Most folks are normally aware that there are 3 basic steps to setting up a website. Getting a domain name, choosing a hosting company for the website, and having someone, if not yourself,  do the design and/or programming stuff.

The domain name part is pretty simple and self-explanatory. You need a name for your website, duh.  For most businesses, it simply requires trying to find an available domain name for your current business.  Maybe you jump over to GoDaddy and do your thing there.  You’re feeling pretty good about yourself at that point.  With name in hand,  on to building the next big website!  We won’t go into the importance of deciding on what that domain name should be at this point but, in reality, it should be given careful thought.

When you finally get that name you are so proud of…. then you normally decide on a hosting company.  If you are completely sure of what building your spiffy new website will entail in terms of programming and development, that can make perfect sense.  If you are not sure about what will be needed to build the site, just finding the cheapest hosting service may be a mistake. You wouldn’t buy a VW bug for that new construction company gig, would ya?  Deciding on what hosting company you will use is all about dependability and doing what your website needs it to do.   You may be much better off making that decision after a small meeting with your web designer/programmer person at your favorite cafe.  If the developer knows what he/she is doing, they can explain to you the needs of the website and what hosting choices may be preferable.  If the designer is simply a Tool, he/she may simply say they will “take care of it”  themselves.   Which basically means, ‘I’ll find the cheapest low-budget hosting company I can find, and add my own markup on that puppy..’.   And, that wouldn’t be so bad, but most of those ‘people’ have no clue what a good hosting company should do for you in terms of hosting services.

But, let’s say you do what a lot of people do.  You just let your “designer” (I jest in calling most of them designers)  handle all that “other stuff“…. hosting, design, email accounts setup, FTP (file transfer) information, etc.  This is what we’ll graciously call the “oh crap!” moment.

So, now what you’ve done is basically given this person almost total control of your website.  You may not want to piss them off too much about now if you really want to keep your website.  Chances are they’ve paid for the hosting themselves and charged you some additional fee that we’ll just call a “tip“.   Once again, not too bad if you’re just paying for the time it takes them to set things up.   But, unfortunately, all ownership is now under their name.  And chances are, they have all the passwords for any administration areas and will keep it that way. Not something I’d normally encourage doing unless “honest Abe” is your designer/programmer guy.

Best case scenario at this point is that you become great friends and he/she is a great designer and programmer and invites you to Thanksgiving dinner.  It could happen.

What often happens though is that they just continue to charge you hosting, including a nice “tip” and keep control and ownership of the site without you thinking twice about it.

What also can happen and does way too often is…….. You figure out your designer/programmer person is definitely a tool.  Not only are they not the ‘designer‘ they said they were, but often times you find out too late that most things they say are… let’s just say ‘ poo‘.   But, unfortunately, Mr./Mrs. Tool at this point holds all the cards. And believe me, now they can not only NOT give you the hosting information which is in their name, but they can take it down if they want or even sell it to a competitor, all cases which have happened many times.

Ok. I can hear it now. Some web developers complaining about the need to be in control of the hosting and domain name for clients.  And that their “fee” is for the work of maintaining such things.  Blah, blah, blah. In reality, the client owns a business.  Their business.  They need to own and control things that are their business assets.  I have found that in most cases,  developers like Mr./Mrs. Tool do not respect their clients enough to be honest with them.  Sure, controlling a clients’ website with the ability to ‘take it hostage‘ if things get nasty may be a great feeling but it’s just wrong.  I’ve gone into many projects asking a new client for access to their site only to find the “old” designer is either gone, not responding, or simply failing to give control back to the client.  This scenario happens way too often.

The basic point is this. If you run a business, take control of the things that ‘are‘ your business.  Your website, amongst other things. And that also includes having ‘admin‘ access to everything.  Put the domain name, hosting, etc. under “your”/”your business” name. While some of my “developer” friends may not like this idea, it’s the right thing to do if you are doing your job well. Website development is “part” of a business strategy.  Helping companies improve their strategy in an honest way only secures your reputation as a valid “designer/programmer”.

