Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Your Logo

Reprinted with permission from "The Lion’s Share of Profits: The Benefits of Self-Publishing" 
By Spencer Gorin, co-author, with Charlie Steffens, of Learning to Play, Playing to Learn 


This article appears within the book, The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing: How to Produce and Market Your Book on a Budget by Linda F. Radke, ISBN: 978-1-58985-101-6


This is a great book for anybody interested in learning about self-publishing as well as those who are familiar with self-publishing (there are many great tips in this book).  Read and enjoy.








Your Logo 
Not only must your name be unique and easily remembered, but it also must be easily translated into graphic presentation. That is, it must look good on your letterhead, order forms, and all other business-related materials. If you create a logo (an identifying symbol, piece of art, or letter arrangement), be sure it will enlarge and reduce well and reflects the personality of your business. For my own publishing firm, I 
chose the name Five Star Publicationsand added a lighthearted figure as part of our logo—one that lends itself well to various reproduction sizes or colors. 


I’ve used one economical way to create a logo very successfully over the years. For my employment agency, I employed an art student who had recently graduated, and she did a wonderful job. If you contact a local art school, university, or even a high school, you’ll often find some extremely talented people. If time isn’t of the essence, an art teacher can sometimes use the creation of your logo design as a class project. Not only will you get a logo, but students will also gain experience in logo creation. The winning student will be able to add a professional piece of work to a portfolio. Whether you work with an artist or a class, come to terms up front about charges and payment so there are no surprises later. Give the artist some type of direction and show a few 
logos that look interesting to you. You don’t want exact copies, but showing logos you like will give the artist an idea of what you’re looking for. 


When designing a logo, your first consideration should be the effect it will have on the people who see it. It doesn’t need to contain all pertinent information, but it should be unique enough to be recognizable at a glance. A great logo will go a long way toward creating your company’s image and prestige, so give it careful thought. 




You also might want to consider a slogan to go along with your logo. We use “Your Story Begins Here,” and when you see our logo, you’ll also see our slogan. It’s double branding. 



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