Super-Size Your Business with a Logo

Before you send out another marketing brochure, coupon, advertisement or e-mail newsletter to promote your small business, step back and take a long, hard look at your logo.

Logos aren't just for big brands like McDonald's, whose golden arches are unforgettable and easily recognized by even the smallest member of a family. Whether you run a home-based business, a brick-and-mortar operation or an online business, a professional logo can set your business apart.

“When you decide to start a small business, you need a mark that reflects who you are, as well what your business does," says Karen J. Brand, owner of Wings of the Sun in Arbutus. "You use your logo on everything, including your business cards, website, e-mail marketing efforts, brochures and other marketing collateral. It's all about branding.”

Before you hire a graphic designer to create your business logo, check your budget and the designer's pricing, ask to see recent logo designs and find out how many rounds of revisions the designer offers. You should also be prepared to talk about your business.

 “When we create logos, we typically like to have one-on-one conversations with clients to find out what the business does, why it's unique, its target audience, how the business wants to be perceived and who's the competition,” notes Mike Schmelyun, owner of Katon Printing Corporation in Lansdowne.

If you're not sure where to find a quality logo designer for your business, here are a couple of places you can check:

• Visit the websites of local business associations and search their directories;
• Search Craigslist:  Look under “Services” and select “Creative” or "Small Biz Ads";
• Get a referral from a fellow business owner;
• Visit Etsy:  Search “logo design”;
• Take out the Yellow Pages and search for a local graphic designers.