How to Start a Logo Design Business [Step-by-step Guide]

Great creative logos represent the company. Its products and services help in brand recognition, customer awareness, and great recall value to the business.

Many business owners, product developers, government agencies, small and medium consumer brands, non-profit organisations, and anyone who is trying to reach their target set of customers use a custom business logo as their brand identity.

Whether you should generalise as a graphic designer or specialise in any particular service depends on your interests and the market you wish to enter. Specialising in logo designing gives you an edge in marketing your services, finding your clients, and building your niche.

Eight steps to building a successful & profitable logo design business

If you are a professional logo designer and looking to start a business, here are eight essential steps which will help you.

1. Understand the Logo Design Business

Logo designing comes under the umbrella of graphic design. Brand strategy, logo design, web design, social media design, brochures, and posters design, animation, etc., are some of the graphic design services to explore. Studies show that logo designing and branding contribute to 20 per cent of the graphic design market. Therefore, there is a high scope and demand for custom logo designers. Many new businesses constantly lookout for professional logo makers and custom logo designers for creating a logo for their business.

Logos help brands to communicate with their customers. A unique and simple logo makes brands stick with the customers for a long time, which creates a recall value to the business.

2. Understand the Market

Once you have decided to start a logo design business, it is very important to understand the market before strategising and making a logo design business plan. Do diligent market research to understand various businesses in the market, competitive service offerings, the differentiated value provided to the customers, pricing strategies, and marketing strategies. Once you get a clear idea of these details, you can start analysing and identifying your go-to-market strategy.

3. Determine your target market

There are many corporate logo design businesses that cater to different sets of customers. Having a clear target market is one of the most important steps. Decide whether you want to start by providing your services to large and medium corporate businesses or small local brands. Are you planning to cater to budding entrepreneurs who are building innovative brands? Define your clientele, and then you can start making your business and financial models and marketing plans that will suit your target clientele.

4. Make a Detailed Business Plan

Once you have done your market research, you will now have a direction for the type of service offerings, target audience, and the market you plan to capture. It is crucial to have a business plan including your primary mission and vision for the company. Craft out goals and the key achievements which you envision for the next five years. Make a detailed financial plan clearly stating the budgets for each function of the business. Have your unit economics and the metrics ready to help you with growth and strategy plans.  

Make quarter-wise plans and set targets for various functions & teams accordingly. Also, to start this business, you might need at least two designers, a concept developer, one sales resource, and a marketing resource. Have your recruitment plan included in your logo design business plan. Follow the best practices.

5. Competitive Pricing strategy

You can adopt different pricing strategies for your business according to the type of target audience and service offerings. You can start competition-based pricing to attract lines. In the initial status, try and offer the best deals even if you have to take a hit. The most important thing is to add value to the clients despite the charge. Divide your services into categories and provide the best possible services and deals for the customers. Decide whether you will charge your clients based on time or the type of project.

6. Develop a Unique Design Process

Having your design process helps you differentiate yourself in the market amongst your competitors. This can be your blueprint that will guide your designs. The process can involve 6-7 steps, depending on how you design it. For example, you can start with a design brief, industry research, sketching and conceptualising, reflecting on your ideas, receiving feedback, and presenting the final design. Asking the right questions in your design brief can give you more clarity about your client, services, and products.

The design process usually brings structure into the system and ensures the right details are addressed at the right time, which boosts confidence in your clients and provides them with a better experience.

7. Digital Marketing Strategy

Marketing is as essential as bread and butter these days. No matter how your business plans and your service offerings are, if you are unable to reach your customers, everything might fall apart. Make sure you have a very diligent marketing plan specific to your calendar. Follow some of the best practices in the market segment you are in. Your marketing strategy should always align with your growth and business strategy. Every effort should focus on bringing new clients and creating brand value for your potential customers.

8. Build a Design Portfolio

Build an attractive website for your business where you can showcase your design portfolio. There are many easy-to-use website builders to help you. For example, Wix and WordPress are something you can explore. Graphic design is all about visual representation. It is imperative to have your portfolio showcased across channels like Facebook or Instagram to enhance brand visibility and attract potential customers.

Conclusion

One of the most popular careers that graphic designers pursue is logo designing. As many new businesses emerge in the market, there’s always a high demand for attractive, unique logos. The logo represents the company and is present almost everywhere, from products to brand campaigns. Research states that nearly 65% of small businesses usually set aside Rs. 37,000 for a logo design, and it can go up to Rs. 74,000. If you plan to run a logo design business, follow the above-mentioned steps to start in a structured manner. All in all, being creative, passionate, empathetic, and just focusing on your business plan should take you to the top of the business.

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FAQs

Q. Is a logo design business profitable?

Ans. Like any other business, this one has its nuances you should focus on to make your business a profitable one. Studies show that starting a logo design business has a high probability of earning more than starting as a freelance custom logo designer. You can explore playing with your pricing strategy, marketing strategy to optimize costs. Usually, a successful and profitable business provides high-quality designs and caters to a few high-paying and high lifetime value clients.

Q. What qualifications are needed to start a logo design business?

Ans. A fundamental requirement for a custom logo design is to have a degree in graphic design. Depending on the market you are in, you might need to be skilled in website design, commercial graphics, computerised design, and more to be technically qualified as a logo designer. Having experience in various graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop will be a plus. In general, being extremely creative, able to quickly grasp client’s needs, and exceptional design skills will put you on top.

Q. Who are the potential clients for logo designers?

Ans. As a professional logo designer, you can either be a permanent employee in an organisation or work as a freelancer across projects and companies. Some potential clients/companies that employ logo designers are advertising agencies, graphic design studios, architectural firms, signage companies, etc. There is a spectrum of employers, and the demand in the market is enormous.