How low can you go? My search for a cheap logo, great pizza and world peace.

Chapter One

Branding isn’t cheap, and it isn’t easy– for the designer or the client. But when done right, the investment is worthwhile. It’s a thrill and a privilege to be part of the launch of a company, a product, or even an idea. An enduring identity requires commitment from everyone around the table.  I believe it also requires knowledge of the market and competition, core characteristics and desired call to action, plus design history for context and perspective. And branding done right includes a creative brief, concept sketches, an understanding of type, color, shape and form, lots of open discussion, trust, time to finesse the details and an ongoing partnership. And, of course, talent. But that’s just my opinion.

The $29.00 scoff and scurry

In the past few years, the internet has been a breeding ground for “instant logos.” We’re an unlicensed industry, anyone with a drawing program can call themselves a designer.  We’ve seen them (and yes, scoffed at them)– name your price, submit your info, and anonymous designers scurry to develop as many ideas as they can muster.

Scoffing aside, we’re in a recession. I don’t think any of my potential clients have traded me for a $29.00 logo, but it is our responsibility to stop scoffing and define the value that a  project with a higher price delivers, beyond sticker shock. If branding projects don’t show their potential beyond a shiny new logo, how can we blame our clients for doing some serious price shopping?

How bad can it be?
Is a quickie logo all that horrible, or is it the design equivalent of In-N-Out Burger (cheap, fast, satisfying)? And if designers are involved, it can’t be so awful, right?

I thought it would be amusing to visit the dark side. So (admittedly, without thinking this through) I became a cheap client looking for my hookup with the cheapest logo I could find. Sure, underpaid designers would slave for my imaginary business, but I’d learn what $29.00 would buy.

Step 1: Develop my business name and proposition.

I’ve been carrying a post-retirement idea in my head for several years. I live in a college town in need of cold pizza delivery on weekends. My original concept included an art car (for the record, an old mail jeep decorated with plastic McDonald’s toys and Barbie heads, blaring funky music). But this plan needed immediate implementation and called for some simplification, so I traded my imaginary jeep for a bright red bike.

Peace o’ Pizza delivers cold pizza and hot coffee on weekend mornings to college students, and even families who believe cold pizza is the best breakfast ever. My mode of transport is a three-wheeled bike, and eventually I’ll branch out to cookie dough-to-go. I will be the premier hangover-helper in my town. And I’ll be branded with a $29.00 logo.
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Tomorrow in How low can you go?,  Kim goes undercover to buy the cheapest logo possible. Sleazy or stylish? Come back to find out.