Your logo. Your letterhead. Your business cards. Your marketing. They all represent you and your business. Appropriately designed, they will communicate to your customers that your company is reputable, reliable, and professional. Your company image depends on a quality logo design that is unique and memorable. Your logo is the foundation of your brand.

You want your logo design to create a powerful memory in the minds of your customers so that they when need a product or service, they will think of you. Next time you hand out your business card you want it to leave a lasting impression and it all starts with your logo. If you think you can’t afford a logo, you really can’t afford to keep going without one. But you don’t want any logo–you want a logo worthy of your hard work.

Nine Qualities of the Best Logo Design Firms

Our research has identified nine key qualities to look for when getting logo design offers:

1. Portfolio

A logo design company’s portfolio is one of the best indicators as to whether they will be able to create a logo that fits your business. See if they have designed logos for your industry before. How many clients do they have? Do you like the logos they have designed for other customers?

2. Number of Logo Designers

How many designers are they going to have working on your logo? The more designers you have working on your logo, the more variety of ideas you’ll have and the better chance you’ll have a really creative designer. Two designers is pretty standard in the industry but see how much it will cost to have three or four designers if you have room in the budget for the extra cost.

3. Logo Concepts

This is the number of initial different ideas you’ll have to choose from–the more ideas the better. For cheaper packages, 3 or 4 concepts are common. For more costly logo designs, up to 10 concepts is usually possible.

4. Revisions

Unlimited revisions ensure you can get your new logo design just right. Revision limitations are usually placed on logo packages under $1000 to protect the designers from doing a lot of extra work at no cost.

5. Pricing

All of these qualities affect pricing. Make sure you shop around for the right logo design company and find a package that fits your budget and your needs. Examine each of these nine qualities and see which gives you the most for your money.

6. Turnaround Times

Make sure the company has a stated turn-around time for the initial logo concepts and the logo revisions. Initial concepts should usually be ready within 1-2 weeks. Revisions should only take about 2-3 business days to complete and get back to you.

7. Final Format(s)

Finalized formats should include Adobe Illustrator or an EPS file so that you have a scalable version of your logo. JPG and other bitmap formats will not work when you need to scale your logo up to fit on a bill board or large poster.

8. Guarantee

Most logo design companies have a guarantee that basically assures you that they’ll keep working on your logo until you’re a satisfied customer. Although not required, this allows you to rest easier.

9. Special Offers

We all like free stuff. Look for companies that may have special offers running that give you free business cards, letterhead, envelopes, or even a basic company website. You want to utilize your new logo design on as many mediums as possible and if they’re offering them for free–you can’t beat that!

Remember, when it comes to effective logo designs, logo simplicity is paramount.

If you’re a designer considering creating your own logo, read the seven logo design principles.