A logo is one of the cheapest things to get wrong and one of the most annoying things to fix later, because it ends up on your website, your business cards, your packaging and your social profiles before you notice the problem. A bit of upfront screening saves you from redoing all of that in six months.
Ask to see concepts, not a catalogue
The biggest tell of a template seller is that they show you logos that are already finished, sometimes dozens of them, and ask you to pick one to have your business name dropped into. A real logo designer starts from a brief, not a catalogue, and shows you two or three original directions built around your actual business, not a generic shape with your name swapped in.
If a “logo package” is delivered within minutes of payment, it was never designed for you specifically.
Check what revisions actually cover
Most logo projects include a round or two of revisions on the concept you choose. What varies is what counts as a revision. Ask directly: can I ask for a different colour, a different font pairing, a tweak to the icon, and does that count against my revisions, or is a revision limited to “pick one of these three variations and that’s it”?
A designer who’s confident in their process will usually explain this before you ask.
Get every file format, not just a PNG
This is where a lot of cheap logo jobs quietly fall short. At delivery you should receive:
- Vector source files (AI, EPS or SVG) so the logo can be resized to any size, a business card or a billboard, without going blurry
- PNG versions, with and without a transparent background
- A favicon-ready version, usually a simplified icon-only mark for browser tabs and app icons
- Colour and monochrome versions, including a single-colour version for stamping, embroidery or printing where full colour isn’t an option
If a designer only hands over a flattened JPEG, you don’t actually own a usable logo. You own a picture of one.
Make sure you own it outright
Ask this before you pay anything: once the project is finished, do I own the final files and the rights to use them however I like, forever? The answer should be an immediate yes. Watch for vague licensing language, or a designer who keeps “master files” and only sends you a web-sized export. Source files, delivered to you, is the whole point of commissioning original work instead of buying a stock mark.
A short usage guide is worth asking for
You don’t need a sixty-page brand book for a logo on its own, but a short note on spacing, minimum size and what not to do with the mark (don’t stretch it, don’t recolour it outside the approved palette, don’t place it on a background it can’t be read against) saves you from someone on your team quietly mangling it in a slide deck eight months from now.
Questions worth asking before you commit
- Can I see two or three original concepts, not pre-made designs?
- What exactly counts as one revision round?
- Will I receive vector source files, not just a PNG?
- Do I own the final files outright once I’ve paid?
- How long does the whole process usually take?
A designer who answers these plainly, before you’ve asked twice, is usually the one who’ll be straightforward to work with for everything after the logo too.
Logo Design
Indian logo designers creating logos that work everywhere your business shows up