p.1 #1 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
Hi all,
This may be an odd place to post this but I couldn't find a better forum. Anyway, currently I am a portrait photographer. I work with babies, maternity, and engagement. I am just starting to get into wedding photography. I am second shooting etc. Just learning for now (and probably for at least the next year since weddings are so much different than normal portrait photography). Anyway though, I have a nice logo that a designer made for me (the tree piece at least) and I am just trying to decide if I should change it to be more versatile. I have some friends that just love it and if I was planning on just doing portrait work (kids, babies, and families) forever, I think the logo would be fine. I just wanted to get some opinions of this logo in the sense of being a "wedding photographer". Do you like it? Does it seem professional? I am basically just wanting an objective opinion. I just want to prevent myself from having to go through a logo redesign down the road.
p.1 #2 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
- Font does not fit the artwork
- Artwork will not scale well or overlay as a watermark well
Think simple, and spend a bit more time finding a font that fits your style as much as I am sure you feel the flowers do. For the artwork, something closer to a single flower (or just a few) might be a good thing to consider.
p.1 #3 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
If you showed your logo without text to someone on the street and offered a million dollars if they could guess what you did as a career you would safely be keeping your money but they would still have no idea what you do.
Some companies can get away with having a logo that is not immediately obvious. Companies with millions of dollars to spend on advertising.
As a small business operator you don't have that luxury.
Your logo should impress something about you on the mind of the viewer, send a clear message. I personally believe showing that you're a photographer should be one of those initial impressions.
p.1 #8 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
I agree that the typography does not fit. Although the larger issue at hand is that your "logo" really has nothing to do with anything.
It is not your "brand"... it is just part of it. A small part.
In order to judge the logo we need to see work, we need to know your goals as a business, we need to know basically everything about you and your business.
Why would someone want to book you? Once we know that then we can give good criticism on the logo for your brand.
At this point I really have no idea what your brand is so I cannot make a judgement of the logo that will mean anything beyond simple stuff like "I don't care for the typography".
p.1 #10 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
Actually your logo is a huge part of your brand or should be and as one of the first things people get to see does do some heavy lifting in the early stages of creating an initial impression.
p.1 #11 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
hardlyboring wrote:
I agree that the typography does not fit. Although the larger issue at hand is that your "logo" really has nothing to do with anything.
It is not your "brand"... it is just part of it. A small part.
In order to judge the logo we need to see work, we need to know your goals as a business, we need to know basically everything about you and your business.
Why would someone want to book you? Once we know that then we can give good criticism on the logo for your brand.
At this point I really have no idea what your brand is so I cannot make a judgement of the logo that will mean anything beyond simple stuff like "I don't care for the typography".
Agree 100% with Doug.... I'd even go so far as to say that asking our opinion is pretty much irrelevant. Your logo should be designed to identify your brand... your brand is determined by the things and ideas that most important to you.... what you offer that is unique and available only to you. Asking someone else to design your logo is like saying... "tell me what's important to me."
If this is your first attempt at creating a logo because you're just starting this aspect of your business, my advice would be to go with something simple for now.... just to get yourself going. Chances are, your ideas about what is important to you and what you're trying to convey will change as you learn more and more about this aspect of the business... I think its important to gain a little experience and perspective before you waste time and money designing something that is likely to change.
p.1 #12 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
A couple of things.
1) There's plenty of value asking people who don't know you or your work about a draft logo. Prospective clients often see our logos before they start evaluating our work. The question about whether the logo conveys a "professional" or "amateur" impression is absolutely a good question to ask, particularly of people who actually haven't seen the associated work.
I agree with Doug's opening assertion -- that the logo is merely a reflection of the brand. But it's not true that we need to see work to render a judgment about the logo. Our first impression is not the end of the discussion by any stretch, but there's nothing wrong with the OP's opening question. Indeed, it's probably the only question she can really ask right now.
2) A logo can convey meaningful information about the nature of the owner's work. But that's only really possible after the owner has meaningful information to convey that will distinguish him or her from other players. The OP's comments tell me she doesn't have a clear brand message in her head beyond the most basic "I want you to see me as a professional, generally speaking" concept. In all likelihood, it will be a while before the OP has a distinct identity sorted out in her own head, and that's when the logo exercise will be more constructive.
p.1 #13 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
Ya I agree with Rich. You will want to start with something really simple because I can say with 99% certainty that you will change things sooo many times before you settle into something for the long run.
Your whole business evolves. Your pictures improve, your cliental changes, your website changes, you charge more and more, and you revamp your brand. All of those things will lead to change of the "aesthetics" of your brand like your logo, albums, packaging, etc.
Don't worry about locking yourself into a logo right away because it will change quickly. We waited years before we had even an inkling of what we wanted our logo to be and then we contracted a great graphic designer who specialized in the visual side of branding to help us develop things.
Once you get to that stage in the "logo" game it becomes more about psychological things like typography, font size, spacing, wording, paper, print methods, etc.
p.1 #14 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
I respectfully disagree.
Get a decent logo and it should serve you forever. If a logo is jst a small part of your brand why have one at all? I don't think most small businesses know the full purpose of having one.
I think people read far too much into the connection your logo has to have to your work. Although i recognize the importance of some congruency remember that 99% of all wedding photography is the same.
That is most photographers are repeating work you can see on every website and blog across the world yet most still talk of their style as if they are doing something unique.
Not to be truculent but i would love to see some examples of logos that reflect the particular style of a photographer. Something that could not be exchanged with a thousand other decent logos.
My advice, get something that is decent, something that tells people what you do as soon as they look at it and if possible something unique.
p.1 #17 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
Wow... I guess I forgot to check the box to email me "replies". Thank you all for the responses! Ian, thank you so much for your critique. I definitely see where you are coming from. I didn't design this logo but my friend did and I agree it is too detailed and the typography isn't quite "right". I think I am going to go with something simple for now.
p.1 #18 · Logo Design Help for Wedding Photographer
In addition to what everyone said...I'm not sure how far along you are in your business but I can tell you from my experience that my logo has changed over the years just as my work has.
The logo should convey your style, and as that changes - so will the logo.
Also - remember the more complicated you make it, the harder is it to replicate. ( Thinking long term)