Tools are great things in life to have around.  Just be careful when they come in the form of a web designer!

In its’ most basic sense, Webster calls a logo : an identifying statement.

Your identity or your “brand” is really the key element at work here. Your logo is just an element that provides part of that image or brand you will have as a business. How you use that logo in branding your identity is a whole other story. For now,  rethink your own logo design and determine for yourself whether it  was created with proper design guidelines.  The result can be valuable to you and your  business.

To begin with, let’s start with some fundamentals…

5 Principles of effective logo design :

• Simple
• Memorable
• Timeless
• Versatile (scalable, works in grayscale, etc.)
• Appropriate

A good logo is simple in its construction, but not in its concept. Quite often to the inexperienced eye, a good logo may look so simple that it looks like it was put together in a matter of minutes.

The vast majority of logo designs that are both simple and successful are backed by many hours of research and unused concepts that never made the cut. It is usually the result of an extensive and exhaustive logo design process.

Another advantage of simplicity in logo design is that a simple logo is much more likely to align with the other principles of good logo design: distinctive, relevant, memorable, timeless and versatile.

Some logos that work :

Trying to simplify the logo to its’ basic purpose is key. I know quite a few  people (won’t really call them designers)  who create logos that try and make the logo a summary of the business. Which is completely wrong.  They use too much text…. too much design….. to try and tell the business story.  They completely miss the point of the logo.  An effective design of a logo should also greatly increase your ability to create accompanying stunning print assets.  Ever try creating a fantastic looking brochure with a hideous logo?  Not good.

I encourage you to take a look at other nicely designed and effective logos.

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/a-showcase-of-creative-punctuation-in-logo-design

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/09/beautiful-and-creative-logo-designs-for-your-inspiration/

Following closely on this principle of simplicity is that of memorability. An effective logo design should be memorable, which is achieved by keeping it simple yet appropriate.

Surprising to many, the subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance, and even appropriateness of content does not always play a significant role.

This does not imply that appropriateness is undesirable. It merely indicates that a one-to-one relationship between a symbol and what it symbolized is very often impossible to achieve and, under certain conditions, objectionable. Ultimately, the only mandate in the design of logos, it seems, is that they be distinctive, memorable, and clear.

— Paul Rand

And, of course, if there are things you should do in your logo design, there are also things you shouldn’t.

10 common mistakes in logo design :

• Designed By An Amateur
• Relies On Trends
• Uses Raster Images (.jpg, etc.)
• Contains Stock Art
• Designing For Yourself Rather Than The Client
• Overly Complex
• Relies On Color For Its Effect
• Poor Choice Of Font
• Has Too Many Fonts
• Copies Others

With that in mind…..these are not Logos!

Not only are some too complex, they represent something else! They do not identify your company.

You have no idea what people will try and use as their company logo.  From scanned images of their pet to an image they just grabbed off the internet, no matter the quality or format.

I find designing a great logo is a lot like making a great meal.  You need the right ingredients and you need the proper portions.  Things like adding enough white-space to a logo can be key.   Too little or too much and things just don’t turn out right.  Great thing for me is that you don’t have to be a great chef to create a great logo.  Otherwise, I’d really be in trouble.

To do List :

Please.  Please.  When you do get that quality logo created.

• Archive that .EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) or .AI (Adobe Illustrator) file so that when your designer needs it to create those new business cards, brochures, print ads, or other print assets, you have that scalable logo readily available.
• Ask for a logo style guide.  This gives future designers (and the original designer) a guideline on what colors, spacing, fonts, etc. can be used when using the font in various projects.  Keeps things consistent and maintains brand identity.

Granted, there are many designers who feel the value of the logo has become less important in today’s business. However, the value of the logo in business still plays a key role in branding identity. While the study of logo history and theory is not the goal of this article, it remains an interesting subject.

Credits :

The Evolution of the Logo : by Dan Redding : Smashing Magazine 6/10/2010

Smashing Magazine : http://www.smashingmagazine.com

—————————————————————————-

A Showcase of Creative Punctuation in Logo Design

Web Design Ledger : http://www.webdesignledger.com