What are the qualities of a good wordmark logo which can be sold beyond $1000 ?
One that has a multi-national corporation attached to it.
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- They are based on strategy and design thinking — not hastily thrown together.
- They are designed to stand the test of time — they don’t follow trends.
- To @Eriskay’s point, they have great clients behind them — so many clients or would-be clients have embraced graphic design’s race to the bottom of the pricing barrel.
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Unless it’s a quick project for an already-existing client, I won’t touch a logo or wordmark design for under $1000. Doing things correctly means that a thousand dollars worth of my time is easily spent on relevant client discussions, the necessary research, various hassles, designing a few options, and creating all the necessary modifications and final format variations.
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- What do u mean by strategy here ?
- Any book or guide you can suggest?
How do you research or any books you follow, please recommend.
What do u mean by hassles ?
Not wishing to sound as though I am being dismissive for the sake of it, but I’m afraid that question alone indicates that you are nowhere near being in a position to charge big bucks for any sort of logo.
Let me qualify that: A word mark, in fact any logo, on its own is pretty meaningless. It can only ever function as a part of an overall branding strategy – and when I say brand, I don’t mean it in the sense it is starting to become known, as something done by amateur designers to prettify some social media influencer’s (god, I hate that term) insta feed.
Branding is something that takes many years to learn and understand. Aside from design skills, like a good grounding in typography (an absolute essential for creating word marks), you need a bit of psychology, an understanding of markets/demographics. What those demographics will respond to for a given circumstance/problem at hand.
I would always say, start with a good solid, formal education. Then studio experience. Only then might you be on the way to understanding what you are doing.
Honestly, the whole tone of your original post sounds like you are looking for a fast way to make a quick buck. It simply doesn’t work that way. People who charge big money only do so because they know how to do work that will make even more money for their client. Otherwise, why would the client invest?
Design is always about problem-solving and communication – saying the right things to a targeted set of people in the right tone of voice. That’s when you can charge big money – when you know how to do that. Come back in 15-20 years.
If you want an initial understanding of what branding is and where any sort of work mark sits within it, read Wally Olins, On Brand.
Spoiler; you should never set out to design a work mark. The problem at hand and the brief will determine the solution. Some problems are better solved in other ways. It is entirely dependent on your client and their needs. Digest, research, strategise, then design.
Hope this helps. Just know there are no short cuts. Even big bucks are earned bucks, otherwise, why would anyone pay them. They have to have worth.
Good luck.
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Entire books exist on the subject of the research, strategy, and implementation of logos, wordmarks, and visual branding. I can’t begin to answer your question here in a few short words.
David Airey authored a book on the subject, Identity Designed: The Process, which was just released this month. I’ve already read it and highly recommend it.
As for hassles, they’re the various problems that come up during many design projects. Most are the result of clients throwing random, unanticipated, and generally unhelpful obstacles in the way. Logo design is especially susceptible to this problem since clients tend to become unusually anxious and concerned about their personal preferences, biases, and naiveté not corresponding to the reality of what will work best for them. Working around and through these client issues takes time, and time costs money.
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Thank you a lot for the Book recommend and explanation to hassles.
A big thanks for clearing this out and that book recommendation. 