There are so many aspects to marketing that can be overlooked, but are crucial to your company’s exposure on the world. I know one of the hardest things for me to do is create a new company name for a client. First off, anything common or familiar is usually taken already, and the more obscure you get, the less the name means anything. That being said, with proper marketing, any name can work. I was working at Amblin Entertainment in the mid 90’s just as Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen were creating Dreamworks SKG. I remember being in a meeting where they told us the name, and I secretly thought, “That’s a horrible name!” But as you can see, time and marketing made that name work, and now it is synonymous with things like the Shrek series and some great projects.

Designing a logo is equally difficult. I don’t envy designers at companies having to work through the process of finding the right piece of artwork to represent the company. But in recent years I discovered a hidden gem that could make that job not only much easier, but actually a little fun.

99Designs.com started back in 2008 when a group of designers created a friendly competition to develop logo concepts. Out of that a company formed, and now they offer access to thousands of designers, all who compete to win when you choose their design. When you start, you layout a set of basic parameters, including style, color and a description of what your company does. They walk you through it all, so there’s not a lot of guesswork or struggling on your part. Once submitted, you will start receiving design examples from a variety of artists, all using your parameters to create. It’s pretty cool, and takes a lot of pain out of a new design.

Pricing ranges from $299 to $1,119, depending on number of designs you want to look through, the type of designer and the level of customer service through the process. While I do think the Platinum package is cool, many people can get by with the Bronze package, and still receive some wonderful concepts to pick from.

Creating your own unique and captivating logo is crucial to how you present your business, and with 99Designs it’s no longer a task reserved for large companies. As always, if you need help working through the process, Bigfoot Robot is always here to help as well!