About Small Business Logos
A great man once said...
“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.”
Leonardo da Vinci
And there's never been a truer word spoken. At Small Business Logos we try to adhere to this with everything we do.
As someone starting or running a small business I’m sure you’ll agree that we live in a world where there’s too much choice, too much noise and not enough focus. I expect you, like us, are bombarded daily with offers and promises of new products and services that will transform your business.
And in amongst the noise there will undoubtedly be graphic designers, logo designers, marketing agencies and creative consultants all vying for your attention.
That’s where we’re different.
At Small Business Logos we like to keep it simple:
• You Google logo designer and we pop up
• You check out our simple and effective designs
• You choose from 3 simple logo design packages
• Together we follow a simple step-by-step process to a great end result.
There are so many bad logo designs around and we know there is really no need for it. In fact, it’s one of our biggest bug bears and we’re here to stop it. The most important thing for us is that your logo works for your business and is fit for purpose. Not that you've spent a fortune on it and it doesn't really do the job.
As Alan Sugar would say…
"When it comes to bulls**t, they (advertising agencies) have forgotten what
you haven't already learnt."
The internet means you can search and find businesses like ours who will charge you a fair price for the design time.
We have smaller overheads, we have less admin and we don’t spend ½ day asking you to imagine…
"If your business was an animal, what animal would it be?"
We know that briefing a designer isn’t easy. That’s why the agencies ask questions like this. And it’s a fact that most people find it very difficult to convey an image they have in their head into words that make sense to someone else.
That’s why we’ve created a simple, online form that holds your hand through the briefing process. Our form is different because it shows you examples of fonts, colours and styles so you can pick what you do and don’t like from the outset. That way our designer gets visual clues from you at the start. This is far more helpful than a few descriptive words on a piece of paper.
What makes us qualified to do this?
• Our parent company is a publisher and we have a working design studio
• We have brilliant, qualified UK designers working for us everyday who’ve worked hard to help us get this right
• We also have the founder of Brand Catalyst (a branding agency) on our team who has worked with businesses big and small
• We have experienced in house marketers reviewing designs and processes
• Between us we have over 100 years of design, branding and marketing experience!
So who are these people?
It’s all too common to go to a website and not be able to find a contact email address or phone number, let alone see who the company is run by. We thought you’d like to see who we are, what we do and what makes us tick...
David Lester (The Big Boss)
David is the entrepreneur who started Startups.co.uk back in 1999. He is incredibly passionate about small business and works in our business everyday. You can read David's full story here. Small Business Logos is another of David’s bright ideas, we hope you like it.
Lucy Smith (Marketing brains)
I started my working life as a PR and marketing exec for a hair salon in London. It was incredibly important that all the staff; the hairdressers, colourists, admin staff and office staff lived the brand. So much so that we all had wonderful haircuts to show off where we worked. And that one simple thing was really successful. I was always complimented on my new hair dos and it was a talking point that got the brand known to other girls in London - just what they wanted!
For the past 7 years I've worked in the start-up and small business market promoting business books, websites, events and much more. The best thing about working with start-ups is the enthusiasm and the passion that they all have and the wonderful (often extremely simple!) ideas that they have.
And that's what I'm all about. Let's keep things simple but effective. Don't spend too much time over-thinking, over-prepping or over-complicating matters. Start small and learn, spend your energy testing what works and what doesn't until you end up with something great. That's what we're trying to do with Small Business Logos. I hope you like what we do. If you have any suggestions about what we could do better let us know on suggestions@smallbusinesslogos.co.uk
Peter Shaw (Resident Brand Guru)
We are extremely lucky to have Peter on our team with his wealth of experience working with both big and small brands coupled with his own start-up experience and rolling out a franchise in Poland! Here's a bit more about Peter...
Peter has over 25 years experience working on some of the country’s super-brands from British Airways to Cadbury, Center Parcs to more recently the London 2012 Olympics.
Having worked in market research, advertising and innovation consultancies Peter founded Brand Catalyst in 2005, a boutique brand consultancy, working on both business to business and consumer brands. Peter still runs Brand Catalyst today, so if you're looking for some brand consultancy or expertise you can get in touch with Peter or check out Brand Catalyst online.
Not content with one business, Peter is also the Chief Executive of DP Poland plc which operates Domino’s Pizza stores in Poland. His first Domino’s store was opened in Warsaw on 28 February 2011 and twelve stores have been opened to date.
Peter is a regular commentator on brands in the media, sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Brand Management and is a full member of D&AD.
Andy Prior (Design Whizz)
I have worked as a graphic designer for about 13 years now and feel very fortunate to do a job I love doing. Being happy in my job allows be to inject genuine passion and enthusiasm into any project I take on. I especially love working with small businesses as the impact of good branding and design is far more measurable and evident to the businesses I'm helping. I firmly believe good branding is essential in creating the right impression for your business thus engaging effectively and clearly with your target audience. I'm not one of those designers who designs to satisfy their own ego!
P.S. I designed the Small Business logo and website, I hope you like it! :o)
Mick King (Design Superstar
After studying design at the University of Newcastle (the Aussie one) back in the late 90’s, I took my first paid design job in a small repro bureau in 1998. Those of you good at maths will deduce that i have been doing this fantastic job; in one form or another, for the past 14 years. Arriving in London in 2001, I started work as a freelance designer loving the freedom it game me to experience all aspects of the industry, right across the city. I’ve produced work for big and small companies alike. From BMW, Sony, Nike and IBM right through to business cards for my local handy man, I enjoy the the unique challenges every job brings. I guess I am one of the lucky ones who can say they truly love their job.
Dan Beard (Design talent)
"I live for all things design, and I’m always looking for new and innovative ways of tackling a design problem. Graphic design is not just playing with text and images, it is about the commination of a certain message or idea. I have a certain affinity with small businesses, I love helping them get their particular message out there. Brand identity can be key in the success of any business, so it’s always good to get it right the first time round. I have designed logos for lawyers, IT companies, fashion designers, mining consultants and charities to name but a few. "
All of these people collectively make up Small Business Logos and have all had input into our mission…
To produce the best value logo designs on the internet!
If you like what you've read, why not try us out? For as little as £75 you could have a brand new logo for your business...