How to Overcome The “Amateur” Status as a Logo Designer

Nowadays, the entire web design community is concerned with the latest versions of HTML and CSS, which are the pillars of a new approach of making websites, named ‘responsive design‘. This climate became even more complicated because of the fabulous growth of smartphones and handheld devices and the various display sizes that make the life of any designer a living hell.

Some designers and common Internet users consider that, under such a complicated context, the job of a logo designer is a childish one. This conception is based on the physical size of the projects and, judging only from this perspective, it is true.

A real logo designer doesn’t produce logos just to fill the white space somewhere in the header…or does he? (Just kidding). Definitely, web design- the pure creation of layouts, is a very demanding job and it involves great skills and knowledge from any adjacent fields as color theory, psychology, graphic design, visual manipulation and not since much time ago, a designer must be familiarized with gadgets and technology.

On the other hand, logo design isn’t only logo design; it also involves other similar fields as marketing, fine psychology and of course, visual manipulation. Yep, a logo is small and insignificant sometimes, but we never forget that a brand doesn’t promote a website (or it’s doing it in very few cases), usually what promotes, as you guessed, is the logo. Therefore, a logo is playing a big role in marketing, in conclusion it is as “guilty” as the website in the overall strategy of a brand promotion.

If you are not convinced, pay closer attention to the special care of the biggest brands for their logos; please let me know your observations via the comment form. In conclusion, the role of logo designer can’t be ever neglected, no matter how far evolved the modalities of creating websites are.

There is a big difference between a logo designer and a great logo designer and it’s the reason why some experts have so many projects in queue while others are still searching. If you want to make money only from the logo creation then it is mandatory to overcome as soon as possibly the statute of “amateur” and evolve to a specialist.

It sounds so nice yet theoretically everyone agrees, but to put it into practice is very demanding and a long time effort is required. I want to help you and save your time by offering some precious tips to follow in your endeavor of becoming a logo design star. You are free to follow these, but you may complete them with your personal ideas, don’t take it as a perfect recipe for your success.

#1: Create a good image amongst the community

Initially, I wanted to start with the old, but never outdated impulse to create only quality items. Marketing changed the entire system and nowadays it isn’t sufficient to be the best, it’s a must to be also known by the society. I believe that the majority of the readers have the same opinion, but how to do it practically? Well, there are many solutions but I consider that blogging offers the best outcome.

The Internet is full of blogs treating subjects as logo design, web design or marketing and you could offer guest posts presenting your opinions, best practices or how do you effectively create a logo. I am sure that as long as these are qualitative, the readers will be delighted and will keep your name in mind.

Across time your name will turn into a brand and so on until you will be recognized as a logo design guru. Much more, why don’t you launch a blog to wisely promote your skills? Once again, it’s difficult but at the end of the day your sacrifices will be rewarded.

#2: The quality of the portfolio

It’s easily to deduce that the next tip is the quality of the works created. There is nothing too much to say than to think twice before uploading a new item on your portfolio. It’s far better to ask other designers or even friends for feedback because you, the creator, are the most subjective judger of your logos.

#3: Use various modalities to advertise your works

Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to have some amazing logos in your portfolio these also must be promoted. Try to be active and competitive, just a website to present your skills isn’t a solution; engage with other people via social media, optimize the portfolio to be search engine friendly, add it in various website galleries etc. Waiting is just a very lent professional suicide!

#4: Don’t be afraid of doing some pro bono work

Another best practice to “escape” from the statute of amateur is to have many logos on active websites. A good solution is to offer some logos for non-profit or charity organizations, I am sure that by doing some research you will find the ones interested in your services.

#5: Participate in various contests

There are tons of contests for logo designers and sometimes, the prizes are pretty motivating. Personally, I sharpen my skills on 99 Designs, it’s true I worked a lot just to win some competitions but the real gain was the experience. I think it’s no waste of time and resources at least to try. Besides that, here you may find occasionally some offers to do pro bono work.

#6: “Fight” for being updated

If you read this paragraph then you are on the good way. A great sin of logo designers is to focus exclusively on the work and ignore the fine changes around him. There is no surprise that by following this pattern you become outdated and clients will ask you to “look around and see the reality”.

Briefly, never forget to periodically check some blogs treating logo design and everything similar, read books, listen to some podcasts, more exactly, be active and receptive to novelties. Much more, if you care about the evolution of logo design and of course, if you consider this post helpful, please share it via social media so many others can enjoy it.

– Written by Daniel –