I’ll be the first to admit that you don’t need a logo, business cards or even a website to do business because you don’t. I often advise folks just starting out to not even worry about such things until you have lined up your first paying customer. So while JimRaffel.com Ventures (the umbrella for everything I do that is not ColorMetrix) has had this website for more than six years, I’ve never had a logo. This was true up until yesterday when LogoMojo (affiliate link) delivered the logo you now see in the header of this site. (If you’re reading via RSS, you’ll need to click over to JimRaffel.com to see the logo.)
How important is a logo?
The importance of a logo to your business really depends on what you do to make money and how you go about those pursuits. If you do long-term consulting and typically only have 2-3 clients at a time that are all found through referrals, how important is a logo? The answer is not very because while you have created a personal brand, the message of the brand is carried through personal contacts. I’m not saying such a business couldn’t benefit from a logo. I’m just saying it’s less necessary than this next example.
The JimRaffel.com Ventures part of my life is in flux. I’ve started to earn a few extra bucks each month through affiliate marketing. In addition, the “She Said, He Said” series of posts Shelby Sapusek and I started here has grown into something bigger than either of us imagined. There’s no revenue there yet; but we’ll be speaking together in a couple weeks and are applying for other speaking opportunities. That’s not ColorMetrix so offering up my ColorMetrix logo for “sponsorship” is neither correct or appropriate. That’s why my need to have a logo was born.
What to do with a logo once you have it
The first thing I did was add it to the header of this website that is viewed thousands of times a month. The goal of a logo is to attach a visual image to your brand. Picture a reader of this blog attending a conference and seeing the logo above on the sponsors page. That in turn might lead them to ask if I’m at the event and check the speaking schedule. Let’s face it: None of us like speaking to an empty room so one more butt in the seat is always a good thing. That’s the kind of impact the logo for a respected brand can have. The logo is just part of the package. It’s a visual reminder that something you like is close by.
If you’re a speaker or attend conferences frequently, consider having that logo produced on some nice shirts. Then people who may have never met you could recognize the logo on your shirt and be more inclined to approach you and say hello. Sure, we have our pictures all over the social media landscape but some people are not visual thinkers. They’ll respond better to being able to read “Jim Raffel” than recognize my face. Again, if I get to meet one more person face-to-face by wearing the logo, I will.
If your business has reached a point where you feel you need a logo, I suggest checking out LogoMojo. The order process was smooth and efficient. The review and revision process was also a breeze. I’ll let you be the judge of the final product.
Hi Jim,
The logo looks good – can imagine it being pretty striking, perfectly colour matched of course, on a six foot high foamex board above the stage when you’re speaking.
Simon
Thanks Simon! Appreciate the feedback.
Interesting Jim. Can you share a little more about the process please? How many designs did you get to choose from? What sort of direction did you have to give them?
I like your logo because it’s crisp and clean. I could see you using just the circle in the lower right corner of your PowerPoint slides too. I’m not a fan of red however (just personal preference). Still, good stuff!
Phil, great questions and ones I probably should have answered in the post so thanks for asking.
The process is really pretty cool. You select the level of service you want (I opted for the minimum package $195). Then, you compete a brief questionnaire designed to help the designer gain an understanding of you and your business. Also, any color or graphical ideas you already have. I found this part fun and thought provoking. It went pretty fast and almost felt like a game to me.
Then, five business days later I had 7 (some with variations) to choose from. They were very different from one another (which means some seemed just horrid to me). I narrowed it down to two and then had Shelby Sapusek look at them as well. She picked the same two. Then we narrowed to one. Finally, we agreed upon changes to that one.
I submitted the change request and 2 business days later had the logo you see now. I believe I could have gone through at least one more round of changed without additional charges.
Overall, in about two weeks (including weekends and holidays) I went from no logo to a logo.
Regarding my logo: Yes, Shelby is going to pull the circle out for me to use standalone. LogoMojo would have done that as well for a modest additional $50 or so.
Hope that helps Phil!
Jimmeh