A discussion about the process, steps and options of starting a new business

But is a cactus always a cactus?  If I thought picking a name for my business was difficult, choosing a logo was agonizing.

First, there was a dizzying array of companies and methods available to pick from. 

For the artistically inclined, there are companies such as VistaPrint and ProfessorPrint.  There, you can choose from a variety of templates and fonts to make your own logo.  There are also software packages available that allow you to design logos.  Unfortunately, I am not even the tiniest bit artisically inclined. 

Then I thought of two other drawbacks to my using of these avenues.  One, I might be using the same template that a thousand other people have used, and two, they seemed to be centered more on business card design than a logo I could use for everything.

Then I thought of another idea.  Hire a graphic arts student from a local college to make a logo for me.  They would get to put it in their folio, and I would get to pay less than I would after they had graduated.  I still think it was a good idea, unfortunately, I wasn't able to locate a student looking for a free-lance design job.

I began looking for a company who could design a logo for me.  There are hundreds of them out there!   Just type "logo design" into any search engine and you'll see what I mean. 

In the end, I chose a company called Elance.  You might choose a different company, but at the very minimum, these items should be included in your package. 

• unlimited revisions - why be limited to 4 or 5 design changes?
• availablilty by telephone - some companies restrict you to only e-mail contact
• money-back guarantee, or even better, a company that doesn't charge your card until after you are satisfied with the finished design
• file formats for print and web, you should receive raster and vector files.

Entrepreneur magazine writes a good article about some of the tactics you should take into consideration when creating your company logo.  It's going to be with you for a long time, and is the first impression that many people will have of your business, so put a lot of thought into it, and don't make a quick decision.

I'm sure my designer wouldn't tell you that I made a quick decision.  I must have sent the design back over a hundred times, sometimes asking for the smallest changes to be made. 

And that brings me to the best advice I can give you.  If you aren't happy with the designs you receive, don't be afraid to say so!  If the design doesn't "pop" for you, it won't "pop" for your customers, either.