Is a Free Logo Design Worth it?
 Free logo design sites trying to pawn off free company logos or low budget logos as the real thing are like Dr.
Frankenstein attempting to pass his monster off as a real person.
One look at the stitches keeping Frank's head together, the green skin and extra long arms are dead give-aways that something is not quite
right.
If it's not possible to create human beings from a scrap pile of body parts why do business people believe it's possible to do the same with
logo design?
Online marketers want you to believe that all that is necessary to create logos is to scrape up a heap of art parts like unusual fonts, free
clip art, and common icons. Their online software quickly cobbles the pieces together in a logo-like fashion and the devious internet logo doctor
proudly cries out, "It's alive! It's alive!" Is your logo alive? Probably not. Allow me to explain...
 The Pitch
The online pitch for free logo design is a common one. "Step right up and get yer FREE BUSINESS LOGO here!" They usually add, "Why pay $300
for something you can get from me for FREE?"
The pitch man knows that using the phrase "free company logo" will lure a fair amount of traffic to his website.
A little bit of research on your part will reveal that some of the free logo offers really only let you create the logo and view the logo but
not actually download and own the logo. That part will set you back $49.95. So much for free.
The Promise
Many of us believe the glowing promises from the Billy-Bob marketers of the world. They swear that everything is legit. The logo design IS
unique and it CAN be trademarked. They say this because they know that's what we want to hear.
The only way to know for sure whether a business logo is free and clear of copyright infringement is to consult a
trademark lawyer. Just remember that internet marketers have been known to lie. Buyer beware!
The Problem
A big problem with the free or el cheapo logo sites is that they are created by marketers not professional artists and designers. They
honestly do not know what they are talking about when it comes to logo design. Their main aim is to make money not necessarily give you what you
need.
Another serious problem that crops up is that the logo you create with their software will likely be riddled with issues and
technical problems. Without going into too much detail I'll list a few of the biggies.
- Not unique.
You can't use off-the-shelf art that other people are using and call the end result
unique.
- Unable to trademark it.
Trademark lawyers are sticklers for uniqueness when it comes to logo design. Being able to trademark your logo is very important for brand
protection. Don't throw that right away by using a free logo.
- Your logo is probably a low-resolution bitmat image only.
Bitmap images are barely adequate for website use but definitely not usable for printing.
- You don't receive an eps vector format of your logo.
Printers absolutely demand a vector format of your logo. Without it you have nothing and they have headaches.
The Punishment
The punishment for swallowing the free business logo design pitch is wasted time and effort. The unhappy irony of the whole
situation is that free logo designs cost you a ton of money in the end.
Final thoughts
Bringing high quality logo designs to life is best left to professional logo designers like The Logo Company who have "Done It" thousands of times.
A well designed logo will pay for itself multiple times over no matter how much you pay for it in the beginning.
Next article: Should I design my own business logo?
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