Logoworks: Helping New Finance Blogs Establish Their Brand Identity Through Custom Graphic Design Projects & Professional Marketing Collateral

In a Nutshell: Developing memorable logos and websites are key pieces to creating visibility around new businesses, but these are jobs best left to professional designers. Instead of contest-based design, Logoworks is an online graphic design agency that treats creatives like the professionals they are. Founded in 2001, Logoworks employs a global team of designers dedicated to customized design who provide businesses with professional-looking graphics at fair prices. The agency specializes in logo and website design, but can create a wide range of branded items, including business cards, product packaging, custom banner ads, and even infographics and landing pages to help bloggers with their content strategies. //

The financial blog space is a competitive one with established names like The Penny Hoarder and Mr. Money Mustache drawing in millions of monthly readers. However, financial topics are so popular that new blogs can still get noticed with proper marketing and branding efforts.

One of the most challenging, but important, parts of starting a new website or company is coming up with a catchy logo and memorable website design. Some companies put this off; others try to go it alone. Neither of these strategies is recommended if you want your venture to hit the ground running.

That’s because a logo is not just an image. It’s a reflection of the company’s values, as well as a strategic piece of information. Business strategy and logo should be closely aligned. And while, yes, it’s fun to brainstorm your ideas with friends and family, you should ideally run your ideas by a professional — and in fact, put your ideas in professional hands.

Logoworks, a New York-based online graphic design agency, was founded in 2001 out of frustration with the status quo. One of the company’s original founders, Morgan Lynch, was in charge of marketing for a software company that needed a new logo. He called a local design agency, but he wasn’t satisfied with their work. Then, he called a freelancer, and he wasn’t satisfied with the freelancer’s work, either. After spending a lot of money looking for a memorable logo, he decided to found his own company, which became Logoworks.

While logos are a major part of what Logoworks does, the platform also specializes in designing websites, business cards, stationery, social media pages, infographics, posters, and a host of other design projects, including sports jerseys, product labeling, and other branded merchandise.

We recently spoke with Toufan Rahimpour, the Chief Operations Officer at Logoworks, who told us about the company’s designer-friendly process, competitive pricing, and some of its future plans.

Toufan told us most of Logoworks’ corporate clients require the platform’s services within the first six months of starting a business.

“It all starts with a logo,” Toufan said. “We help them with their visual identity. We stick with them, and we help them with marketing materials.”

Logoworks has a team of professional designers all over the world. About half of Logoworks’ designers live in the U.S., while others live in Mexico, Spain, Romania, New Zealand, Poland, and several other countries.

“We use multiple designers on each project,” Toufan said, adding that the company carefully matches clients to designers, based on their styles.

A distinguishing feature the company is extremely proud of is that it doesn’t have a contest model for projects. In other words, he explained that some other design firms ask large pools of designers to submit their work as entries, with only the winning designer being compensated for their efforts. Logoworks does it differently.

“Our belief here is that it’s not fair to ask designers to do work for free. It doesn’t work for other industries,” Toufan said. “Design is a professional service. Designers are skilled; they go to school for this. We’re very adamant that designers should be compensated like other professionals.”

Logoworks has a step-by-step process for clients. When they first come in, they go to the Logoworks website and fill out a questionnaire about what they want, and what they’re looking for, Toufan said.

“If it’s a business card, we ask for contact info,” he said. “If it’s a logo, we ask who their customers are and what they want their brand to convey.”

Then, the client is assigned one of Logoworks’ project managers, all of whom have a design background. The project manager acts as a liaison between the client and designer.

“What is sexy to one person is something totally different to another person,” Toufan said. “The project manager takes that information and translates it into designer-speak.”

Toufan adds that it’s helpful for clients to check out other logos when thinking about what they want. Google, for example, has a simple, straightforward logo, whereas Mountain Dew has jagged letters that evoke adventure, he said.

Once the client and project manager have agreed on an idea, the plan is sent to several designers. Once designs are submitted, the client selects their favorite, and after three or four revisions, they receive the final logo.

Logoworks’ prices for logos — between $300 and $600 — are comparable to other design firms, and clients can choose from three pricing options, with the difference lying in the number of design concepts, designers used, and number of revisions allowed. All three tiers come with a satisfaction guarantee.

Logoworks also gives clients a free year of website hosting via Bluehost, a Utah-based company with whom they have a long-standing relationship. After the first year, it costs clients just $50 annually.

“We’re able to get faster service, so when a customer has a problem, they typically reach out to us,” Toufan said.

In its 17 years, Logoworks has designed nearly 310,000 logos. It also counts more than 72,000 clients, who report a 97% satisfaction rate. For the very few clients who are not satisfied, Logoworks has a money-back guarantee program. If clients don’t like the initial designs, the company makes it right with new design concepts or a refund.

Logoworks gets so many projects because new business owners understand the value of branding. Logos and websites are some of the first experiences consumers have with your product and services. So if you start a new finance blog or business, Logoworks is just the kind of company that can help your venture stand out.

The company’s legacy of going beyond the status quo continues. With plans for releasing websites in multiple languages and white-labeled platforms for affiliates, Logoworks is in prime position to continue to grow in a way that’s friendly to its designers and clients.