For
a small-medium enterprise or startup business owner, you know how a simple
company logo and graphic designs play an integral role in your company's
branding campaign. However, you may also learn how expensive hiring a
professional graphic designer is. Most small companies will not have a fund for
this. Therefore, business owners need to have basic knowledge about graphic
design tasks. The better you can design the graphic designs, the better you
will be in control of your branding personality.
How Do I Choose a Simple Company Logo?
The
first step of an average company toward a solid branding campaign would be your
brand guide and the company logo. Before starting with the basics of logo
design, you need to understand the personality you want your business to evoke.
Understand that even a simple logo for your company is all about your brand's
personality. If it doesn't do its purpose, then you have a problem. The character
of your company will serve as the blueprint that will guide you in making
crucial decisions throughout the logo design project. Here are a couple of
things to remember.
Choosing the Font
Your
typography will be a crucial element of your simple company logo. It helps in
communicating your business name and personality. After redesigning their
typeface, most companies claim that there was around 20% increase in their
company profit. We've had a more thorough discussion about this in the past, so
go check that article about Font
Style for Cleaning Business Logos. Just a quick refresher; serif fonts are
traditional but have a tendency to appear boring; the script seems complex but
has a more flexible option in defining your personality; Sans serif offers a
minimalistic and clean approach to logo design.
Choosing Simple Colors
According
to the reports, at least 80% of the customers claimed that colors help them recognize
the brand. Check this article about the Best
Colors for your Cleaning Company Logo, which will help you understand the
psychological impact of colors on the human mind. Red is good if you want to
incite excitement. Green symbolizes growth, nature, and health. Blue suggests
credibility, reliability, and professionalism. The shade of the chosen color
can change its influence. Intense colors can lead to something negative.
Knowing the Purpose
When
designing a simple company logo, it is always better to know about the purpose
that it is trying to accomplish. We've always reminded people that the logo
represents your business. It helps your existing and potential clients recognize
your business and what you can offer them. It must serve as a visual reminder
to your prospects. Be sure that it also contributes to the credibility of your
business and that it represents the value that you can offer to the people.
Do I Own the Rights for My Simple Company Logo?
To
most of us, we will most probably hire the service of a professional graphic
designer. Others who will try to handle this on their own will utilize a
program with premade templates and icons. So, you are probably wondering if you
own the exclusive rights to this logo. The thing is, there are different issues
in the ownership of the logo. Let's discuss them further in this section.
Why Is It Important to Determine the Logo Ownership?
Before
we tell you about the ownership of the logo, we will tell you first why it is
important. Hopefully, you will be able to settle the logo rights to enjoy some of
these benefits.
·
Freedom- If you have full ownership of the
simple company logo, you will be able to use this on various platforms. It is a
crucial asset for your brand marketing, and it only makes sense to use it in
your various campaigns. Therefore, you want to verify the full ownership of the
logo before using it without being flagged for copyrights violation.
·
Getting Copyrights- If you have full
ownership, you can apply for patent rights in your local area. With this, you
can guarantee that you are protected with your Intellectual Property Rights.
You can be certain that no one will try to infringe on your logo design. Having
a logo that can be plagiarized by other companies exposes you to branding
issues.
·
Avoid Conflicts- If there is no clear
understanding of the ownership of the logo before the beginning of the project,
this will lead to conflict and argument. As a business owner, you don't want to
start this with a problem.
Why Are Some Designers Not Giving the Client the Ownership?
When
hiring a graphic designer to design a simple company logo, you may think you
instantly have the rights to the final output. However, that is not really the
case. Here are some of the reasons why most designers will do that.
Some Designers are Possessive
It
is too common for designers to be possessive of their arts and creation. The
concept and composition that they conceive will be valuable to them, and it is
not easy to part things to the things you value. The skills to create a
memorable logo will not be easy, and the entire work they invested in it is
precious to them. Most designers can be very possessive and will not part ways
with the ownership of their designs.
Reusing the Design
Some
designers will use their past projects for inspiration. Some people will not
have an idea on how to separate the line between inspiration and creativity
theft. They will try to evade the topic of logo ownership to ensure that they
can still reuse this logo design in the future. Nonetheless, understand that
you should never justify or encourage this trait. The only thing they can do is
add this to their portfolio.
Hold Your Logo for Ransom
Most
designers (particularly the novice in the field of design) would try to avoid
talking about the concept of logo ownership. This gives them an advantage in
the negotiation process. You may think it is unethical, but it happened a
couple of times, even to some professional designers. This allows them to
demand royalty from the client whenever it is used in different marketing
campaigns or channels.
So, Who Really Owns the Logo?
Based
on our experience, the concerns about the ownership of the simple company logo
happen when someone ignores due diligence. Here are some circumstances that
will help you identify the complete ownership of the logo.
The Employee Developing the Logo
Based
on copyright law, the developer of the logo must be the rightful owner of the
creation. This is unless, of course, if the logo is designed with the employee
during their years of employment. In this case, the logo is owned by the
employer. Remember that this could be in the course of the person's employment.
For instance, if you ask the engineer (who is not a member of your design team)
to develop a logo, you want to make sure that they will be transferring the
full rights to you.
The Design Agency Creating the Logo
If
you hired a professional graphic design agency to create a logo, the rights would
be possessed by the employer of the graphic designer assigned to your project.
That remains the case until they decide to transfer the ownership to you.
Your Friend Designing Your Logo
Perhaps
you are running a business with a partner or a friend, and since your friend
has a knack for graphic design, you allowed them to handle this tricky work. Like
before, you will have to ask them to transfer the ownership to you.
How to Transfer the Ownership Rights of Your Logo
If
you decide to work with third-party designers, you must have an understanding of
the duties and obligations for things to be clear. The agency does not always include
a term that forces them to transfer their logo ownership rights. At the least,
they will only provide a non-exclusive license for their logo. Based on the existing
copyright law, there should be a written agreement signed by the original owner
of the simple company logo to pass the copyright ownership. All the concerned
parties will also sign this. If you encounter issues on the transfer, some
agencies will help you deal with the dispute. Disputes around ownership of the
logo are much more common than what you could imagine. All matters and terms
related with the copyright and the ownership of the logo must be deliberately
explained in the contract.
In
an ideal situation, the simple company logo should belong to the client.
However, there are instances when things become more complex. It is always best
to talk about this to your designer before hiring them. Choosing the appropriate
designers can be difficult, but with the right things in mind, you will be able
to choose one that suits you. Remember only to sign a contract if you are
cleared on the ownership and copyright infringement issues. If you do not
discuss things in full detail, you will be exposed to uncertainties.
No comments:
Post a Comment