Google Doesn’t Understand Professional Logo Design
Trying to find a professional logo designer via Google search is an absolute mine field. Why? Because, these days everybody SAYS they are a professional logo designer. However, often nothing could be further from the truth.
The Google algorithm doesn’t understand professional logo design.
Many of the self-proclaimed “professional logo design” firms that you find at the top of the Google search results may design logos, but how professional are they really?
Do they understand professional logo design or are they just logo design farms who have become experts in search engine manipulation?
So What is a Professional Logo Designer Anyway?
Someone who claims to do professional logo design should have a well thought out logo design process. Through this process, they will take the time to understand the requirements of a business and design a logo that effectively communicates the desired message to the target market. They should also understand the principles of good logo design.
However, that is not what Google thinks…
What is Google’s Opinion?
If you type into Google search “Logo Design” or “Professional Logo Design”, what do you see?
The results display hundreds of logo design companies, all claiming to be professional logo designers. The problem is that many most of them, for the lack of a better term, are full of shit.
They suck clients in with spin like “unlimited concepts”, “unlimited revisions”, and “money back guarantee”. They then present clients with a range of fancy sounding package options with names like “Gold”, “Elite”, and “Ultra”. The deals always seem too good to be true.
We all know what they say about deals that seem too good to be true…
While the deals may sound appealing to some, the likely-hood of these companies pulling off a professional logo design is very slim. Why? Well, it is all in their process, or lack thereof to be exact.
Now I am sure that some of these companies do acceptable work, especially if they have their own in-house design team or a close-nit team of freelancers. However, it is a growing trend for many to outsource their work to developing countries, and that is when quality usually goes out the door.
Here is how they work.
They take the client’s money and have them complete a logo design brief that would be near impossible to extract any useful information from. I refer to these as token-briefs. The brief is then forwarded to one of their “design partners” in India or the Philippines – whichever is cheaper at the time. The design work is then slapped together by some guy who is likely to be getting paid $3 an hour, if they are lucky. He/she will have little experience, no formal training, and no understanding of the business and target market that the logo is being designed for.
That is NOT professional logo design.
How Can Clients Find Good Logo Designers?
With Google being unable to determine what a professional logo designer is, many clients are being steered down the wrong path when choosing a logo designer.
Considering that fact, what should clients do? What is the most effective way for a clients to find a professional logo designer today?
Update: Davd Airey has chimed in with his viewpoint on the topic with a brilliantly written post titled The folly of logo design SEO.
Photo by Aray Chen