Your logo can just be your business name, or it can have artwork with it, vines, graphics etc.

Very big right now is watercolor flowers and gradient gold letters or geometric prisms.

I've never been fond of using a camera or an aperture wheel instead of an O for logos.

This is where mood boards are great.

Back in the day I would look through magazines and cut out the ads I loved and glue them to poster board. Now we have Pinterest!

I make a secret board and Pin fonts and other logos I love.

I had a mind set with my portrait business that I was just going to do a font in teal and orange.

I was pretty broke so I posted on Facebook to see what acquaintances would come up.

A friend said she would design one for $20.

I bought it from her but everyone told me it kind of looked like the logo for a nursing home.

I then tried Fivver. Twice.

It is where you pick a graphic designer to make you a logo for anywhere from 5 to 50 bucks.

I spent $10 and hated it so much I didn’t even want to ask the artist for a revision.

I tried it again and spend $15 and I liked it but when I posted it for feedback everyone else hated it IMMENSELY.

What now?

Another photographer suggested an artist to me. I filed out her online questionnaire.

She said it was going to be $200 and six weeks.

I really do hate waiting but I completely get it!. DO NOT RUSH ART.

The one thing that I did not see coming was the questionnaire. I told her everything I wanted teal, orange, just my name, but she had me make a PinBoard of logos and fonts I liked.

It was at that moment I discovered everything I Pinned and was drawn to was the opposite of what I thought I wanted.

I had become what I always complain about. The customer who doesn't really know what they want.

The other graphic designers didn't fail. I could not really explain what I wanted. Which is why you go to a Pro to be able to interpret for you LOL.

Going online and looking at other business logos and styles was really an important step to actually realizing what I wanted. I had been saying the wrong things!

She got excited over the Pins and six hours later brought me back my new logo that I love.

Your logo designer will give you a palette of colors and two to three fonts to use that are your brand for website, business cards, welcome packets, thank you cards etc.

Remember to watch out for hard to read fonts!!!!

If on a budget there are lots of design shops online with premade logos where you just change the name to yours!

You can do it yourself but graphic design is a completely different beast from photography.

I find a lot of photogs who design their logo themselves end up with something that is just ok and not as polished as if a pro had done it.

I've seen it with myself in the past. You have on "Mommy Goggles" for how good it is because you put so much work into it.

Ask other photogs and clients for there opinion! Ask people who are your core demographic, "How does this make you feel?" "Remind you of anything?" "Easy to read and identify?" "Do you feel it represents my style well?"

When the new year starts and our busy season has ended is when most photogs redo their branding. 

Can't wait to see what new looks my friends come up with this year!

Logo Mistakes