Online Logo Design... You Don't need a Designer, Right? Wrong!
It's taken me a few years now of watching this unfold.
As a graphic designer I have seen many attempts now of people trying to sort out their company branding and logo online without touching base with an actual real person with years of experience in this field. Of course I will row in behind the side of keeping graphic designers employed into the future as long as is possible, but there are real, tangible reasons why you should at least talk through your needs with a professional designer before embarking on your quest.
As I have said, I have seen many attempts of people using online software to design a logo and nearly all the time I come away with the same feeling. The initial concept coughed up by these AI generators are usually pretty impressive and you would think at first, who needs to add an extra cost of hiring somebody to do what I can do just as well with a few clicks and prompts into the internet.
BUT... why oh why do I get so many request to "tweak" alter or recreate these logos for customers?
Well, in a nutshell the sites that offer you these types of products are really selling you short. Badly. Anyone who hasn't worked in the industry for a reasonable period of time would not question the results at first glance and would gladly part with their hard earned cash for what appears a great design. But you will be left high and dry when it comes to implementing it into all of your marketing. Well what are the problems you ask?
Well, the main one that I see is the lack of editability.
Once you have bought the design you will usually be allowed to download a jpeg and nothing else. But what people don't think about is that you will need a variety of formats. You will need an editable vector (.eps) file. Once you have this you will have a version that you can tweak should the need arise (and it will). This gives you the flexibility to create various versions, like a reverse out / white version for placing on coloured backgrounds, or a positive version on a white background that you may need for business cards or a van or anything that a heavy background may not work with. You may well need to add a strapline or a selling point or a web address at some point should you want.
The next obvious thing to me is resolution.
The files I have seen are normally "ok" but usually medium to low resolution. These companies know on closer inspection you will have a nagging feeling that it should be sharper. This is likely the option that you ignored when you thought you had a "free" great logo for a low cost. There was probably an option on the same website that said something like "click here for premium options". This would have led you to a page where suddenly the costs were a lot higher. But the main thing is you are left with a sub standard low resolution jpeg.
Black backgrounds and colour fade backgrounds!
Generally the customer gets very excited when they see their proposed idea in full colour on a black background. The colours ping and it looks great. The problem is when you need to add something or change something. It's locked into the background and usually those impressive glows or gentle faded colours make it impossible for any designer to extract it at a future date if you need edits.
Taste / over the top
This is subjective, but my lasting feeling is that most of the time these AI generators produce lavish, over the top, all lights flashing, albeit impressive designs. There is a lack of seriousness to my eyes. Pretty yes, but not appropriate for a business logo. More suitable for a screen saver or something like that. Look around you when you are in a supermarket or a shopping mall, or even driving through a city. Look at the branded products you see. The most reputable companies have simpler logos, never quite as brash as the one you will be fooled by online. There is a reason for this. They work, they are strong and they build trust. They stick in your mind and you don't forget them. And neither do their customers. We are in an age of being bombarded with ever more fantastic but complicated AI images. Our brain gets exhausted. Keep it simple!
Basic Customer interaction
Finally, you won't be able to have a conversation with a real person about your requirements. Is this important? Well for the reasons above you can easily fall into one of the traps deliberately set out for you. Real people can have a wealth of knowledge they can draw on and thankfully often they are still ahead of the machine. And hey... you might even have a positive experience of speaking with a human... rather than the draining, depressing feeling of falling ever more deeply into cyber world!