I've been studying logos where ever I see them, on sides of buildings, on delivery trucks and in advertisements. I think I would most like an illustrative logo that represents Picture Your World Photography do my market will have an immediate visual understanding of what my business is about. It provides more design freedom for Martinez.

Now that I've decided to work with him, the hard part begins. Martinez's homework assignment is pretty difficult. But if I can answer these questions, not only will it make it easier for him to create my logo, but it will give me a better understanding of who I am and what I want my business identity to be. Ask yourself these questions; what would your answers be? If you have a business plan, Martinez says some of the info could be found there:

1) Descriptions of the impression you would like from your logo.

2) List describing your business and what separates it from others or your specialties.

3) Samples of any logos you do like.

4) List of you competitors (websites are good)